Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Our summaries are created using advanced AI technology. This allows us to deliver high-quality, consistent summaries at a fraction of the cost and time of traditional human-written summaries.

Standard and Featured tier authors can edit book metadata (title, description, cover, retailer links) and all summary fields (key takeaways, chapter summaries, notable quotes, Who Should Read This) from their author dashboard. Standard and Featured authors also get one audio regeneration. Free tier books cannot be edited after submission — please contact support at hello@bookgist.ai if you need a change to a Free tier listing.

Each summary targets approximately 3,000–3,500 words — roughly a 15-minute read. The audio version is produced to match that length and is also about 15 minutes long.

We offer multiple AI narration voices to suit different tones and styles. Examples include: Alloy (neutral), Ash (warm), Ballad (melodic), Coral (friendly), Echo (resonant), Fable (refined), Nova (bright — default), Onyx (powerful), Sage (calm), Shimmer (expressive), and Verse (versatile). Voice availability may vary over time; if audio generation is temporarily unavailable for a summary we will publish the text summary and notify you by email when audio becomes available.

We publish the text summary as soon as it’s ready and add AI-narrated audio when it becomes available. Audio can be delayed if third-party TTS services are temporarily unavailable or if there’s an issue generating audio for your file. We primarily use OpenAI TTS when configured (model gpt-4o-mini-tts); some deployments may fall back to ElevenLabs. If audio is not available immediately we will email you when narration is ready — or contact support with your order email and book id if you need an expedited check. If you prefer, we can requeue the job once the TTS provider is available.

It is simple: upload your book file (PDF, EPUB, or DOCX), choose your tier, and pay a one-time fee. Our AI reads your book and generates a comprehensive summary — both as a readable ebook and a professionally narrated audio version. Your summary is then published to our free library.

Most summaries are generated and published within minutes of successful payment and upload. During busy periods or if the file has extraction issues (DRM, scanned PDFs, very large files), processing can take longer. Audio generation can also be delayed if third-party TTS services are temporarily unavailable. We'll notify you by email when your summary is ready and will provide next steps if we need a corrected upload.

Every summary includes key takeaways, a chapter-by-chapter summary, notable quotes, a "Who Should Read This" section, and a link to buy the full book. Standard and Featured tiers include AI-narrated audio (when available), editing, analytics, and an SEO-optimized summary page. Featured also adds social media quote cards and an "As seen on BookGist" badge. Note: audio generation depends on third-party TTS services and may occasionally be delayed; when audio is unavailable we publish the text summary immediately and notify you by email as soon as narration is ready.

Think of your summary as a 15-minute preview for your book. Readers who enjoy the summary are primed to buy the full version. Plus, every summary page is SEO-optimized, so readers searching for topics in your book can discover you organically.

We accept PDF, EPUB, and DOCX files. For best results upload a clean, text-based file (not a scanned image PDF). Maximum upload size is 50MB. Files must be DRM-free; if your file is DRM-protected please provide a DRM-free copy.

BookGist.ai is an AI-powered platform that transforms full-length books into engaging ~15-minute summaries. Authors pay a one-time fee to have their book summarized, and the result is published to our free public library for anyone to read or listen to.

BookGist.ai serves two audiences: Authors who want a powerful marketing tool to help readers discover their books, and Readers who want to quickly explore new books and find their next great read — completely free.

Yes! Our entire library of book summaries is 100% free for readers. No subscription, no account required, no paywall. Just browse and read (or listen).

Social media quote cards are shareable image graphics featuring notable quotes from your book, formatted for Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms. Four quote cards (square and vertical formats) are automatically generated for Premium tier books. They appear in your dashboard once processing is complete and can be downloaded for your marketing campaigns. This feature is not available on Free or Standard tiers.

Yes — you can sign in using your Google account. Click the "Sign in with Google" button on the login page. If we don’t already have an account with that email we will create one for you and sign you in automatically.

If you signed up using Google, you can keep signing in with Google. To create a local site password, use the "Forgot Password" link on the login page and follow the instructions to set a password for your account. If that flow doesn't work, contact support and we'll help.

Yes — you can upgrade a submitted book at any time from your author dashboard. Go to your Dashboard, find the book, and click "Upgrade." You will be taken to a checkout page where you pay the one-time upgrade fee (Free → Standard: $49; Standard → Premium: $99). Once payment is confirmed, your book is moved to the higher tier and audio narration and additional features are generated automatically.

If you have trouble with the contact form, please email us directly at hello@bookgist.ai and include your name, email, and a brief description of the issue so we can respond quickly.

If your summary has not yet been generated, you are eligible for a full refund. If the summary is already published, we first offer re-processing or corrections at no charge; if you still prefer a refund after publication we will process it via your original payment method (now typically via Stripe) and remove the summary from the library. Please contact support with your order details (email, transaction ID or a screenshot) so we can investigate and act quickly.

Yes — authors may request removal at any time by contacting us. We will remove the summary from the public library promptly (typically within 24 hours). Note that removal does not automatically entitle the author to a refund if the summary has already been generated; please contact support to discuss options.

Yes — authors retain full copyright of their original work. By submitting a book you grant BookGist.ai a limited license to create and publish a summary and an AI-narrated audio version. Authors may request removal of their summary at any time; contact support with your order details and we will remove the summary from the public library and discuss refund options if applicable.

Our one-time prices are: Free = $0 (ebook summary only, no audio, no editing); Standard = $49 (includes AI-narrated audio, editing from your dashboard, analytics, and an SEO-optimized library page); Featured = $99 (includes everything in Standard plus social media quote cards, an "As seen on BookGist" badge, and priority placement). Payments are processed securely via Stripe Checkout. If you were charged an unexpected amount, please contact hello@bookgist.ai with your order email and any transaction details so we can investigate and make it right.

No. BookGist.ai charges a one-time fee per book. Once your summary is published, it stays in our library permanently at no additional cost.

We accept major credit and debit cards processed securely via Stripe Checkout. Stripe is our primary and sole payment processor for card payments. If you have trouble completing a payment, please contact support at hello@bookgist.ai and include a screenshot of any error message so we can help promptly.

We're sorry if you were charged incorrectly. Please contact us at hello@bookgist.ai (or use the support form) and include your order email, transaction ID, and a screenshot of the charge. We'll investigate promptly and refund or credit any overcharge while we fix the issue.

We process card payments securely via Stripe Checkout. Our current prices are: Free = $0, Standard = $49 (one-time), Featured = $99 (one-time). If you see an unexpected charge, please contact hello@bookgist.ai with your order email and any transaction details so we can investigate promptly.

Every author account starts with 10 free submission slots. You can earn additional free slots when you purchase paid tiers: each Standard purchase grants +10 free slots and each Premium purchase grants +25 free slots. Your account dashboard shows your total allowed, used, and remaining free slots before you upload. If you have questions about your quota, contact hello@bookgist.ai with your account email and we will verify it.

We're sorry for the confusion. Our prices are: Free = $0, Standard = $49 (one-time), Featured = $99 (one-time). Payments are processed securely via Stripe Checkout. If you were charged an unexpected amount, please contact hello@bookgist.ai with your order email and a screenshot or transaction ID and we'll investigate and correct any error promptly.

Refunds processed via Stripe typically appear on your bank statement within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank. We will email you when the refund is complete — if you need faster help, contact hello@bookgist.ai with your order email and any transaction details.

Yes — payments on BookGist.ai are processed securely via Stripe Checkout. We do not store your full card details on our servers; Stripe handles card information and payment authorization. If you have any questions about a charge, contact hello@bookgist.ai with your order email and any transaction details and we will investigate.

After uploading and paying, your book moves through these statuses: Pending (queued for processing), Processing (AI is generating your summary), Published (live in the library), or Failed (an error occurred). You can check the current status at any time from your author dashboard at /dashboard. If your book shows "Failed," please contact hello@bookgist.ai and we will re-process it at no charge.