These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of toecurlingtales.com (the “Website”) and the services of Toe-Curling Tales LLC (“Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). They form a binding agreement between the Company and each person or entity that engages the Services (“Client,” “you,” or “your”). By booking a Service, you accept these Terms.

Each Project also has a Service Agreement. For Audiobook Narration, that is a signed agreement; for the editing services, it is the written email confirmation that sets out the scope, price, dates, and terms. Where these Terms and a Service Agreement differ, the Service Agreement controls for that Project.

1. Definitions

• Company refers to Toe-Curling Tales LLC, a California limited liability company, including its owner, contractors, and authorized representatives.

• Client refers to the individual or entity that engages the Company for Services. For Audiobook Narration, Rights Holder refers to the Client or the entity that holds the rights to the material being narrated.

• Services refers to In-Process Developmental Editing, Developmental Edit, and Audiobook Narration.

• Service Agreement refers to the written agreement for a Project, which fixes its scope, pricing, timeline, deliverables, and terms. For Audiobook Narration, it is the signed agreement; for In-Process Developmental Editing and the Developmental Edit, it is the email confirmation of those terms sent before the Project begins.

• Project refers to one engagement for a Service under a Service Agreement.

• Deliverables refers to the work the Company produces for the Client under a Service Agreement: the written feedback that precedes each In-Process session and the Session Notes that follow it; editorial letters, annotated manuscripts, revision roadmaps, and Call Notes; and narration prep documentation and finished audio.

• Client Materials refers to everything the Client provides for a Project or a free preview: manuscripts and excerpts, outlines, worldbuilding documents, character sketches, plot summaries, intent documents, pronunciation and character guides, and any other material shared in connection with the work.

• AI Tools is defined in Section 18.

2. Services

The Company provides developmental editing and audiobook narration, specializing in paranormal romance, romantasy, urban fantasy, and dark fantasy, with adjacent speculative genres and other genres considered on a case-by-case basis.

• In-Process Developmental Editing: developmental editing done collaboratively, session by session, on work in progress, and sold in session packages.

• Developmental Edit: a one-time structural diagnosis of a complete manuscript, offered as the Standard Developmental Edit and Developmental Edit Plus.

• Audiobook Narration: solo narration and production of a finished audiobook, under a Per Finished Hour or Royalty Share Plus pricing model.

Scope, pricing, timelines, deliverables, process, and cancellation terms for each Service are described on its page of the Website and fixed in the Service Agreement for your Project. Service pages describe, and the Service Agreement binds.

Each Service offers one free preview: a sample edit of up to ten pages, an In-Process one-to-one with up to ten pages read beforehand, or a custom audition of up to five minutes. A preview creates no obligation on either side and is not a Deliverable.

Rush delivery is not offered for any Service, at any price.

3. Booking, Pricing, and Payment

• Pricing is as published on the Website at the time of booking and is confirmed in writing, in a quote or the Service Agreement, before a Project begins. The Company may change published pricing for future Projects, but changes do not affect a Project already under agreement.

• Payment schedules, deposits, and package payments are set in the Service Agreement. Nothing is due for Audiobook Narration until the Client has approved the 15-minute sample in writing.

• For Audiobook Narration, the final invoice is calculated on the mastered runtime at the contracted rate and reconciled to the estimate in both directions.

• All payments are made in United States dollars. The Client is responsible for taxes, bank fees, and currency conversion costs on their side.

• Invoices are due by the date stated on the invoice. The Company may suspend work on a Project until an overdue payment is received.

• Ownership of finished audio transfers to the Client on receipt of payment in full (Section 6).

4. Cancellation, Pauses, and Delays

Cancellation requests must be made in writing. Amounts, deadlines, and fees are set in the Service Agreement; the principles below apply to every Project.

• If the Company cancels or cannot complete a Project: full refund of any payments made, or the option to reschedule, at the Client's choice.

• In-Process Developmental Editing: session packages are non-refundable, and sessions do not expire.

• Developmental Edit: before reading begins, full refund of any payments made. After reading begins, the deposit is retained, the in-document comments completed to that point are delivered, and no further balance is due. The editorial letter and revision roadmap are written after the read, so no partial version of either exists.

• Audiobook Narration: before sample approval, nothing is owed. After sample approval, the payment made at approval is retained as a kill fee and no further balance is due. No partial or raw audio is delivered on cancellation.

• Pauses (Audiobook Narration): a short pause requested in writing shifts the timeline. Longer pauses and extended inactivity may carry a holding fee, because production partners are scheduled around the delivery date, and after notice may release the Company from the Project with payment for completed work, on the terms in the Service Agreement. In-Process sessions do not expire, so there is nothing to pause; a Developmental Edit runs to delivery once reading begins.

• Company delays: if the Company is delayed, the timeline extends by the delay, and the Company keeps the Client informed.

5. Client Responsibilities

• Materials. The Client provides the materials listed on the relevant service page and, for Audiobook Narration, in the Onboarding Guide, by the deadlines stated there and in the Service Agreement. Late materials move the session or extend the timeline.

• Rights. The Client warrants that they own or control the rights to all Client Materials and that the materials do not infringe the rights of any third party. For Audiobook Narration, written confirmation of rights is required before recording begins.

• Communication. The Client responds to the Company's questions within a reasonable time. Delays caused by the Client extend the timeline, and the Company is not responsible for them.

• Approvals. The 15-minute narration sample is approved in writing. After delivery of final audio, the Client has ten business days to review the files and submit corrections in one consolidated log, using the spreadsheet the Company provides. If the Company receives no response by the end of that window, the files are deemed approved and the final invoice is issued. The Client may request an extension in writing before the window closes.

• Rescheduling. Rescheduling and missed-session terms are stated on each service page and in the Service Agreement.

6. Rights and Ownership

Client rights. The Client retains all rights to their manuscript and creative work. Nothing in these Terms transfers any right in the manuscript to the Company.

Editing Deliverables. Written feedback, Session Notes, editorial letters, annotated manuscripts, revision roadmaps, and Call Notes are provided for the Client's use in developing their work. The Client may share them with agents, editors, and critique partners for revision purposes. The Client may not publish or publicly distribute them, present them as the Company's endorsement of the work, or use them for AI training, automated processing, or data mining.

Audiobook Narration.

• The Company retains rights in the audio until payment is received in full, at which point ownership of the mastered audio files transfers to the Client.

• The Company keeps the raw recordings and production files. What transfers is the finished, mastered audiobook.

• Narrator credit is required on the final audiobook.

• The Company may use finished work in its portfolio, demos, and samples.

• The Company's voice, voice prints, and vocal characteristics remain the Company's property. Nothing in these Terms or any Service Agreement grants a right to clone, synthesize, or replicate them.

Prohibited uses of the audio. Without the Company's express written permission, the Client may not use any recording for AI training, voice cloning, or the creation of a synthetic voice; enroll the audiobook in any voice-replica or AI-narration program; distribute it through a platform that requires AI training rights as a condition of listing; or distribute it through channels not authorized in the Service Agreement.

Company materials. The Company retains rights in its templates, frameworks, and working methods.

7. Confidentiality

• The Company treats Client Materials and Deliverables as confidential, including materials sent for a free preview. They are shared only with contractors working on the Project, each bound by a confidentiality agreement.

• The Company does not name the Client or the work publicly without the Client's written consent (Section 16). The exceptions are narrator credit and the portfolio use of finished audio under an Audiobook Narration Service Agreement.

• If the Client requires a formal non-disclosure agreement, the Company will sign one.

• The Client agrees not to redistribute the Company's templates, frameworks, or working documents beyond the uses permitted in Section 6.

8. Communication

• The Company responds to email within 1–2 business days (Pacific Time).

• Approvals, and any change to scope, timeline, deliverables, or fees, are agreed in writing.

9. What the Services Do Not Include

Unless a Service Agreement says otherwise, no Service includes line editing, copyediting, or proofreading; rewriting or ghostwriting; verification of facts, law, or technical details in the manuscript; sound effects or music; marketing; or distribution.

10. Professional Disclaimer

• Editorial feedback and vocal interpretation are professional judgment. They carry their reasoning so the Client can weigh them, and they do not represent an industry consensus.

• No Deliverable is a guarantee of publication, agent representation, sales, reader response, or commercial success.

• The Client retains sole responsibility for every creative, editorial, and business decision about their work.

11. Limitation of Liability

• The Company is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including lost profits, loss of data, business interruption, or other commercial or economic loss.

• The Client is responsible for how Deliverables are used, applied, and interpreted.

• Where liability is found, the Company's total liability for a claim is limited to the fees the Client paid for the Service from which the claim arises.

12. Indemnification

The Client agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Company, its owner, contractors, and agents from claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses arising from (a) unauthorized or improper use of the Deliverables, (b) the Client's breach of these Terms, or (c) Client Materials that infringe the rights of a third party.

13. Force Majeure

The Company is not liable for delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, acts of government, illness, and failures or outages of third-party services. If such an event occurs, the Company may suspend or extend delivery timelines and will keep the Client informed.

14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

• These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California.

• The Client agrees to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Orange County, California.

• Disputes are resolved on an individual basis. The Client waives the right to participate in class actions or consolidated proceedings.

15. Termination of Services

The Company may suspend or end a Project for non-payment, for breach of these Terms or the Service Agreement, or where continuing is impractical or detrimental to the Company.

• Where the Company ends a Project for its own reasons, the refund terms in Section 4 apply.

