Terms of Service

1. Agreement to these terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are an agreement between you and [Publisherarc legal entity name] ("Publisherarc", "we", "us" or "our"). They apply when you visit our website, contact us, or buy any of our services.

If you use our services on behalf of a company or other organization, you confirm that you have authority to accept these Terms for it, and "you" includes that organization.

If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the website or our services.

2. Our services

Publisherarc is a content strategy and publishing agency. Depending on what you buy, our services may include:

• Publishing roadmaps, audience research, messaging frameworks and editorial calendars
• Content creation, including SEO articles, research reports, newsletters and email series
• Founder and executive ghostwriting and subject-matter expert (SME) interviews
• B2B eBook writing, editing, proofreading, design-ready layout preparation, landing page copy and promotional assets
• Media pitching, placements in third-party publications, content syndication and scheduling on owned channels
• Wikipedia page research, drafting and submission support
• Performance tracking, analytics reporting and editorial advisory

The exact scope, deliverables, timeline and price for each engagement are set out in a written proposal, statement of work or order ("Proposal"). If a Proposal conflicts with these Terms, the Proposal wins for that engagement.

3. Using our website

You may use the website for lawful purposes and to learn about or contact us. You must not:

• Copy, scrape, resell or republish the website’s content or design without our written permission
• Attempt to break, overload or gain unauthorized access to the website or its systems
• Submit false information, spam, malware or content that is unlawful, abusive or infringes anyone’s rights
• Use the website to impersonate any person or organization

We may change, suspend or remove any part of the website at any time. Information on the website is general and is not an offer; only a signed Proposal creates a binding engagement.

4. Proposals, fees and payment

After a free consultation we send a Proposal with a fixed scope and price. Work begins once the Proposal is accepted and any deposit is paid.

• Fees, deposits and payment schedules are stated in the Proposal. Unless it says otherwise, invoices are due within 14 days.
• Retainers are billed in advance each month. Unused retainer hours or deliverables do not roll over unless agreed in writing.
• Prices exclude taxes, which you pay where they apply.
• Third-party costs you approve — such as paid placements, sponsored distribution, stock imagery, design tools, ISBNs or platform fees — are passed through to you.
• Late payments may pause work and delivery. We may charge interest on overdue amounts at the lower of 1.5% per month or the maximum rate allowed by law.
• Work outside the agreed scope, or extra revision rounds, is quoted and billed separately after your approval.

5. Working together

Good publishing depends on both sides. You agree to:

• Provide accurate briefs, source materials, data, brand guidelines and access to subject-matter experts on time
• Give feedback and approvals within the timelines in the Proposal
• Name one decision-maker who can approve drafts and final copy
• Tell us about any legal, regulatory or confidentiality limits on what can be published

Delays in feedback, materials or approvals may move delivery dates. If a project is paused by you for more than 30 days, we may invoice for work completed and reschedule the remaining work.

Each deliverable includes the number of revision rounds stated in the Proposal. A deliverable is treated as approved when you approve it in writing, publish it, or do not request changes within 10 business days of delivery.

6. Your materials and your responsibilities

You keep ownership of everything you give us — documents, data, interviews, recordings, logos, images and other materials ("Client Materials"). You give us a limited license to use them only to deliver the services.

You confirm that:

• You own or have permission to use all Client Materials, and our use of them as agreed will not infringe anyone’s copyright, trademark, privacy or other rights
• Facts, figures, case studies, testimonials and claims you supply or approve are accurate and can be substantiated
• You have the consent of any person named, quoted, interviewed or pictured in content you ask us to create or publish
• You will review and approve all content before publication, especially technical, medical, financial, legal or other regulated claims

You are the publisher of record for content released under your name or brand. Final responsibility for its accuracy and legal compliance rests with you.

7. Ownership of deliverables

Once we receive full payment for a deliverable, we assign to you all copyright and other rights we hold in the final, approved deliverable — including articles, eBooks, reports, newsletters and copy — so you can use, edit and publish it however you like.

Until full payment, we keep ownership and you may not publish the deliverable unless we agree in writing.

