Terms and Conditions

1. Introduction

Welcome to Bethune Publishing House, Inc.

These Terms and Conditions govern your access to and use of the Bethune Publishing House, Inc. website located at BethunePublishingHouse.com, including its webpages, forms, online programs, digital resources, products, and related services. These are collectively referred to as the “Service.”

In these Terms and Conditions, “Bethune Publishing House,” “Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Bethune Publishing House, Inc. “You” and “your” refer to any visitor, customer, author, client, account holder, or other person who accesses or uses the Service.

By accessing the website, submitting a form, scheduling a consultation, purchasing a product or service, creating an account, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree, you should not access or use the Service.

2. Bethune Publishing House Services

Bethune Publishing House provides publishing-related products and services that may include:

• Publishing consultations and project-development services
• Manuscript evaluations
• Ghostwriting and collaborative writing
• Editing and proofreading
• Book formatting and interior design
• Cover design
• Publishing and distribution assistance
• Author coaching
• Book-launch planning
• Marketing and promotional support
• Workshops, courses, programs, and digital resources
• Other publishing, educational, and creative services

The exact services, prices, timelines, deliverables, revision limits, and responsibilities for a project will be described in the applicable proposal, package description, invoice, statement of work, checkout page, or written service agreement.

If a separate written agreement conflicts with these website Terms and Conditions, the separate written agreement will control matters related to that specific project.

3. No Guarantee of Publication, Sales, or Results

Bethune Publishing House works to provide professional publishing and author-support services. However, we do not guarantee:

• Acceptance by a traditional publisher, distributor, retailer, library, reviewer, media outlet, or awards organization
• Approval by Amazon, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble, or another third-party platform
• A specific publication or launch date unless stated in a signed agreement
• A particular number of book sales, reviews, downloads, speaking engagements, media appearances, or business opportunities
• Bestseller status, profitability, public recognition, or commercial success
• Any specific marketing, advertising, publishing, or financial result

Publishing and marketing outcomes depend on many factors outside our control, including manuscript readiness, author participation, audience demand, pricing, platform policies, promotional activity, market conditions, and third-party decisions.

Testimonials, case studies, and examples describe individual experiences and are not promises that every author or client will receive the same results.

4. Communications

When you submit a form, create an account, request information, schedule a consultation, download a resource, or purchase a product or service, you may receive communications from Bethune Publishing House.

Communications may include requested information, appointment reminders, project updates, billing notices, publishing information, newsletters, educational resources, special offers, and marketing or promotional messages.

You may unsubscribe from promotional emails at any time by using the unsubscribe instructions included in the message or by contacting us at [email protected].

Unsubscribing from promotional messages will not prevent us from sending necessary administrative, billing, legal, security, appointment, purchase, or project-related communications.

Message and data rates may apply to text messages. Consent to receive marketing text messages is not required as a condition of purchasing a product or service. Where supported, reply STOP to opt out and HELP for assistance.

5. Consultations and Information Requests

Submitting an inquiry, scheduling a consultation, or participating in a clarity call does not create a publisher-author relationship, professional-services relationship, or contractual obligation unless both parties enter into a separate written agreement.

Information discussed during an introductory consultation is provided for general planning purposes. Specific services, prices, deadlines, and responsibilities must be confirmed in writing.

We reserve the right to accept or decline any project at our discretion, subject to applicable law.

6. Purchases and Payment Information

When purchasing a product or service, you may be asked to provide information relevant to your purchase, including your name, email address, telephone number, billing address, shipping address, and payment information.

You represent that you are legally authorized to use the payment method provided, that the information you provide is accurate and current, and that you authorize us and our payment processors to charge the applicable fees, taxes, shipping costs, installment payments, or other agreed charges.

Bethune Publishing House uses PayPal and Stripe to process payments. PayPal and Stripe process payment information according to their own terms, privacy policies, and security procedures.

Bethune Publishing House generally receives transaction details such as the amount paid, payment date, payment status, transaction identification number, and limited payment-method details. We do not ordinarily receive or store a customer’s complete credit-card number, debit-card number, card security code, PayPal password, or online-banking password.

Prices may change at any time. A price change will not normally affect a completed purchase or signed agreement unless the applicable agreement permits the change.

7. Payment Plans and Recurring Payments

Certain packages, memberships, programs, or services may be offered through installment or recurring-payment plans.

By selecting a payment plan, you authorize Bethune Publishing House, PayPal, Stripe, or another authorized payment processor to charge the payment method you provided according to the schedule disclosed at checkout or stated in your written agreement.

You are responsible for maintaining a valid payment method. A failed, late, reversed, disputed, or declined payment may result in suspension of work, delay of the project schedule, removal of access to programs or resources, additional fees when permitted, termination of services, or collection activity when legally permitted.

