Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Author Vault website at author-vault.com and all associated services, features, and content (collectively, the “Platform”), operated by Author Vault (“we,” “us,” or “our”).

By creating an account, accessing the Platform, or using any of our services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Platform.

These Terms apply to all users of the Platform, including visitors, registered users, and paying subscribers. Specific provisions apply to paid subscription holders as detailed in Sections 4–6.

Author Vault is a creative community platform that provides tools for writers, songwriters, and ministry leaders to publish, protect, and share their creative work. The Platform offers:

• Wordsmith: A publishing environment for authors and storytellers to share writings, manuscripts, stories, and literary works.
• Songsmith: A platform for songwriters and composers to publish songs, lyrics, audio recordings, and musical compositions.
• PulpitSmith: A ministry platform for pastors, teachers, and ministry leaders to publish sermons, devotionals, prayers, and teaching materials.

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Platform at any time, with or without notice, though we will endeavour to provide reasonable advance notice of significant changes.

To access most features of the Platform, you must create an account. By registering, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process.
• Maintain and promptly update your account information to keep it accurate and complete.
• Keep your password secure and confidential. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
• Notify us immediately at support@author-vault.com if you suspect unauthorised use of your account.
• Use only one account per person. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions is prohibited.
• Be at least 13 years of age (or 16 if located in the EEA). Persons under this age may not create accounts.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that contain false information, violate these Terms, or are otherwise in breach of our policies.

Author Vault offers the following subscription tiers:

Plan features and pricing may change. We will provide at least 30 days’ notice of any price increase to existing subscribers via email. Feature changes will be communicated via dashboard notice and/or email.

Downgrading from a paid plan to Starter does not delete your existing content. However, you will be unable to publish new posts once you exceed the Starter plan limits. You may delete existing posts to free up quota.

Billing

Paid subscriptions are billed monthly on the anniversary of your subscription start date. By subscribing to a paid plan, you authorise us to charge your chosen payment method (via Stripe or PayPal) on a recurring monthly basis until you cancel.

Payment Processors

All payments are processed by Stripe or PayPal. By providing payment information, you agree to their respective terms of service:

• Stripe Terms of Service: stripe.com/legal
• PayPal User Agreement: paypal.com/legalhub/useragreement-full

Failed Payments

If a payment fails, we will notify you by email. Your paid plan features will remain active for a grace period while the payment is retried. If payment cannot be collected after reasonable retries, your account will be downgraded to the Starter plan automatically.

Taxes

All stated prices are exclusive of applicable taxes. Depending on your location, taxes (such as VAT or GST) may be added to your subscription cost at checkout, as required by law.

Cancellation

You may cancel your paid subscription at any time from your account dashboard. Upon cancellation:

• Your paid plan features remain active until the end of the current billing period.
• Your account is automatically downgraded to the Starter plan at the end of the period.
• Your content is retained — it is not deleted on cancellation.
• No further charges will be made after the current period ends.

Refunds

Subscription fees are generally non-refundable. We may, at our sole discretion, provide a refund or credit in the following circumstances:

• You were charged in error (e.g., a duplicate charge or a technical error on our part).
• The Platform was materially unavailable for an extended period due to our fault.
• You contact us within 48 hours of your first subscription charge and have not meaningfully used the paid features.

To request a refund, email billing@author-vault.com with your account email and reason for the request. We will respond within 5 business days.

Ownership

You retain full ownership of all content you create, upload, or publish on Author Vault — including writings, songs, lyrics, audio recordings, sermons, devotionals, prayers, images, and any other materials (“Your Content”).

Licence to Author Vault

By publishing content on the Platform, you grant Author Vault a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to:

• Host, store, copy, and display Your Content as necessary to provide the Platform’s services.
• Make Your Content accessible to the audience you designate (public or private).
• Format or resize Your Content for display on different devices and screen sizes.

This licence is solely for the purpose of operating and improving the Platform. It does not grant us the right to sell, sublicense, or commercially exploit Your Content beyond what is necessary to provide the service.

Your Representations

By uploading content, you represent and warrant that:

• You own or have the necessary rights, licences, and permissions to upload and publish the content.
• Your content does not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights, including copyright, trademark, or patent.
• Your content does not violate any applicable law or regulation.
• You have obtained all necessary consents from any individuals whose personal information or likeness appears in your content.

