~ RULES ~
We gotta have 'em.
We may be punk, but we're not punks. There is a difference.

Don't be rude - It's just that simple. Rudeness and bullying are not tolerated in Pretty in Punk. This is a community and a family. If you don't know how to leave feedback without tearing someone down, this is not the place for you. Anyone caught leaving rude comments will get a strike. Get caught twice and you're out of the club. We don't give three strikes here.

On the other hand, if you are here just for the reads and only want sunshine and happiness blown up your a$$, you are in the wrong place. We are here to give constructive feedback and help you become a better writer. That often includes tough love and things you don't always want to hear. We're all adults here. So, if someone leaves you a comment you don't like, pull up your big boy or girl pants and ask yourself, is it mean or is it true?

Do not argue with those leaving feedback. If there's something you don't agree with, either ignore it or have a friendly discussion about it. You may find out that something doesn't read the way you think it does or you may change your reader's mind. But having knee-jerk reactions to comments isn't helping anyone.

There is one thing we REALLY don't like to see: comments starting with "I think you meant..." It comes off as arrogant. Try "Did you mean...?" Same thing, whole different attitude.

Language - No, we're not talking about f-bombs here. All entries and communication must be written in English. You can have all the f-bombs you want!

Follows - This account (prettyinpunkbc), along with the accounts of our management team AmyMarieZ and authordonnataylor must be followed for your entire duration in this club. These follows must be from a main account, not a backup account. Also, this book needs to be added to a public reading list and your library so that you get our updates. You are not required to follow the team leads, but it is strongly suggested that you do so. If another member or team lead follows you, return the favor. It only takes a second to return the love. If you don't follow them then they don't follow you, and it's a lose-lose for both parties.

Book Entries - You may only enter one book. Your entry must comply with Wattpad guidelines. A minimum of 6 chapters is required, however we prefer you to have more. Author's notes, aesthetics/casting, or prologues/epilogues less than 1,000 words do not count. We accept all genres with the exception of graphic books, rant books, playlists, poetry, or quote books. If you join with only 6 chapters, you will be required to have 8 chapters by the time you complete the third cycle with your team. If you don't, you'll be moved to another group (if available) or removed from the rotation until you add more chapters or another grouping becomes available. If this lasts more than two months, you'll be eliminated from the club and will have to reapply. The purpose of this book club is to get and give feedback. If you're only giving/receiving feedback on the first few chapters, then no one is gaining anything from this experience.

Members - Eligible members must be 21 or older and have an established account of at least six months. There is no exception to the minimum age requirement. If you join and we find out you are under 21, you will be removed from the club, no questions asked. We will do our best to place members in groups we think will be the most enjoyable and satisfying to them. However we cannot make any guarantees that all groupings will be perfect. You may not like some genres and some of our members may not like yours. That doesn't mean you can't give constructive feedback on things like plot, character development, grammar, spelling, formatting, etc. If you are unwilling to read mature or LGBTQ stories, we respect your decision, but your application will be denied. However, if for any reason you feel you cannot read a story, shoot us a PM explaining why. We can try to work something out.

All potential new members will have their book checked for quality and they must complete a mock round with one of the team leads' books. If your application is accepted, we will assign you a book and give you a due date to complete the test. This is to make sure you can follow directions and give constructive feedback. If your feedback consists of just emojis or comments resembling "I like this" or "this is funny", it does not count as constructive. What would make those types of comments constructive is to expand on why you like it or think it's funny (see How to Become a Rockstar). Suggesting writing programs like Grammarly or ProWritingAid are also not constructive. That's just plain lazy. Give explanations as to why something is wrong.

Once you've been accepted to the club, you will become a trial member for the first month before becoming a full-fledged member. If you fail to complete your assignment or fail to complete it properly and on time while you are a trial member, you will be removed from the club. You cannot request an extension while you are a trial member. This is to avoid people who don't care and are only looking to reap the rewards of this club without doing the work.

Here's where we lay down the law...

Strikes - All assignments must be completed by the deadline. Any member who has completed the assignment post-deadline but before the next round posts will be included but will receive a strike. This means you will be on probation and cannot be late or ask for an extension for the next round.

If you receive a second strike while on probation, you will sit out for a round and lose your rockstar status (if applicable). You will also have your name removed from the Story Spotlight Wheel of Destiny for 3 rounds.

If you receive another strike within the first rounds back, you will be eliminated from the club. No more strikes. No more chances.

If you do not complete an assignment before the next round posts, you will receive a strike and sit out the round. You will then have 3 days to complete the assignment unless you've received a message stating otherwise.

We do this because we have a lot of members who take the time and effort to do their assignments on time. They read the books, leave feedback, and participate. It's not fair when they get a partner who doesn't do the same. Plus, a lot of time someone will get a strike and just go MIA. We do this to also avoid having to deal with that for several weeks before removing the person who obviously doesn't care.

If you can't complete your assignment for any reason, let someone know. PM the club, any founder, or your team lead. No one likes to be ghosted and it isn't fair to the members who complete their assignments on time. If you've posted on your feed that you will be off Wattpad or are experiencing difficulties, this does not count as informing us. We can't keep up with everyone's announcements.

Extensions - We understand that things come up and you need extra time to complete your assignment. Extensions are limited to once every three months. If you ask for more than one extension during that time, you will get a strike.

You must ask for an extension before the deadline. If you ask for an extension between the time deadline and the time the new round posts, you will receive a strike and be on probation.

