Clear terms for everything after the manuscript.

1. The agreement

These Author Terms form an agreement between the person accepting them (the “Author”) and OriginAI Publishing (“OriginAI”) for the manuscript and publishing project submitted through this website. By checking the acceptance box and starting a project, the Author confirms that they have read and agree to these terms.

The project dashboard, any later project schedule, and any approved expanded-production proposal are part of the agreement. If a project schedule conflicts with these general terms, the project schedule controls only for that project and only to the extent of the conflict.

2. Authorship, ownership, and rights

The Author remains the author and copyright owner of the submitted work. OriginAI does not acquire ownership of the copyright merely because a manuscript is uploaded or because these terms are accepted.

The Author grants OriginAI a limited, non-transferable license to securely store, review, process, and reproduce the manuscript only as needed to evaluate the project, prepare the selected editions and formats, perform quality control, and provide the agreed publishing services.

Translation, audiobook, graphic-novel, screen-development, licensing, or other expanded rights are not granted automatically. They require a specific scope accepted by the Author in the project dashboard or another written project schedule.

3. Author promises

The Author confirms that they control the rights needed to submit the manuscript and authorize the selected services; that the submission does not knowingly infringe another person’s copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights; and that material presented as factual is not knowingly false or defamatory.

The Author will disclose co-authors, illustrators, prior publishers, licenses, liens, options, territorial restrictions, or other claims that may affect the project. OriginAI may pause work while a rights or legal question is resolved.

4. OriginAI services and AI-assisted production

OriginAI coordinates the work after authorship, which may include editorial development, book design, metadata, localization, audio, visual adaptation, production, distribution readiness, launch support, and reporting according to the accepted project scope.

OriginAI may use AI systems, automated tools, specialist workflows, and human review to deliver the work. The Author remains responsible for approvals identified in the dashboard. OriginAI will label planned, active, completed, and platform-dependent work separately.

Starting a project does not guarantee acceptance into production. Stage 1 confirms rights, technical readiness, project fit, and scope. If OriginAI cannot proceed, it may close the project and delete or return the submitted materials in accordance with the privacy notice.

5. Commercial terms

For the standard end-to-end publishing partnership, OriginAI receives 20% of Net Receipts and the Author receives 80% of Net Receipts.

“Net Receipts” means cash actually received by OriginAI or its designated collection account from covered sales or licensed exploitation, less only: retailer, marketplace, distributor, wholesaler, and payment-processor commissions or transaction charges; applicable sales, use, value-added, withholding, or similar transaction taxes; refunds, returns, credits, and chargebacks actually issued; and approved recoupable costs specifically identified in an accepted project schedule with a stated cap and recoupment order.

OriginAI salaries, ordinary overhead, software subscriptions, general administration, financing costs, unrelated-title losses, ordinary reporting, and unapproved marketing or production spend are not deducted from Net Receipts.

Substantial translation, audiobook, graphic-novel, screen-development, paid-media, specialized licensing, or other expanded production may use a different fee or recoupment structure only after the Author accepts the specific scope, rate, cost cap, and rights involved. No title is cross-collateralized with another unless the Author expressly agrees in writing.

6. Statements and payment

OriginAI will provide sales statements at least quarterly for amounts it receives, showing gross cash received, permitted deductions, approved recoupment, Net Receipts, OriginAI’s share, and the Author’s share. Undisputed balances will be paid within 30 days after the statement period, subject to lawful tax documentation and any minimum-payment threshold stated in the project schedule.

OriginAI will preserve supporting records and provide a reasonable process for the Author to question a statement and request correction. Any formal audit right, confidentiality procedure, and audit cost allocation may be detailed in the project schedule.

7. Approvals, platforms, and outcomes

OriginAI will identify material Author approvals in the project dashboard. Delayed approvals or missing information may delay the schedule. OriginAI may correct technical errors and make routine production adjustments that do not materially change the Author’s approved creative direction.

Retailers, distributors, platforms, licensors, reviewers, and readers make independent decisions. OriginAI does not guarantee retailer or platform acceptance, publication dates controlled by third parties, sales, reviews, rankings, awards, bestseller status, or adaptation deals.

8. Confidentiality, privacy, and security

OriginAI will treat an unpublished manuscript and non-public project materials as confidential, use them only for the project, and limit access to people and systems involved in the work. Manuscripts are stored in private infrastructure and are not made public through the upload process.

The Author should not upload material they are not authorized to share. Personal information and project files are handled under the OriginAI Privacy Notice. No online system can be guaranteed completely secure, but OriginAI uses reasonable technical and organizational safeguards.

9. Term, withdrawal, and termination

These terms begin when accepted and continue while the project is active. Before production scope is confirmed, either party may close the project by written notice. After production begins, either party may terminate for a material breach that is not corrected within 30 days after written notice, or as otherwise stated in the project schedule.

On termination, accrued payment obligations, approved recoupable costs, confidentiality duties, and provisions that by their nature should survive remain in effect. OriginAI will stop new exploitation within a commercially reasonable wind-down period and will handle project files and live editions according to the accepted project schedule and applicable platform rules.

10. Responsibility and limits

Each party is responsible for its own breach of this agreement, negligence, fraud, or willful misconduct. To the extent allowed by law, neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages arising from the project.

Except for payment obligations, misuse of intellectual property, confidentiality breaches, fraud, willful misconduct, or liabilities that cannot legally be limited, each party’s aggregate liability under these terms will not exceed the amounts paid or payable to that party for the affected project during the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim.

11. Changes, notices, and general terms

The version accepted by the Author is recorded with the project and remains the governing version for that project unless both parties accept a replacement. OriginAI may update these terms for future projects but will not silently replace the accepted version for an existing project.

Notices may be delivered through the project dashboard or to the email address supplied by the Author. The Author is responsible for keeping that address current. Electronic acceptance and records have the same effect as signed electronic records to the extent allowed by law.

If any provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in effect. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. Neither party may assign the agreement in a way that materially reduces the other party’s rights without notice and any consent required by law. Applicable law and any project-specific venue may be stated in the project schedule.