Fine print
Terms of service
Last updated: replace with the date you publish this.
Read this before publishing. This is a working draft written to cover the studio's actual practices. It is not legal advice, and it has not been reviewed by an attorney. Have a South African commercial attorney check it against the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 before you take live payments.
1. Who you are contracting with
BlurbCraft Studio ("the Studio", "I", "me") is a sole proprietorship operated by Iwan Ross from Cape Town, South Africa. Contact: hello@blurbcraftstudio.com.
2. Services
The Studio provides editorial reviews, back-cover and retailer description copy, author feature interviews and, where offered, audiobook performance reviews. Deliverables for each tier are listed on the pricing page and confirmed in your written quote. The written quote governs if it differs from the website.
3. Formation of the agreement
Submitting a brief is an enquiry, not an order. A binding agreement forms when you accept a written quote and payment is received. The quote states the price, the deliverables, the delivery date and any length add-on.
4. Fees, currency and payment
Fees are denominated in South African rand and processed by Paystack. Currency figures shown in other currencies are indicative only; your card issuer sets the conversion rate. Work begins once payment clears and the manuscript is received, whichever is later.
5. Length and scope
Standard tiers cover manuscripts to 100 000 words. Longer works carry an add-on of R220 per additional 10 000 words, quoted before payment. If the delivered manuscript materially exceeds the word count stated in your brief, I will contact you with a revised quote before proceeding rather than adjusting the invoice afterwards.
6. The Author-Ally Kill Clause
All reviews are honest. Where a book receives an objective evaluation under three stars, no public review is written, finalised, published or disclosed. You instead receive a private Editorial Diagnostic Report. The fee is retained in full, as it compensates reading and analysis time already expended. By accepting a quote for a review tier you confirm you have read and accepted this term. It does not apply to blurb-only work, where no review is produced.
7. Revisions
Blurb tiers include one revision round within fourteen days of delivery. Editorial reviews are not revised at the author's request: a review altered to the subject's satisfaction is no longer a review. Factual errors will always be corrected without charge.
8. Intellectual property
You retain all rights in your manuscript. On delivery and full payment, you receive a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive licence to reproduce the delivered copy in any medium, including retailer listings, covers, press kits and paid advertising, provided the attribution to BlurbCraft Studio is retained on review text and the wording is not altered so as to change its meaning. The Studio retains the right to reproduce delivered review text as a sample of its work, clearly labelled as such.
9. Confidentiality
Manuscripts, audio files and briefs are confidential. They are not shared with third parties, not published, not used to train machine learning systems, and are deleted on written request once delivery is complete. Delivered review text may be reproduced as a work sample only where it is public, or with your written consent where it is not.
10. Turnaround and delays
Delivery dates are stated in business days from the later of payment clearing and manuscript receipt. If a date cannot be met you will be told before it passes, with a new date. Delays caused by late or incomplete submission from you extend the date accordingly.
11. Independence and what is not offered
The Studio does not post customer reviews on any retail platform, does not solicit or arrange reviews from third parties, does not participate in review exchanges, and does not sell favourable verdicts. A fee purchases a professional reading and a written response, never a particular outcome. Clients are under no obligation of any kind toward the Studio's own published titles.
12. Limitation of liability
The Studio's total liability arising from any engagement is limited to the fee paid for that engagement. No warranty is given as to commercial outcomes, sales, rankings, retailer acceptance or reader reception.
13. Cancellation and refunds
See the refunds and cancellation policy, which forms part of these terms.
14. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and the parties consent to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.