If you do not PM us to request an extension or let us know what is going on, you will get a strike.

Leaves of Absence - You can take a short break (a round or two), or you can take an extended leave (more than two rounds). If you do not have your assignment completed before your break/leave, you will return with a strike. There is also the possibility that you will not be allowed to return to the club if you leave with an incomplete assignment. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

If you take an extended break, you will be treated as a new member when you return. You will be subject to the round trial period, but you will not have to complete an application or a mock round. When you leave, someone will be brought in to replace you to keep the teams even. If we have a waiting list when you are ready to come back, you will be placed at the bottom of the list and put back into rotation when we have an opening.

If you wish to leave the club permanently, that's fine. Just do us the favor of telling us. Don't ghost us.

Now, for how the rounds work...

Reading Groups & Pairs - You will be placed in a reading group of 4 members that is assigned to a team lead. We will try to keep you in the same group across as many rounds as possible so group members will get further into your book than just the first few chapters. If we do not have enough group members to fill your group or one of your group members is on a break, you may only have 3 group members for a round, or there may be a substitute member in your group.

For each assignment, you will read 2 chapters of each of your group member's stories. The next round, you will read the next 2 chapters of each group member's story. Once you've run out of chapters for the members of your team to read, you will be moved to another team, or you can swap out your book for a different one.

Rounds last for 1 month. This means you will be reading 6 chapters a month, +1 chapter for the Story Spotlight (see below), for a total of 7 chapters.

We can't force you to vote, but it will make it easier for you to keep track of which chapters you have read as well as put a smile on the author's face. But no member is required to vote on anything ever.

Comment Guidelines:

Read 2 chapters of each group member's book.

Make a minimum 2 inline comments per chapter (no length specified).

Make 1 final review comment on each chapter.

The final review comment should begin with #PIPBK. You may begin your inline comments with this tag as well, but it is not required.

For the final review comment please don't be generic. Give constructive feedback. Along with your other thoughts, your chapter review must contain what you liked about the chapter and why, and what you feel can be improved. Also, if you are using the #PIPBK tag for inline comments as well, please note that it is your final review by saying #PIPBK Final Review or #PIPBK Chapter Review. Any wording that tells us it's not a regular inline comment is fine.

We have an example of what we're looking for in the end of chapter comments below. A final chapter review should be left on each chapter you read.

Story Spotlight - All members who have been with us for at least three months are placed on the Wheel of Destiny that will decide the story spotlight, unless they've requested not to be in the running. Once you've been chosen, you will be removed from the wheel for three months. Also, if you've received a strike, you will be removed from the wheel until your probation period is over. Rockstars are eligible to have their name listed twice on the Wheel of Destiny. If they are selected as the spotlight, only one instance of their name is removed.

Those paired with the member who is chosen for the story spotlight are required to read an extra chapter from that book.

Everyone is to do the story spotlight assignment. That means everyone is to read 1 chapter of the spotlighted story.

Story Spotlight comment guidelines:

Leave at least 1 inline comment.

Also leave 1 comment at the end of the chapter, starting with #PIPBK

For end of chapter comments, please don't be generic. Give constructive feedback. Again, make sure you note that it's your final review. Your final review must also include what you like about the chapter and why, and what you feel can be improved.

Comments - The whole point of giving a comment is to give constructive feedback to the author so that they can improve. So, for your end chapter comments, make sure to make them count. Really try to break down how you feel about what they wrote. If you like it, tell them and tell them why and which parts. If you don't like something, then tell them that too but be polite about it. We're here to be honest and support each other, not to be jerks. If you see an error, point it out to them. In some cases, it might be helpful to explain why it's wrong. Don't just suggest programs like Grammarly or ProWritingAid. Really, it all comes down to the details. The more details, the better!

If a member exhibits Superior Reviewing Skills™️ for three or more rounds, their team lead may submit them for Rockstar status. For more information on this, please read the chapter entitled How to Become a Rockstar.

Note: Constructive comments aren't always about telling the writer what could be improved or what they did wrong. Sometimes telling them what you liked and why you liked it is also constructive. Not to mention, nice comments make the writer happy.

Deleting comments is verboten! Any member caught deleting #PIPBK comments while they are in the club will immediately be expelled. If you have a problem with a comment, please message your team lead, the club account, or one of the founders. But before you do, please scroll to the top and read the first two paragraphs again.

Completed Assignments - Once you have read and commented on your partner's 3 chapters and the 1 chapter of the Story Spotlight, place an inline comment next to your name in the team chapter that you are finished and make sure you tag your admin. It should look something like this:

@username Done with chapters # to # of my partner's book and chapter # of the story spotlight

Failure to tag your Team Lead and list the chapters you've read will result in a strike. If you don't tag your team lead, they won't know to look for your comments. If you don't list the chapters, they won't know where to look. If you tag your team lead anywhere else besides the team chapter, it does not count.

Due Date and Time - All assignments must be completed by 11:59pm (23:59) PST on the last day of the month. We post the new round on the first day of the next month.

The hours between deadline and the next round posting are not a grace period. Please read the section near the beginning of this chapter regarding strikes.

As promised, here is an example of what your End of Chapter comment could look like:

#PIPBK Final Review:

Hi @username Hope you're doing great!

Title:

Cover:

Blurb:

Chapter:

Characters:

Grammar, Structure and Dialogue:

What I like about this chapter and why:

What I feel could be improved and why/how:

Keep up the good work!