Terms of Service

1. Introduction / Acceptance of Terms

This initial section sets the stage for our legal relationship. It clarifies that by using AuthorsGeek.com, you are agreeing to these Terms and our Privacy Policy, establishing a binding agreement.

Welcome to AuthorsGeek.com ("AuthorsGeek," "we," "us," or "our"). These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our website, AuthorsGeek.com, and the services provided therein, including the AI-powered generation of Developmental Editor Reports (collectively, the "Service").

This document is a legally binding agreement between you, the user ("User," "you," or "your"), and AuthorsGeek.com. By accessing or using our Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy (which is incorporated herein by reference). If you do not agree with these Terms or the Privacy Policy, you must not access or use the Service.

Effective Date: May 22, 2025

2. Description of Service

Here, we outline what AuthorsGeek.com offers – an AI-powered tool to help fiction authors with developmental editing – and acknowledge that our services may change over time.

AuthorsGeek.com provides a web application designed for fiction authors. Users can upload their novel manuscripts in PDF format to our platform. Our Service then processes the manuscript using an AI-powered system to generate a detailed "Developmental Editor Report." This report offers feedback on various narrative elements such as plot, character development, pacing, and structure.

The Service may evolve over time. We reserve the right to modify, add, change, or remove features and functionalities of the Service at our sole discretion, with or without notice.

3. User Accounts

This section covers everything related to your AuthorsGeek.com account, including the importance of accurate registration information, your responsibility for account security, and eligibility requirements for using our Service.

  • Registration: To access certain features of the Service, you must register for an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process and to update such information to keep it accurate, current, and complete.
  • Account Security: You are responsible for safeguarding your account password and for any activities or actions under your account, whether or not you have authorized such activities or actions. You agree to notify AuthorsGeek.com immediately of any unauthorized use of your account. AuthorsGeek.com cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this security obligation.
  • Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction, to create an account and use the Service. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that you meet this eligibility requirement.

4. User Conduct and Responsibilities

To ensure a safe and productive environment, this section details your responsibilities as a user, outlining acceptable uses of the Service and listing activities that are strictly prohibited.

Acceptable Use: You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You will not use the Service in any way that violates any applicable federal, state, local, or international law or regulation.

Prohibited Activities: You agree not to engage in any of the following prohibited activities:

  • Uploading, transmitting, or distributing any manuscript or content that is unlawful, infringing, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, abusive, inflammatory, harmful, harassing, threatening, or otherwise objectionable.
  • Attempting to interfere with, compromise the system integrity or security of, or decipher any transmissions to or from the servers running the Service.
  • Taking any action that imposes, or may impose at our sole discretion, an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure.
  • Uploading invalid data, viruses, worms, or other software agents through the Service.
  • Reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling, or otherwise attempting to discover the source code or underlying ideas or algorithms of the Service, except to the extent that such restriction is expressly prohibited by applicable law.
  • Using the Service for any purpose other than its intended use as a tool for generating developmental editing reports for your fiction manuscripts.
  • Impersonating another person or otherwise misrepresenting your affiliation with a person or entity, conducting fraud, hiding or attempting to hide your identity.
  • Bypassing the measures we may use to prevent or restrict access to the Service, including without limitation features that prevent or restrict use or copying of any content or enforce limitations on use of the Service or the content therein.

5. Manuscript Submissions and Intellectual Property

Your creative work is yours. This crucial section affirms your ownership of submitted manuscripts and explains the limited license you grant us solely to provide our editing report service.

  • User Ownership: You retain all ownership and intellectual property rights to the manuscripts you submit to the Service. AuthorsGeek.com claims no ownership rights over your manuscripts.
  • Limited License to AuthorsGeek.com: By submitting a manuscript to the Service, you grant AuthorsGeek.com a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to access, use, process, copy, distribute, perform, display, and modify your manuscript solely for the purpose of:
    • Generating the Developmental Editor Report requested by you.
    • Providing, maintaining, and improving the Service for you.
    • Resolving support requests.
    This license is granted only to the extent necessary for us to provide the Service and terminates when your manuscript is deleted from our systems by you or in accordance with our data retention policy as outlined in our Privacy Policy.
  • User Responsibility for Content: You represent and warrant that you own or have all necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to submit your manuscript to the Service and to grant the license set forth in these Terms. You further represent and warrant that your manuscript and its submission and use on or through the Service will not: (i) infringe, violate, or misappropriate any third-party right, including any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other intellectual property or proprietary right; (ii) slander, defame, libel, or invade the right of privacy, publicity or other property rights of any other person; or (iii) cause AuthorsGeek.com to violate any law or regulation.

6. AI-Generated Developmental Editor Reports

This section explains the nature of the AI-generated reports you'll receive, emphasizing that they are for guidance and do not replace human professional advice, and clarifying that you retain all rights to works derived from these suggestions.

