Amazing but expensive
I love the app, but it is pretty expensive so I pay when I don’t have writer’s block lol
Decent website, one of the better ones for writing
Gotta say, this is a really good website if you’re a minor and looking to share your writing. It’s way safer than some other options out there, and there are a lot of pros, however I’ve been finding more and more cons recently.
There is wonderful art to choose from for your books, as well as a loving community of other writers. But in recent years you’ve started to need a subscription to write at all—as opposed to needing one to publish your work without paying for “review tickets.”
Also, the moderating. This was originally a great way to keep the website safe, by moderators reviewing comments before they were published and stories (to make sure they followed the guidelines, and to give them the appropriate age range).
But.
The moderating and censoring of comments has gotten out of control. With stories, it’s still more or less acceptable, but with comments? No. If you take APT for example, the age rating for that is 6+, and ask any mod and they’ll tell you that they only let through comments appropriate for that age range.
I’ve seen some things that don’t align with that statement.
Comments regarding things like vaping have gone through, whereas ones about the LGBTQ+ community have been censored. A personal experience of mine was writing a comment regarding how in a neuroscience course of mine, they were referring to biologically male brains and biologically female brains as mens’ brains and womens’ brains, respectively. Citing that course, I wrote about how being biologically male doesn’t equal being a man, and being biologically female does not equal being a woman. I was careful about my comment, and made sure nothing I said was too mature for a six year old—adults in my life checked it and agreed with me—and yet it got deleted. Talking about biologically male or female brains is in no way too mature for a child. My own sisters, who at in kindergarten, are perfectly able to understand how some people are biologically female, but not girls, and vise versa. It’s not a “mature” topic at all, provided it is handled sensitively, and appropriate language is used.
This is just one of many examples that I and my peers have seen.
I’m very concerned that the moderators have been letting personal biases interfere with their moderating skills, making the safety of the website more questionable. When using Storybird, it’s worth noting that you may find some abused censorship in what comments go through, but that is one of my only complaints.
Anyway, this concludes my long-winded review of this one writing website. I’d still recommend it, as it’s lovely and helpful to young authors, but it’s not perfect.
There is wonderful art to choose from for your books, as well as a loving community of other writers. But in recent years you’ve started to need a subscription to write at all—as opposed to needing one to publish your work without paying for “review tickets.”
Also, the moderating. This was originally a great way to keep the website safe, by moderators reviewing comments before they were published and stories (to make sure they followed the guidelines, and to give them the appropriate age range).
But.
The moderating and censoring of comments has gotten out of control. With stories, it’s still more or less acceptable, but with comments? No. If you take APT for example, the age rating for that is 6+, and ask any mod and they’ll tell you that they only let through comments appropriate for that age range.
I’ve seen some things that don’t align with that statement.
Comments regarding things like vaping have gone through, whereas ones about the LGBTQ+ community have been censored. A personal experience of mine was writing a comment regarding how in a neuroscience course of mine, they were referring to biologically male brains and biologically female brains as mens’ brains and womens’ brains, respectively. Citing that course, I wrote about how being biologically male doesn’t equal being a man, and being biologically female does not equal being a woman. I was careful about my comment, and made sure nothing I said was too mature for a six year old—adults in my life checked it and agreed with me—and yet it got deleted. Talking about biologically male or female brains is in no way too mature for a child. My own sisters, who at in kindergarten, are perfectly able to understand how some people are biologically female, but not girls, and vise versa. It’s not a “mature” topic at all, provided it is handled sensitively, and appropriate language is used.
This is just one of many examples that I and my peers have seen.
I’m very concerned that the moderators have been letting personal biases interfere with their moderating skills, making the safety of the website more questionable. When using Storybird, it’s worth noting that you may find some abused censorship in what comments go through, but that is one of my only complaints.
Anyway, this concludes my long-winded review of this one writing website. I’d still recommend it, as it’s lovely and helpful to young authors, but it’s not perfect.
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Logged Me Out
StoryBird is a great app. Really. But it logged me out multiple times and I had to find my password again and again. FIX THIS! It’s very annoying.
Storybird
I can not use it on my iPad. It is so frustrating! Why offer it in the App Store if not compatible with an iPad!
