A Fair Agreement for Everyone
These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "Author", or "Reader") and Aetheria Publishing ("Company", "we", "us"). By accessing or using our platform at aetheria.pub, you agree to these Terms in full.
Our philosophy is simple: we built Aetheria to serve authors and readers, not the other way around. These terms protect everyone — including you — while keeping our literary community safe, respectful, and free.
Acceptance of Terms
How you agree and what that meansBy visiting our website, creating an account, publishing content, or reading books on Aetheria, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service, our Privacy Policy, and any additional guidelines or policies we publish.
If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use our platform. Continued use after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
Electronic Agreement
You acknowledge that these Terms form a legally binding contract and that your electronic acceptance (clicking "I Agree", registering an account, or simply using the platform) is as valid as a written signature under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (India).
Capacity to Contract
By accepting these Terms, you represent that you are at least 13 years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts. If you are between 13 and 18, you confirm you have parental or guardian consent.
About Aetheria Publishing
What we are and what we provideAetheria Publishing is a literary publishing platform registered and operating from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Our registered address is 4th Floor, Literary House, Beach Road, Visakhapatnam – 530001.
Our Service
Aetheria provides an online platform that enables:
- Authors to upload, publish, and distribute their novels, books, and written works at no cost.
- Readers to discover, read, and engage with published works.
- Optional editorial feedback, cover design resources, and formatting assistance.
- An optional royalty programme for authors whose works are accessed by premium subscribers.
Core promise: Publishing on Aetheria will always be free for authors. We may introduce premium reader features in the future, but the author publishing pipeline will remain free of charge.
Platform Status
Aetheria is a platform (intermediary) as defined under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules, 2021. We do not claim editorial control over user-published works and act as a conduit for author expression.
Eligibility & Registration
Who can use Aetheria and howAge Requirements
| User Type | Minimum Age | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Reader (browse only) | 13 years | Self-declaration |
| Registered reader | 13 years | Parental consent if under 18 |
| Author (publish books) | 16 years | Parental consent if under 18 |
| Royalty programme | 18 years | Valid ID required |
Geographic Eligibility
Our platform is available globally. However, certain features (such as the royalty programme) may be restricted in jurisdictions where we do not yet have regulatory compliance. We reserve the right to restrict access from specific regions where legal or compliance barriers exist.
Registration Accuracy
You agree to provide accurate, complete, and current information during registration and to update it promptly if it changes. Impersonating another person, using a false identity, or providing misleading information is strictly prohibited and may result in immediate account termination.
Accounts & Security
Your responsibilities as an account holderAccount Ownership
Each account is personal and non-transferable. You may not share your login credentials, sell your account, or allow others to access it on your behalf without explicit written permission from Aetheria.
Security Responsibilities
- Choose a strong, unique password and change it if you suspect compromise.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) when available — strongly recommended.
- Notify us immediately at security@aetheria.pub if you suspect unauthorised access.
- You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account credentials.
One Account per Person
Each individual may maintain one author account and one reader account. Organisations may apply for a verified publisher account by contacting us. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent bans, limits, or policies is prohibited.
Aetheria will never ask for your password via email, chat, or phone. If you receive such a request, please report it to security@aetheria.pub immediately.
Author Rights & Platform Licence
Who owns your work and what we're allowed to doYou retain 100% of your intellectual property. Publishing on Aetheria does not transfer copyright, ownership, or any exclusive rights to us. Your book remains yours — always.
Licence You Grant Aetheria
By publishing on Aetheria, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to:
- Host, store, display, and distribute your work to readers on our platform.
- Create technical copies necessary for display, caching, and backup purposes.
- Use the title, cover, and a short excerpt (up to 500 words) for promotional and discoverability purposes (catalog listings, social media, newsletters).
- Convert your work to supported reading formats (EPUB, PDF viewer) for platform compatibility.
What We Are NOT Allowed to Do
Sell Your Work
We cannot sell your manuscript or grant commercial licences to third parties.
Modify Content
We cannot edit, adapt, or create derivative works from your writing.
Claim Authorship
We will never attribute your work to ourselves or any other party.
Retain After Removal
Upon takedown request, your work is removed within 48 hours and deleted within 30 days.
Simultaneous Publishing
You are free to publish your work on other platforms simultaneously. We do not require exclusivity. If you publish elsewhere, please ensure the terms of those platforms are compatible with your licence to us.
Takedown Rights
You may request removal of your book at any time via your author dashboard or by emailing authors@aetheria.pub. We will take it down within 48 hours of a valid request.
Content Standards & Submission Rules
What may and may not be published on AetheriaPermitted Content
We welcome fiction and non-fiction across all genres — romance, mystery, science fiction, literary fiction, fantasy, memoir, poetry, self-help, children's literature, academic writing, and more — in any language.