We keep ownership of our pre-existing tools, templates, frameworks, processes, research methods and know-how ("Agency Materials"). Where Agency Materials are built into a deliverable, you receive a permanent, non-exclusive license to use them as part of that deliverable.

Drafts, outlines and concepts you did not choose or pay for remain ours.

Third-party elements, such as stock images, fonts or licensed data, are subject to their own license terms, which we will share with you.

8. Ghostwriting and attribution

Ghostwritten content, including executive articles, thought leadership and eBooks, is published under your name or your organization’s name. We will not claim authorship or disclose that we wrote it unless you agree.

Ghostwritten work is built on your ideas, experience and approval. You are responsible for being comfortable that content published under your name reflects your views.

We may mention that you are a client, and show non-confidential work in our portfolio, only with your prior written consent. You may withdraw that consent at any time for future use.

9. eBooks and digital publications

For eBook projects, the Proposal will state which of the following are included: research and keyword mapping, chapter outlines, SME interviews, writing, editing, proofreading, design-ready layout preparation, landing page copy and promotional assets.

• Unless stated in the Proposal, graphic design, typesetting, cover design, ISBN registration, retail listing and paid promotion are not included.
• Where we help list an eBook on a retailer or platform (for example Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple Books or Google Play Books), the listing is made in your account and under your name, and you accept that platform’s terms.
• Platforms set their own rules for content, pricing, royalties and removal. We are not responsible for their decisions.
• Gated eBooks used as lead magnets must collect personal data lawfully. You are responsible for the forms, consent wording and privacy notice on your own landing pages and systems.

10. Third-party publications and platforms

Distribution often relies on publications and platforms we do not control, such as LinkedIn, Medium, Substack, WordPress, podcast directories, Spotify, trade media and syndication partners.

• Editors and platforms make their own decisions. Pitching does not guarantee that a piece will be accepted, published, kept online or published in a particular form or on a particular date.
• Content placed on third-party sites is subject to their terms, editorial policies and moderation, which may change.
• When we post on accounts you own, you authorize us to do so and remain responsible for those accounts. We will use any access credentials only for the agreed work and you may revoke access at any time.
• Where content is sponsored, paid for or created in exchange for something of value, it will be disclosed as required by law and platform rules (for example the U.S. FTC Endorsement Guides). We will not hide a paid relationship.

11. Wikipedia services

Wikipedia is an independent, volunteer-run encyclopedia. It is not controlled by us or by any client.

• Wikipedia requires subjects to meet its notability guidelines and to be supported by reliable, independent sources. We will advise honestly on whether a page is likely to meet them.
• We follow Wikipedia’s Terms of Use, including its rules on disclosure of paid contributions and conflicts of interest. We will not use undisclosed paid editing, sockpuppet accounts or other deceptive practices.
• We cannot guarantee that a draft will be approved, that a page will not be edited or deleted by Wikipedia’s community, or that it will present you in a particular way.
• Fees for Wikipedia work pay for research, drafting and submission support, not for an outcome.

12. Originality, research and AI tools

Every deliverable is written to be original. We check final copy for unintended duplication and cite or credit third-party sources where appropriate.

We may use software tools, including AI-assisted tools, for research, transcription, outlining or editing support. Final deliverables are written, edited and reviewed by people. We will not put your confidential materials into tools that use them to train public models.

If you have a policy on AI use, tell us before work starts and we will follow it.

13. Content standards

We may decline, or stop, work on content that we reasonably believe:

• Is false, misleading, defamatory or makes claims that cannot be substantiated
• Infringes someone else’s intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights
• Promotes hate, harassment, violence or illegal activity
• Is designed to manipulate search engines, reviews or platforms in breach of their rules
• Would breach advertising, financial, health or other regulations

If we decline work for these reasons, we will invoice only for work already completed.

14. No guaranteed results

We use proven methods and will always give you our best professional effort. But search rankings, traffic, leads, sales, media coverage, social engagement, eBook downloads and similar outcomes depend on factors outside our control, including search engine algorithms, platform changes, editorial decisions, competition and your market.

