Last updated: 7 September 2026
1. About these terms
These terms govern your use of the Stonecurrent Press website and any contract made directly through it.
The website is operated by:
Ian P. Loftus trading as Stonecurrent Press
Beech House
Newbiggin
Temple Sowerby
Cumbria
CA10 1TA
United Kingdom
Email: editorial@stonecurrentpress.co.uk
Stonecurrent Press is an independent publishing imprint operated as a sole-trader business.
By using this website, placing an order or purchasing an editorial service, you agree to the relevant provisions of these terms.
If you are under 18, a parent or guardian should place any order on your behalf.
2. Scope of these terms
These terms apply to:
- use of the Stonecurrent Press website;
- books and other products ordered directly from Stonecurrent Press;
- digital content purchased directly from Stonecurrent Press;
- editorial and related professional services supplied by Stonecurrent Press; and
- material submitted through the website.
Purchases made through Amazon, a bookseller, a distributor or another third-party retailer are governed by that retailer’s terms. Questions about payment, delivery, cancellation or returns for such purchases should normally be directed to the retailer concerned.
3. Website information
Stonecurrent Press takes reasonable care to ensure that information on the website is accurate and current. However, information may occasionally contain an error or become out of date.
Descriptions, illustrations, cover images, publication dates, formats, dimensions and other product details are provided for general identification. Minor differences may occur between an image displayed on screen and the physical product supplied. Particular editions or formats will be identified on the relevant product page.
Stonecurrent Press may correct errors and update, withdraw or amend website content without notice.
4. Prices and delivery charges
Prices are displayed in the currency shown on the relevant page and include any applicable taxes where required.
Delivery charges and available delivery methods will be displayed before an order is submitted. International customers may also be responsible for import duties, customs charges or local taxes imposed by the destination country. These charges are not controlled by Stonecurrent Press unless the checkout expressly states that they are included.
A pricing or product-description error does not oblige Stonecurrent Press to supply an item at the incorrect price or on the incorrect terms. If an error affects an order, the customer will be contacted and offered the choice of proceeding on the corrected terms or cancelling for a full refund.
5. Placing an order
Before submitting an order, you will have an opportunity to review the items selected, delivery information, charges and total price and to correct errors.
By selecting the final payment button, you confirm that:
- the information supplied is complete and accurate;
- you are authorised to use the selected payment method; and
- you understand that the order carries an obligation to pay.
An automatic order acknowledgement confirms that the order has been received. It does not necessarily mean that the order has been accepted.
For physical products, a contract is formed when Stonecurrent Press or its fulfilment provider confirms acceptance or dispatches the order.
For digital content, a contract is formed when the order is accepted and the download or access instructions are supplied.
For editorial services, a contract is formed when the scope, price and principal terms have been agreed in writing and Stonecurrent Press confirms the booking.
Stonecurrent Press may decline or cancel an order where:
- an item or service is unavailable;
- a material price or description error has occurred;
- payment cannot be authorised;
- delivery cannot reasonably be made to the address provided;
- the order appears fraudulent or unlawful; or
- accepting the order would breach a legal or regulatory obligation.
Any payment already received for an order that is not accepted will be refunded.
6. Payment
Payment will be processed by Stripe or another payment provider identified at checkout. Stonecurrent Press does not ordinarily receive or retain the customer’s complete payment-card details.
Payment may be taken when the order is placed, including for a pre-order. Payment remains subject to authorisation by the payment provider.
You must not attempt to make a payment using a card, account or other payment method you are not authorised to use.
7. Physical books and fulfilment
Books ordered through the website may be printed and dispatched by BookVault or another disclosed print and fulfilment provider. Some orders may be dispatched directly by Stonecurrent Press.
Many Stonecurrent Press titles are produced using print-on-demand. A standard print-on-demand book made to the ordinary specification offered on the website is not automatically a personalised or bespoke product.
Estimated delivery dates are provided in good faith but are not guaranteed unless expressly agreed. Unless another delivery period has been agreed, an order will be delivered without undue delay and normally within 30 days of the contract being formed.
Stonecurrent Press is not responsible for delays caused by an inaccurate or incomplete delivery address supplied by the customer.
Risk of loss or damage passes to a consumer when the goods are delivered to the consumer or a person nominated by them. Ownership passes when full payment has been received and the goods have been delivered.
8. Pre-orders
A product described as a pre-order is not yet ready for immediate dispatch. The relevant page will provide the anticipated publication or dispatch date where this is known.