  • Nature of Reports: You acknowledge that the Developmental Editor Reports are generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) system. These reports are intended to provide automated suggestions, feedback, and analysis on elements like plot, character development, pacing, structure, and other narrative aspects for developmental editing purposes.
  • Guidance, Not Guarantees: The reports provided by the Service are for informational and guidance purposes only. They do not constitute professional editorial advice that would typically be provided by a human developmental editor. AuthorsGeek.com makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the reports for any particular purpose or outcome (e.g., publication success, critical acclaim).
  • User Discretion: You are solely responsible for how you interpret and use the feedback, suggestions, and information provided in the Developmental Editor Reports. Any decisions made or actions taken based on the content of these reports are at your own discretion and risk.
  • No Claim on Derivative Works Based on Report Feedback: AuthorsGeek.com claims no intellectual property rights in any new creative work, modifications, or derivative works you might produce based on the insights, suggestions, or feedback from the AI-generated Developmental Editor Report. Your original manuscript's intellectual property remains yours, and any creative choices you make based on the report's feedback are part of your creative work.

7. Fees, Payment

Here we detail the financial aspects of using AuthorsGeek.com, including how our one-time service for developmental reviews is priced, how payments are processed via Stripe, and our 30-day money-back guarantee.

  • Service Model: Each developmental review (generation of a Developmental Editor Report) is sold as a one-time service.
  • Pricing and Payment Methods: The current pricing for the Service will be displayed on our website. All payments are processed through our third-party payment processor, Stripe. By providing payment information, you represent and warrant that you are authorized to use the designated payment method. You authorize us (through Stripe) to charge your payment method for the total amount of your purchase, including any applicable taxes. AuthorsGeek.com does not store your full credit card details.
  • Refund Policy: We offer a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the Developmental Editor Report you receive, you may request a full refund within 30 days of your purchase by contacting our support team at support@authorsgeek.com. Refunds will be processed to the original payment method. This guarantee applies to each one-time service purchase.

8. AuthorsGeek.com's Intellectual Property Rights

While you own your manuscripts, this section clarifies that AuthorsGeek.com owns the Service itself – our website, application, AI models, and branding – and the limited license we grant you to use it.

The Service and its original content (excluding your manuscripts), features, and functionality, including but not limited to the website design, application interface, branding, logos, text, graphics, underlying AI models (excluding any of your specific manuscript data used solely for generating your report), software, code, algorithms, and all related technology, are and will remain the exclusive property of AuthorsGeek.com and its licensors. The Service is protected by copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws of the United States and foreign countries.

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, AuthorsGeek.com grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to access and use the Service for your personal, non-commercial use strictly in accordance with these Terms and solely for its intended purpose of generating developmental editing reports.

9. Termination

This section outlines the conditions under which your account may be terminated, either by you or by us, and what happens to your access and data upon termination.

  • Termination by User: You may terminate your account and these Terms at any time by discontinuing your use of the Service and deleting your account through the account settings, if available, or by contacting us at support@authorsgeek.com.
  • Termination by AuthorsGeek.com: We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service, with or without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to: (i) your breach of these Terms; (ii) conduct that we believe is harmful to other users of the Service, our business, or third parties; or (iii) if we believe that you have violated any applicable law.
  • Effect of Termination: Upon termination of your account, your right to access and use the Service will immediately cease. We will handle the deletion of your data, including manuscripts and reports, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and data retention practices. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive termination, including, without limitation, ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability.

10. Disclaimers of Warranties

It's important to understand the limitations of our Service. This section explains that AuthorsGeek.com is provided 'as is,' without warranties of any kind, including guarantees of uninterrupted service or specific results.

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, AUTHORSGEEK.COM AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, PARTNERS, AND LICENSORS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

AUTHORSGEEK.COM MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT: (I) THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR EXPECTATIONS; (II) THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE; (III) THE RESULTS (INCLUDING DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR REPORTS) THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE SERVICE WILL BE ACCURATE, RELIABLE, COMPLETE, OR SUITABLE FOR YOUR PURPOSES; (IV) THE QUALITY OF ANY PRODUCTS, SERVICES, INFORMATION, OR OTHER MATERIAL PURCHASED OR OBTAINED BY YOU THROUGH THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS; OR (V) ANY ERRORS IN THE SERVICE WILL BE CORRECTED.

NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM AUTHORSGEEK.COM OR THROUGH OR FROM THE SERVICE SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS.

11. Limitation of Liability

This section defines the extent of AuthorsGeek.com's liability in connection with your use of the Service, outlining what we are and are not responsible for regarding any potential damages or losses.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTHORSGEEK.COM, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM: (I) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE; (II) ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE, OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF OTHER USERS OR THIRD PARTIES; (III) ANY CONTENT (INCLUDING DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR REPORTS) OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THE SERVICE; (IV) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, USE, OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS, MANUSCRIPTS, OR CONTENT; OR (V) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SERVICE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF AUTHORSGEEK.COM FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICE EXCEED THE GREATER OF ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (USD $100.00) OR THE AMOUNTS PAID BY YOU TO AUTHORSGEEK.COM FOR THE USE OF THE SERVICE IN THE SIX (6) MONTHS PRIOR TO THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

THE LIMITATIONS OF THIS SUBSECTION SHALL APPLY TO ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, STATUTE, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR OTHERWISE, AND WHETHER OR NOT AUTHORSGEEK.COM HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH DAMAGE, AND EVEN IF A REMEDY SET FORTH HEREIN IS FOUND TO HAVE FAILED OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.