Unless a Proposal expressly says otherwise in writing, we do not guarantee any specific result. Projections, benchmarks and examples are estimates, not promises.

15. Confidentiality

Each of us will keep the other’s non-public business information confidential, use it only for the engagement, and protect it with reasonable care. This includes unpublished drafts, strategies, data, interview content and pricing.

This does not apply to information that is already public, was already known to the receiving party, is received lawfully from someone else, or must be disclosed by law. Writers, editors and contractors who work on your project are bound by confidentiality obligations at least as strict as these.

These obligations last for three years after the engagement ends, and for trade secrets for as long as they remain trade secrets. If you need a separate non-disclosure agreement, we are happy to sign one.

16. Privacy and personal data

Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal data collected through the website and during engagements.

Where we process personal data on your behalf — for example interview recordings with your employees or customer data you share — we act as your processor and will handle it only on your instructions. We will sign a data processing agreement where the law requires one.

17. Cancellation and termination

• Project work: you may cancel by written notice. You pay for work completed and costs committed up to the date of notice. Deposits cover initial strategy and scheduling work and are non-refundable once work has started.
• Retainers: either party may end a retainer with 30 days’ written notice, unless the Proposal sets a different minimum term or notice period.
• Either party may end an engagement immediately if the other seriously breaches these Terms and does not fix the breach within 14 days of written notice.
• We may suspend work if invoices are overdue.

On termination, you pay for work delivered and in progress, and we hand over completed deliverables that have been paid for. Sections that by their nature should continue — including ownership, confidentiality, payment, liability and indemnity — survive termination.

18. Warranties and disclaimers

We will perform the services with reasonable skill and care, in line with good industry practice.

Apart from that, and to the extent the law allows, the website and services are provided "as is" and we make no other warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement of Client Materials.

Our content is not legal, financial, medical or other professional advice. Have regulated content reviewed by a qualified professional before publishing it.

19. Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows:

• Neither party is liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential losses, or for lost profits, revenue, data or goodwill.
• Our total liability arising from an engagement is limited to the fees you paid us for that engagement in the 12 months before the claim arose.
• We are not liable for the acts or decisions of third-party publications, platforms, search engines, retailers or Wikipedia editors.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or anything else that cannot be limited by law.

20. Indemnity

You will defend and indemnify us against third-party claims, losses and reasonable legal costs arising from Client Materials, from facts or claims you supplied or approved, from content published under your name after your approval, or from your breach of these Terms.

We will defend and indemnify you against third-party claims that our original writing, as delivered and not modified by you, infringes their copyright.

21. Team and contractors

We may use vetted employees, freelance writers, editors, designers and specialists to deliver the services. We remain responsible for their work, and they are bound by confidentiality and intellectual property obligations consistent with these Terms.

During an engagement and for 12 months afterwards, you agree not to directly hire or engage any writer or editor introduced to you through our work without our written consent.

22. Events outside our control

Neither party is responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond its reasonable control, such as natural disasters, outages of major platforms or internet services, government action, war or pandemics. Payment obligations for work already done are not excused.

23. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of [State / Country], without regard to conflict-of-law rules. If a dispute arises, we will first try in good faith to resolve it by talking. If that fails within 30 days, the courts of [City, State / Country] will have exclusive jurisdiction, unless the law where you live gives you the right to bring a claim locally.

24. General

• These Terms, together with any Proposal and our Privacy Policy, are the whole agreement between us about their subject.
• If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect.
• Failing to enforce a right is not a waiver of it.
• You may not transfer your rights under these Terms without our consent. We may transfer them as part of a merger, acquisition or sale of our business.
• We are independent contractors. Nothing creates a partnership, employment or agency relationship.
• Notices must be in writing, and email is acceptable.

25. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The date at the top shows when they last changed. Changes do not affect an engagement already under way unless both parties agree in writing.

26. Contact us

Questions about these Terms? Contact [Publisherarc legal entity name] at [[email protected]], or write to us at [Registered business address].