At a glance
- Manuscript upload
- Required
- Cloud storage
- Yes
- Account required
- Yes
- AI features
- Optional
- AI training on your work
- Explicitly excluded
- Content licence
- Narrow — scoped to running the service
- Deletion
- Available
- Export / portability
- Strong
- Policy transparency
- Clear
“Not determined” means the documents were read and did not settle it. “Not assessed” means it has not been researched. Neither means “no”.
What this means for authors
Editorial interpretation — Generally protective
The terms are scoped to what the service needs to operate, with clear routes to withdraw.
Among the most author-protective records in the index. The author keeps all copyright; the licence is non-exclusive, worldwide and — notably — not perpetual, ending once a withdrawn title is pulled; and the agreement states outright that PublishDrive does not use an author's content for AI training or share it with third parties to train their models. On paid plans PublishDrive takes 0% commission, so the author earns the full store royalty and sets the price. It is held just short of the strongest rating by the broad "license others to do so" sublicensing language inherent to distribution, the absence of any guaranteed rate, and the fact that distribution is pay-to-play — the protection depends on keeping an active subscription rather than a share of sales.
Content licence
The author keeps all copyright and intellectual-property rights. The licence granted is a non-exclusive, worldwide right to publish, distribute, market, print and sell the work and to license stores to do so — scoped in time to "so long as necessary" to run the service, fulfil orders and comply with law, rather than being perpetual. Withdrawal is available at any time, after which the licence ends once the title has been pulled (stores may keep archival copies for prior buyers).
AI and model training
Unusually explicit. The Digital Distribution Agreement states: "We do not use your content for AI training purposes... Your content is never shared with third parties for the purpose of training their AI models," and its research-and-development permission is expressly carved to exclude "AI training on your content." PublishDrive's optional Publishing Assistant uses third-party AI (OpenAI, Anthropic) for metadata and cover help; data sent to those APIs is not used to train their models by default.
Tracking and telemetry
Not assessed.
Deletion
A work can be withdrawn at any time for any reason; removal from retailers takes about 4–6 weeks, and the licence continues only until the title is pulled. Stores may retain archival copies so people who already bought it keep access.
Export and lock-in
Non-exclusive with author-set pricing and at-will withdrawal, and the author keeps copyright — so the same book can be sold anywhere else at the same time and moved away entirely. The main friction is commercial: distribution depends on an active subscription.
Sources
Every factual claim above is drawn from these documents.
Official terms
PublishDrive Digital Distribution Agreement & Terms and ConditionsPublishDrive
Accessed 25 September 2026
Source for the non-exclusive, worldwide, non-perpetual licence with store sublicensing, full author copyright retention, at-will withdrawal, the explicit no-AI-training clause, and the absence of a guaranteed rate.
Official pricing
PublishDrive pricingPublishDrive
Accessed 25 September 2026
Source for the subscription model, the 0% commission on paid plans, the plan range and the limited free plan.
Official help centre
Do I need an ISBN to publish my book? Which stores require it?PublishDrive
Accessed 25 September 2026
Source for the free PublishDrive Unique Identifier (PUI) where the author has no ISBN, and acceptance of the author's own ISBN.
Official help centre
How will I get paid?PublishDrive
Accessed 25 September 2026
Source for the consolidated monthly payout about one month after the earnings report, the $5 minimum threshold and the payment methods.
Official help centre
Royalties: how much will I earn?PublishDrive
Accessed 25 September 2026
Source for keeping 100% of the full store royalty on subscription plans, the agency pricing model, and the 2019 retirement of the legacy royalty-share plan.
Official help centre
Third-Party AI Tools We Use at PublishDrivePublishDrive
Accessed 25 September 2026
Source for the optional Publishing Assistant using third-party AI (OpenAI, Anthropic) whose APIs do not train on submitted data by default.
Caveats
This is an informational reading of published documents, not legal advice, and it describes what PublishDrive’s terms permit and require rather than what the company does in practice. Terms change without announcement. How this is assessed.