Author Membership Terms.

Scope and acceptance

These Author Membership Terms govern participation in the Lekker Books author platform.

They apply to author applications, memberships, public author profiles, book listings, Author Dashboard access, sales statements and related author services.

These terms must be read together with the general Lekker Books Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy and other policies relevant to the products and services supplied.

An author accepts these terms by submitting an application, completing a membership payment, renewing a membership or continuing to use an approved author account.

Eligibility

An applicant must be legally capable of entering into the membership agreement or must act through an authorised parent, guardian, representative, publisher or rights holder.

An applicant must have a genuine and lawful connection to the books, author name and information submitted.

Lekker Books may request reasonable proof of identity, authorship, publishing authority or permission to list the relevant books.

Membership may be declined where an applicant cannot establish the required connection or authority.

Application and approval

Submitting an application does not automatically create an approved membership or guarantee that every submitted book will be accepted.

Lekker Books may review:

• The applicant’s identity and contact details
• The author name or pen name
• The applicant’s connection to the books
• Publishing and distribution rights
• Book files, covers and product information
• The suitability of the content for the platform
• Existing author profiles and duplicate accounts

Applications may be approved, declined or returned for additional information.

Lekker Books may link an approved applicant to an existing author profile rather than creating a duplicate profile.

Membership plans and benefits

Available membership plans, billing periods, prices and included benefits are displayed on the Join as an Author page.

Depending on the selected plan and current platform features, membership may include:

• A public author profile
• Author biography and profile photograph
• Website and social-media links
• Books linked to the author profile
• Access to the Author Dashboard
• Membership and renewal information
• Sales activity and downloadable statements
• Author and book visibility in the platform

Membership does not include every possible marketing, editing, publishing, printing or distribution service unless it is specifically stated in the selected plan or separately agreed in writing.

Membership payment and activation

Membership is activated only after the application has been approved, the author account has been connected to the correct profile and the required payment has been successfully confirmed.

Payment must be completed using an available payment method or another arrangement approved by Lekker Books.

A payment notification, bank screenshot or pending transaction does not by itself confirm that Lekker Books has received cleared payment.

Lekker Books may delay activation while an application, profile connection or payment is being verified.

The membership period begins on the activation or renewal date recorded by Lekker Books unless another date is expressly confirmed.

Renewals and recurring payments

A membership must be renewed by the applicable renewal date to remain active.

Depending on the plan and payment arrangement, renewal may be processed automatically or may require the author to make a new payment.

Any automatic-renewal arrangement should be disclosed during checkout or in the payment instructions.

Authors are responsible for keeping payment and contact information current.

A failed, cancelled or reversed recurring payment may cause the membership to enter its grace period or become suspended.

Lekker Books may send renewal reminders but is not responsible where a reminder is blocked, filtered or sent to outdated contact details.

Expiry and grace period

An expired membership may enter a limited grace period before suspension.

The current platform provides a seven-day grace period unless Lekker Books communicates a different period for a particular plan or circumstance.

During the grace period, the author may be permitted to sign in and renew the membership while the profile and books temporarily remain visible.

Remaining in a grace period does not extend the paid membership term or waive the outstanding renewal.

The membership may be suspended automatically when the grace period ends without successful renewal.

Cancellation by the author

An author may request cancellation through the Contact page or another cancellation method made available by Lekker Books.

Unless otherwise required by law or expressly agreed, cancellation normally takes effect at the end of the current paid membership period.

A cancellation does not automatically entitle the author to a pro-rata refund for an activated or partly used membership period.

Cancelling the membership may result in:

• The author profile being hidden
• Linked books being hidden from public display
• Loss of Author Dashboard membership features
• Removal from author-directory and promotional areas
• Termination of future recurring billing

Historical order, accounting, sales and membership records may be retained where reasonably required.

Suspension or termination by Lekker Books

Lekker Books may suspend or terminate membership where there is a reasonable basis to believe that:

• Membership fees remain unpaid
• A payment was reversed or disputed
• The author supplied false or misleading information
• The author claimed another person’s profile or books
• Submitted material infringes third-party rights
• The account is being used without authorisation
• The author breached these terms
• The content creates a material legal or security risk
• Continued participation would be unlawful

Lekker Books may hide the author profile, books or account features while a complaint, payment dispute or rights concern is investigated.

Where reasonably appropriate, the author will be given an opportunity to respond or correct the issue before final termination.

Immediate suspension may be used where necessary to protect customers, authors, rights holders or the platform.

Public author profile

Approved authors may receive a public profile linked to their listed books.

Public profile information may include:

• Author or pen name
• Profile photograph
• Biography
• Genres or writing categories
• Website and social-media links
• Published books
• Approved promotional information

Authors may update supported profile fields through the Author Dashboard.

Lekker Books may correct formatting, spelling, broken links, image sizing or technical display issues.

A public profile may be hidden during suspension, cancellation, expiry or investigation.

Book listings and catalogue inclusion

Lekker Books decides how approved books are configured and displayed within the online store.

Product administration may include:

• Book title and description
• Author connection
• ISBN and publication information
• Genres and categories
• Cover images and galleries
• Available formats
• Prices and sale prices
• Stock or availability status
• Shipping and download settings
• Product metadata and structured information

Membership does not guarantee acceptance of every book, format or edition submitted by an author.

Lekker Books may decline, remove or temporarily hide a book that is incomplete, unavailable, unlawful, technically unsuitable or subject to a credible complaint.

Author-supplied content and information

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted information is accurate, current and lawful.

This includes:

• Author biographies
• Profile photographs
• Book covers and interior files
• Descriptions and promotional copy
• ISBN and publisher information
• Pricing and availability information
• Website and social-media links
• Quotes, reviews and endorsements

An author must promptly notify Lekker Books when material information becomes inaccurate or the author no longer has the right to supply a product.

Lekker Books may make reasonable editorial or technical adjustments without materially changing the meaning of the submitted content.

Copyright and intellectual property

Copyright and other intellectual-property rights in author-supplied books, covers, photographs and materials remain with the applicable author, publisher or rights holder.

The author confirms that they own the submitted material or have sufficient permission to provide, sell, display and promote it through Lekker Books.

The author grants Lekker Books a non-exclusive licence to:

• Display the author profile and supplied content
• List and sell approved books
• Resize and format covers and photographs
• Create product previews and promotional graphics
• Use approved material to market the books and author
• Retain reasonable records required for orders, reporting and legal compliance

This licence continues for as long as reasonably required to operate the membership, fulfil existing orders and maintain lawful records.

Product pricing and store administration

Book prices, product files, stock, shipping and checkout settings are administered centrally by Lekker Books.

Authors may view their linked books but may not receive direct access to change product prices, payment settings, stock, downloads or order information.

This restriction protects store accuracy, order integrity and customer information.

Authors should submit requested pricing or product changes to Lekker Books.

Lekker Books may request confirmation before applying a material change and may decline a request that would create a legal, technical, fulfilment or customer-service problem.

Book sales and author earnings

Lekker Books does not charge participating authors a sales commission unless a different arrangement has been separately agreed in writing.

Authors receive the eligible proceeds allocated to their books, subject to transaction adjustments that may include:

• Customer refunds
• Chargebacks and reversed payments
• Discounts authorised for the book
• Taxes required by law
• Delivery or fulfilment amounts not belonging to the author
• Other deductions expressly disclosed or separately agreed

Delivery charges collected from customers are not automatically treated as author book-sale proceeds.

Membership fees are separate from book-sale proceeds.

Sales statements and payments

Sales activity is processed after the applicable calendar month closes.

Statements may show:

• Qualifying book sales
• Refunds and reversals
• Financial adjustments
• Amounts allocated to the author
• The final reporting-period balance

A month with no qualifying financial activity is recorded as processed, but no PDF statement or statement email is generated.

Where financial activity occurred but the final balance is zero, a statement may still be generated to show the sale, refund or adjustment.

Statements are based on the order and payment information available to Lekker Books at the time of processing.

Authors must report a suspected statement error promptly and provide enough information for the transaction to be investigated.