12. Indemnification

Here, we explain your responsibility to cover any losses or damages AuthorsGeek.com might incur as a result of your misuse of the Service or violation of these Terms.

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless AuthorsGeek.com, its affiliates, licensors, and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors, and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (i) your violation of these Terms; (ii) your use of the Service, including, but not limited to, your manuscript submissions, any use of the Service's content (including Developmental Editor Reports), services, and products other than as expressly authorized in these Terms; or (iii) your manuscript content infringing or allegedly infringing any patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property right of any third party.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

This section specifies the laws that govern these Terms and outlines the procedures for resolving any disputes that may arise between you and AuthorsGeek.com, emphasizing informal negotiation and arbitration.

  • Governing Law: These Terms and your use of the Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of [Specify Your State, e.g., Delaware, California], United States, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law.
  • Informal Negotiation: To expedite resolution and control the cost of any dispute, controversy, or claim related to these Terms (each a "Dispute" and collectively, the “Disputes”) brought by either you or us (individually, a “Party” and collectively, the “Parties”), the Parties agree to first attempt to negotiate any Dispute (except those Disputes expressly provided below) informally for at least thirty (30) days before initiating arbitration. Such informal negotiations commence upon written notice from one Party to the other Party.
  • Binding Arbitration: If the Parties are unable to resolve a Dispute through informal negotiations, the Dispute (except those Disputes expressly excluded below) will be finally and exclusively resolved by binding arbitration. The arbitration shall be commenced and conducted under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") and, where appropriate, the AAA’s Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes ("AAA Consumer Rules"), both of which are available at the AAA website www.adr.org. Your arbitration fees and your share of arbitrator compensation shall be governed by the AAA Consumer Rules and, where appropriate, limited by the AAA Consumer Rules. The arbitration may be conducted in person, through the submission of documents, by phone, or online. The arbitrator will make a decision in writing, but need not provide a statement of reasons unless requested by either Party. The arbitrator must follow applicable law, and any award may be challenged if the arbitrator fails to do so. Except where otherwise required by the applicable AAA rules or applicable law, the arbitration will take place in [Specify County, e.g., New Castle County], [Specify State, e.g., Delaware].
  • Exceptions to Informal Negotiations and Arbitration: The Parties agree that the following Disputes are not subject to the above provisions concerning informal negotiations and binding arbitration: (a) any Disputes seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any of the intellectual property rights of a Party; (b) any Dispute related to, or arising from, allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy, or unauthorized use; and (c) any claim for injunctive relief.
  • Class Action Waiver: THE PARTIES AGREE THAT ANY ARBITRATION SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE DISPUTE BETWEEN THE PARTIES INDIVIDUALLY. TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, (A) NO ARBITRATION SHALL BE JOINED WITH ANY OTHER PROCEEDING; (B) THERE IS NO RIGHT OR AUTHORITY FOR ANY DISPUTE TO BE ARBITRATED ON A CLASS-ACTION BASIS OR TO UTILIZE CLASS ACTION PROCEDURES; AND (C) THERE IS NO RIGHT OR AUTHORITY FOR ANY DISPUTE TO BE BROUGHT IN A PURPORTED REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY ON BEHALF OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC OR ANY OTHER PERSONS.

14. Changes to Terms and Conditions

As AuthorsGeek.com evolves, these Terms may be updated. This section explains how we will notify you of any significant changes and how your continued use of the Service signifies acceptance.

AuthorsGeek.com reserves the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, we will make reasonable efforts to provide at least thirty (30) days' notice prior to any new terms taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be determined at our sole discretion. Notice of material changes may be provided by posting the updated Terms on our website, by sending you an email notification to the email address associated with your account, or by other means we deem appropriate.

By continuing to access or use our Service after those revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised terms. If you do not agree to the new terms, in whole or in part, please stop using the website and the Service.

15. Miscellaneous

This section includes various other important legal provisions, such as the entirety of the agreement, severability of terms, and assignment rights, ensuring the completeness and clarity of these Terms.

  • Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and AuthorsGeek.com regarding your use of the Service and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, regarding the Service.
  • Severability: If any provision of these Terms is held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent such that the remaining provisions of the Terms will continue in full force and effect.
  • Waiver: No waiver by AuthorsGeek.com of any term or condition set forth in these Terms shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or a waiver of any other term or condition, and any failure of AuthorsGeek.com to assert a right or provision under these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
  • Assignment: You may not assign or transfer these Terms, by operation of law or otherwise, without AuthorsGeek.com's prior written consent. Any attempt by you to assign or transfer these Terms, without such consent, will be null and of no effect. AuthorsGeek.com may assign or transfer these Terms, at its sole discretion, without restriction. Subject to the foregoing, these Terms will bind and inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors, and permitted assigns.
  • Headings: The section headings used in these Terms are for convenience only and will not have any legal or contractual effect.

16. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these Terms and Conditions, this section provides the necessary contact information to reach us.

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about these Terms and Conditions, please contact us at: Email: support@authorsgeek.com