Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of these terms

By accessing or using SHORTLIST (the “Site”), you agree to these Terms of Use (“Terms”). If you do not agree, do not use the Site.

2. What SHORTLIST is

SHORTLIST aggregates publicly available information about “best books of the year” and similar lists published by third-party media outlets, publishers, consulting firms, financial institutions, individuals, and award bodies (each, a “Source”). For each list a Source publishes, we record the fact that a given book appears on that list, and we compute our own proprietary editorial metric — the Consensus Score — from those facts. We add our own original commentary and link back to each Source's original publication. See our Fair Use & Attribution Policy for a full explanation of what we do and do not reproduce.

3. No affiliation with, sponsorship by, or endorsement from any Source

SHORTLIST is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or officially connected to any Source referenced on the Site — including but not limited to The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, McKinsey & Company, J.P. Morgan, The Guardian, Bill Gates / Gates Notes, the Booker Prize Foundation, the Women's Prize Trust, or any other publisher, award body, or individual whose lists we reference. Any names, logos, or trademarks of Sources appearing on the Site are the property of their respective owners and are used solely in a nominative, descriptive, attributive capacity — to identify and link to the list being referenced — not to suggest sponsorship, partnership, or endorsement.

4. The Consensus Score is our editorial opinion

The Consensus Score is a proprietary, algorithmically derived editorial metric reflecting how many, and which, Sources included a given book on a list, weighted according to a methodology we publish on our Methodology page and may revise at any time. It is our own opinion and editorial judgment — not a statement of fact about a book's quality, not a certification or rating by any Source, not a consumer-review aggregation, and not a substitute for reading the original lists. It may change without notice as new lists are ingested or our methodology is updated, and it is provided “as is” (see §9). Adjacent to every Consensus Score we disclose the underlying Sources and link to each original publication, so readers can verify the score for themselves.

5. Accuracy of information

We make reasonable efforts to accurately record list membership and book metadata and to link to authentic original sources. However, list membership, dates, and metadata may contain errors or become outdated; book metadata (covers, descriptions) is sourced from the Google Books and Open Library APIs and may itself be inaccurate or delayed; and we are not responsible for the accuracy or continued availability of any third-party Source's original list or website. If you believe information on the Site is inaccurate, contact us at hello@yearbestbooks.com and we will investigate and correct verified errors promptly.

6. Intellectual property

Our content

The Site's original editorial commentary, the Consensus Score methodology and output, the compilation and selection of which lists to track, the visual design, and the software are owned by the operator of SHORTLIST or its licensors. You may not copy, scrape, republish, or create derivative works from our original commentary or the Consensus Score dataset without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use or fair use as permitted by law.

Third-party content we reference

We do not claim ownership of, and do not reproduce, any Source's copyrighted editorial text, reviews, or list descriptions. We reproduce only the factual matter that a given book was included on a given Source's list, our own original commentary about that fact, and — where licensed — book cover images and descriptions obtained through the Google Books API and Open Library API under their respective terms. Covers and descriptions remain the property of their respective rights holders.

Takedown / notice-and-remove process

If any rights holder believes material on the Site infringes their copyright or trademark, or exceeds the factual/nominative use described above, please send a written notice to hello@yearbestbooks.com including: (1) identification of the work or mark claimed to be infringed; (2) the URL of the material at issue; (3) your contact information; (4) a statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorized; (5) a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information is accurate and you are authorized to act for the rights holder; and (6) your physical or electronic signature. We review every notice in good faith and, where warranted, will promptly correct, attribute, or remove the disputed material.

7. Trademarks

All Source names, publication titles, award names, and logos referenced on the Site are trademarks of their respective owners. Our use is nominative fair use — solely to identify which list or Source a fact pertains to. If a trademark owner objects to our use of their name or logo, contact hello@yearbestbooks.com and we will promptly review and, where appropriate, adjust or remove the disputed usage.

8. Affiliate links & monetization

The Site participates in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, the operator of SHORTLIST earns from qualifying purchases. Clicking a “Buy” link routes through our internal redirect, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure for details. Affiliate relationships never influence the Consensus Score or which lists we track.

9. Disclaimers

THE SITE, INCLUDING ALL CONTENT, THE CONSENSUS SCORE, AND ALL BOOK, LIST, AND SOURCE DATA, IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR ACCURACY. YOUR RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION ON THE SITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.

10. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE OPERATOR OF SHORTLIST WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUE, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SITE OR RELIANCE ON THE CONSENSUS SCORE OR ANY CONTENT. OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE SITE WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (USD $100).

11. User accounts & content

Registered users may save books to personal lists and set alert preferences. This is account configuration data, not publicly displayed user-generated content.

12. Privacy

We collect only what is needed to operate the Site (for example, a newsletter email address you choose to provide). Buy-link clicks are logged without personally identifiable information. A full Privacy Policy is forthcoming; questions in the meantime can be sent to hello@yearbestbooks.com.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the operator of SHORTLIST from claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your violation of these Terms or misuse of the Site.

14. Modifications

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by an updated “Last updated” date. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance.

15. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Site's operator is domiciled, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms: hello@yearbestbooks.com.

Last updated: July 23, 2026.