Zero Effort
I have been using Storybird for five years and have only recently encountered such disinterested moderators and rude users. Books that I publish seldom receive helpful reviews—the moderators focus more on their own books and a chatroom called APT than their purpose, which is helping users to grow. SkyBluePurple, a moderator, behaves inappropriately, asserting herself as users’ “virtual mom” and encouraging them to share their names on APT. She unnecessarily involves herself in users’ affairs, their ages ranging from 11 to college. She prides herself on being our “mother,” and I’m sure parents would feel uncomfortable with her frightening engagement with young children. She used to have a strict privacy policy, stating that no ages or names would be shared, but eventually relented and sacrificed users’ privacy and online safety. The very thing she used to actively promote is now meaningless—all because “she cares about us as our virtual mom,” calling users her “virtual children.”
Certain users add slight remarks which moderators readily publish, promoting arguments between users. Users made political remarks last year in November and made comments targeting proponents of the transgender community and those who oppose it. Users can freely delete comments.
Don’t bother purchasing a ridiculously expensive membership; the moderators are more focused on engaging socially with users than providing useful comments on how to improve writing. You’d receive more assistance from the “APT pets” that everyone is obsessing over.
Certain users add slight remarks which moderators readily publish, promoting arguments between users. Users made political remarks last year in November and made comments targeting proponents of the transgender community and those who oppose it. Users can freely delete comments.
Don’t bother purchasing a ridiculously expensive membership; the moderators are more focused on engaging socially with users than providing useful comments on how to improve writing. You’d receive more assistance from the “APT pets” that everyone is obsessing over.
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Honest Review
Moderating System:
Storybird has a moderating system where only certain books can qualify for certain age groups. If a book covers sensitive topics, then Storybird staff members will make it accessible to an appropriate age group. Comments are also moderated to make sure of a friendly community.
Getting Books Noticed:
On Storybird, it is very easy for your books to be noticed. You can not only go on Skybluepurple’s selection of book communities to suggest your book to other readers, but you can also make friends that may notice your books. There are always several “Book of the Weeks”!
Types of Books:
The types of books you can write include chapter books, picture books, poems, and comics (as of 2021). Many people also use the chapter book feature to publish songs or a book of poetry.
Why it’s Worth It:
This app can get you/your child so much more into writing. It’s a friendly community, and also helps with socializing.
-Peacewonder
Storybird has a moderating system where only certain books can qualify for certain age groups. If a book covers sensitive topics, then Storybird staff members will make it accessible to an appropriate age group. Comments are also moderated to make sure of a friendly community.
Getting Books Noticed:
On Storybird, it is very easy for your books to be noticed. You can not only go on Skybluepurple’s selection of book communities to suggest your book to other readers, but you can also make friends that may notice your books. There are always several “Book of the Weeks”!
Types of Books:
The types of books you can write include chapter books, picture books, poems, and comics (as of 2021). Many people also use the chapter book feature to publish songs or a book of poetry.
Why it’s Worth It:
This app can get you/your child so much more into writing. It’s a friendly community, and also helps with socializing.
-Peacewonder
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im having trouble.
So. I subscribed to the app. And i worked hard on a story! It says that i need “tickets” to publish it. I don’t recommend downaloading or buying premium bc if doesnt even let you publish it.
Most amazing writing platform I’ve ever encountered!
Storybird is beyond amazing! I’ve been using it for almost two years now, and let me just say, everything about it is perfect. Sure, you have to pay for a membership, but how else are the amazing people who work behind the scenes gonna get paid?
You can write stories, enter an amazing community of writers, and even print your own books! I would definitely recommend this app to anyone who loves to write.
-sswriter
You can write stories, enter an amazing community of writers, and even print your own books! I would definitely recommend this app to anyone who loves to write.
-sswriter
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Great for educators and young writers!
I wish Storybird existed when I was young. This is a great resource for teachers and perfect for kids who want to read or write their own stuff. The community is very friendly and encouraging and what’s more, the kids all get encouraging feedback on all their writing called “expert reviews.” You do have to pay for membership, but it’s definitely worth it.
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Bad update
I used Storybird back in elementary school and now when I come back you have to pay to write. I just don’t understand why it’s not free I use to love storybird but this isn’t cute.plus I can’t even access my old account or read my old books which was the whole purpose of me coming back to the app 🙄
Would not recommend
★☆☆☆☆
Would not recommend
★☆☆☆☆
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This app makes me want to be a author! So good!👏
This app is a great resource for me, and my son, who writes 24/7 now! Thank you Storybird!
App is difficult to manage
I’ve used the website for years. Trying to create a book was difficulties the app. The only way to see a large picture of the teeny thumbnails is to add it to a page. Also, when trying to scroll through the pages of the story, my pages keep getting shuffled around and out of order. It’s difficult to put them back because the scroll bar doesn’t move properly and then the pages get more out of order. Additionally, on the app and website, you can no longer add pics from multiple artists based on topic. You can only add one artist’s work to your book which makes it harder to write a longer book. I’ll only use the app if I have to but I’ll continue to use the website as it’s easier.
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The Review (Version 2)
Hey y’all, Johanna Skiddlydips here! Some of you probably know me as curiositygirl, others might know me as Lia.
I’ve been on Storybird for ‘bout two years now, so I think the is makes me qualified to leave a response. Actually, this would be the second one; the first one was weird so I’m rewriting it. :)
Storybird is an educational platform where you get to read stories, and even submit your own to the public library! It’s a writing tool mainly, at least in my eyes. When writing, you have 5 different formats to choose from: flash fiction, longform story, picture book, poetry, and comics. Below we’ll go more in detail about them:
Flash Fiction: These are stories written in 500 words of less. I mainly use them for some of my longer poems as well as short stories.
Longform Story: Have a large story? Longforms are for you. Your story will be split into chapters, each which can be published separately. They can be of any genre!
Picture Books: Simple and fun, picture books are really amazing. You add a blurb of text to each picture (more on that later), and you go page by page.
Poetry: Here, you choose an image for the background. You then get to go word by words and spread them across the picture to form sentences or even pictures. There are quite a few creative birdies when it comes to this.
Comics: Here, you get to choose a small comic strip, and add captions! Awesome, I know!
To get your book into the public library, you need review tickets. Poetry, every 10 pages of a picture book, every 500 words of a longform, comics, and flash fiction all require one review ticket.
You get review tickets with either crowns or membership. With a membership, you get 10 review tickets every month AND the ability to create new stories. You earn crowns by writing every day!
On to the part about membership! I believe it costs $8.99 per month or $59.99 per year. With it, you get 10 review tickets every month plus the ability to create new stories! Yay! It seems like a lot, I see all the other birdies complaining about it. HOWEVER, since the website is both ad-free and has a team of 12 human moderators, you need to pay for it. That’s final.
I know how boring I am now, I’m sorry. Last paragraph, I swear. I just want to add that with every story you make, you get to choose from millions of pieces of artwork. They’re absolutely beautiful.
okay i’ll be quiet now bye bye
I’ve been on Storybird for ‘bout two years now, so I think the is makes me qualified to leave a response. Actually, this would be the second one; the first one was weird so I’m rewriting it. :)
Storybird is an educational platform where you get to read stories, and even submit your own to the public library! It’s a writing tool mainly, at least in my eyes. When writing, you have 5 different formats to choose from: flash fiction, longform story, picture book, poetry, and comics. Below we’ll go more in detail about them:
Flash Fiction: These are stories written in 500 words of less. I mainly use them for some of my longer poems as well as short stories.
Longform Story: Have a large story? Longforms are for you. Your story will be split into chapters, each which can be published separately. They can be of any genre!
Picture Books: Simple and fun, picture books are really amazing. You add a blurb of text to each picture (more on that later), and you go page by page.
Poetry: Here, you choose an image for the background. You then get to go word by words and spread them across the picture to form sentences or even pictures. There are quite a few creative birdies when it comes to this.
Comics: Here, you get to choose a small comic strip, and add captions! Awesome, I know!
To get your book into the public library, you need review tickets. Poetry, every 10 pages of a picture book, every 500 words of a longform, comics, and flash fiction all require one review ticket.
You get review tickets with either crowns or membership. With a membership, you get 10 review tickets every month AND the ability to create new stories. You earn crowns by writing every day!
On to the part about membership! I believe it costs $8.99 per month or $59.99 per year. With it, you get 10 review tickets every month plus the ability to create new stories! Yay! It seems like a lot, I see all the other birdies complaining about it. HOWEVER, since the website is both ad-free and has a team of 12 human moderators, you need to pay for it. That’s final.
I know how boring I am now, I’m sorry. Last paragraph, I swear. I just want to add that with every story you make, you get to choose from millions of pieces of artwork. They’re absolutely beautiful.
okay i’ll be quiet now bye bye
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Nah just nah
This used to be the best writing app and it improved my stories, grammar, grades, and much more. I hate how you have to have a membership to do anything. You could write a picture book and do so many challenges. I can’t even write a chapter book! Now you have to have a membership to do anything as I’ve said before. All of the pictures are locked and this is useless until you get a membership. This is useless. It’s trash. Whomever made the update doesn’t think at all. I looked and saw Storybird in writing apps, and I LOVED that my favorite website had an app, then saw that you had to have an overpriced membership. That was just sad.
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AMAZING but a very concerning complaint
When I read one of the reviews I sow that all of them where so hateful and when I downloaded Storybird became my life! So my mom supcribed so I wright books. But then a few months later I tried starting a new story and it wanted me to supcripe again. So I asked my mom and she was able to fix it. So I started one new book and then when I went to wright another new book it did the supcribe thing again! Mom fixed it again but now we’re kinda concerned that it’s making us pay triple when it should just be making us pay the same price monthly like other people playing. And it started really concerning me because I have really bad anxiety problems. So thanks for an amazing wrighting app and also fix the supcribing glitch. Bye and love the game!
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Could be better
I have been using Storybird for a long time and I used to be a member. I think the idea is great, and the platform is great, but the app itself is not what I was expecting. However some of these problems carryover onto the website. For example, the stories on the featured page haven’t changed for years. The bully club has been there since before I became a member of Storybird in 2018. This is incredibly annoying when you want to see new stories they haven’t been there before. I love reading on Storybird but it is difficult to find new stories when there are never new ones that are suggested. The writing is well done if you have a membership and can start new stories. Without one it is quite difficult to add anything to your dashboard. Overall a pretty good platform.
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Worst thing ever!
For starters it’s all in Chinese and do you really have to pay money??!!😡😡😡😡😡😡fix this pleaseeeee. I agree with BBPumpkin. You could wright a story on paper for no money then this. 1 Star from me.!!!! 😡😡⭐️
Best little community out there.
I have been on Storybird for almost two years now, and I must say, my opinion about it has yet to change. It is quite possibly the best writing platform out there.
Other reviews are just complaining that Storybird changed, but it is still an amazing platform, with a very unique experience, in the best way possible, to anything else out there.
The shortened review provides a quicker rundown of Storybird, while the full review below will go more in depth about everything that Storybird has to offer.
Shortened review:
Yes, while you do have to pay for a membership, it is definitely worth it considering everything that Storybird has to offer. It’s a safe writing platform, with no ads, and everyone is friendly. I’ve never seen anything inappropriate or unfriendly, and all of the other users are very welcoming. Storybird has really helped me improve my writing, and I am very proud to be a member of such an amazing platform. Buying a membership means that you have full access to all of the writing materials and artwork, but even if you choose not to buy a membership, there are thousands of amazing stories that you can read and enjoy. The prices for membership are reasonable, especially considering that Storybird will offer you a unique writing experience that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Storybird is by far, by favorite writing website.
For a more in-depth explanation of everything that Storybird has to offer, read below.
In-depth review:
Storybird is a safe community of writer of all ages. With thousands of beautiful artwork to choose from, made by real artists from all over the world, crafting wonderful stories has never been easier. It is incredibly user friendly, and the staff are really helpful.
There are formats for all kinds of writers on Storybird. If you prefer to write picture books, they’ve got you covered. Chapter books? Long form books may be your absolute favorite to use. Poetry? No problem. They even have comics and flash fiction, one of their newest formats. Beautiful artwork matched with your unique story, and a masterpiece is born, which is something very unique to Storybird.
Back in February 2019, Storybird went through some big changes. Since then, a user must purchase a membership if they want to continue to write beyond a seven day free trial. There are no ads on Storybird, which means that they must make their money from the memberships that their users purchase. At just $12.99 a month, or $59.88 a year, (it depends on if you want a monthly membership or yearly membership. Personally, I prefer the yearly membership, because not only is it cheaper, you can also get a lot more out of it.) Storybird membership is actually quite cheap compared to a lot of other subscriptions to other websites, and I doubt that you could get as much from those as you can from Storybird. If you or your child loves to write, then the Storybird membership is definitely worth the price.
Storybird is great for classrooms and families both, as you can purchase different kinds of memberships to fit your needs. School memberships allow you to have a class full of students, where they can all post their stories to the class library. Family memberships are great if you have multiple memberships you want to purchase for different users, then you can get it for a cheaper price.
When you post your story to Storybird, one off of a team of 12 staff members review your story, and then leave feedback on it. Feedback can be full of both praise and critiques, which helps you further improve your writing. If the staff thinks your writing is exceptionally written, they will feature it on the front page or Storybird’s curated library.
Thanks to the age gating system, you can be sure that you will never read anything inappropriate, yet still as exciting and wonderful as ever. While only original works are allowed - which means no fanfics - there are still some incredible authors that are excited to share their stories with you.
Challenges are another great way to improve your writing. Challenges are optional prompts that members can participate in, which can teach all kinds of topics. Famous author Shannon Messenger and many others have shared their secrets of success with the community of writers from around the world.
Overall, Storybird has really helped me improve my writing, and has a very unique experience that you can’t find anywhere else.
-K_AwesomeAuthor
Other reviews are just complaining that Storybird changed, but it is still an amazing platform, with a very unique experience, in the best way possible, to anything else out there.
The shortened review provides a quicker rundown of Storybird, while the full review below will go more in depth about everything that Storybird has to offer.
Shortened review:
Yes, while you do have to pay for a membership, it is definitely worth it considering everything that Storybird has to offer. It’s a safe writing platform, with no ads, and everyone is friendly. I’ve never seen anything inappropriate or unfriendly, and all of the other users are very welcoming. Storybird has really helped me improve my writing, and I am very proud to be a member of such an amazing platform. Buying a membership means that you have full access to all of the writing materials and artwork, but even if you choose not to buy a membership, there are thousands of amazing stories that you can read and enjoy. The prices for membership are reasonable, especially considering that Storybird will offer you a unique writing experience that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Storybird is by far, by favorite writing website.
For a more in-depth explanation of everything that Storybird has to offer, read below.
In-depth review:
Storybird is a safe community of writer of all ages. With thousands of beautiful artwork to choose from, made by real artists from all over the world, crafting wonderful stories has never been easier. It is incredibly user friendly, and the staff are really helpful.
There are formats for all kinds of writers on Storybird. If you prefer to write picture books, they’ve got you covered. Chapter books? Long form books may be your absolute favorite to use. Poetry? No problem. They even have comics and flash fiction, one of their newest formats. Beautiful artwork matched with your unique story, and a masterpiece is born, which is something very unique to Storybird.
Back in February 2019, Storybird went through some big changes. Since then, a user must purchase a membership if they want to continue to write beyond a seven day free trial. There are no ads on Storybird, which means that they must make their money from the memberships that their users purchase. At just $12.99 a month, or $59.88 a year, (it depends on if you want a monthly membership or yearly membership. Personally, I prefer the yearly membership, because not only is it cheaper, you can also get a lot more out of it.) Storybird membership is actually quite cheap compared to a lot of other subscriptions to other websites, and I doubt that you could get as much from those as you can from Storybird. If you or your child loves to write, then the Storybird membership is definitely worth the price.
Storybird is great for classrooms and families both, as you can purchase different kinds of memberships to fit your needs. School memberships allow you to have a class full of students, where they can all post their stories to the class library. Family memberships are great if you have multiple memberships you want to purchase for different users, then you can get it for a cheaper price.
When you post your story to Storybird, one off of a team of 12 staff members review your story, and then leave feedback on it. Feedback can be full of both praise and critiques, which helps you further improve your writing. If the staff thinks your writing is exceptionally written, they will feature it on the front page or Storybird’s curated library.
Thanks to the age gating system, you can be sure that you will never read anything inappropriate, yet still as exciting and wonderful as ever. While only original works are allowed - which means no fanfics - there are still some incredible authors that are excited to share their stories with you.
Challenges are another great way to improve your writing. Challenges are optional prompts that members can participate in, which can teach all kinds of topics. Famous author Shannon Messenger and many others have shared their secrets of success with the community of writers from around the world.
Overall, Storybird has really helped me improve my writing, and has a very unique experience that you can’t find anywhere else.
-K_AwesomeAuthor
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It’s awesome
So I write story’s on it all the time and if u don’t like it just don’t use it
Hm..story bird..
Story bird doesn’t save anything. I write on paper now.
