Policies
Last updated on: May 2nd, 2026
By using this website as a user (“you”) or engaging with any of The Novel Smithy, LLC’s products or services, you agree to the following Terms and Conditions of Use. Please read this carefully before using our website.
These terms apply collectively to thenovelsmithy.com and any other domains, subdomains, and properties associated with this website. This site is owned and operated by The Novel Smithy, LLC (hereafter “The Novel Smithy”, “our”, “we”, or “company”).
Use of this website is at your own risk. We host this site on a reputable platform and take reasonable efforts to maintain and host the site. However, we make no explicit representations or warranties as to the safety or your individual use of the website. The Terms and Conditions of Use contained on this page are subject to change at any time.
You must be of legal age of majority in your place of residence and be able to form legally binding contracts under applicable law to use our website and to purchase our products or services. Anyone who does not meet these criteria is unauthorized, unlicensed, and in violation of these Terms and Conditions. By using this site, you represent and warrant that you can form a legally binding contract under applicable law and are of legal age of majority where you reside, and that you agree to abide by all of the terms and conditions of these Terms and Conditions.
All content and other materials provided on this site and through our products and services are subject to the copyrights and other intellectual property rights of The Novel Smithy and are protected by United States Copyright Laws (USC Title 17).
Website materials may not be copied for any reason, including your personal use, commercial use, or distribution, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites without the prior express written permission of The Novel Smithy. This includes scraping our content for the purpose of training, developing, or refining any AI (artificial intelligence) models or machine learning language models.
You may not upload, input, or otherwise submit any of The Novel Smithy’s content, including paid products, templates, or course materials you have purchased, into any AI system, tool, or model for analysis, training, or derivative creation, even for personal use.
We may prosecute you to the fullest extent permissible should we choose to do so, including asking for financial penalties (damages) and/or an injunction forcing you to stop using our intellectual property immediately.
By purchasing any product from The Novel Smithy on this website, you are granted one revocable, worldwide, non-exclusive license to the product(s) you have purchased. All materials are for personal use only and are not to be used in any manner as part of another business or professional engagement without expressed written consent by The Novel Smithy. This includes copying, creating derivative works of, reverse engineering, altering, or in any way exploiting our product(s). If you violate this license by giving or selling a copy of our product(s) to anyone, we reserve the right to invoice you for the licenses you have gifted to others and revoke your access to our products permanently.
Digital products such as (but not limited to) workbooks, templates, or workshop recordings purchased from The Novel Smithy are not eligible for return unless explicitly stated otherwise on the product page or at checkout. Purchase of any of our services are nonrefundable after work has begun. Purchase of a membership, subscription, or course from The Novel Smithy is refundable only within the first 14 days of purchase, unless explicitly stated otherwise on the product page or at checkout. If you opt for a payment plan and do not request a refund within the timelines stated here, you agree to complete all remaining payments as agreed to in your payment plan. After 15 days of outstanding payment, The Novel Smithy reserves the right to terminate your access to our products or services.
For many of our custom services, you will receive access to shared documents or resources needed to complete our work together. This may include worksheets, reports, or recordings of our calls. These shared resources will only be maintained for 30 days after work ends, with the exception of recorded video calls, which will only be maintained for 7 days after work ends. If you’d like to keep a local copy, we encourage you to download these resources for your own records before they expire.
Course materials, including but not limited to videos and downloadable templates, will be available to students so long as the course is active and the student is enrolled. Access to materials will cease if the course is removed or replaced with another course at the sole discretion of The Novel Smithy.
Students are expected to have technology which meets the minimum requirements necessary to view videos, download and utilize templates and course materials, and other interactions as necessary to participate in our courses. Students who do not meet these requirements may request a refund in line with our standard refund policy stated above.
We reserve the right to decline or cancel your order at any time, and assume no responsibility for problems resulting from declines or cancellations. For questions about potential refunds, please contact: support@thenovelsmithy.com
All prices displayed on this website are subject to change at any time, and may not include applicable taxes or fees required by local law. You will see the full cost of any product or service (including taxes or fees) upon checkout.
Some of our programs may include a recurring membership or subscription component. By enrolling, you authorize us to charge your payment method on a recurring basis at the rate and interval disclosed at checkout, until you cancel your subscription. Recurring memberships renew automatically at the end of each billing period. You will retain access to any membership content, community spaces, or events until your subscription ends, is cancelled, or if payment remains outstanding for more than 15 days.
You may cancel your subscription renewal at any time by emailing support@thenovelsmithy.com, or through your account settings where available. To avoid being charged for an upcoming payment period, you must cancel before your renewal date. Cancellations take effect at the end of your current billing period. We do not offer prorated refunds for partial billing periods outside of your initial 14-day refund window, and renewal payments are not eligible for refunds.
To ensure we can provide the best service to all clients and students, please note the following policies regarding scheduled calls and client work.
All cancellations or rescheduling requests must be made at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled meeting time. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice will be treated as a late cancellation and the session will be forfeited. If you are more than 15 minutes late to your scheduled call without prior notice, the session will be considered a no-show and will be forfeited.
Sessions forfeited due to late cancellation or no-show are non-refundable and cannot be rescheduled. This includes sessions that are part of a package or offered as part of another service or program. To cancel or reschedule a call, please reach out via email at support@thenovelsmithy.com as soon as possible.
This also applies to clients who fail to submit the necessary materials (such as their manuscript) for us to complete our work. If you are unable to submit your materials in time for your scheduled service, you must notify us at least 7 days prior to your submission deadline. If a booked service is canceled by the client or due to failure to submit the necessary materials, the client will receive a refund, minus a $170 non-refundable booking fee, which serves as liquidated damages in the event a project is canceled.
We understand that genuine emergencies occur. In cases of documented emergencies such as illness or family emergency, exceptions may be made at our discretion.
The Novel Smithy expects its clients and students to participate in a professional manner at all times and in all relevant spaces, including but not limited to discussion boards, forums, and interactive group sessions. The Novel Smithy reserves the right to remove students from our courses or membership spaces at any time and for any reason (such as creating a hostile environment) without a refund.
Solicitation of your business or service in any community forum without the expressed written consent of The Novel Smithy is prohibited. Any member violating this term may be removed from the community without a refund.
Some of our programs may include live components run over a video conferencing platform like Zoom, including but not limited to group coaching calls, workshops, and other live events. These calls may be recorded and made available to other clients or students, and may be sold standalone or bundled as part of another offer in the future. Not all live calls are recorded, and we do not guarantee that a recording or replay will be available for any particular session.
By participating in a live call, you consent to the recording and distribution of your voice, likeness, questions, and any work you choose to share during that call, and you grant The Novel Smithy a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to include that shared content in the recording and as part of its distribution. You retain full ownership of any creative work you share. If you prefer not to appear in recordings, you may keep your camera off and microphone muted, and refrain from using the chat, or opt to watch the recording where available instead of participating live.
Likewise, you agree to respect the confidentiality of other clients and students in any programs you participate in. Story ideas, manuscript excerpts, feedback, and any personal information shared by other clients or students within our community spaces or on live calls may not be shared, copied, or used outside of our programs.
We work with a wide variety of genre fiction, including fantasy, science fiction, romance, thriller, mystery, historical fiction, young adult, and middle grade novels.
At this time, we do not work with horror, erotica, or literary fiction novels, and we do not work with novels that include depictions of sexual violence, extreme bodily harm or gore, or any stories that promote hate speech. If a manuscript is submitted to us for review that includes any of this prohibited content, we reserve the right to cancel that service and issue a partial refund to the client or student as soon as we discover the prohibited content, even if work has already begun. The client will receive a refund, minus a $170 non-refundable booking fee, which serves as liquidated damages in the event a project is canceled.
We are committed to making our website and services accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. We strive to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and to follow best practices for web accessibility.
Our goal is to provide a positive, accessible experience for all visitors by working toward conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). We continuously review our website and update features to improve accessibility.
You can find our full Accessibility Statement linked in the footer of our website, or by clicking here: The Novel Smithy Accessibility Statement
Any communications made through this website (including but not limited to our contact form, blog, newsletter sign-up, or other related pages, or directly to our mailing or email addresses) is not held privileged or confidential and is subject to viewing and distribution by third-parties. We own any and all communications displayed on our website, servers, comments, emails, or other media as allowed by United States law and will not give credit or pay royalties for unsolicited user-generated content such as blog comments or emails.
For more information on when and how we store and use your communications or any data provided by you in those communications, please refer to our Privacy Policy here.
We maintain a right to republish any submission in whole or in part as reasonably necessary in the course of our business. You agree not to submit any content or communications that could be illegal or serve an unlawful purpose, including but not limited to communications that are potentially libelous or maliciously false, obscene, abusive, negligent, or otherwise harmful or inappropriate.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless our website and company for any direct or indirect loss or conduct incurred as a result of your use of our website and any related communications, including as a result of any consequences incurred from technological failures such as a payment processor error(s) or system failure(s).
While we may reference certain results, outcomes, or situations on this website, you understand and acknowledge that we make no guarantee as to the accuracy of third-party statements contained herein or the likelihood of success for you as a result of these statements or any other statements anywhere on this website. If you have medical, legal or financial questions, you should consult a medical professional, lawyer, or CPA and/or CFP respectively. We expressly disclaim any and all responsibility for any actions or omissions you choose to make as a result of using this website, related materials, products, courses or the materials contained herein. We do not endorse, guarantee, or assume any responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of any third-party resources or external links shared through this website.