• Where the Company ends a Project for the Client's non-payment or breach, the Client remains responsible for any outstanding balance for work completed, and payments made are retained under the cancellation terms of the Service Agreement.

• Termination does not waive either party's other remedies.

16. Marketing and Publicity

• The Company does not name the Client or the work in marketing, portfolios, case studies, or testimonials without the Client's written consent. The Client may limit that consent or withdraw it for future uses at any time.

• Two exceptions apply to Audiobook Narration: narrator credit on the published audiobook, and the portfolio use of finished audio described in Section 6.

• Both parties may promote a published audiobook through standard channels.

17. Privacy

How the Company collects, uses, protects, and deletes personal information and project materials is set out in the Privacy Policy. By using the Website or the Services, the Client accepts the practices described there.

18. Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools

a. Scope.

This section governs the Company's use of artificial intelligence systems in connection with the Services. “AI Tools” means any system, application, or feature that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, large language models, or generative AI, including:

• large language model chatbots, regardless of pricing tier or access method;

• AI-based writing, editing, proofreading, transcription, summarization, and manuscript-analysis applications, regardless of the underlying provider and whether the specific feature used employs AI or non-AI methods;

• AI-powered features embedded in general-purpose software, including meeting-summary and voice-generation features.

Basic spelling and grammar-checking features that do not use artificial intelligence or large language models are not AI Tools. The restrictions in this section apply whether or not the manuscript has been or will be published. Publication does not alter the Company's obligations regarding the manuscript file received from the Client or the Client's personal information.

b. Prohibited uses.

The Company will not, at any stage of the work and in any form:

• upload, paste, or otherwise input the Client's manuscript, manuscript excerpts, or any other Client Materials into any AI Tool;

• input the Client's personal information, name, book title, character names, plot details, or any other Client-identifying or Project-identifying content into any AI Tool;

• use any AI Tool to draft, generate, compose, analyze, edit, format, organize, polish, or otherwise prepare any portion of the Deliverables, including written feedback, Session Notes, editorial letters, annotated manuscripts, revision roadmaps, Call Notes, and narration prep documentation;

• use any AI Tool on the Company's working notes, raw observations, or drafts that reference the Client's manuscript or Client-identifying content, whether or not those documents are provided to the Client;

• record, transcribe, or summarize a session or call with any AI Tool. Sessions and calls are not recorded, and AI meeting-summary features are disabled on the Company's conferencing account.

C. Warranty of human-crafted Deliverables.

The Company warrants that every Deliverable, and every intermediate document leading to it, is prepared by the Company without AI assistance of any kind. For Audiobook Narration, the Company further warrants that every Deliverable is performed in the Company's own voice: no synthetic, cloned, or AI-generated audio appears in any Deliverable, at any point, for any reason.

D. Pronunciation research (Audiobook Narration).

Pronunciation research uses standard dictionary references, including Merriam-Webster, and the pronunciation guides provided by the Rights Holder. No AI Tool is used for pronunciation research, character tracking, script preparation, or QC log preparation.

E. Auditions and voice.

The Company does not submit auditions or voice samples to platforms that use recordings for AI training or voice cloning. The Client's obligations regarding the finished audio are in Section 6.

F. Client permission.

If the Client wishes to authorize a use this section prohibits, the permission must be in writing and must state its scope. The Client may revoke it at any time by written notice, and the Company will stop the authorized use upon receipt.

G. Breach.

Breach of this section is a material breach of these Terms. In addition to any other remedy, the Client may terminate the Service Agreement on written notice and, subject to Section 11, seek damages for harm caused by unauthorized AI use of the Client's manuscript or personal information.

19. Amendments and Modifications

• The Company may amend these Terms. The current version is posted on the Website with its last-updated date, and the version in effect on the date of the Service Agreement governs that Project.

• Continued use of the Website, or booking a new Service after a change, signifies acceptance of the change.

• Changes to an individual Project's scope, timeline, deliverables, or fees require the written agreement of both parties.

20. Miscellaneous

• Entire agreement. These Terms, the Service Agreement, the Onboarding Guide where one is issued, and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between the Client and the Company for a Project. Where these Terms and a Service Agreement differ, the Service Agreement controls for that Project. Descriptions on the Website are not terms of the agreement.

• Severability. If a provision is found invalid or unenforceable, the rest remain in effect.

• Waiver. A waiver by the Company is effective only in writing. Not enforcing a right does not waive it.

• Assignment. The Client may not assign or transfer rights or obligations under these Terms without the Company's written consent.

Acceptance

By booking a Service, the Client confirms they have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms.

Questions about these Terms?

Toe-Curling Tales LLC

Email: ashley@toecurlingtales.com

2108 N ST #8345, Sacramento, CA 95816

We respond within 1–2 business days (Pacific Time).