General Refund Terms
Our services involve customized work, project planning, and the allocation of team resources. Work may begin after you accept the applicable service agreement and complete any required payment. Because costs may be incurred as work progresses, payments are generally non-refundable except where this policy, your signed agreement, or applicable law provides otherwise.
Before purchasing, please review the service description, deliverables, pricing, billing frequency, revision terms, project schedule, and refund conditions for your selected package. If a project-specific agreement conflicts with this general policy, the applicable agreement will control to the extent permitted by law.
Service-Specific Refund Conditions
Writing and Publishing Packages
A refund request may be reviewed before you approve the initial outline or first draft. Once you approve that material and the project moves into the next agreed phase, payments for completed work and resources already allocated to the project are non-refundable, except where required by applicable law or stated otherwise in your service agreement.
Editing Services
If you believe an editing deliverable does not meet the agreed service description, notify us in writing within 7 business days after receiving the files. Please identify the specific concern and the relevant agreed requirement. We will review the request and may first offer reasonable corrections or rework. A partial or full refund may be considered if the delivered work materially fails to meet the applicable service description and the issue cannot be reasonably corrected.
Design Services
Refund requests concerning cover or interior design must be submitted within 7 business days after receiving the initial design concepts and before approving a concept or requesting revisions. Once you approve a concept or request that the project proceed to revisions, payments for the approved work and completed project stages are non-refundable, except where required by applicable law or stated otherwise in your agreement. A difference in personal preference alone does not establish refund eligibility when the design materially follows the approved brief.
Marketing and Promotion Services
Marketing and promotion services are non-refundable after a campaign has launched or third-party costs have been incurred. These costs may include advertising spend, distribution charges, review-service fees, or other external expenses authorized as part of the project. Any unused amount that has not been earned, committed, or paid to a third party will be reviewed according to your service agreement and applicable law.
Situations That Are Generally Not Eligible for a Refund
Unless required by applicable law or provided otherwise in your service agreement, a refund is generally not available when:
- You approved the relevant draft, design, milestone, or other deliverable.
- You requested revisions or authorized the project to proceed to the next phase.
- You changed your mind after work began and the delivered work materially conforms to the agreed service description.
- You stopped responding for more than 30 days after we requested information, feedback, or approval needed to continue the project.
- The project was delayed, affected, or canceled because required information, materials, approvals, or instructions were incomplete, inaccurate, unclear, or not provided on time.
- You supplied materials that you did not have permission to use or requested work that violates applicable law, platform rules, or our service terms.
- You purchased a bundle and one component is disputed. In that situation, any review will ordinarily be limited to the disputed component rather than the entire bundle.
- A third-party publishing, distribution, advertising, or review platform rejected, delayed, removed, or changed its treatment of a submission. We do not control third-party platform decisions.
How to Request a Refund Review
Send your request to info@americanpublishersempire.com. Include:
- Your name and project or order reference.
- The service and deliverable involved.
- A clear description of the concern.
- The relevant requirement in your proposal, package description, or service agreement.
- Any supporting documents or correspondence.
We will review the information provided and respond within 10 business days. We may request additional information where reasonably necessary to evaluate the request. Submitting a request does not guarantee that a refund will be approved.
Approved Refunds
If a refund is approved, we will confirm the approved amount, payment method, and expected processing details. The amount may reflect work already completed, approved milestones, non-recoverable third-party charges, discounts applied to bundled services, and other terms in the applicable agreement. Processing times may also depend on the original payment provider or financial institution.
Cancellations and Project Pauses
To request cancellation or a project pause, contact us in writing as soon as possible. Cancellation does not automatically create refund eligibility. We will review the project stage, completed work, allocated resources, approved deliverables, third-party commitments, and the applicable agreement before confirming any remaining balance or refund eligibility.
Third-Party Platform Decisions
Publishing, distribution, advertising, retail, and review platforms operate under their own rules and approval processes. Payment for our services does not guarantee acceptance, publication, distribution, sales, reviews, rankings, audience reach, or any other result on a third-party platform.
Our Service Commitment
We aim to provide the services and deliverables described in the applicable agreement and to communicate clearly throughout the project. If you have a concern, contact us promptly so we can review the issue and discuss the available options under this policy and your service agreement.