Content Removal

You may delete Your Content at any time from your dashboard. We may also remove content that violates these Terms, our Acceptable Use Policy (Section 8), or applicable law, with or without prior notice.

You agree to use Author Vault only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You must not:

• Post illegal content: Content that violates any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation.
• Infringe intellectual property: Upload content that infringes copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights of any third party without authorisation.
• Harass or harm others: Post content that is defamatory, harassing, threatening, abusive, hateful, or discriminatory.
• Post explicit or harmful content: Upload sexually explicit material, content promoting violence, or content harmful to minors.
• Spam or mislead: Post unsolicited promotional material, misleading information, or content designed to deceive other users.
• Compromise security: Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform, other users’ accounts, or our servers and infrastructure.
• Interfere with the Platform: Use automated tools, bots, scrapers, or other means to access or disrupt the Platform without our explicit written consent.
• Circumvent restrictions: Create multiple accounts, use false identities, or otherwise attempt to circumvent plan limitations or Platform restrictions.
• Violate others’ privacy: Collect, store, or process other users’ personal information without their consent.

Violation of this policy may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account, at our sole discretion, without refund.

Author Vault’s IP

The Author Vault name, logo, Platform design, software, code, features, and all other elements of the Platform (excluding Your Content) are owned by Author Vault and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

Nothing in these Terms grants you any right to use the Author Vault name, logo, or other branding without our prior written consent.

DMCA / Copyright Infringement

If you believe that content on Author Vault infringes your copyright, please send a notice to dmca@author-vault.com including:

• A description of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed.
• The URL or location of the allegedly infringing content on our Platform.
• Your contact information (name, email address, postal address, phone number).
• A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorised to act on their behalf.
• Your electronic or physical signature.

We will respond to valid DMCA notices promptly and remove infringing content in accordance with applicable law.

Your use of Author Vault is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Platform, you consent to our collection, use, and sharing of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.

Our Privacy Policy covers, among other things, how we handle payment data processed through Stripe and PayPal, your rights under GDPR and CCPA, and our commitment to never selling your data or using your content to train AI.

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE SERVICE.

We do not warrant that:

• The Platform will be available at all times or free from errors, bugs, or interruptions.
• Any content published on the Platform will be preserved indefinitely or be free from accidental deletion.
• The Platform will meet your specific requirements or expectations.
• Any defects or errors in the Platform will be corrected within a specific timeframe.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, AUTHOR VAULT SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PLATFORM.

Our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or related to these Terms or the Platform shall not exceed the greater of:

• The total amount you paid to Author Vault in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or
• One hundred US dollars (USD $100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain types of liability. In such jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Author Vault, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, or debt arising from:

• Your use of and access to the Platform.
• Your violation of any of these Terms.
• Your violation of any third-party right, including any intellectual property, privacy, or publicity right.
• Any content you publish on the Platform that causes damage to a third party.
• Your violation of any applicable law or regulation.

Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at support@author-vault.com or by using the account deletion option in your dashboard. Termination does not entitle you to a refund of any prepaid subscription fees.

Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Platform at any time, with or without notice, if:

• You breach these Terms or our Acceptable Use Policy.
• We are required to do so by law or legal process.
• Your account has been inactive for an extended period (we will provide advance notice before terminating inactive accounts).
• We discontinue the Platform (we will provide at least 60 days’ advance notice).

Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to access and use the Platform ceases immediately. We will retain your data for up to 90 days after termination for recovery purposes, after which it will be permanently deleted, except where retention is required by law.

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of Author Vault shall first be submitted to informal negotiation. If the dispute is not resolved within 30 days, it shall be submitted to binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association.

Notwithstanding the above, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm while arbitration proceedings are pending.

Class Action Waiver: You waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration against Author Vault.

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Post the updated Terms on this page with a new “Last Updated” date.
• Send a notification to your registered email address at least 14 days before the changes take effect.
• Display a notice on your dashboard.

Your continued use of Author Vault after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the Platform and cancel your subscription (if applicable) before the changes take effect.

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us:

These Terms of Service were last updated in April 2025. Prior versions are available on request.