Payment timing, method and any applicable minimum payout arrangement will be communicated by Lekker Books or separately agreed with the author.

Refunds, reversals and chargebacks

Customer refunds, payment reversals and chargebacks may reduce the amount allocated to an author.

An adjustment may appear in the reporting period in which the refund or reversal is processed rather than the period of the original sale.

Where an author has already received payment relating to a subsequently refunded or reversed sale, the adjustment may be deducted from a later amount payable.

Lekker Books will handle customer return and refund requests according to applicable law and the published store policies.

An author may be consulted where a product, fulfilment or rights issue contributed to the customer complaint.

Printed-book fulfilment and digital downloads

Lekker Books may require accurate stock, dispatch, file and fulfilment information from the author, publisher or supplier.

Where an author is responsible for supplying or dispatching a printed book, the author must:

• Confirm availability promptly
• Supply the correct title and edition
• Package the book safely
• Dispatch within the agreed period
• Provide tracking information where applicable
• Report delays or stock problems promptly

Digital files must be complete, readable, correctly named and supplied in the agreed format.

An author may be responsible for replacement or correction where the supplied product is defective, incorrect or materially different from the approved listing.

Tax and financial responsibilities

Authors are responsible for understanding and meeting their own tax, accounting and reporting obligations.

Lekker Books does not provide personal tax or accounting advice to authors.

Authors must provide accurate payment, invoicing and tax information where reasonably required.

Lekker Books may withhold information or payment where legally required documentation is missing or where a lawful authority requires it.

Marketing, promotions and events

Lekker Books may feature approved authors and books in website sections, newsletters, social-media posts, events or other promotional activity.

Membership does not guarantee a particular number of posts, features, advertisements, event invitations or promotional placements unless specifically included in the selected plan.

Lekker Books may determine the timing, format and suitability of general platform promotions.

A paid advertising campaign, special event or separate promotional service may require an additional written agreement and fee.

Authors must disclose relevant limitations, availability issues or rights restrictions before participating in a promotion.

Author information and privacy

Lekker Books processes author information to review applications, manage memberships, operate profiles, process sales, provide statements and communicate with authors.

Public profile information is intentionally displayed on the website, while account, payment and statement information is treated as private.

Authors must keep login details secure and notify Lekker Books if an account may have been accessed without permission.

Personal information is handled according to the Lekker Books Privacy Policy.

No guarantee of sales or results

Lekker Books provides a platform for displaying and selling approved books but does not guarantee sales, income, rankings, reviews, publicity or audience growth.

Results may depend on factors outside Lekker Books’ control, including:

• Reader demand
• Book quality and subject matter
• Pricing
• Availability and delivery
• The author’s own promotional activity
• Market conditions
• Reviews and public response

Membership fees purchase access to the stated membership services and do not purchase a guaranteed financial result.

Responsibility and liability

Each author remains responsible for the legality, accuracy, ownership and quality of the material they provide.

Lekker Books is not responsible for a claim arising from author-supplied material where the author did not have the required authority or supplied materially inaccurate information.

Lekker Books will not be liable for indirect or consequential loss to the extent that such liability may lawfully be excluded.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability, rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded.

An author should notify Lekker Books promptly of any rights complaint, legal demand, product defect or information error affecting their books.

Changes to membership services and terms

Lekker Books may update these terms when membership plans, platform features, payment processes, reporting systems or legal requirements change.

The current version will be published on this page with an updated revision date.

Material changes affecting an active membership may also be communicated directly where reasonably appropriate.

A material price change will not ordinarily be applied retrospectively to a membership period that has already been fully paid.

Continued membership after a notified change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the revised terms, subject to applicable law.

Questions, complaints and governing law

An author should first contact Lekker Books with any membership, profile, book, statement or payment concern.

Please include:

• The author’s full name
• The email address connected to the account
• The affected book or membership
• The relevant reporting period or transaction
• A clear description of the issue
• Supporting documents or screenshots

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

Any unresolved dispute will be handled through an appropriate South African court or lawful dispute-resolution process, subject to applicable rights.