While The Novel Smithy may offer discounts or offers at various times, these discounts or offers may be terminated or amended at any time without explanation or warning. Sales, discounts, and offers will not be retroactively applied to past purchases.
This website is updated on a regular basis and while we try to make accurate statements in a timely and effective manner, we cannot guarantee that all materials and related media contained herein are entirely accurate, complete, or up to date. You expressly acknowledge and understand that any information or knowledge you gain as a result of using this website is used at your own risk.
If you should see any errors or omissions and would like to let us know, please email us at: support@thenovelsmithy.com
The Novel Smithy makes no income/financial claims, nor guarantees of any kind regarding the potential results that can be generated through our website, communications, or your participation in the purchase of any of our products. Past results presented on the website are not an indication or promise of your results. There is no guarantee you will earn any money or achieve a specific outcome using any of our materials, and your results are dependent solely on you and your actions or non-actions.
This site may use affiliate links/codes to sell certain products or services. We disclaim any and all liability as a result of your purchase through one of these links/codes. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you when and where we have placed affiliate links/codes in addition to this disclaimer located in these Terms & Conditions. You accept express liability for any and all consequences or benefits of clicking the affiliate links or using any affiliate codes contained on this website or related communications. We do not necessarily endorse or recommend any affiliates using our services.
This website may contain testimonials, excerpts, or other published feedback by users of our products or services. These testimonials reflect the experiences and opinions of these users. These experiences may not be representative of all users, and your individual results may vary.
The testimonials on this website are reviewed by us before being shared. The views and opinions contained within these testimonials belong solely to the individual, and do not reflect our views or opinions. Users are not paid for their testimonials.
Our website and related materials may contain the use of AI technologies including, but not limited to, AI-generated text, graphics, images, videos, and/or audio. AI technology may be used as a tool by The Novel Smithy to supplement, enhance, and make suggestions to our content, but the thoughts, ideas, and opinions were human created and the finished product was reviewed by a human, is original to The Novel Smithy, and The Novel Smithy maintains copyright ownership over such content.
Furthermore, The Novel Smithy may use AI technologies as an aid to respond to common customer questions through chat or email. While we strive to ensure the information and services generated by AI are accurate and reliable, AI systems are not infallible and have the possibility of containing some incorrect information. Content or recommendations produced by an AI chat technology should be used as general information only. For answers from a human support agent, please reach out to: support@thenovelsmithy.com
The Novel Smithy was given a non-exclusive license to use such AI-generated content from third-party AI platform(s). You understand and acknowledge that we make no guarantee as to the accuracy of third-party AI-generated content contained herein and you expressly acknowledge and understand that any information or knowledge you gain as a result of using any AI-generated content on this website is used at your own risk.
If at any time The Novel Smithy feels you have violated these Terms and Conditions, we shall immediately terminate your use of our website and any related communications as we deem appropriate. It is within The Novel Smithy’s sole discretion to allow any user’s access of our website, and we may revoke this access at any time without notice, and if necessary, block your IP address from further visits to our site(s).
The information contained herein constitutes the entire agreement between site users and our company relating to the use of this website.
If any part of these Terms and Conditions of Use is deemed unlawful and/or unenforceable, all other provisions contained herein will remain in full force and effect. Any failure by The Novel Smithy to enforce a provision of this Terms and Conditions of Use shall not constitute a waiver of any other portion or provision of this Terms and Conditions.
Headings and titles are provided in this Terms and Conditions of Use for convenience only and will not be construed as part of the legal terms.
This Terms and Conditions of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Virginia including all matters of construction, validity, performance, and enforcement and without giving effect to the principles of conflict of laws. You agree that any dispute or lawsuit arising out of, or concerning, this Agreement that is not first resolved by arbitration shall be resolved exclusively in a federal or state court of competent jurisdiction located in Richmond, Virginia. You and The Novel Smithy assume responsibility for their own collection costs and legal fees incurred should enforcement of these conditions become necessary.
Any and all disputes or disagreements rising between The Novel Smithy and you out of this Terms and Conditions of Use upon which an amicable understanding cannot be reached, shall be decided by arbitration in accordance with the procedural rules of the American Arbitration Association. The Novel Smithy and you agree to be bound by the decision of the arbitrator(s). The arbitration proceeding shall take place in Richmond, Virginia. The cost and expenses of the arbitrators shall be shared equally by the parties. Each party shall be responsible for its own costs and expenses in presenting the dispute for arbitration.
If you require any more information or have any questions about these Terms and Conditions of Use, please feel free to contact us by email at: support@thenovelsmithy.com