Stopping participation in a project does not automatically cancel an outstanding payment obligation. Cancellation and payment responsibilities will be determined by the applicable package terms, invoice, or signed agreement.

8. Refunds, Cancellations, and Project Termination

Refund and cancellation terms may vary based on the product, package, program, service, or stage of the project.

The refund and cancellation provisions stated in the applicable proposal, sales page, checkout page, invoice, package description, or signed service agreement will apply to that purchase.

Because publishing services may involve reserved production time, consultations, administrative work, manuscript review, editing, writing, design, research, software costs, subcontractor costs, or other work performed before the final book is completed, some fees or deposits may become nonrefundable after work begins when stated in the applicable agreement.

Failure to submit materials, answer communications, provide approvals, or participate in the project does not automatically create a right to a refund.

Bethune Publishing House may suspend or terminate a project for nonpayment, repeated failure to communicate, failure to provide required materials, abusive or unlawful conduct, suspected plagiarism or copyright infringement, material misrepresentation, breach of an agreement, or requests involving illegal or prohibited content.

9. Author and Client Responsibilities

Authors and clients are responsible for:

• Providing accurate, complete, and timely information
• Submitting manuscripts, photographs, permissions, biographies, endorsements, and other materials in the requested format
• Responding to communications within a reasonable period
• Reviewing drafts and proofs carefully
• Meeting approval deadlines
• Paying fees according to the agreed schedule
• Keeping copies and backups of original files
• Obtaining permission to use copyrighted, trademarked, confidential, private, or third-party material
• Confirming the accuracy of names, dates, quotations, statistics, references, legal claims, medical claims, financial claims, and historical information
• Disclosing previously published or licensed content
• Making final decisions concerning the author’s message, opinions, claims, and publication

Delays caused by the author or client may change the project timeline. Bethune Publishing House is not responsible for missed launch dates or other delays caused by late materials, late payments, repeated changes, incomplete instructions, unavailable third-party platforms, or delayed approvals.

10. Manuscripts and Client-Submitted Content

You may submit manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, recordings, logos, biographies, testimonials, documents, data, or other materials for review or use in your project. These materials are referred to as “Client Content.”

You represent and warrant that:

1. You own the Client Content or have permission to use it.
2. The Client Content does not violate another person’s copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, contractual, or other legal rights.
3. The Client Content is not unlawfully copied, defamatory, fraudulent, threatening, or otherwise illegal.
4. You have obtained appropriate releases or permissions from contributors, photographers, illustrators, interview subjects, endorsers, and other rights holders.
5. The information you provide is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

Bethune Publishing House may decline, remove, suspend, or stop working with Client Content that we reasonably believe may violate the law, another party’s rights, our policies, or the requirements of a third-party publishing platform.

11. Ownership of Author Manuscripts

Unless a written agreement states otherwise, an author retains ownership of the original manuscript and Client Content submitted to Bethune Publishing House.

By submitting Client Content for a project, you grant Bethune Publishing House and its authorized contractors a limited, nonexclusive license to access, copy, edit, revise, format, reproduce, transmit, store, display, and otherwise use the Client Content only as reasonably necessary to evaluate the project, provide the purchased services, prepare publishing files, communicate with authorized service providers, and complete activities authorized by the applicable agreement.

This limited license does not transfer ownership of the author’s original manuscript to Bethune Publishing House.

Ownership of ghostwritten material, edited content, cover designs, interior designs, illustrations, marketing materials, templates, source files, and other materials created during a project will be determined by the applicable written agreement.

No transfer or assignment of intellectual-property rights should be assumed unless it is clearly stated in writing.

12. Bethune Publishing House Intellectual Property

The Service and its original content, excluding Client Content, are owned by or licensed to Bethune Publishing House, Inc.

Protected materials may include website text, logos, trademarks, graphics, videos, course materials, worksheets, templates, publishing systems, package descriptions, training materials, marketing materials, digital downloads, program names, website design, and functionality.

You may not copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, distribute, sell, license, modify, create derivative works from, or commercially exploit our protected materials without prior written permission.

Purchasing a service, course, program, template, or digital resource does not transfer ownership of the underlying intellectual property unless a written agreement specifically states otherwise.

13. Editing, Writing, and Creative Services

Editing, ghostwriting, design, and other creative services involve professional judgment. Reasonable people may have different opinions about style, tone, wording, structure, imagery, and presentation.

• Revision limits will be stated in the selected package or project agreement.
• Requests outside the approved project scope may require additional fees.
• Major changes requested after approval may require a new schedule and additional payment.
• Editing does not guarantee that a manuscript will be completely free from every typographical, grammatical, factual, or formatting error.
• Bethune Publishing House does not act as a legal, medical, tax, accounting, investment, or financial adviser.
• Specialized manuscripts may require review by an attorney, medical professional, accountant, researcher, sensitivity reader, fact-checker, or other qualified professional.

