These Terms and Conditions govern your access to and use of the keystonepublishinggroup.com.au website and the publishing services delivered by Keystone Publishing Group and its imprints (“Keystone”, “we”, “our” or “us”). By using our website or engaging us to publish your book, you agree to be bound by these terms.
1. About Keystone Publishing Group
Keystone Publishing Group is an Australian publishing collective that operates a network of independent imprints. We offer editing, ghostwriting, cover design, formatting, marketing and global book distribution services. Each engagement is delivered by a Keystone team and, where relevant, by the imprint we match to your book.
2. Use of This Website
You may use this website for personal, non-commercial purposes such as learning about our services, submitting your manuscript or contacting our team. You agree not to:
- Use the site for any unlawful purpose or in any way that could damage, disable or impair the site.
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the site or its underlying systems.
- Reproduce, copy or republish any content on the site without our written permission, other than for personal reference.
- Use automated tools to scrape, harvest or extract data from the site.
3. Manuscript Submissions
When you submit a manuscript, sample or idea to us, you confirm that:
- You are the original author and copyright holder of the material, or you have all necessary rights and permissions to share it.
- The material does not infringe on any third party’s intellectual property, privacy or other rights.
- The material does not contain anything defamatory, unlawful, obscene or otherwise objectionable.
We treat every submission as confidential and only share it with team members working on your project. A manuscript review is a non-binding assessment and does not create a publishing contract.
4. Intellectual Property and Author Rights
You retain full copyright and ownership of your manuscript and final book at all times. Engaging Keystone to provide services does not transfer any intellectual property rights to us. Any rights we need to publish, print or distribute your work are limited to those specified in a written publishing agreement signed by both parties.
The Keystone brand, logos, website design, written content and any original cover artwork or layouts we create remain the property of Keystone Publishing Group or the relevant designer until otherwise agreed in writing.
5. Engagement and Quotes
Quotes provided by Keystone are valid for thirty days unless stated otherwise. A formal engagement begins when you accept a proposal in writing and pay the agreed deposit. The exact scope, deliverables, timelines and fees for each project are set out in a written service agreement specific to that project.
6. Payments and Refunds
- Fees are payable in the currency and schedule set out in your service agreement.
- A non-refundable deposit is typically required to commence work and reserve capacity on our schedule.
- Milestone payments are due within fourteen days of invoice unless otherwise agreed.
- Late payments may delay your project and incur reasonable administrative charges.
- Once a stage of work has been delivered, fees for that stage are non-refundable. Refund requests for not-yet-delivered work are considered case by case.
7. Revisions and Author Approvals
Each service includes a defined number of revision rounds, set out in your service agreement. Additional revisions beyond the included rounds may be quoted separately. We rely on your timely written approval at each stage. If approvals are delayed beyond fourteen days, project timelines and pricing may be adjusted.
8. Publishing and Distribution
Where Keystone manages publishing and distribution, we will arrange ISBN registration, retailer onboarding and metadata setup on your behalf. While we work hard to maximise the reach of every title, we cannot guarantee any specific level of sales, rankings, reviews or media coverage. Royalty rates, payment cycles and reporting obligations are set out in your publishing agreement.
9. Marketing Services
Marketing campaigns are advisory and creative services. Outcomes depend on factors outside our control, including the manuscript, market conditions, reader interest and platform algorithms. We will deliver the strategies, assets and channels agreed in your service agreement but make no guarantee of specific results.
10. Confidentiality
We treat your manuscript, business information and project details as confidential. Our team is bound by internal confidentiality agreements. You agree to treat our methods, internal documents and any non-public business information you receive from us with the same standard of confidentiality.
11. Cancellation and Termination
Either party may terminate an engagement in writing if the other party materially breaches these terms or the service agreement and fails to remedy the breach within fourteen days of written notice. On termination, fees for work already completed remain payable. We will deliver the work in its current state and return any materials you provided.
12. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Keystone Publishing Group is not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of our website or services, including lost profits, lost sales, lost goodwill or business interruption. Our total liability for any claim arising under these terms or the service agreement is limited to the fees you have paid us in the preceding twelve months.
Nothing in these terms is intended to exclude any consumer rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot lawfully be excluded.
13. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify Keystone Publishing Group, its imprints, employees and contractors against any claims, damages or expenses arising from your breach of these terms, your use of our services, or any allegation that your manuscript or materials infringe a third party’s rights.
14. Governing Law
These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. You and Keystone Publishing Group agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales for any dispute arising in connection with these terms or the services.
15. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. The latest version will always be published on this page with the “Last updated” date at the top. Continued use of our website or services after changes are posted means you accept the updated terms. For existing engagements, the version that applied at the time you signed your service agreement remains in effect for that project.
16. Contact Us
If you have any questions about these Terms and Conditions, please contact us:
- Email: info@keystonepublishinggroup.com.au
- Phone: (07) 5690 2990
- Address: 1/10 Albert Ave, Broadbeach QLD 4218, Australia