Version 1.0 — a business agreement between an Author and Asher's Library.
1. Purpose of this Agreement
Asher's Library is a platform that provides authors with an avenue to make their books available to readers. Under this Agreement, the Author gives Asher's Library permission to list, promote, market and facilitate the sale of the Author's approved book(s) through Asher's Library and its approved sales and marketing channels.
The relationship is commission-based. The Author remains the owner of the intellectual property in the book, subject to the rights granted to Asher's Library under this Agreement. This Agreement does not transfer ownership of the Author's copyright to Asher's Library.
2. Author Eligibility
- Be at least 18 years old, or have the necessary authority and consent where applicable.
- Provide accurate and complete registration information.
- Have the legal right and authority to submit the book for sale.
- Own the copyright or have all necessary rights, permissions and licences.
- Ensure the book does not knowingly infringe third-party rights.
- Provide truthful information about the book.
Asher's Library may request additional information or documentation to verify an Author or book.
3. Ownership of the Book
The Author retains ownership of the copyright and other intellectual property rights in the book. Nothing in this Agreement transfers ownership of the book or its copyright to Asher's Library. The Author grants Asher's Library the limited rights necessary to operate the book listing and facilitate its sale as described in this Agreement. Asher's Library does not claim ownership of the Author's work merely because the book is listed or sold on the platform.
4. Rights Granted to Asher's Library
- List the book on Asher's Library.
- Display the title, cover, author name, description and promotional information.
- Reproduce the book in formats reasonably necessary to fulfil purchases.
- Distribute the book to customers who have legally purchased it.
- Promote the book through the website, social media, email, advertising and other marketing channels.
- Use reasonable excerpts, cover images and promotional materials, and create promotional materials relating to the book.
- Make reasonable technical modifications needed for digital distribution or display.
This licence is limited to operating, marketing and selling the book through Asher's Library. It does not transfer copyright ownership.
5. Non-Exclusivity
The relationship is non-exclusive unless the parties agree otherwise in writing. The Author may sell or distribute the same book through other platforms, bookstores, websites, publishers or sales channels, and may also promote and sell the book independently.
6. Book Submission and Approval
Submitting a book does not automatically guarantee that it will be listed. Asher's Library may review submitted books before approving them for sale, considering quality and presentation, suitability for the platform, legality and copyright concerns, accuracy of information, technical requirements, customer experience, and category or audience suitability. Asher's Library may reject a submission or request reasonable changes before listing.
7. Book Pricing
The Author will provide a proposed selling price. Asher's Library may review the price for suitability to the platform and sales model. The final listed price may be agreed between the Author and Asher's Library before publication. Promotional discounts may be offered under the platform's promotional policy or with the Author's agreement. Unless otherwise agreed, commission is calculated on the applicable amount received from the customer after an approved discount.
8. Author Commission
Asher's Library operates on a commission basis. Standard commission: Author 75% / Asher's Library 25%. For every eligible sale, the Author receives 75% of the applicable sale amount and Asher's Library retains 25% as its commission.
Example: if a book sells for ₦10,000, the Author receives ₦7,500 and Asher's Library retains ₦2,500.
Applicable taxes, payment processing charges, refunds, discounts, delivery, production or other agreed deductions will be handled according to the applicable terms.
9. Bestseller Level
A book qualifies for the Bestseller Commission Rate when it reaches either 250 qualifying copies sold OR ₦1,000,000 in qualifying sales, whichever comes first. Once qualified, the commission becomes Author 85% / Asher's Library 15%.
Only genuine, completed and qualifying customer sales count. Cancelled, refunded, fraudulent or otherwise invalid transactions do not count.
10. When the Bestseller Rate Takes Effect
Once Asher's Library confirms that a book has reached the Bestseller threshold, it will be moved to the 85% Author / 15% Asher's Library structure. The new rate applies to qualifying sales made after the effective date of Bestseller status unless otherwise agreed in writing.
11. Sales Records and Reporting
Asher's Library will maintain reasonable records of sales made through the platform. Authors can view their own sales, qualifying copies, commission and reading analytics at any time in Author Studio, and receive a periodic email summary. If an Author believes there is an error, the Author should notify Asher's Library within 30 days of the relevant statement or payment information.
12. Payment to Authors
Author earnings will be paid according to the payment schedule established by Asher's Library and communicated to Authors. Authors must provide accurate payment information. Asher's Library may delay payment where payment information is incomplete or incorrect, a transaction is under investigation, fraud is suspected, a refund or chargeback is pending, the account is under review, or payment is restricted by law.
13. Refunds, Cancellations and Chargebacks
Refunded, cancelled or reversed sales do not ordinarily qualify as completed sales. If commission has already been paid on a transaction later refunded or reversed, Asher's Library may deduct the corresponding amount from future earnings. Payments may be temporarily held while disputed transactions are investigated.
14. Digital Books
For digital books, the Author authorises Asher's Library to make the file available to customers who have legitimately purchased it. Digital content may be copied or redistributed unlawfully despite reasonable protective measures; Asher's Library does not guarantee that piracy will never occur. Where piracy is identified, Asher's Library may take reasonable steps to investigate, report or request removal of infringing material.
15. Physical Books and Production
Where physical books are offered, the parties may separately agree on printing, production, delivery, inventory, fulfilment, returns, damaged products and storage. The standard 75/25 commission does not automatically mean Asher's Library bears all physical production or delivery costs. Additional costs will be communicated before the relevant arrangement is implemented.
16. Author Responsibilities
- Accuracy and originality of the book's content.
- Obtaining permissions for copyrighted third-party materials.
- Lawful use of quotations, photographs, illustrations, graphics and trademarks.
- Ensuring the book does not knowingly contain defamatory, fraudulent or unlawful material.
- Providing accurate author and payment information.
- Promptly reporting copyright disputes or legal claims.
- Informing Asher's Library if distribution rights are lost.
- Reasonable cooperation with investigations of customer complaints.
17. Copyright and Third-Party Claims
The Author represents that they own the copyright or have sufficient rights to licence the book; the book does not knowingly infringe third-party rights; necessary permissions have been obtained; and the Author has authority to enter this Agreement. If a third party makes a legitimate infringement claim, Asher's Library may suspend or remove the book while the matter is investigated. The Author remains responsible for claims arising from breach of these warranties.
18. Content Standards
Asher's Library may reject, suspend or remove content it reasonably believes is unlawful, infringing, fraudulent or deceptive, promotes illegal activity, contains malicious or harmful material, violates applicable law, was submitted without necessary rights, or materially damages the integrity or reputation of the platform. Where appropriate, the Author may be given an opportunity to address the issue before permanent removal.
19. Author Marketing
Authors are encouraged to promote their books. Asher's Library may provide promotional support through the website, social media, newsletters, campaigns or other channels. Asher's Library does not guarantee a particular number of sales, views, downloads, customers or revenue.
20. Asher's Library Marketing Rights
The Author permits Asher's Library to use the Author name, book title, cover, author photograph supplied for promotional purposes, approved biography, approved excerpts, book description and publicly available information for marketing. This permission does not transfer ownership of the Author's intellectual property.
21. Changes to a Book
Authors may request corrections, revised editions or updated information. Asher's Library may require a revised file and relevant information before updating the listing. Materially revised editions may need to be clearly identified.
22. Removal of a Book by the Author
An Author may request removal through the official support channel. Removal may take reasonable processing time because of existing orders, payments, technical systems and promotional materials. Removal does not cancel completed sales or existing customer purchase rights.
23. Removal or Suspension by Asher's Library
Asher's Library may suspend or remove a book or account where it reasonably believes there is breach of this Agreement, infringement, false information, lack of distribution rights, fraud, unlawful activity, serious customer/platform risk, or significant legal, technical or reputational risk. Where reasonably possible, the Author will be notified of the reason.
24. Termination of the Agreement
Either party may terminate this Agreement by written notice. Asher's Library may terminate immediately for serious misconduct, fraud, copyright infringement, unlawful activity or material breach. Termination does not affect rights or obligations accrued before termination. Valid commissions earned before termination remain payable subject to refunds, disputes and applicable deductions.
25. Effect of Termination
After termination, the book will no longer be actively offered for new sales, subject to reasonable technical processing time. Asher's Library may retain necessary transaction records. Customers who purchased before termination retain their lawful purchase rights. Outstanding payments will be processed under the applicable payment terms.
26. Customer Relationship
Customers may interact with Asher's Library for payment, purchase confirmation, downloads, access, refunds, technical support, delivery and customer service. The Author must not collect or independently use customer personal information obtained through Asher's Library unless authorised and permitted by law.
27. Data Protection and Privacy
Asher's Library may collect and process information necessary to operate the platform and provide services, including name, email, phone number, payment and bank information, account information, transaction information and support information. Asher's Library will process personal data in accordance with applicable Nigerian data-protection laws and its Privacy Policy. Authors should review the Asher's Library Privacy Policy before submitting personal information.
28. Confidentiality
Each party will treat confidential business information received from the other as confidential, including non-public sales, payment, customer, strategy and unpublished commercial information. These obligations do not apply to information that is public, already lawfully known, independently developed, or required to be disclosed by law.
29. No Guarantee of Sales
Asher's Library provides a platform and sales opportunity but does not guarantee any particular number of sales or income. Sales depend on factors including quality, pricing, demand, subject matter, marketing, audience size, customer behaviour and market conditions. The Bestseller programme is a reward structure based on actual qualifying sales, not a guarantee of Bestseller status.
30. Limitation of Liability
To the extent permitted by law, Asher's Library will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential losses arising from platform use or inability to achieve expected sales. Nothing excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded. Asher's Library's responsibility is limited to services it provides under this Agreement.
31. Author Indemnity
The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Asher's Library harmless from reasonable claims, losses, liabilities, costs or expenses arising from breach of this Agreement, infringement claims, false or misleading information, unlawful conduct, failure to obtain permissions, or content for which the Author is responsible.
32. Platform Availability
Asher's Library will make reasonable efforts to keep the platform available. The platform may be unavailable because of maintenance, technical problems, hosting issues, internet outages, cybersecurity incidents, third-party interruptions or circumstances outside reasonable control. Asher's Library does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation.
33. Force Majeure
Neither party is in breach for failure caused by circumstances beyond reasonable control, including natural disasters, government action, war, civil unrest, major infrastructure failures, telecommunications failures, cyberattacks, strikes or other extraordinary events. The affected party should take reasonable steps to minimise the impact.
34. Independent Relationship
The Author and Asher's Library are independent parties. Nothing creates an employment relationship, partnership, joint venture, agency or franchise relationship. The Author is not an employee of Asher's Library.
35. Taxes
Each party is responsible for its own tax obligations arising from income received under this Agreement. Where law requires withholding or deduction, Asher's Library may make the required deduction and provide appropriate documentation where applicable. Authors should obtain tax advice where necessary.
36. Changes to this Agreement
Asher's Library may update this Agreement to reflect changes in the platform, operations, law, technology, payment processes or author services. Where a change materially affects the commercial relationship, reasonable notice will be provided. Continued use after the effective date may constitute acceptance where permitted by law.
37. Notices and Communication
Official communication may be sent by email, the Author's account, official Asher's Library WhatsApp, or other official channels. Authors must keep contact information up to date.
38. Dispute Resolution
The parties should first attempt to resolve disputes through good-faith communication. Where a dispute cannot be resolved directly, the parties may agree to mediation or another appropriate ADR process before formal proceedings, where applicable. Either party may seek urgent legal relief where necessary.
39. Governing Law
This Agreement is governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Disputes that cannot otherwise be resolved will be subject to the jurisdiction of the appropriate Nigerian courts.
40. Severability
If a provision is invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, it will be interpreted or modified to the extent necessary to make it enforceable where legally possible. The remaining provisions continue in effect.
41. Entire Agreement
This Agreement, together with policies expressly incorporated into it, constitutes the agreement between the Author and Asher's Library regarding listing and sale of the Author's book. It supersedes previous discussions or understandings on the same subject, except where expressly agreed otherwise in writing.
42. No Waiver
Failure to immediately enforce a provision does not waive the right to enforce it later.
43. Electronic Acceptance
Electronic acceptance, including ticking an acceptance box, clicking "I Agree," or completing author registration after being presented with this Agreement, constitutes acceptance. The electronic record of acceptance (including the exact text agreed to, the account it was accepted under, and the date and time) is retained as evidence of the Author's agreement.