Publisher Terms

1. Agreement to these terms

These Publisher Terms govern access to PubPod by a publisher, author, organization, or other business customer (collectively, the “Publisher”). PubPod is operated by Polymath Publishing House (“PubPod,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By creating a publisher workspace, accepting these terms, or using a paid or trial feature, you agree to these terms for yourself and the Publisher you represent.

You represent that you are at least 18 years old and have authority to bind the Publisher. If you do not have that authority, do not create or administer a Publisher workspace.

2. What PubPod provides

PubPod is a book-first software service for managing reader-facing pages, Early Reader Copy (“ERC”) programs, private reader feedback, managed QR destinations, contacts, and, when enabled for the Publisher, email marketing and related automation.

Features, quotas, and support levels depend on the plan shown to you at checkout or in billing settings. A preview, trial, or internal feature may be limited, changed, or withdrawn before it becomes generally available.

3. Accounts, workspaces, and access

• Use accurate account and business information and keep it current.
• Protect sign-in methods and promptly remove access for people who no longer work with you.
• Use workspace roles according to each person’s responsibilities. The workspace owner is responsible for billing, sensitive settings, and authorized users.
• Notify [email protected] promptly if you suspect unauthorized access.

You are responsible for activity performed through your workspace, except to the extent it results from a security failure controlled by PubPod.

4. Publisher responsibilities

You are responsible for your books, offers, reader communications, instructions, team members, and use of reader information. You must:

• have the rights and permissions needed for every book, cover, file, trademark, link, contact, and other item you submit;
• provide accurate offer terms, deadlines, capacity, eligibility, compensation, and support information;
• follow applicable laws, platform rules, advertising rules, privacy obligations, and marketplace policies;
• not use PubPod for fraud, harassment, piracy, malware, deceptive offers, unlawful discrimination, spam, or review manipulation; and
• respond reasonably to reader support, privacy, payment, and dispute requests connected to your programs.

PubPod may provide workflow guardrails, but those guardrails are not legal advice and do not transfer the Publisher’s compliance responsibilities to PubPod.

5. ERC and reader-program rules

For every ERC or reimbursed-reader program you operate through PubPod:

• disclose what the reader must purchase or complete, the maximum reimbursement, supported format or marketplace, timing, proof requirements, and material eligibility limits before the reader applies;
• fund and honor every valid reimbursement you approve, including processor fees or differences that your published program terms assign to you;
• request only the minimum private proof reasonably needed to verify a qualifying purchase or task;
• do not ask for proof that a public review was posted and do not reward, pressure, screen, or penalize a reader based on review activity or sentiment; and
• keep private feedback, ERC participation, marketing consent, and any optional public-review request as separate choices.

You remain responsible for the rules of Amazon and any other retailer, payment provider, or review platform used with your program. PubPod may block or suspend a program that appears unsafe, misleading, unfunded, or inconsistent with these rules.

6. Email, contacts, and audience marketing

Transactional ERC messages and marketing consent are separate. An ERC applicant or participant does not become a marketing subscriber unless that person separately gives the required consent.

If audience-marketing features are enabled, you must use accurate sender information, maintain lawful permission to contact each recipient, honor unsubscribe and suppression state, and comply with applicable anti-spam and privacy laws. Do not upload purchased, scraped, rented, or otherwise unauthorized lists.

PubPod may limit or pause sending to protect recipients, sender reputation, platform deliverability, or system security.

7. Publisher content and ownership

You retain ownership of content you submit. You grant PubPod a non-exclusive, worldwide license to host, copy, process, format, display, and transmit that content only as reasonably needed to provide, secure, support, and improve the service.

You must not submit more personal or confidential information than a workflow requires. In particular, review receipts and proofs for unnecessary addresses, full payment details, or other sensitive information before they are uploaded.

PubPod owns the service, software, interface, documentation, and its own trademarks. These terms do not grant either party ownership of the other party’s names, logos, or content.

8. Plans, billing, and reader reimbursements

PubPod subscriptions

Plan prices, billing interval, included usage, trial period, taxes, and any add-ons are the terms shown at checkout and in billing settings. Subscription charges are processed by the billing provider identified at checkout. Unless the checkout terms state otherwise, subscriptions renew until canceled.

You may schedule cancellation through the available billing controls. Cancellation normally takes effect at the end of the current paid period. Provider terms and applicable law govern payment-method handling, invoices, chargebacks, and any required refunds. Contact support if the self-service controls do not resolve a billing issue.

Reader reimbursements

Reader reimbursements, payment-provider fees, disputes, reversals, and chargebacks are Publisher-funded amounts and are not included in PubPod subscription fees. PubPod may record, reconcile, or help initiate a reimbursement, but the Publisher remains responsible for sufficient funds, an accurate payment instruction, and confirmation that payment actually completed.

When a connected payment provider is offered, its authorization and separate terms apply. Do not give PubPod or another user your payment-provider password.

9. Third-party services and managed links

PubPod may interoperate with authentication, hosting, storage, email, billing, payment, QR-link, marketplace, and analytics providers. Their services are governed by their own terms, availability, and policies. PubPod does not control a third party’s approval decision, account restriction, delivery decision, or marketplace action.

Managed QR links can be designed so a destination may change without reprinting the code. A Publisher should preserve its exported destinations and follow the cancellation or repointing instructions shown in the product before relying on a QR code in printed inventory. PubPod does not promise that an external site or destination will remain available.

10. Service availability and changes

We work to keep PubPod available and data accurate, but software, networks, and third-party services can fail. Unless a separate written service-level agreement says otherwise, PubPod is provided without a guaranteed uptime or delivery time.

We may change the service to improve security, comply with law or provider rules, prevent abuse, or develop the product. We will use reasonable notice for a material change that removes a paid core feature when circumstances allow.

11. Suspension, cancellation, and termination

You may stop using PubPod and cancel paid service through the available billing controls. Before closing a workspace, export information you are entitled to keep and review any active reader, reimbursement, campaign, or printed-QR obligations.

We may limit or suspend access when reasonably necessary to address a security threat, unlawful activity, payment failure, material breach, spam, reader harm, review manipulation, or risk to other customers or providers. When practical, we will explain the issue and provide a reasonable opportunity to correct it.

Account closure does not erase obligations that arose before closure, including valid reader reimbursements, outstanding charges, intellectual-property duties, confidentiality, and provisions that by their nature should survive.

12. Disclaimers and limits

To the extent permitted by law, PubPod is provided “as is” and “as available.” We do not guarantee sales, reviews, rankings, reader participation, reimbursement-provider approval, email placement, marketplace acceptance, or a particular business result.

To the extent permitted by law, neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenues, goodwill, or data, arising from these terms. PubPod’s aggregate liability arising from the service will not exceed the amount the Publisher paid PubPod for the affected service during the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim.

These limits do not apply where they are prohibited by law or to liability that cannot lawfully be limited. Nothing in these terms limits a consumer right that cannot be waived.

13. Changes, notices, and contact

We may update these terms. When a change is material, we will provide notice through the service, account email, or another reasonable channel and identify the new version and effective date. Continued use after the effective date means the updated terms apply, unless applicable law requires a different form of consent.

If part of these terms is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply. A failure to enforce a provision once is not a waiver of it. These terms, the plan terms shown at checkout, and any signed agreement form the agreement governing the Publisher’s use of PubPod.

Questions or notices may be sent to [email protected].