Partner Referral & Co-Marketing Agreement

Standard form v1.0, published 2026-08-29.

This is our published standard form. The body of this Agreement is the same for every partner, and we publish it. Only Schedule 1 changes from one deal to the next.

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The short version

This summary is written to be read before the Agreement, not instead of it. It is not part of the Agreement and does not change it. Where the two differ, the clauses govern.

What it is. You refer authors to Novelmint, or send us finished books through our Publish API. We publish them, readers pay to read or listen, and you earn a share of what those readers spend.

What it pays. On every chapter a reader unlocks on a book attributed to you, read or listened to: the author gets 70%, you get 10%, and we keep the rest. Your share comes out of ours. It never reduces the author's 70%.

What it does not pay on. Money authors spend building their own books. That is a different part of the platform and it is outside this Agreement entirely.

What it costs. Nothing. No fee to join, no charge per book, no minimum payout.

Getting paid. Set up a payout method with our payment provider. Until you do, commissions are recorded but not payable, and a commission lapses if no payout method exists within 180 days of it arising. Once one is in place, each commission is paid 30 days after it arises, in a weekly automated run, in USD.

Seeing the numbers. A dashboard shows, for every book, what it earned, what is still on hold, what is payable now, and every payment we have made. It is there whenever you want it.

Authors keep their freedom. Nothing here limits where an author publishes, or their right to move or withdraw their own work. Neither of us may tell an author otherwise.

Leaving. Either of us can end this on 30 days' notice, for any reason. Books you already brought keep paying you for one month after that.

What we ask of you. One page on your site explaining Novelmint and carrying your Novelmint referral link, and honest promotion of each other where it makes sense. No schedule and no quota.

The figures above are our standard terms. Schedule 1 governs wherever your deal differs from them.

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Schedule 1 — Deal Terms

Terms in bold are used as defined terms throughout this Agreement.

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This Agreement is entered into on the Effective Date between the Partner and NM, each a "party" and together the "parties".

1. Purpose

Partner will refer authors who have completed or drafted a manuscript to NM, where those manuscripts may be published, serialized and monetized on the Novelmint platform. The parties will also promote one another through content marketing and organic search.

This Agreement creates no partnership, joint venture, agency or employment relationship. Each party bears its own costs and taxes. Neither party may bind the other.

2. Attribution, Revenue Share and Payment

2.1 Attribution

A Book is attributed to Partner where either:

(a) it was created on NM through the Novelmint Publish API using a valid publish token issued to Partner ("per-Book attribution"); or

(b) its author's NM account was created through the Partner Referral Code ("account attribution"), and no other partner holds per-Book attribution for that Book.

Where both apply, per-Book attribution governs. Each Book is attributed to at most one party and carries at most one referral share. Attribution is recorded automatically by NM at the moment of account creation or submission, and is determinable from NM's records. Neither party is required to nominate, claim or verify individual Books.

2.2 Qualifying Book

A "Qualifying Book" is a Book that is attributed to Partner under clause 2.1 and is published and publicly readable on NM.

A Book withdrawn from publication and later republished remains a Qualifying Book. A Book that is deleted ceases to be a Qualifying Book from the date of deletion; amounts already accrued are unaffected.

An author may ask NM in writing to remove attribution for their own Book. NM will action such a request on a forward-only basis: Partner ceases to accrue on that Book from that date, and amounts already accrued are unaffected.

2.3 Revenue share

Scope: Commons revenue only. The Novelmint platform has two surfaces. The Commons is the public, reader-facing surface, where readers pay to read or listen and authors earn from what is read. The Studio is the author-facing surface, where authors pay to create and develop their own work.

This Agreement reaches Commons revenue and nothing else. Money an author spends producing their own book — drafting, editorial, cover art, character portraits, and anything else bought in the Studio — is Studio revenue and is outside this Agreement entirely. Partner earns a share of what readers spend, never a share of what authors spend.

Those definitions are functional. They continue to apply to the two surfaces as described even if NM later renames either of them.

Commons revenue from reader chapter unlocks on a Qualifying Book, whether the chapter is unlocked for reading or for audio listening, is divided:

The Partner Share is drawn from NM's platform share. It does not reduce the author's 70%.

For the purposes of this clause, revenue is measured in Novelmint credits converted at NM's published reference rate of USD 0.01 per credit, and is net of VAT and sales tax, payment processing fees, refunds and chargebacks.

Only credits a reader has purchased for cash are counted. Credits NM issues without payment, including signup bonuses, promotional and daily gifts, goodwill credits and credits granted under any free tier, generate no commission when a reader spends them, because NM received no revenue for them.

The Partner Share is fixed for the Initial Term. It does not vary with any tier, programme level, account status or internal classification NM may apply to Partner's account, and NM will not change it except under this clause.

NM may change the Partner Share for a renewal term by giving Partner written notice at least 60 days before that term begins. A change takes effect only from the start of the renewal term and never applies to a commission that has already arisen. If Partner does not accept the change it may give notice of non-renewal under clause 5.1, and clause 2.4 applies as normal to Qualifying Books already published.

Where the Agreement ends, commissions arising during the Tail Period are calculated at the rate in force on the date it ended.

2.3a Cost-Recovery Charges

The principle is that Partner earns where the author earns. A reader-facing charge that does not pay the author does not pay Partner either.

Studio revenue is outside clause 2.3 by scope. Within Commons revenue, a charge is a Cost-Recovery Charge, and is excluded from clause 2.3, where the author earns nothing on it. Where an author earns on a charge, Partner earns the Partner Share of it. Partner can confirm the position with any author it has referred, without reference to NM costs.

2.4 Duration of the revenue share

The revenue share applies for as long as this Agreement is in force, and continues for the Tail Period after termination or expiry in respect of Qualifying Books first published on NM before the termination date.

At the end of the Tail Period no further commission accrues. Books first published after termination are not Qualifying Books.

Clauses 2.6 and 2.7 continue after the Tail Period in respect of commissions that arose during it, until each of those commissions has been paid or has lapsed under clause 2.6(c). A commission is not lost because the hold in clause 2.6(d) runs past the end of the Tail Period.

Where NM's general referral programme terms differ from this Agreement, this Agreement prevails as between the parties. NM's published programme terms are not incorporated into it.

2.5 Pricing and referral bonus

Referred authors and readers pay NM's standard published pricing as it varies from time to time. NM offers no Partner-specific discount under this Agreement.

An author who creates an NM account through the Partner Referral Code receives NM's standard referral signup bonus in credits, at the rate NM publishes for Partner's programme level. An author onboarded through the Publish API does not receive it: the bonus rewards a person choosing to join, not a record created on their behalf. Attribution under clause 2.1 is unaffected either way, and a Book can be attributed to Partner whether or not its author received a bonus.

NM may vary, suspend or replace the signup bonus at any time. It is not part of the Partner Share and creates no entitlement for Partner.

2.6 Reporting and payment

(a) NM will make available to Partner, on a continuing basis, a record showing for each Qualifying Book the attributed revenue, the commission accrued, the amount still within the hold in clause 2.6(d), the amount payable, and the history of payments made.

NM will provide this through a partner dashboard Partner can access at any time. Where the dashboard is unavailable, NM will provide the same information on written request within 30 business days. Temporary unavailability of the dashboard is not a breach of this Agreement.

(b) NM records each commission in its ledger. NM does not hold client money. All funds are disbursed by NM's payment provider.

(c) A commission is contingent until a payout method exists. A commission becomes due and payable only once Partner has established a payout method with NM's payment provider. Until then it is a contingent entitlement and not a debt owed, NM holds no funds on Partner's behalf, and the amount forms part of NM's revenue.

NM will record what would become payable on each Qualifying Book and show it under clause 2.6(a), so Partner can see at any time what establishing a payout method would release.

Partner will establish a payout method and is responsible for completing the provider's identity and tax verification. Stripe Connect is the primary rail; where it is unavailable in Partner's country of establishment, NM will offer an alternative supported rail such as Wise. Any rail NM supports satisfies this clause.

If Partner has not established a payout method within the Commission Lapse Period of a commission arising, the entitlement to that commission lapses. Lapse applies commission by commission, not to the relationship: establishing a payout method at any time matures every commission that has not yet lapsed.

(d) A commission becomes payable 30 days after it accrues. An automated sweep runs weekly, currently every Monday, and pays out the whole balance that has completed that period. No minimum payout threshold applies to commissions under this Agreement.

The hold allows refunds and chargebacks on the underlying reader transaction to resolve before the commission on that transaction leaves the platform. It matches the hold NM applies to the author's earnings on the same transaction, and applies equally to both.

(e) Payouts are made in USD. Payment provider fees and any currency conversion are borne by Partner. NM is not liable for delay or failure caused by the payment provider.

(f) Refunds and chargebacks arising after payment are deducted from the next accrual. A negative balance rolls forward. NM will not seek repayment of sums already paid.

(g) No invoice is required. The statement at (a) is the payment record. Each party is responsible for its own tax obligations.

2.7 Verification and disputes

The record provided under clause 2.6(a) is continuously available to Partner and is NM's statement of account.

Where Partner disputes a commission, Partner may notify NM within 30 days of the date that commission is made available to Partner under clause 2.6(a), and NM will provide the underlying transaction-level detail for the Qualifying Books concerned. A commission not disputed within that period is treated as accepted.

This right extends to the figures on which the Partner Share is calculated. It does not extend to NM's costs, provider rates, margins, or the commercial terms of NM's arrangements with third parties.

2.8 Partner status

NM will grant and maintain the partner account status Partner requires to hold a valid publish token, and the referral status required for attribution under clause 2.1(b), for the term of this Agreement.

NM may suspend or revoke that status for material breach of this Agreement, for abuse of the Publish API, or where required by law. Revocation prevents Partner from creating new Qualifying Books but does not affect the revenue share on existing ones until the end of the Tail Period.

NM may maintain, modify, version or discontinue the Publish API. Temporary unavailability of the API, of the partner dashboard or of the Novelmint platform is not a breach of this Agreement. Where NM discontinues the Publish API, or makes a breaking change to a version Partner is using, NM will give Partner at least 60 days' written notice. Attribution and the revenue share on Qualifying Books already published are unaffected in either case.

2.9 Other partners, and no exclusivity

NM operates arrangements of this kind with other partners. Nothing in this Agreement grants Partner exclusivity over any author, Book, genre, territory or category.

Where an author whose account is attributed to Partner publishes a Book through another partner's Publish API credentials, per-Book attribution governs under clause 2.1 and that Book is attributed to the other partner. This is not a breach of this Agreement, and NM is not required to intervene.

NM does not grant most-favoured-nation treatment. Commercial terms, including the Partner Share, may differ between partners. NM is under no obligation to disclose those terms or to match them.

2.10 Characterisation of payments and tax

The Partner Share is consideration for referral and introduction services performed by Partner. It is calculated by reference to revenue, but it is not consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright, trademark, know-how or other property of Partner, and it is not a royalty. An author is paid a percentage because the author licenses their work to be read; Partner licenses nothing and is paid only for introducing author and NM.

No part of the consideration under this Agreement is attributable to the license granted in clause 3.5. That license is granted royalty-free by each party.

Partner represents that it performs the services under this Agreement from its place of business stated in Schedule 1, and will notify NM promptly if that ceases to be the case.

Partner's tax identity documentation is collected by NM's payment provider at onboarding under clause 2.6(c). Where a tax authority requires NM to withhold from a payment, NM may do so and amounts properly withheld are treated as paid to Partner.

2.11 Rating and discovery processing

As part of NM's standard process and to ensure content from every source is discoverable and on the same footing, NM will run each chapter submitted under this Agreement through its content classification and age-rating process, which will derive each Book's Story Profile, being the multi-axis radar that ranks it in reader matching.

Classification and profile determinations are NM's own and are made for discovery and compliance purposes. NM does not warrant that any classification is accurate or complete, and the author remains responsible for the content of their Book and for any content declaration they make about it.

Where Partner submits at volume, NM will schedule this processing to manage load.

3. Mutual Advertising and Promotion

3.1 Mutual promotion

Each party will promote the other in good faith through its own channels, using the means, formats and frequency it considers appropriate.

Wherever each party reasonably can, it will give effect to this by creating and maintaining content of genuine value to the shared audience, discoverable both through search engines and through AI answer and generative engines, including blog posts, articles, social media posts, email campaigns, and other media as each party sees fit.

Where a party promotes the other, or names the other in partnership content, it will tag the other's social accounts and/or link to their site wherever the platform allows. The parties intend this to be reciprocal and sustained across the term and Tail Period rather than a single announcement at the start. Each expects the other to look for ongoing promotional opportunities.

Content published under this clause should be substantive enough to be worth finding on its own merits. Neither party will publish thin, duplicative or automated material for the purpose of appearing to satisfy this clause.

Neither party is obliged to publish on any particular schedule, length, or medium. Neither party is obliged to publish anything it judges inconsistent with its own editorial standards or commercial interests.

3.2 Partner pages

Each party will create and maintain on its own site an explanation of the other party's offering, including a call to action carrying the other party's referral link or code. This is the only publication either party is required to make under this clause 3.

Because that link arises from a commercial arrangement, each party will mark it rel="sponsored", aligned with Google's guidance on links involving consideration. Neither party will use automated link schemes or any practice contrary to Google's guidelines.

3.3 Coordination and search

Nothing in this Agreement restricts either party's search marketing. Each party remains free to research, target, bid on and rank for any keyword or search term, including terms the other party also targets. The parties are not required to share keyword lists, keyword research or ranking strategy, and clause 4 does not attach to search terms or to either party's knowledge of them.

3.4 Content published under this Agreement

Neither party will publish content under this Agreement that disparages the other. Where a party publishes a partner page under clause 3.2, it will share the draft with the other party at least 5 business days before publication; no response after that period is deemed approval.

For the avoidance of doubt, this clause governs only content published in performance of this Agreement. It does not restrict either party from publishing truthful, substantiated comparative content about the other in the ordinary course of its business. Neither the existence of this Agreement nor clause 3.5 creates any right of approval over such content.

3.5 Branding

Each party grants the other a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence, limited to the term of this Agreement, to use its name, logo and product screenshots solely to promote this partnership. No use outside of this need is approved. All intellectual property remains with its owner. Each party will observe the other's brand guidelines where provided.

4. Confidentiality, Data Protection and Non-Circumvention

4.1 Confidentiality

NM publishes its standard form of partner agreement. The published standard form, and the standard terms it contains, are not confidential, and nothing in this clause restricts either party from discussing them.

Each party will keep confidential, for 3 years from disclosure, the non-public information the other discloses to it under this Agreement. That includes in particular:

(a) the revenue, commission and payment figures made available under clause 2.6, and anything derived from them;

(b) any term of Schedule 1, or of a rider, that departs from NM's published standard form; and

(c) business plans, roadmap, metrics and other non-public commercial information shared between the parties.

This does not apply to information that is or becomes public through no breach of this clause, was already lawfully held by the receiving party, is independently developed without reference to the disclosed information, or must be disclosed by law or by a regulator.

4.2 Data protection

Each party acts as an independent controller in respect of the personal data it holds. Neither party is a processor for the other.

Personal data will be transferred between the parties only where the individual has given consent for that transfer, and only to the extent necessary for the purposes of this Agreement. Each party will comply with applicable data protection law, including the UK GDPR, the EU GDPR and applicable US state privacy law where each applies, and will maintain its own privacy notice covering the processing it carries out.

Each party will notify the other without undue delay of any personal data breach affecting data received from the other party.

4.3 Non-circumvention and non-solicitation

Neither party will use this Agreement, or information or contacts obtained under it, to induce an author introduced under it to move away from the other party's platform or product. This applies during the term and the Tail Period after it ends.

For NM, that means not using contact details supplied by Partner to solicit those authors away from Partner's own product. For Partner, that means not soliciting an author whose Book is attributed to Partner to withdraw that Book from NM, or to publish work on a competing platform instead of NM.

Neither party will solicit for employment any employee or contractor of the other with whom it dealt under this Agreement, during the term and for the Tail Period after it ends.

This clause does not restrict:

(a) the author. Nothing in this Agreement limits an author's freedom to publish where they choose, to move or withdraw their own work, to close their account, or to act on their own initiative. Neither party will represent to an author that this Agreement constrains them.

(b) general marketing. Advertising, content marketing, search marketing and other promotion outside of individuals referred under this Agreement.

(c) ordinary competition. The parties compete and may continue to compete for authors, readers and market generally. This clause is a non-circumvention provision, not a non-compete, and creates no restriction on either party's products, pricing, features or markets.

(d) responses to approaches. Dealing with any person who approaches a party on their own initiative, or in response to general marketing under (b).

If any part of this clause is held unenforceable, it is to be read down to the narrowest form that is enforceable rather than struck out.

5. Term and Termination

5.1 This Agreement takes effect on the Effective Date and runs for the Initial Term, renewing automatically for successive periods of the same length unless either party gives 30 days' written notice of non-renewal.

5.2 Either party may terminate on 30 days' written notice, without cause.

5.3 Either party may terminate immediately on written notice if the other commits a material breach that is not remedied within 14 days of notice, or becomes insolvent, or is dissolved or acquired.

5.4 Clauses 2.1 to 2.7 (for the periods set out in clause 2.4), 2.9, 2.10, 4, 6, 7 and 8 survive termination.

6. Warranties and Indemnity

6.1 Each party warrants that it has the right to enter this Agreement, and that the name, logo and materials it licenses under clause 3.5 do not infringe any third party's rights.

6.2 Partner warrants that any personal data it transfers to NM was collected lawfully and with the consent required by clause 4.2.

6.3 Partner warrants that, for each manuscript it submits to NM under this Agreement, Partner is authorised to submit it, the author named for it is the rights holder or has authorised its publication on NM, and the manuscript does not infringe any third party's copyright, trademark, moral or other rights.

Partner will tell NM promptly if it becomes aware that any of these has ceased to be true for a manuscript already submitted, and NM may withdraw that manuscript from publication.

6.4 Each party will indemnify the other against third-party claims arising from that party's breach of clauses 4, 6.1, 6.2 or 6.3.

7. Liability

7.1 Neither party is liable to the other for indirect or consequential loss, or for lost profits.

7.2 Except as set out in 7.3, each party's total liability is capped at the commissions paid or payable under this Agreement in the Liability Period preceding the claim, inclusive of legal costs and expenses. This cap applies to all claims however arising, whether in contract, tort, breach of statutory duty or otherwise, and applies to claims under the indemnity in clause 6.4.

7.3 The cap in 7.2 does not apply to any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

8. Miscellaneous

8.1 Non-exclusive. Either party may enter similar arrangements with third parties. See also clause 2.9.

8.2 Governing law and dispute resolution. This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Washington, USA, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement will be resolved by binding arbitration before a single arbitrator, seated in Washington State and conducted in English, administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. Where either party is domiciled outside the United States, the arbitration will instead be administered by the AAA's International Centre for Dispute Resolution under its International Arbitration Rules.

The state and federal courts located in King County, Washington have exclusive jurisdiction to compel arbitration, to grant interim or injunctive relief in aid of arbitration, and to enter judgment on the award, and each party consents to that jurisdiction and venue.

8.3 Notices. Notices under this Agreement are valid if sent by email to the addresses stated in Schedule 1, or to such other address as a party notifies, with delivery deemed on the next business day.

8.4 Assignment. Neither party may assign this Agreement without the other's written consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, save to a successor of substantially the whole of its business.

8.5 Amendments must be in writing and signed by both parties.

8.6 Headings. Clause headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

8.7 Entire agreement. This Agreement, including Schedule 1 and any rider, is the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes any prior understanding. Where a rider conflicts with the body, the rider prevails.

8.8 Counterparts and electronic signature. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts and exchanged electronically. An electronic or scanned signature has the same effect as an original, and this Agreement is executed when both parties have signed.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement on the dates below.

Partner

Entity: ____________ (full legal name and form, as stated in Schedule 1)

By: ____________

Name: ____________

Title: ____________

Date: ____________

Novelmint

Entity: TEAMLESH LLC, a Washington limited liability company, doing business as Novelmint

By: ____________

Name: Ben Lesh

Title: Founder and Member

Date: ____________

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