The agreement
These terms are between you and Oshin, based in San Mateo, California. Beginning a book means you accept them. If something here doesn't work for you, write to us before you start — we're small enough to talk.
What we make
We interview you and the people you invite, transcribe and organise what is said, write a draft, and — once you approve it — print and post a bound book. Drafting is done by Oshin's AI with your approval on every change, and, on the editions that include them, by a human editor or writer.
What you pay
- $49 a month. One subscription covers everything Oshin does — every kind of book, as many of them as you like, as many conversations as it takes, and however many people contribute. There is no charge per person and no charge per book.
- It renews every month until you cancel, at the price shown when you began. If we ever change that price we will email you first, and the change applies from your next renewal.
- Printing is separate, and optional. You only pay for it if you want a physical book, at the price shown when you order. Extra copies are charged at the price shown at the time.
- A 7-day money-back guarantee. Within 7 days of your first payment, ask and we refund every dollar you have paid us — no reason needed. The subscription is monthly, so the window is a week rather than a quarter; if we ever offer an annual plan it will carry a longer one.
- If your use is far beyond the ordinary, we will say so. Interviewing and drafting cost us real money, and the price covers ordinary use comfortably. In the rare case that someone's use runs well past it, we will tell you and ask you to top up — rather than quietly slowing your book down or stopping it without saying why.
Stopping
Cancel whenever you like, from your account. Your subscription runs to the end of the month you have already paid for and then stops; we do not pro-rate a part-month.
Cancelling does not take your book away. Everything made up to that point stays yours: you can read it, export it, and order it printed, for as long as Oshin exists. What stops is the work — no new interviews, no new drafts — until you start again. We would rather you left with the material than felt trapped in a project about your own family.
We may stop too, in rare cases: if we cannot reach you for a long stretch, if a payment fails repeatedly, or in the situations under Fair use of the service below. We will tell you why, and refund anything paid for work not yet done.
Who owns what
- You own your material — the recordings, photographs, documents, and everything contributed to your project.
- You own the finished book and may print, copy, quote, or publish it as you wish.
- You give us permission to use that material only to make your book, and to keep it available to you afterwards. Nothing more.
- Oshin owns its own software, methods, and this website.
We will not show your book to anyone
Not as a sample, not on this site, not in anything we write about our work — unless you tell us in writing that we may, and you can withdraw that permission later.
Recording other people
When you invite contributors, you confirm you have their permission to record them and to include what they say in the book. Contributors are told what they are contributing to, and may ask us to remove their own contribution.
What we don't promise
We work hard on these books, but a book is a made thing and taste is personal. We do not promise a particular literary standard, nor that a draft will be right first time — that is why you see a finished chapter early and approve every change before anything is printed. Dates for printing and delivery are estimates and depend on our printer and the post.
Accuracy is a shared job. Oshin writes from what people tell it, and memory is imperfect. Checking the finished book against what your family knows is your part of the work.
Fair use of the service
Don't use Oshin to record people without their knowledge, to make material about someone that is defamatory or unlawful, or to attack the service itself. We will end a project doing any of these.
If something goes wrong
If we fail you, our responsibility is limited to what you have paid us in the twelve months before. We are not liable for indirect losses. Nothing here limits liability that the law does not allow us to limit.
Governing law
California law governs these terms, and the courts of San Mateo County are where any dispute would be heard. We would much rather settle it in an email.
Changes
We may update these terms. The version that applies to your book is the one in force when you began it, and we will email you about material changes rather than quietly updating this page.
Contact
Book a call with us and ask. A person answers.