The author remains responsible for the final message and accuracy of the published work.

14. Proofs, Reviews, and Final Approval

Authors and clients are responsible for carefully reviewing all drafts and proofs, including manuscript edits, titles, subtitles, author names, credentials, cover designs, spine text, back-cover copy, interior formatting, photographs, captions, page numbers, tables of contents, copyright pages, ISBN information, prices, links, email addresses, and telephone numbers.

Your written approval of a proof authorizes Bethune Publishing House to proceed based on the approved version. Bethune Publishing House is not responsible for errors approved by the author or client.

Changes requested after final approval, upload, printing, publication, or distribution may result in additional charges and may not be immediately reflected by retailers or distributors.

Colors may appear differently on screens, printed proofs, finished books, advertisements, and different printing systems. Minor variations in color, paper, trim, placement, and finish may occur.

15. Third-Party Publishing and Distribution Platforms

Bethune Publishing House may assist authors with third-party services such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, retailers, printers, distributors, ISBN agencies, copyright-registration services, payment processors, email providers, advertising platforms, social-media platforms, website providers, and shipping companies.

These third parties are independent businesses with their own terms, policies, fees, approval procedures, content standards, payment schedules, and technical requirements.

Bethune Publishing House does not control and is not responsible for platform outages, technical errors, account suspensions, rejected files, retailer decisions, printing delays, shipping delays, changes in platform rules, royalty calculations, search rankings, customer reviews, availability in particular stores, removal or restriction of a book, or third-party data loss or security incidents.

Authors may be required to create, maintain, verify, or control their own accounts with third-party platforms.

16. ISBNs, Copyright Registration, and Publishing Records

The responsibilities for obtaining or assigning ISBNs, barcodes, Library of Congress numbers, copyright registrations, business licenses, permissions, and other publishing records will be stated in the applicable package or written agreement.

Assistance with an application does not guarantee approval by any government agency, platform, library, retailer, or other organization.

Authors are responsible for reviewing and approving all registration information before submission.

Bethune Publishing House does not provide legal advice concerning copyright ownership, trademark registration, rights transfers, fair use, permissions, defamation, privacy, or other legal matters. Authors should consult a qualified attorney when legal questions arise.

17. Royalties, Sales Reports, and Author Accounts

Royalty arrangements, sales reporting, account ownership, distribution payments, and related responsibilities will be governed by the applicable written agreement and the policies of the publishing or distribution platform.

When royalties are paid directly by a third-party platform to the author, questions concerning calculations, withholding, payment timing, tax reporting, or account access may need to be addressed directly with that platform.

Bethune Publishing House is not responsible for sales or royalties delayed, withheld, adjusted, refunded, charged back, or disputed by a third-party platform unless our separate written agreement expressly states otherwise.

18. Confidentiality and Project Materials

Bethune Publishing House will use reasonable care when handling unpublished manuscripts and confidential project materials.

Project materials may need to be shared with authorized employees, editors, writers, designers, proofreaders, consultants, printers, technology providers, distributors, or other contractors involved in completing the project.

Confidentiality obligations for highly sensitive materials should be addressed through a separate written nondisclosure or service agreement.

You should not send passwords, Social Security numbers, complete financial-account numbers, medical records, or other highly sensitive information unless specifically requested through an approved secure method.

19. Portfolio and Promotional Use

Bethune Publishing House will not claim ownership of an author’s original manuscript merely because we provided publishing services.

Unless the author or client requests otherwise in writing or a separate agreement provides otherwise, Bethune Publishing House may identify completed and publicly released projects in its portfolio, client lists, presentations, website, social media, or marketing materials.

This promotional use may include publicly available information such as book titles, book covers, author names, published descriptions, public launch information, approved photographs, and testimonials provided for promotional use.

Unpublished manuscripts or confidential project details will not be intentionally disclosed for promotional purposes without permission.

20. Testimonials

When you voluntarily provide a testimonial, review, photograph, video, or success story, you grant Bethune Publishing House permission to use, reproduce, edit for length or clarity, publish, and display that material for marketing and promotional purposes unless otherwise agreed in writing.

We will not knowingly make material changes that misrepresent the meaning of your statement.

You may request that future uses of your testimonial be discontinued. Removal may not be possible from materials that have already been printed, published, distributed, or scheduled.

21. Contests, Sweepstakes, and Promotions

Any contest, giveaway, sweepstakes, scholarship, or other promotion offered through the Service may be governed by separate rules.

By participating, you agree to review and follow the rules for that promotion. If the promotion rules conflict with these Terms and Conditions, the promotion rules will control matters related to that promotion.

22. Accounts

When creating an account, you agree to provide information that is accurate, complete, and current.

