"The Author's Helper" (the "Service," "we," "us," or "our") is a software-as-a-service platform for independent book authors, located at theauthorshelper.com and operated by Bob Sims as a sole proprietorship in Hilliard, Ohio, United States. We expect to transition operations to an Ohio limited liability company in the future, at which point these Terms will be updated to reflect the new entity. The Service provides independent authors with tools to create AI-assisted promotional content (book descriptions, press releases, social posts, taglines, sell sheets, cover letters, and book trailers), schedule and publish content to connected social media platforms, manage email campaigns, track author events with email reminders, and access related publishing tools.
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Service. By registering for an account you confirm that you are at least 18 years of age and have the authority to agree to these Terms.
You must create an account to use the Service. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information updated. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activity that occurs under your account.
You agree to notify us immediately at info@theauthorshelper.com if you suspect any unauthorized use of your account. We are not liable for any loss or damage resulting from your failure to maintain account security.
Each account is for use by a single author. You may not share your account credentials with others or use another author's account.
You may use the Service to promote your books and author brand, manage your social media presence, send email campaigns to your subscriber list, generate AI-assisted marketing content for your own books, render and publish book trailers, track author events, and connect third-party platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Mailgun to your account.
You agree not to use the Service to:
You are solely responsible for all content you create, schedule, or publish through the Service. We do not review content before it is published to third-party platforms. You represent and warrant that your content does not violate any applicable law or the terms of any connected platform.
The Service allows you to connect your accounts on third-party platforms including TikTok, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Mailgun (for newsletter sending). By connecting these accounts you authorize us to act on your behalf to publish content you create within the Service or to send email on your behalf using the credentials you have provided.
Your use of connected third-party platforms is governed by those platforms' own terms of service and privacy policies. We are not responsible for the actions, content policies, rate limits, or availability of any third-party platform. We do not guarantee that any platform connection will remain available, as platforms may change their APIs, scopes, or policies at any time, and a connection that worked yesterday may stop working today through no action of ours.
You may disconnect any platform from your account at any time through the Connections section of your dashboard. Disconnecting revokes the stored access token in our system.
The Service includes AI-assisted content generation features powered by Anthropic's Claude API, and book-trailer rendering powered by Shotstack. Content generated by AI or rendered by these services is provided as a starting point and is your responsibility to review, edit, and approve before publishing. We make no representations about the accuracy, originality, factuality, or suitability of AI-generated or AI-rendered content for your specific purposes. AI may produce errors, fabrications, or output that resembles existing works; you are solely responsible for verifying any factual claims and for ensuring you have the rights to use anything you publish.
You retain ownership of content you create using AI assistance through the Service, to the extent that ownership is recognized under applicable law. You are responsible for ensuring that AI-generated content you publish complies with applicable laws, platform policies, and the rights of third parties.
AI usage is subject to per-plan monthly quotas as displayed in your Account. We reserve the right to adjust quotas, change underlying AI models, or temporarily limit AI features if our upstream providers experience outages, change pricing in ways that materially affect us, or impose new restrictions on usage.
You retain all ownership rights to content you create and publish through the Service. By using the Service you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to store, display, and transmit your content solely as necessary to provide the Service to you.
The Service, including its design, code, features, and the Author's Helper name and logo, is owned by us and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works based on the Service without our written permission.
The Service is offered through tiered subscription plans (currently Starter, Pro, and Unlimited), available on a monthly or annual basis. Pricing and plan details are displayed on our website. Payment is processed by Stripe, Inc. We do not see, store, or transmit your full card information.
Paid subscriptions begin when you complete checkout. Your payment method is charged immediately for the first billing period (monthly or annual) and the Service is activated for your account. We do not currently offer a public free trial.
From time to time we may grant promotional or beta-tester access to specific accounts at our discretion (for example, to invited beta testers or media reviewers). Such access has a defined end date communicated to the recipient. When that period ends, continued access requires a paid subscription.
By subscribing to a paid plan you authorize us to charge your payment method on a recurring basis at the rate and frequency indicated at the time of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel.
You may cancel your subscription at any time from your Account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period; you retain access until that date. We do not offer refunds for partial billing periods unless required by applicable law.
Each plan includes monthly limits for AI generations and book-trailer renders. Quota usage is reset on the monthly anniversary of your signup date. Unused quota does not roll over.
We reserve the right to change our pricing with at least 30 days' notice to your registered email address. If you do not accept the new pricing, you may cancel before it takes effect.
If your payment method is declined, we will attempt to charge it again over a short grace period. If we cannot collect payment, your account may be downgraded or suspended until payment is restored.
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components.
We do not guarantee any specific results from using the Service, including but not limited to book sales, social media growth, or marketing outcomes. Results depend on many factors outside our control including platform algorithms, market conditions, and the quality of your content.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Service, including loss of profits, data, or goodwill, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Our total liability to you for any claims arising from your use of the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the twelve months preceding the claim.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Author's Helper, its officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the Service, your content, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any third party's rights.
We may suspend or terminate your account at any time if we believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or if required by law. You may delete your account at any time from your Account settings.
Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. We may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will do so.
We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email to your registered address and by posting a notice on the Service. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. The exclusive venue for any dispute that is not resolved informally shall be the state or federal courts located in Franklin County, Ohio, and you and we consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
Before filing any formal proceeding, you agree to first contact us at info@theauthorshelper.com with a written description of the dispute, and to give us 30 days to attempt a good-faith resolution.
If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at: