Author & Publisher Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions govern the submission, listing, sale, digital distribution and royalty administration of books, eBooks, audiobooks and other approved digital content made available through Coreverse Media, a brand of Discover Yourself Holdings ("Coreverse", "we", "us" or "our").

By submitting content to Coreverse, the author, publisher or rights holder ("Content Provider", "you" or "your") confirms that they have read and accepted these Terms and Conditions.

The Content Provider retains ownership of all copyright and intellectual-property rights in submitted content.

Submitting content to Coreverse does not transfer ownership or copyright to Coreverse.

You grant Coreverse a non-exclusive licence to host, reproduce as technically necessary, display, market, sell, distribute and digitally deliver the approved content through the Coreverse platform for the agreed period and territory.

You remain responsible for ensuring that you own or control all rights necessary to grant this licence.

By submitting content, you warrant that:

• you are the copyright owner or authorised representative;
• you have the necessary digital distribution rights;
• the content does not knowingly infringe another person's copyright, trademark, privacy or other rights;
• any third-party material has been appropriately licensed;
• the information supplied to Coreverse is accurate; and
• there is no existing agreement preventing the authorised Coreverse distribution.

If a publisher, agent or other representative submits a title on behalf of an author, that party warrants that it has authority to do so. Coreverse is not responsible for disputes arising from rights that the Content Provider did not have authority to grant.

The retail price of each digital product will be determined in consultation with the relevant Content Provider.

Coreverse may recommend pricing based on:

• market conditions;
• comparable titles;
• promotional campaigns;
• applicable taxes;
• payment-processing costs; and
• customer purchasing behaviour.

Coreverse will not represent that any particular retail price will generate a particular level of sales.

Coreverse operates a Net Receipts revenue-sharing model.

The calculation is:

This means that the 70% royalty is not calculated on the customer's gross payment.

It is calculated on the Net Receipts actually attributable to the completed transaction.

For purposes of these Terms:

Net Receipts means the amount attributable to a completed customer transaction after deduction of:

• Applicable VAT or other transaction-based taxes;
• Payment gateway and payment-processing charges;
• Refunds;
• Chargebacks;
• Fraud-related reversals;
• Payment reversals;
• Currency-conversion charges directly attributable to the transaction, where applicable; and
• Other mandatory third-party transaction charges directly attributable to processing that sale.

Ordinary Coreverse operating expenses are not separately deducted from Net Receipts.

Unless a different written agreement applies to a particular title:

The 70% Rights Holder Pool represents the amount available for payment to the applicable author, publisher, distributor or other rights holder.

Where the Content Provider has an agreement with a publisher, distributor, agent or other intermediary, that party remains responsible for determining how its share is allocated to the author.

70% — Rights Holder Pool

30% — Coreverse Media

Coreverse does not guarantee that the entire 70% will be paid directly to the individual author. The amount actually received by an author may depend on the author’s separate agreement with their publisher, distributor, agent or other rights holder.

Coreverse’s 30% share is not a separate expense charged to the author. It is Coreverse’s commercial share of Net Receipts.

This share is intended to cover the cost and risk associated with operating and developing the Coreverse platform, including:

• Website and platform infrastructure;
• Hosting;
• Digital storage;
• Digital delivery;
• Catalogue administration;
• Content management;
• Customer support;
• Payment administration;
• Sales reporting;
• Security;
• Technical development;
• Platform maintenance;
• Marketing and promotional activity;
• Administration;
• Fraud and operational risk; and
• General business overhead.

Coreverse shall not ordinarily deduct these operating expenses a second time from the Rights Holder Pool.

Listing a title on Coreverse does not guarantee:

• a minimum number of sales;
• a minimum royalty;
• a minimum number of downloads;
• promotional placement; or
• a particular level of income.

Sales depend on customer demand, pricing, marketing, market conditions and other factors outside Coreverse’s control.

Coreverse may use third-party payment providers, including Paystack or another payment service provider selected by Coreverse.

Payment-processing charges are transaction costs and are deducted before Net Receipts are calculated.

Payment-provider pricing may change from time to time. Coreverse is not responsible for changes in third-party payment-provider fees.

Where a payment provider charges fees on a refunded transaction and those fees are not refunded to Coreverse, the applicable cost may remain included in the transaction reconciliation.

Where applicable, VAT or other transaction-based taxes will be deducted before calculating Net Receipts.

The Content Provider is responsible for its own income tax and other tax obligations arising from royalty income received from Coreverse.

Where Coreverse is legally required to withhold or deduct tax, Coreverse may do so and will provide appropriate documentation where applicable.

A customer refund reverses the corresponding sale for royalty purposes.

A refunded transaction therefore does not constitute a completed royalty-generating sale.

Where payment-processing fees are not recoverable following a refund, those fees may be included in the transaction reconciliation.

If a royalty relating to a transaction has already been paid before the refund occurs, Coreverse may recover the corresponding amount by:

• deducting it from a future royalty payment;
• carrying the amount forward against future sales; or
• requesting repayment where no future royalty balance exists.

A transaction subject to:

• chargeback;
• fraudulent payment;
• payment reversal;
• disputed payment; or
• payment-provider reversal

may be excluded from Net Receipts.

Coreverse may reverse any associated royalty previously credited to the Content Provider.

Coreverse will not be required to pay royalties on funds that Coreverse has not ultimately received.

Coreverse will provide royalty/sales reporting on a monthly basis, subject to the operational availability of the reporting system.

Reports may include:

• Title;
• ISBN;
• Units sold;
• Retail price;
• Gross customer payment;
• VAT/taxes;
• Payment-processing charges;
• Refunds;
• Chargebacks;
• Net Receipts;
• Rights Holder Pool; and
• Coreverse share.

Royalties will ordinarily be calculated monthly and paid within:

30 days after the end of the relevant reporting month

• successful reconciliation;
• cleared customer payments;
• absence of unresolved chargebacks;
• valid banking/payment information;
• required tax information; and
• any applicable minimum payment threshold.

subject to:

Coreverse may establish a minimum royalty payment threshold.

For example:

Minimum payout: R250

Where the balance is below the threshold, the amount may remain on the Content Provider’s account and be included in a subsequent payment cycle.

Coreverse may change the minimum threshold by reasonable notice.

Payments may be made in South African Rand unless otherwise agreed.

Where a payment requires currency conversion, intermediary-bank fees, international transfer charges or other third-party banking costs, those costs may be deducted from the payment where applicable.

Coreverse reserves the right to review submitted content before publication.

Coreverse may reject or delay publication where:

• rights are unclear;
• required information is missing;
• the file does not meet technical requirements;
• the content creates significant legal risk;
• the content violates Coreverse’s content standards;
• the content is suspected to infringe third-party rights;
• the Content Provider has provided false information; or
• publication could expose Coreverse to regulatory or legal liability.

Coreverse may temporarily suspend or remove a title where:

• a copyright complaint is received;
• ownership is disputed;
• a legal complaint is received;
• a payment or fraud issue arises;
• the Content Provider breaches these Terms;
• the title contains materially incorrect information;
• Coreverse is required to do so by law; or
• continued distribution creates material risk to Coreverse or its customers.

Where reasonably possible, Coreverse will notify the Content Provider.

The Content Provider may request removal of its content by providing written notice.

Coreverse will process a valid takedown request within a commercially reasonable period.

However, removal does not:

• cancel completed customer transactions;
• automatically require refunds of lawful previous purchases;
• eliminate royalty obligations already accrued; or
• release either party from obligations that arose before removal.

Coreverse may immediately suspend or remove content where continued availability could reasonably expose Coreverse to:

• copyright infringement claims;
• legal proceedings;
• fraud;
• regulatory action;
• reputational harm;
• security risks; or
• other material liability.

Coreverse may restore the title once the relevant issue has been resolved.

Coreverse will use commercially reasonable technical measures to provide customers with access to purchased digital products.

However, Coreverse does not guarantee that:

• digital files can never be copied;
• unauthorised redistribution will never occur;
• third-party piracy will never occur; or
• the platform will remain uninterrupted at all times.

The Content Provider acknowledges that digital distribution carries inherent technological risks.

Coreverse may temporarily suspend or restrict platform services for:

• maintenance;
• upgrades;
• security;
• technical problems;
• payment-provider failures;
• hosting failures;
• cyber incidents;
• regulatory requirements; or
• circumstances outside Coreverse’s reasonable control.

Such interruptions do not automatically create a right to compensation.

Coreverse may use third-party providers for:

• Payment processing;
• Hosting;
• Cloud storage;
• Email;
• Analytics;
• Digital delivery;
• Security; and
• Other technical services.

Coreverse is not responsible for losses caused solely by the failure, interruption or policy changes of a third-party provider beyond Coreverse’s reasonable control.

By submitting content, the Content Provider grants Coreverse permission to use:

• Title;
• Author name;
• Cover;
• Book description;
• Excerpts within reasonable promotional limits;
• Author biography; and
• Other supplied marketing material

for the purpose of marketing the title and Coreverse.

This permission is non-exclusive and does not transfer ownership.

Coreverse may feature titles in:

• newsletters;
• website collections;
• social media;
• advertising;
• author features;
• digital campaigns;
• promotional events; and
• other Coreverse marketing.

Promotional exposure is not guaranteed. Unless otherwise agreed, Coreverse will not permanently change the agreed retail price without approval from the applicable rights holder.

By submitting a title, you confirm that:

• the information supplied is accurate;
• you have authority to enter into this agreement;
• you have the necessary rights;
• the content does not knowingly violate applicable law; and
• you will notify Coreverse promptly if your rights change.

The Content Provider agrees to indemnify and hold Coreverse harmless against third-party claims arising directly from:

• lack of authority to distribute the content;
• copyright infringement;
• trademark infringement;
• unauthorised use of third-party material;
• false ownership claims; or
• breach of the Content Provider’s warranties.

This protection does not apply to claims caused by Coreverse’s own unauthorised use or modification of the content.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Coreverse will not be liable for indirect, consequential, special or incidental losses, including:

• loss of expected income;
• loss of opportunity;
• loss of reputation;
• loss of future sales;
• loss resulting from platform downtime; or
• loss resulting from unauthorised copying or piracy by third parties.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded.

Coreverse is a distribution and digital sales platform.

Coreverse does not provide financial, publishing or sales guarantees.

The Content Provider acknowledges that publishing and digital sales involve commercial risk.

Payment providers, hosting providers, app stores, tax authorities and other third parties may change their fees, charges or requirements.

Where such changes directly affect transaction costs, Coreverse may adjust the calculation of Net Receipts accordingly.

Coreverse will not be required to absorb permanently increased third-party transaction costs where those costs are directly attributable to individual transactions.

The standard revenue share is:

70% Rights Holder / 30% Coreverse

• required by law;
• necessary to address a material payment/tax/regulatory change; or
• otherwise permitted by the applicable agreement.

Coreverse will not unilaterally change the agreed percentage for an existing title during its agreed contractual term unless:

Any material change will be communicated to affected rights holders in advance where reasonably possible.

A Content Provider may request termination of distribution of a title by giving written notice.

Coreverse will cease new sales within a commercially reasonable period following the effective termination date.

Outstanding transactions and royalties remain subject to reconciliation.

Coreverse may terminate or suspend a Content Provider’s participation where:

• these Terms are materially breached;
• rights are disputed;
• fraudulent activity occurs;
• false information was supplied;
• payment fraud occurs;
• legal or regulatory risk arises;
• the Content Provider repeatedly breaches the platform rules; or
• continued participation presents a material risk to Coreverse.

Following termination, Coreverse will conduct a final sales reconciliation.

Any valid amount owed to the Content Provider will be paid according to the normal payment cycle after:

• refunds;
• chargebacks;
• payment reversals; and
• other transaction adjustments

have been accounted for.

Participation on Coreverse does not create:

• an employment relationship;
• joint venture;
• agency relationship;
• partnership; or
• franchise relationship

between Coreverse and the Content Provider.

Commercial information, royalty information, customer information, sales data and non-public business information must be treated as confidential.

This obligation survives termination.

Coreverse may collect and process information reasonably necessary to:

• create accounts;
• process payments;
• administer royalties;
• communicate with Content Providers;
• comply with legal obligations; and
• operate the platform.

Personal information will be handled in accordance with applicable South African data-protection requirements.

These Terms shall be governed by the laws of the:

Republic of South Africa.

The parties should first attempt to resolve disputes through good-faith discussion.

If the dispute cannot be resolved, either party may seek appropriate legal remedies in a competent South African court.

These Terms, together with any applicable title-specific agreement, royalty schedule or signed distribution agreement, constitute the agreement governing the relevant Coreverse service.

Where a specific written agreement conflicts with these general Terms, the specific written agreement will prevail for that title.

By submitting, uploading, licensing, publishing or otherwise authorising content for commercial distribution through Coreverse, the Content Provider confirms acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.

Where Coreverse requires a separate written distribution agreement, that agreement must be signed before commercial distribution begins.