Audience Ratings
We have voluntarily adopted The Classification and Rating Administration rating system used by the National Association of Theatre Owners. The same ratings you are used to seeing when you go to the movies in the United States and some other countries.
Our authors rate their own books. We encourage authors to be conservative when rating their books. If you come across a book in our catalog that in your opinion should have a more restrictive rating, please contact us. If we agree, we'll change the rating and caution the author to be more restrictive in the future.
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General Audiences: A G-rated ebook contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the author, would offend parents whose younger children read the ebook. The G rating is not a “certificate of approval,” nor does it signify a “children’s” book. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated ebooks. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are depicted in the book. |
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Parental Guidance: book should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children read it. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the author, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision. |
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Parents Strongly Cautioned: A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the author to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should read the book, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 book may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. The theme of the book by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the book. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity or description thereof will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated book generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence. A book ’s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The author nevertheless may rate such a book PG-13 if s/he feels that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the work is inconspicuous. |
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Restricted: Children Under 17 Require Adult or Guardian Supervision: An R-rated book, in the view of the author, contains some adult material. An R-rated book may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 should not be allowed to read R-rated books without adult supervision and guidance. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated books in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to allow young children to read R-rated books. |
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No One 17:
An NC-17 rated book is one that, in the view of the author, most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under. NC-17 does not mean “obscene” or “pornographic” in the common or legal meaning of those words, and should not be construed as a negative judgment in any sense. The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children. |
For more information go to The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA). |
