Terms of service

TERMS OF SERVICE

Last updated: August 11, 2026

These Terms of Service govern access to the Zen Publishers website and the purchase or use of Zen Publishers services. By visiting the website, submitting an order, completing an intake form, or using a deliverable, the customer agrees to these Terms.

  1. ZEN PUBLISHERS SERVICES

Zen Publishers provides publishing-identity and production services, including:

• ISBN registration and administration
• Publisher-of-record and imprint stewardship
• Metadata review and title-data submission
• Bookland barcode production
• QRPlus and reader-connection services
• Living Backmatter™ portals and annual stewardship
• Publishing-identity bundles and imprint onboarding

Service descriptions, inclusions, pricing, eligibility requirements, and estimated turnaround times appear on the applicable product page.

  1. SERVICE AGREEMENTS

Some services require an edition-specific publishing agreement, rights confirmation, authorization form, metadata approval, or another project document before fulfillment can begin.

When an edition-specific agreement applies, that agreement governs the publishing relationship for the identified title or edition. If a project agreement conflicts with these general Terms, the project agreement controls for that project.

Purchasing a service reserves administrative capacity. It does not guarantee ISBN assignment, title acceptance, publication, distribution, retailer placement, or completion before required intake and rights documentation have been approved.

  1. CUSTOMER AUTHORITY AND PUBLISHING RIGHTS

The customer represents that they:

• Have the legal authority to purchase the requested services
• Own or control the rights required to publish the submitted work
• Have permission to use all submitted names, text, artwork, trademarks, photographs, links, and other materials
• Have authority to act for any author, publisher, imprint, organization, or rights holder identified in the order
• Will provide truthful and complete information

Zen Publishers may request documentation establishing identity, authorization, copyright ownership, publishing rights, or permission to use submitted materials.

Zen Publishers may pause or decline a project when rights, eligibility, identity, authorization, or publication details remain unresolved.

  1. ISBN REGISTRATION AND PUBLISHER-OF-RECORD STEWARDSHIP

ISBN Registration and Imprint Stewardship™ is a publishing service. Zen Publishers does not sell, transfer, lend, or provide standalone ISBNs from its publisher prefix.

For an eligible edition accepted under this service:

• Zen Publishers assigns the ISBN under its publisher prefix
• Zen Publishers remains the publisher associated with that ISBN and edition
• The author retains copyright, subject to the edition-specific publishing agreement
• The customer receives authorization to use the assigned ISBN solely for the approved edition
• The ISBN may not be transferred, resold, reassigned, or used for another publication, format, language, or materially different edition

ISBN assignment begins only after Zen Publishers receives the required intake information, confirms eligibility and publishing rights, and completes any required project agreement.

Once assigned to a publication, an ISBN creates a permanent bibliographic record and cannot be reused. Separate formats, language editions, or materially revised editions may require separate ISBNs.

A customer who wants to remain the independently identified publisher of record may obtain an ISBN directly from the authorized ISBN agency and purchase an eligible barcode or metadata-support service from Zen Publishers.

  1. CUSTOMER INFORMATION AND APPROVALS

Customers are responsible for reviewing all information before approval, including:

• Title and subtitle
• Author, contributor, editor, and illustrator names
• Publisher or imprint name
• Format, binding, language, and edition
• Publication date
• Pricing and market information
• Descriptions, categories, keywords, and other metadata
• URLs and reader destinations

Zen Publishers relies on the information supplied and approved by the customer. Delays in submitting materials, answering questions, confirming rights, or approving records extend the project schedule.

Approval authorizes Zen Publishers to proceed with the next stage of fulfillment. Changes requested after approval, production, title-data submission, or ISBN assignment may require an additional fee, replacement asset, revised record, or new ISBN.

  1. PRICING AND PAYMENT

Prices are shown in United States dollars unless stated otherwise. Payment is due when the order is placed.

The customer is responsible for applicable taxes, financial-institution charges, currency-conversion fees, and third-party expenses identified before purchase.

Zen Publishers may revise future pricing, packages, or service inclusions. A pricing change does not alter a completed purchase unless the customer requests work outside the original order.

Orders involving incomplete payment, reversed payment, suspected fraud, or unauthorized use of a payment method may be paused or canceled.

  1. INTAKE AND TURNAROUND TIMES

Published turnaround times are estimates. A service timeline begins after Zen Publishers receives:

• Cleared payment
• Complete intake materials
• Required authorization or publishing agreements
• Final metadata and destination information
• Any files required for production

Requests involving incomplete records, conflicting metadata, rights questions, technical problems, multiple titles, or third-party review may require additional time.

A stated turnaround period describes Zen Publishers’ production schedule. It does not guarantee processing, listing, approval, printing, distribution, or publication by a third-party platform.

  1. DIGITAL DELIVERY

Zen Publishers delivers completed records and digital assets through the designated client room, email address, download area, or another method identified during intake.

The customer is responsible for:

• Providing a functioning email address
• Monitoring messages and requested actions
• Downloading and safely storing completed files
• Maintaining backups of delivered materials
• Reviewing deliverables promptly

A deliverable is considered delivered when Zen Publishers makes it available through the agreed delivery method.

  1. BOOKLAND BARCODES

Barcode production requires an authorized ISBN and accurate pricing information. The customer must own the ISBN, publish under the ISBN holder’s authority, or provide documented authorization.

Zen Publishers validates the encoded information and tests the digital barcode file. Successful scanning of a printed barcode also depends on factors outside Zen Publishers’ control, including size, placement, contrast, scaling, print resolution, paper, coating, trimming, and printer performance.

