Account & Settings

Do I have to use Gmail to send emails from the app?

No. Open Settings → Email and connect a custom SMTP account instead. That covers iCloud Mail, Yahoo Mail, Zoho Mail, or mail on your own domain. Pick a preset (iCloud, Yahoo, or Zoho) to fill in the server, or choose Custom and enter the host yourself. Test Connection checks it before you save.

How do I connect iCloud Mail for sending?

In Settings → Email, choose the iCloud preset. At appleid.apple.com, open Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords and generate one. In Settings, the username is your full iCloud email address. The password is the app-specific password, not your Apple ID password.

How do I connect Yahoo Mail for sending?

In Settings → Email, choose the Yahoo preset. In Yahoo Account Security, choose Generate app password, then Other App. The username is your full Yahoo email address. The password is the one Yahoo just generated.

How do I connect Zoho Mail for sending?

In Settings → Email, choose the Zoho preset. If two-factor authentication is on, generate an app-specific password under Zoho Account → Security → App Passwords. If it is off, your normal Zoho Mail password works.

How do I connect a self-hosted or custom-domain email account?

In Settings → Email, choose Custom. Enter the SMTP host, port, and login from your email host (Namecheap Private Email, Bluehost, GoDaddy, your own server, and so on). Their "SMTP settings" or "email client setup" page has the values if you do not have them handy.

My SMTP connection test failed — what do I check?

Check the host and port against your provider's help page, and use an app-specific password rather than your normal password. iCloud, Yahoo, and Zoho with two-factor authentication all require one for SMTP. If the host uses port 465, turn on Use TLS immediately. Leave it off for port 587 or 25.

I've connected both Gmail and SMTP. Which one sends my emails?

Whichever you pick under Send emails using in Settings → Email. Connecting a second provider asks you to choose. Until you do, mail goes through Gmail.

Can my collaborators send emails through my account?

Yes, through a custom SMTP connection, if their role includes the Email Connection permission. You set that on the role in Collaboration. They send as you, and they never see the password. Sending through Gmail is limited to the account owner for now. Only the owner can connect or disconnect email. If a team member is asked to have you re-save SMTP, open Settings → Email and save the connection again.

How are my passwords, API keys and tokens protected?

Passwords, API keys, and tokens are encrypted (AES-256) before they are saved. When you sign up, Author's Toolbox creates a Master Key that lives only on your devices. Sign in on a new browser and you will be asked for your recovery key. A few jobs cannot work that way. Sending email, and automations that run while you are away (such as email sequences), need the server to use the credential for that one job. A separate sealed copy is kept for that, and it is never shown to anyone.

Are my manuscripts encrypted?

Yes. Files are encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest (AES-256, by the storage and database providers). Nothing is public. Every request checks your login, so only you and the collaborators you have allowed can open a file. To keep manuscripts off these servers, connect Dropbox or Google Drive. Watermarked ARC files are deleted after 30 days. This is not end-to-end encryption. The servers have to open a file to watermark it and to send it.

How do I enable two-factor authentication?

Open Settings → Security. Scan the QR code with an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, and the like), or type the manual key, then confirm the 6-digit code. You can enroll more than one authenticator and remove any of them later. Changes ask for your password or an existing code.

Can I invite collaborators to my account?

Yes. As the account owner, open Collaboration. Create roles with read, edit, delete, and export permission per tool, then invite someone by name and email. They get an email invite. Each seat is a one-time $10 purchase, not a subscription. Remove a collaborator and that seat can be used again at no extra cost. A role also controls which settings they can see, such as Email Connection and File Storage.

How do I delete all my data?

In Settings → Data, click Delete All Data and type the confirmation phrase. That permanently removes your books, sales imports, promotions, ARC and agent tracking, piracy reports, storage uploads, and email templates, then signs you out. It does not cancel a subscription and it does not delete the login. Cancel billing first if you have a plan.