You are responsible for protecting your username and password, restricting access to your account, activities completed through your account, and promptly notifying us of suspected unauthorized use.

You may not use another person’s account without permission. We may suspend or terminate an account containing false, incomplete, outdated, unlawful, or misleading information.

23. Prohibited Uses

You may not use the Service:

• For an unlawful or fraudulent purpose
• To violate copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights
• To distribute malware, viruses, or harmful code
• To interfere with the security or operation of the website
• To gain unauthorized access to accounts or systems
• To impersonate another person or organization
• To submit plagiarized, stolen, or unlawfully obtained content
• To harass, threaten, abuse, defame, or discriminate against another person
• To scrape, copy, or commercially exploit website content without permission
• To send spam or unauthorized advertising
• To misrepresent your identity, qualifications, ownership, or project information

We may investigate suspected violations and cooperate with lawful requests from courts, law-enforcement agencies, regulators, or rights holders.

24. Links to Other Websites

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not owned or controlled by Bethune Publishing House.

We do not control and are not responsible for the content, security, availability, products, services, privacy practices, or policies of third-party websites. A link does not necessarily mean that Bethune Publishing House endorses the third party.

You access third-party websites at your own risk and should review their terms and privacy policies.

25. Termination of Website Access

We may suspend or terminate your account or access to the Service, with or without notice, when reasonably necessary to protect the Service or its users, address suspected fraud or unlawful conduct, enforce these Terms and Conditions, respond to nonpayment, comply with legal requirements, protect intellectual property, or prevent abuse, threats, or security risks.

Provisions concerning payment obligations, intellectual property, warranties, indemnification, limitations of liability, and dispute resolution will survive termination when legally appropriate.

26. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Bethune Publishing House, Inc., its owners, officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, service providers, licensors, successors, and affiliates from claims, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising from or related to:

• Your use or misuse of the Service
• Your Client Content
• Your violation of these Terms and Conditions
• Your violation of another person’s rights
• Your infringement of copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights
• False, defamatory, misleading, unlawful, or inaccurate statements in your materials
• Your failure to obtain necessary permissions, releases, or licenses
• Activity conducted through your account

This obligation does not apply to the extent a claim is caused by Bethune Publishing House’s own conduct for which indemnification may not legally be required.

27. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Bethune Publishing House, Inc., its owners, officers, directors, employees, agents, contractors, affiliates, licensors, suppliers, and service providers will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, consequential, or punitive damages.

This includes lost profits, lost sales, lost opportunities, lost data, loss of goodwill, business interruption, reputational harm, or failure to achieve anticipated publishing or marketing results.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Bethune Publishing House’s total liability arising from a particular purchase or project will not exceed the amount actually paid to Bethune Publishing House for the product or service giving rise to the claim during the twelve months before the claim arose.

Some jurisdictions do not permit certain liability limitations. In those jurisdictions, our liability will be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.

28. Disclaimer of Warranties

Your use of the Service is at your own risk.

The website and its general information are provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Bethune Publishing House disclaims warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, noninfringement, accuracy, availability, security, uninterrupted operation, error-free performance, and course of dealing or performance.

Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty or legal right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

29. Force Majeure

Bethune Publishing House will not be responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, severe weather, fire, flood, war, terrorism, civil unrest, government action, public-health emergencies, labor disputes, utility failures, internet outages, cyberattacks, platform interruptions, printer or distributor delays, transportation or shipping interruptions, or illness, incapacity, or death affecting essential project personnel.

When reasonably possible, we will communicate significant delays and work to resume services.

30. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions will be governed and interpreted according to the laws of the State of Georgia and applicable federal laws of the United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Any dispute will be handled in the appropriate state or federal court with lawful jurisdiction in Georgia unless a separate written agreement requires mediation, arbitration, or another dispute-resolution process.

31. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to update, modify, or replace these Terms and Conditions at any time.

When changes are made, the updated version will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. When legally required or reasonably appropriate, we may provide additional notice of a material change.

Your continued use of the Service after revised Terms and Conditions become effective means that you accept the revised Terms.

32. Severability

If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is found to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision will be limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary. The remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

33. No Waiver

Our failure to enforce a provision of these Terms and Conditions does not waive our right to enforce it later. A waiver will be effective only when stated in writing by an authorized representative of Bethune Publishing House.

34. Entire Agreement

These Terms and Conditions, together with any applicable Privacy Policy, Refund Policy, signed service agreement, proposal, invoice, statement of work, package description, checkout terms, or promotion rules, form the agreement governing your use of the Service.

A separate signed service agreement will control the specific publishing project when its terms conflict with these general website Terms and Conditions.

35. Contact Us

Questions regarding these Terms and Conditions may be sent to: