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In development

From Autumn Technologies

Human creativity. Shared stories. New beginnings.

Your next book launch starts with the right readers.

Indie Pumpkin is being built for independent authors who want a clearer way to document their creative process, organize advance review copy (ARC) campaigns, and stay connected with early readers.

Join the Pumpkin PatchSee the planned workflow

A community taking root. A platform in development.

Who it’s for

Built for both sides of a book launch.

An advance review copy (ARC) is a pre-release copy of a book shared with early readers, usually in exchange for honest feedback or a review before launch.

For authors

Planned

Stop managing your launch across disconnected tools. Show how your book was created, find readers who want it, and keep in touch with them after launch.

  • Create a book project with its description, genres, content notes, and formats.
  • Build a Creation Record and choose which evidence stays private and what appears in a public summary.
  • Set up an ARC campaign: reader target, dates, reader preferences, review expectations, and confidentiality terms.
  • Follow the campaign in one place: who was invited, accepted, opened the ARC, finished, or stopped reading, and what feedback came back.

Tell us what you need as an author (opens in a new tab)

For ARC readers

Planned

Get invited to indie books that match what you like to read, and build a track record as a reliable reviewer.

  • Choose the genres, formats, content boundaries, and reading availability that suit you.
  • See enough about a book to decide whether it fits, then accept or decline. Declining carries no penalty.
  • Agree to the campaign’s terms before you receive access to the review copy.
  • Share the feedback or review you agreed to, or say honestly that you didn’t finish. A did-not-finish (DNF) report isn’t treated as a failure.

Tell us what you need as an ARC reader (opens in a new tab)

Planned workflow

From book project to reader feedback.

This is how the first release is designed to work. It describes a plan, not a finished product.

  1. Step 1: Create a book project

    The author sets up the book: title, description, genres, content notes, and formats.

  2. Step 2: Build a Creation Record

    The author adds evidence of the creative process and plain-language tool disclosures, and chooses what is public.

  3. Step 3: Invite suitable readers

    Readers whose stated preferences fit the book are invited. Each reader decides whether to accept.

  4. Step 4: Record reading and feedback outcomes

    Completions, honest DNF reports, and the agreed feedback or review links are recorded for the campaign.

Creation Records

Public summaries. Private evidence.

A Creation Record is built from evidence authors choose to share, such as drafts, notes, and the tools they used, not from AI detectors. Supporting evidence stays private, and readers see a clear, limited summary.

What readers could see

Public summary · planned

  • Which categories of evidence were submitted and reviewed
  • Writing, assistive, and generative tools the author disclosed, in plain language
  • Collaborator credits, when the author chooses to show them and the collaborator agrees
  • A short explanation of what the record does and doesn’t show

What stays private

Supporting evidence · planned

  • Early drafts, unused chapters, and revision history
  • Outlines, character sheets, research, and notes
  • Process recordings or screenshots
  • Identity-verification details behind a pen name

The bigger picture

A whole world around your next chapter.

Our long-term vision reaches beyond a book launch. These ideas will grow only as the first release proves useful; they are not available features or dated commitments.

From first draft to final chapter

Writing, revision, and formatting tools that could keep the story and its creative history together.

Longer-term vision

A place for creative professionals

A future marketplace for editors, cover artists, illustrators, formatters, and translators to share their work and connect with authors.

Longer-term vision

Reading is better together

Bookshelves, book clubs, reading challenges, and spoiler-aware conversations around the passages you love.

Longer-term vision

More ways for stories to grow

Digital editions, bookish extras, and eventually wider publishing opportunities, shaped by what authors and readers actually need.

Longer-term vision

Welcome to the Pumpkin Patch

Find your people before your next chapter.

A space for the author with a messy first draft, the reader with an ever-growing book pile, and the creative people who help stories come to life.

Join the Pumpkin Patch

  1. Say hello

    Join Discord or email us. Share your role and the genres you love; a pen name is welcome.

  2. Help shape what comes next

    Tell us what makes launching or finding a book difficult. Share ideas, ask questions, and follow development conversations.

  3. Take part when it fits

    Hear about opportunities as they become available. Joining is an expression of interest, with no obligation to accept a future campaign.

Good stories start with respect.

We value honest feedback, thoughtful tool disclosures, and creators’ control over their work. Respect pen names, keep unpublished work private, and discuss concerns without public accusations. Positive reviews are never the price of belonging.

Shape the first release

Tell us what you actually need.

We are still deciding what the first release has to do, and these short questionnaires feed straight into that decision. Answering one is not the same as joining the Pumpkin Patch; you are welcome to do either on its own.

The questionnaires are hosted on Google Forms, so your answers go to Google. Nothing on this page loads from Google until you choose to open one. See the privacy notice.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Who can join the Pumpkin Patch?

Authors, ARC readers, beta readers, artists, editors, and book lovers are welcome to share ideas. The first product focuses on authors and ARC readers; joining the community does not guarantee a place in a pilot or immediate access to software.

Do I need experience as an ARC reader?

You can join the community even if you have never read an ARC. Tell us what you enjoy reading and what fits your schedule. Future campaigns are designed to make the book, content notes, timing, and feedback expectations clear before you accept.

Can I use Indie Pumpkin today?

Not yet. Indie Pumpkin is in development. The features on this page describe what the first release is designed to do, not features that are available now. Join the Pumpkin Patch to hear about development and early chances to take part.

Does a Creation Record prove that a person wrote the book?

No. A Creation Record describes the evidence an author chose to submit and the tools they disclosed. It gives readers context; it does not guarantee human authorship, and Indie Pumpkin does not use AI-detection scores to judge authors.

What will the first release include?

The first release is planned around two things: Creation Records and ARC campaigns. That means documenting creative-process evidence, inviting suitable readers, controlling who can access a review copy, and recording reading and feedback outcomes.

Will authors be guaranteed reviews?

No. Authors organize access to their book and a launch workflow; they don’t buy reviews. Readers are free to give honest feedback, and a match is not a prediction of a positive review.

Can Indie Pumpkin stop an ARC from being shared?

Access to each review copy is planned to be tied to an accepted invitation and campaign terms. No platform can guarantee that a copy will never be shared, and we won’t claim otherwise.

How are beta readers different from ARC readers?

Beta readers typically help an author improve a manuscript while it is still being revised. ARC readers read a near-final advance copy and share the feedback or review agreed for a launch. The first Indie Pumpkin release focuses on ARC campaigns; structured beta-reading services are part of the longer-term vision.

Will there be reader rewards?

We want to explore ways to recognize thoughtful participation, such as reading achievements and community badges. No rewards program or payment for reading is available today, and positive reviews will never be a condition of participation.

How much will it cost?

Product pricing has not been announced, and this website does not take payments. You can express interest by email or join the Discord community without purchasing anything. Any future paid offering will explain its price and what is included before you commit.

Early interest

Join the Pumpkin Patch.

Help shape Indie Pumpkin. Tell us whether you’re an author or ARC reader, and we’ll share development updates and opportunities to participate when available.

Join by email

Send us a short email. The button opens one that’s ready to fill in. Tell us:

  • whether you’re an author, an ARC reader, both, or in another publishing role
  • the genres you write or read
  • your name, if you’d like

The first release focuses on authors and ARC readers. Another role tells us about future interest; it doesn’t reserve access to the first release.

Email us to joinJoin our Discord (opens in a new tab)

Or write to lexi@indiepumpkin.com.

What happens next?

Send the email from your mail app to introduce yourself, or join Discord to meet the community and follow announcements. This is early interest, not a product account or a confirmed pilot place.

We use your email address only to reply and to send Indie Pumpkin development updates and invitations to take part. Ask us to stop at any time. See the privacy notice, which also covers our Discord server.