Publication and production dates can change. If a material delay occurs, Stonecurrent Press will provide updated information where reasonably possible. The customer may cancel the pre-order before dispatch and receive a refund.
Stonecurrent Press may cancel a pre-order if publication does not proceed or fulfilment becomes impracticable. Any amount paid for the cancelled item will be refunded.
9. Cancellations, returns and refunds
Consumer cancellation, return and refund rights for direct orders are set out in the separate Refund, Returns and Cancellation Policy, which forms part of these terms.
Nothing in these terms restricts your statutory rights where goods are faulty, damaged, not as described or otherwise fail to conform to the contract.
Before returning a product, please contact editorial@stonecurrentpress.co.uk for return authorisation and instructions.
Authorised returns for eligible website orders may be sent to:
Stonecurrent Press
Beech House
Newbiggin
Temple Sowerby
Cumbria
CA10 1TA
United Kingdom
Do not send returns to BookVault, Amazon, IngramSpark or another printer or distributor unless Stonecurrent Press expressly instructs you to do so.
10. Digital content and ebooks
The relevant product page will identify the supplied digital format and any material compatibility requirements known to Stonecurrent Press. It is the customer’s responsibility to check that the format is suitable for their device or software before downloading it.
Where digital content is made available immediately, you will be asked to expressly consent to supply beginning during the statutory cancellation period and to acknowledge that the right to cancel will be lost once the download or supply begins.
This does not affect your statutory rights if digital content is faulty, misdescribed or not supplied with reasonable care and skill.
Digital content is licensed for the purchaser’s personal use. It must not be copied, uploaded, shared, resold, distributed or made publicly available except where permitted by law or expressly authorised in writing.
11. Editorial services
Editorial services may include manuscript assessment, developmental editorial reports, independent-publishing consultation and series-development consultation.
An enquiry does not create a contract or oblige Stonecurrent Press to accept a project. Before work begins, the parties will agree in writing:
- the material to be considered;
- the scope and limits of the service;
- the fee and payment arrangements;
- the expected timetable;
- what will be delivered; and
- any project-specific conditions.
Stonecurrent Press will provide editorial services with reasonable care and skill. Editorial assessment necessarily involves professional judgement. No guarantee is made that:
- a manuscript will be accepted by a publisher or literary agent;
- a book will be published or achieve particular sales;
- every error or issue will be identified;
- following editorial recommendations will produce a particular result; or
- a manuscript will become suitable for publication.
Unless expressly included in the agreed scope, editorial work does not include proofreading, legal review, fact-checking, permissions clearance, plagiarism investigation, publication, representation, marketing or submission to publishers or agents.
The client remains responsible for the manuscript, all revisions, factual accuracy, legal compliance and final publication decisions.
Additional work or material outside the agreed scope may require a revised fee and timetable.
If the client does not provide the required material, information, decisions or responses on time, the delivery date may be extended.
Cancellation arrangements for editorial services are set out in the Refund, Returns and Cancellation Policy and any written project agreement.
12. Editorial independence and publishing decisions
Purchasing an editorial service does not constitute a publishing submission and does not give the client or manuscript any preference in relation to publication by Stonecurrent Press.
Editorial-service decisions and publishing decisions are separate. Payment for editorial work does not guarantee consideration, acceptance, representation, endorsement or publication.
Stonecurrent Press does not charge authors as a condition of publication.
13. Submissions
Publishing submissions are governed by the current instructions on the Submissions page.
Submitting material does not create a contract, establish an agency or advisory relationship, or oblige Stonecurrent Press to read, assess, retain, respond to or publish the material, except to the extent expressly stated in the submission instructions or separately agreed in writing.
Copyright in submitted material remains with its owner. No publishing rights are acquired by Stonecurrent Press unless they are granted under a separate written publishing agreement.
14. Material supplied to Stonecurrent Press
If you send a manuscript, image, document or other material to Stonecurrent Press, you confirm that:
- you own the relevant rights or have permission to supply it;
- its use for the requested purpose will not infringe another person’s rights;
- it is not knowingly unlawful, defamatory, malicious or misleading; and
- you have disclosed any relevant confidentiality or handling restrictions.
You grant Stonecurrent Press a limited permission to receive, store, copy and process the material solely as reasonably necessary to deal with your enquiry, submission or commissioned service.
How personal information and manuscript material are handled is explained in the Privacy Policy.
15. Copyright and permitted use
Unless otherwise stated, the website and its contents—including text, branding, design, images, downloadable material and the Stonecurrent Press logo—are owned by or licensed to Ian P. Loftus trading as Stonecurrent Press.
You may view the website and print or save reasonable extracts for personal, non-commercial use.
You must not reproduce, republish, sell, modify, scrape, systematically extract, distribute or commercially exploit website content without prior written permission, except where permitted by law.
Any public-domain text reproduced in a Stonecurrent Press publication remains public domain where applicable. Copyright may nevertheless subsist in original introductions, commentary, annotations, translations, design and other new material.
16. Acceptable use
You must not:
- use the website for unlawful, fraudulent or abusive purposes;
- attempt to gain unauthorised access to the website, server or another user’s data;
- introduce malware or other harmful technology;
- interfere with the website’s operation or security;
- submit material intended to deceive, threaten or harass;
- use automated systems to extract substantial website content without permission; or
- misuse contact, submission or payment facilities.
Access may be restricted or blocked where reasonably necessary to protect the website, its users or Stonecurrent Press.
17. External websites and retailers
The website may contain links to booksellers, distributors, payment providers and other external websites.
External services are operated independently and have their own terms and privacy practices. A link does not necessarily constitute endorsement, and Stonecurrent Press is not responsible for external website content or availability.
A purchase completed on an external retailer’s website is a contract with that retailer, not a direct sale by Stonecurrent Press.
18. Website availability
Stonecurrent Press does not guarantee that the website will always be available, uninterrupted or free from technical faults.
Access may be suspended or restricted for maintenance, security, updates or circumstances outside reasonable control. Stonecurrent Press will take reasonable steps to restore service where practicable.
19. Liability
Nothing in these terms excludes or restricts liability where doing so would be unlawful, including liability for:
- death or personal injury caused by negligence;
- fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
- breach of statutory rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
For consumers, Stonecurrent Press is responsible for losses that are a foreseeable consequence of breaching the contract or failing to use reasonable care and skill. Stonecurrent Press is not responsible for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when the contract was formed.
Stonecurrent Press supplies consumer products and services for private use. It is not responsible to a consumer for business losses, including loss of profit, income, opportunity or business interruption.
Where a customer purchases primarily for business purposes, and to the extent permitted by law, Stonecurrent Press’s total liability arising from the relevant contract will not exceed the amount paid under that contract. This limit does not apply to liability that cannot legally be limited.
20. Events outside reasonable control
Stonecurrent Press will not be responsible for delay or failure caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including postal disruption, failure of a fulfilment provider, industrial action, transport interruption, natural disaster, epidemic, war, civil disturbance, governmental action, utility failure or widespread failure of internet or payment services.
Where such an event materially affects an order or service, Stonecurrent Press will take reasonable steps to minimise the effect and will contact the customer where practicable. Statutory cancellation and refund rights remain unaffected.
21. Changes to these terms
These terms may be revised to reflect changes in the website, products, services, business arrangements or applicable law.
The version applying to an order or service contract will normally be the version in force when that contract is formed. Changes will not retrospectively alter an existing contract unless required by law or agreed with the customer.
The date of the latest revision appears at the beginning of this page.
22. General provisions
If any provision of these terms is found to be unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect.
A delay in enforcing a right does not waive that right.
You may not transfer your rights or obligations under a contract without written permission. Stonecurrent Press may use printers, fulfilment providers, payment processors and other subcontractors to perform parts of the contract while remaining responsible for its own contractual obligations.
No person other than the customer and Ian P. Loftus trading as Stonecurrent Press has a right to enforce a contract under these terms, except where the law provides otherwise.
23. Governing law and courts
These terms and contracts made under them are governed by the law of England and Wales.
If you are a consumer resident elsewhere in the United Kingdom, you retain any mandatory protections provided by the law of the country in which you live and may bring proceedings in the courts available to you under applicable consumer law.
Business customers agree that the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction.
24. Complaints and contact
If you have a question or complaint concerning the website, an order or an editorial service, please contact:
Ian P. Loftus trading as Stonecurrent Press
Beech House
Newbiggin
Temple Sowerby
Cumbria
CA10 1TA
United Kingdom
Email: editorial@stonecurrentpress.co.uk
Please include the relevant order number or project details. Stonecurrent Press will aim to acknowledge the complaint promptly and address it fairly.