Reviewing a self-publishing platform's terms

A self-publishing platform's terms are accepted online and cannot be negotiated, so the review is about understanding what the author is granting, what the platform can change and what the author can do about it: the licence, the exclusivity programmes, the royalty rules, the pricing controls, the content policies under which a title can be removed, and the foreign law that governs the lot. I review the terms and return them annotated, with a written explanation of what they mean for the author's book and the choices the author still controls, for a fixed fee of £495 in three working days.

Who this is for

Authors, small presses and businesses in England and Wales publishing books, e-books, audiobooks or print-on-demand titles through a platform's own publishing service or a distribution aggregator, and want to know what rights they keep, what they are paid and what happens if the platform changes the rules. The author contracts as a business; the platform's terms are its standard form.

What to look for in a self-publishing platform's terms

The licence you grant and what the platform may do with the book

The terms should grant the platform a non-exclusive licence to reproduce, distribute and sell the work in the formats and territories the author selects, not an assignment, since the author keeps copyright under section 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and an assignment would need to be in writing under section 90. The review checks the scope of the licence: whether it includes the right to make excerpts and previews available, to convert formats, to include the book in subscription and lending programmes, to sub-license to other retailers, and to use the author's name and cover in marketing, and whether any of those can be turned off.

Exclusivity programmes and what they cost

Platforms offer higher royalties, promotional tools and inclusion in subscription programmes in return for exclusivity for a period that renews unless the author opts out. The review sets out what exclusivity prohibits (selling the e-book elsewhere, including on the author's own site, and in some programmes giving it away), the length of the period and how renewal works, the penalties for breaching exclusivity, which can include withholding royalties and closing the account, and how the author leaves the programme at the end of a period.

Royalties, pricing control and payment

The terms set royalty rates by list price band, deduct delivery or printing costs, and reserve the platform's right to discount the book below the list price, to price match other retailers and to change the royalty rates on notice. The review explains the pricing bands, the platform's price-matching right and its effect on royalties, the currency and exchange rules, the payment threshold and timing, and the tax and withholding forms a UK author is asked to complete, which are for the author's accountant.

The platform's right to change the terms and remove the book

The terms let the platform change them by posting a new version, and let it remove a title or close an account for breach of its content guidelines, for metadata it regards as misleading, for suspected review manipulation, or without a stated reason. The review explains the notice the platform commits to, the appeal or reinstatement route, what happens to accrued royalties on closure, and the guidelines the author must observe on categories, keywords, series names and the use of other authors' names in metadata.

Content rules, other people's material and reviews

The author warrants that the work is original, that it does not infringe third-party rights and that it complies with law, and indemnifies the platform. The review explains what that covers: quotations from other works, cover images and fonts, use of a trade mark in a title or series name, which can infringe under section 10 of the Trade Marks Act 1994, and material created with AI tools, on which platforms require disclosure. It also notes that soliciting or commissioning reviews is a banned practice under paragraph 13 of Schedule 20 to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 and a breach of the platform's rules.

Governing law, disputes and getting out

The terms will be governed by the law of the platform's home state with disputes in its courts or by arbitration there. Because the contract is one for the supply of services to a business, section 27 of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 governs how far English law can be applied notwithstanding the foreign choice of law, and in practice the author's remedies are the platform's own processes. The review explains what the author can do unilaterally: unpublish a title, leave an exclusivity programme at the end of a period, download sales reports, and withdraw from the platform, and what the platform may keep (customer copies already sold, and a sell-through of printed stock).

What it costs

Standard review, £495. Marked-up document and a written explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the contract review page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• Your own contract returned with my amendments as tracked changes, plus a clean version with every change accepted, ready to send to the other side
• Comments in the document where a point needs explaining
• A written explanation of what I have changed and why, by email or as an attachment if it is lengthy, marking the points I would hold firm on and the ones that are negotiable
• A view on what is normal market practice and what is the other side pushing their luck
• One round of follow-up questions by email, included

What is not included

• Negotiating directly with the other side, which I quote separately once I know who is on the other side. Where the other side is willing to share a live document, I can work in that document directly
• Drafting a replacement contract from scratch
• Advice on the law of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales
• Tax, accounting or regulatory advice
• Disputes about a contract that is already signed

Questions I am often asked

Do I lose my copyright by publishing through the platform?

A self-publishing platform takes a licence, not your copyright, which stays with you unless you assign it in writing. What you grant is a licence, and the review explains its scope: the formats, the territories, the programmes and the marketing uses, and which of them you can switch off.

I joined the exclusive programme. Can I sell the e-book on my own website?

Not while the exclusivity period runs, and the period renews unless you opt out. Selling elsewhere can lead to withheld royalties and account closure. The review explains the period, the renewal, the opt-out route and what you can do with other formats in the meantime.

The platform removed my book and will not say why. What can I do?

The terms allow removal for breach of the content guidelines and, in some versions, without a reason, and your remedy is the platform's appeal process. The review explains the guidelines your book must meet, what to say in an appeal, and how to recover accrued royalties and your files.

Related guidance and services

• Contract review, £495, the service this page describes
• AI contracts and AI use policies, £995
• Reviewing a publishing agreement
• Reviewing a SaaS vendor's terms before your business signs up

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.