Institutional Integrity

Trust & Confidentiality

Your unpublished novel is the culmination of immense creative labor. We protect it through rigorous operational protocols, total authorial sovereignty, and discreet human stewardship.

100% Author IP Sovereignty
Strict Non-Disclosure
Restricted Editorial Access
Human Editorial Discretion
Encrypted Storage
Ownership Rights

1. Absolute Intellectual Property Sovereignty

You retain 100% of all copyright, moral rights, and commercial ownership of your manuscript, worldbuilding, characters, and narrative concepts. Scriptorium Studio claims zero rights, moral ownership, or royalty interests over any work submitted to us.

Any editorial suggestions, margin notes, or developmental frameworks provided during an engagement are delivered for your unrestricted use. You remain the sole arbiter of your text, free to accept, modify, or reject any recommendation without residual obligation.

Operational Security

2. Manuscript Confidentiality & Controlled Access

We treat unpublished manuscripts with strict institutional discretion. Every editor, director, and staff member at Scriptorium Studio operates under legally binding non-disclosure agreements designed to protect your literary ideas and unpublished materials.

Editorial access is strictly restricted: only two people ever view or handle your manuscript files—your assigned Senior Editor and the Senior Managing Editor overseeing project milestones. We do not distribute files to junior assistants, external contractors, or unvetted readers.

All file transfers are protected in transit using TLS 1.3 cryptographic protocols. Stored files reside in access-restricted, AES-256 encrypted storage environments with multi-factor authentication enforced on all editorial accounts.

Data Hygiene

3. Data Retention & Permanent Deletion Policy

We maintain a transparent and predictable lifecycle for all client files:

  • Active Project Duration: Your manuscript and revision notes are accessible exclusively to your assigned editor and managing editor while reading and diagnostics are underway.
  • 90-Day Archival Window: Upon delivery of your Editorial Dossier and annotated manuscript, files are preserved in your secure Client Vault for 90 days. This allows you ample time to download deliverables, review notes, and submit written follow-up queries to your editor.
  • Scheduled Purge & Immediate Deletion on Request: Authors may request the immediate, permanent removal of their manuscript drafts from our working storage at any time following deliverable receipt. Unless an ongoing engagement or explicit extension is requested, raw working files are automatically purged from active storage drives after 180 days.
Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

4. Zero AI Training & Non-Algorithmic Processing

Scriptorium Studio operates exclusively as a human editorial studio. We make the following clear disclosures regarding modern computational practices:

No AI Model Training: Your manuscript is never shared with, fed into, ingested by, or used to train third-party artificial intelligence models, machine learning datasets, or neural networks.

No Automated Text Evaluation: We do not run manuscripts through automated text parsers, AI grammar engines, or computational plotting software. Every evaluation is the product of sustained, patient reading by a human editor possessing deep literary discernment.

Financial Security & Fair Protection

5. Review Before Final Payment & Financial Integrity

We believe high-trust editorial work should never demand full blind prepayment. All full manuscript engagements operate on strict milestone-based payment schedules with built-in author review periods:

  • Milestone Architecture: Standard projects under $1,500 are structured as 50% upon commencement and 50% upon deliverable completion. Engagements over $1,500 are divided into 33% / 33% / 34% tiers.
  • Deliverable Review Window: You receive an unhurried 7 business days (10 business days for developmental editing) to thoroughly inspect your annotated manuscript and editorial letter before the final milestone is authorized.
  • In-Scope Revisions Included: Authors may submit clarifying queries and request textual refinements within original scope before final milestone release.
  • PCI-DSS Level 1 Encryption: All transactions are processed through Stripe with end-to-end tokenization. Scriptorium Studio never sees or stores card details.

For comprehensive terms, dispute resolution protocols, and refund guarantees, explore our dedicated How Payment Works page →

Discretion & Privacy

6. Client Discretion & Communication Standards

Many of our authors work under pen names or prefer that their developmental preparation remain strictly private ahead of submission to literary agencies or publishing houses. We respect this discretion unconditionally.

We never disclose client identities, working titles, or project details in promotional materials, case studies, or public announcements without prior, explicit written permission. We do not sell, rent, or monetize client contact information under any circumstance.

Zero Financial Risk

Experience Our Standards Before Any Commitment

New authors can test our craft through The First 1,000 Words—a genuine, unautomated editorial reading and line-level markup of your opening scene. No credit card is requested. No recurring subscription exists. It is an authentic demonstration of our editorial discernment.

Submit Opening 1,000 Words (Complimentary) →

Entrust Your Novel to Rigorous, Confidential Hands

Begin with an objective, confidential Manuscript Assessment, or experience our editorial discernment risk-free with our complimentary 1,000-word reading.