Customers should review a physical printer proof before approving a full print run. Barcode production does not transfer ISBN ownership or change the publisher attached to an ISBN.

  1. QRPLUS AND LIVING BACKMATTER™ SERVICES

Reader-connection services may depend on Zen Publishers systems or third-party platforms. The customer is responsible for providing an accurate, lawful, secure, and functional destination.

Zen Publishers may reject, disable, or redirect a destination associated with fraud, malware, infringement, unlawful activity, deceptive marketing, harassment, or material that creates a security risk.

Dynamic destinations remain available according to the purchased service period and applicable stewardship plan. Continued management after the included term may require renewal.

Automatic renewal applies only when it is expressly presented and accepted during checkout. A customer may cancel a future renewal before its renewal date.

Changes to third-party technology, platform policies, hosting services, domain access, or internet availability may affect reader-connection features.

  1. THIRD-PARTY PLATFORMS

Services may interact with platforms or systems operated by third parties, including ISBN agencies, bibliographic databases, printers, distributors, retailers, website hosts, payment processors, and QR-management providers.

Zen Publishers does not control third-party approval decisions, processing times, outages, policies, pricing, search visibility, distribution, listing practices, or technical requirements.

References to third-party companies, platforms, or trademarks describe compatibility or workflow relationships and do not imply sponsorship or endorsement.

  1. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The customer retains ownership of the original copyright and materials they lawfully submit.

The customer grants Zen Publishers a limited license to access, reproduce, format, encode, transmit, and store submitted materials as reasonably necessary to perform the purchased services, maintain publishing records, and fulfill the applicable publishing agreement.

Zen Publishers retains ownership of its:

• Business names and trademarks
• Service names and frameworks
• Templates and intake systems
• Production methods and internal records
• Website content and original instructional materials

Upon full payment, the customer may use approved final deliverables for the authorized publication or business purpose identified in the order. This permission excludes resale of the deliverable as a standalone service, removal of ownership restrictions attached to an ISBN, or use for an unauthorized title or edition.

  1. ACCEPTABLE USE

Customers may not use the website or services to:

• Violate applicable law
• Infringe copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, contractual, or other rights
• Submit false authorship, identity, ownership, or publishing information
• Distribute malicious software or unsafe links
• Misrepresent Zen Publishers’ role or affiliation
• Resell or reassign an ISBN connected to Zen Publishers
• Interfere with the website, client systems, or another customer’s access
• Use a deliverable for an edition, title, format, or purpose outside its authorization

Zen Publishers may suspend access or fulfillment when activity presents a legal, technical, reputational, or security risk.

  1. SERVICE RESULTS

Zen Publishers performs services using reasonable professional care. Publishing outcomes depend on the work, market, audience, production decisions, distribution strategy, platform requirements, and other factors outside Zen Publishers’ control.

Zen Publishers does not guarantee:

• Sales, royalties, reviews, rankings, or audience growth
• Acceptance by a retailer, library, distributor, printer, or platform
• Search-engine placement or discoverability
• Funding, awards, media attention, or commercial success
• Continuous availability of a third-party service

Publishing education, metadata guidance, and production support do not constitute legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice.

  1. CANCELLATIONS, REFUNDS, AND CORRECTIONS

Cancellations, refunds, customer-requested revisions, and Zen Publishers corrections are governed by the published Return and Refund Policy.

Where Zen Publishers introduces an error into a completed deliverable, the customer must report the discrepancy within 14 calendar days after delivery and provide the order number and a clear description of the issue.

  1. PRIVACY

Personal information is collected, used, and stored according to the published Privacy Policy. Information may also be processed by Shopify, payment providers, and other service providers required to operate the store and fulfill an order.

  1. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Zen Publishers is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from use of the website, a third-party platform, a delayed project, lost files, printing decisions, publication decisions, or use of a deliverable.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Zen Publishers’ total liability arising from a specific order will not exceed the amount paid to Zen Publishers for the service giving rise to the claim.

This section does not limit rights or remedies that applicable law does not allow a business to exclude.

  1. INDEMNIFICATION

The customer agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold Zen Publishers and its owners, contractors, representatives, and service providers harmless from claims, losses, liabilities, damages, and reasonable expenses arising from:

• Materials supplied by the customer
• A breach of these Terms
• False or unauthorized rights representations
• Infringement caused by customer-provided content
• Unlawful or unauthorized use of a deliverable

  1. SUSPENSION AND TERMINATION

Zen Publishers may suspend website access, intake review, fulfillment, portal management, or another service when the customer breaches these Terms, fails to provide required information, submits disputed rights, creates a security risk, or uses the service unlawfully.

Termination does not alter completed ISBN records, amounts already earned, continuing intellectual-property obligations, or other provisions intended to survive termination.

  1. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS

Zen Publishers may update these Terms to reflect changes in services, law, technology, or business operations. The effective date appears at the beginning of the policy.

The Terms in effect when an order is placed govern that purchase, except where a legal requirement or mutually accepted project agreement requires an update.

  1. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in effect. An unenforceable provision will be interpreted as closely as legally permitted to its original purpose.

  1. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

These Terms, the Return and Refund Policy, Privacy Policy, applicable product description, accepted intake information, and any edition-specific publishing agreement form the agreement between the customer and Zen Publishers.

  1. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to Zen Publishers in the State of Delaware, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Applicable consumer protections remain in effect.

  1. CONTACT

Questions concerning these Terms, an order, or a publishing service may be submitted through the Zen Publishers Contact page. Include the purchaser’s name, order number, and service purchased when contacting Zen Publishers about an existing order.