Content You Must NOT Publish
Illegal content: Any material that violates Indian law or the laws of the reader's jurisdiction, including content that promotes terrorism, incites violence, or constitutes hate speech under IPC sections 153A, 295A, or 505.
Child exploitation material: Any content that sexualises, exploits, or endangers minors. Zero-tolerance policy with immediate removal and reporting to authorities.
Plagiarism & copyright infringement: You must own or have explicit rights to all content you publish. Uploading others' work without permission is prohibited and may result in legal action.
Defamatory content: False statements of fact presented as true that damage the reputation of identifiable real individuals.
Spam or AI-generated bulk content: Mass-generated, low-quality, or duplicate content uploaded for SEO or commercial manipulation rather than genuine literary purpose.
Malware or harmful code: Files embedded with scripts, executables, or any code designed to harm readers' devices.
Content Moderation
We review flagged content within 72 hours. Authors whose content is removed will be notified with reasons and given 14 days to appeal. Repeated violations result in progressive sanctions up to permanent account termination.
Mature content (adult themes, graphic violence) must be clearly marked with appropriate content warnings during submission. We reserve the right to add or enforce content warnings on any published work.
Reader Use & Conduct
Your rights and responsibilities as a readerReading Licence
As a reader, you are granted a personal, non-commercial licence to access and read books published on Aetheria. This licence is for personal enjoyment only and does not include:
- Downloading or copying books for redistribution or resale.
- Reproducing substantial portions for commercial or public purposes without the author's permission.
- Reverse-engineering, scraping, or automating access to our reading platform.
- Sharing account credentials to allow others to access premium content without their own account.
Reviews & Comments
We encourage honest reviews and community discussion. All reviews must be:
Genuine
Based on actual reading of the work, not incentivised or fabricated.
Respectful
Critical of the work, not attacking the author personally.
Honest
Reflect your genuine opinion without misleading other readers.
Original
Your own words — not copied from other review sites.
We reserve the right to remove reviews that violate these standards. Coordinated review attacks (mass negative reviews intended to harm an author) will result in account suspension.
Intellectual Property
Copyright, trademarks, and platform IPAuthor's Intellectual Property
All works published by authors remain the sole intellectual property of their respective authors. Aetheria claims no ownership, co-authorship, or editorial rights over published works. Refer to Section 05 for full details on the limited licence you grant us.
Aetheria's Platform IP
The Aetheria name, logo, platform design, interface, software, and all proprietary technology are the intellectual property of Aetheria Publishing and are protected under applicable copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws. You may not:
- Copy, reproduce, or distribute our platform design or software.
- Use the Aetheria name or logo without written permission.
- Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble our platform software.
- Create derivative platforms that imitate our interface or brand identity.
DMCA / Copyright Complaints
If you believe content on our platform infringes your copyright, please send a formal DMCA-compliant takedown notice to legal@aetheria.pub with: (1) identification of the copyrighted work, (2) location of the infringing material, (3) your contact details, (4) a statement of good faith belief, and (5) a statement of accuracy under penalty of perjury.
We will respond to valid notices within 5 business days and take down confirmed infringing content within 48 hours.
Royalties & Payment Terms
How the optional royalty programme worksThe royalty programme is entirely optional. Publishing and distributing your work on Aetheria is and will remain free regardless of whether you participate in the royalty programme.
How Royalties Work
Authors who opt into the royalty programme earn revenue based on page-reads by premium subscribers. The royalty pool is funded by premium reader subscription fees and distributed monthly based on each author's share of total platform reads.
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Royalty pool share | 70% of net premium subscription revenue goes to the author pool |
| Distribution method | Pro-rata based on qualifying page-reads |
| Payment schedule | Monthly, by the 15th of the following month |
| Minimum payout | ₹500 INR (or equivalent for international authors) |
| Payment methods | Razorpay (India), Stripe (International) |
| Tax deduction | TDS deducted as applicable under Indian income tax law |
| Eligibility | Authors aged 18+ with verified identity and bank account |
Payment Disputes
Authors must raise payment disputes within 60 days of the payment period. Disputes raised after this window cannot be guaranteed resolution. Contact payments@aetheria.pub with your account details and the relevant period.
Tax Responsibility
You are solely responsible for reporting and paying any applicable taxes on royalty income in your jurisdiction. We provide annual income summaries to assist with tax filings. For Indian authors, we provide Form 16A for TDS deducted at source.
Prohibited Conduct
Actions that will result in suspension or terminationThe following actions are strictly prohibited on Aetheria and will result in immediate account suspension pending investigation, followed by permanent termination for confirmed violations:
Platform Abuse
- Attempting to hack, breach, or disrupt our servers, databases, or security systems.
- Scraping content using automated bots, crawlers, or scripts without our written consent.
- Launching DDoS attacks or attempting to degrade platform performance.
- Exploiting bugs or vulnerabilities without responsible disclosure to our security team.
Community Abuse
- Harassing, bullying, threatening, or doxing other users, authors, or platform staff.
- Coordinating mass reports or review-bombing to harm specific authors.
- Creating multiple accounts to inflate reading statistics, game royalty earnings, or circumvent bans.
- Impersonating other authors, public figures, or Aetheria staff.
Commercial Abuse
- Using the platform to spam users with unsolicited commercial messages.
- Selling or sublicensing access to premium content outside our platform.
- Manipulating royalty analytics through artificial means (click farms, bots, etc.).
Violations involving illegal content, child exploitation, or cyberattacks will be reported to the relevant law enforcement authorities without notice.
Termination & Suspension
How accounts can be closed and what happens to your dataTermination by You
You may close your account at any time by visiting your account settings or emailing support@aetheria.pub. Upon closure:
- Your published books will be unpublished within 48 hours.
- Your personal profile data will be deleted within 30 days.
- Any pending royalties will be paid out in the next payment cycle.
- Anonymised, aggregate data may be retained for analytics purposes.
Termination by Aetheria
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts for violations of these Terms. Our process is:
Warning: For first-time minor violations, we issue a written warning with details of the breach and required corrective action.
Suspension: Repeated or serious violations result in temporary account suspension (7–30 days) with notification and right to appeal.
Termination: Persistent violations, severe breaches, or illegal conduct result in permanent account termination. Authors may request their unpublished manuscripts within 14 days.
Appeals
You may appeal a suspension or termination within 30 days by emailing appeals@aetheria.pub. We review all appeals within 14 business days and provide a written decision.
We believe in proportionate enforcement. Our goal is to preserve the community, not to remove users arbitrarily. Every enforcement action reflects a considered judgement.
Disclaimers & Warranties
What we promise and what we cannot guaranteeService Availability
Aetheria is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. While we strive for 99.9% uptime, we cannot guarantee uninterrupted access. Planned maintenance will be announced at least 24 hours in advance where possible.
Content Disclaimer
Aetheria does not endorse, verify, or take responsibility for the accuracy, quality, legality, or appropriateness of user-published content. Views expressed in books, reviews, or comments are those of their respective authors and do not represent Aetheria's position.
Third-Party Links
Our platform may contain links to third-party websites. We have no control over and accept no responsibility for the content or practices of those sites. Visiting third-party links is at your own risk.
Editorial feedback offered through our optional editorial programme is advisory only. Acceptance of editorial feedback does not alter author ownership or constitute a co-authorship relationship.
Limitation of Liability
The extent of our financial responsibilityLiability Cap
To the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, Aetheria's total cumulative liability to any user arising from or related to these Terms or use of our platform shall not exceed the greater of:
- ₹5,000 INR (approximately USD 60), or
- The total amount paid by you to Aetheria in the 12 months preceding the claim (if any).
Excluded Damages
In no event shall Aetheria be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to:
- Loss of revenue, profits, or royalties beyond amounts already accrued and unpaid.
- Loss of data arising from circumstances outside our direct control.
- Reputational damage arising from third-party reviews or comments.
- Business losses resulting from temporary platform unavailability.
These limitations apply regardless of the legal theory under which liability is asserted, and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow exclusion of implied warranties or limitations on liability — in those cases, our liability is limited to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
How disagreements are resolved fairlyGoverning Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, specifically the laws of the state of Andhra Pradesh, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
Dispute Resolution Process
Informal resolution (30 days): Before initiating any formal proceedings, both parties agree to attempt good-faith resolution by contacting legal@aetheria.pub.
Mediation: If informal resolution fails, parties agree to non-binding mediation conducted by a mutually agreed mediator in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Arbitration: Unresolved disputes shall be settled by binding arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (India), conducted in Visakhapatnam. Arbitration shall be in English.
Courts: Either party may seek interim relief from courts of competent jurisdiction in Visakhapatnam for urgent matters such as IP infringement or content removal pending arbitration.
Class Action Waiver
All disputes must be brought in an individual capacity. You agree to waive any right to participate in class action lawsuits or class-wide arbitration against Aetheria.
Changes to Terms & Contact
How we update these Terms and how to reach usUpdating These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or community needs. When we do:
- Material changes: We will notify registered users by email at least 30 days before changes take effect.
- Minor changes: A notice will be posted on our website for 30 days.
- The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent revision.
- Continued use of the platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
Contact Us
Legal Team
Author Support
Postal Address
4th Floor, Literary House, Beach Road, Visakhapatnam – 530001, AP, India