Foreign Edition Studio FAQ
Know the rights, commercial, and file position before you begin.
The Studio is designed to remove avoidable ambiguity before a confidential manuscript enters production. These answers explain the standard path; your final proposal and agreement remain specific to the manuscript.
Core questions
Direct answers, without hiding the conditions.
Eligibility, final rate, package scope, agreement, capacity, and payment are confirmed in sequence rather than promised by a calculator or an intake form.
Do I give Maquine my publishing rights?
No. The standard Studio service is a project-fee engagement. You retain the original copyright, publishing rights, royalties, and creative control. Maquine receives only the limited authorization needed to review, localize, process, and deliver the contracted edition.
Is the online calculation an exact quote?
For an eligible project, yes. The Studio calculates the exact localization fee from the supported language pair, target-market variant, declared source-word count, genre, and material-scope answers, then adds only the publication tier you select. After email verification, the server recalculates and locks those terms into a versioned proposal. Poetry, specialist or layout-dependent formats, and projects above 200,000 words require a manual scope review.
How does the paid Localization Pilot work?
The USD 950 Pilot covers up to 10 source pages or 2,500 source words, whichever limit is reached first, with an edited localization, terminology and voice note, and QA summary. Fifty percent is credited to the corresponding full Studio project commissioned within 30 days. The Pilot is a paid editorial engagement with defined review and delivery records.
Do I need to upload my manuscript to receive a quote?
No. Eligible projects can calculate, verify, lock, and accept a proposal using declared scope only. The manuscript is required after agreement and deposit, before production begins. Maquine compares the uploaded file with the declared language, target market, genre, source-word count, and material-scope answers; a material variance requires an agreed change order.
Can I purchase localization without publication packages?
Yes. Manuscript localization is available on its own. Metadata, publication-ready files, retailer copy, distribution support, and add-ons are optional and are never preselected.
When is payment due?
Readiness Reviews and Localization Pilots are paid in full before work begins. The standard full-project structure is 50% after quote acceptance, completion of the required agreement, and Maquine capacity confirmation. The final 50% is due before release of the contracted deliverables.
How are manuscripts protected?
Confidential files are uploaded to private storage, placed in quarantine, validated, scanned, and made available only through authenticated, authorized access. Files are never placed in the public website or sent to a generative-AI provider by default. Any approved assistive processing must be disclosed and agreed for the project.
Can Maquine publish or distribute the edition later?
Only through a separate, explicit, optional agreement. The Studio engagement does not create an implied publishing license, distribution right, royalty share, territorial license, or long-term exclusivity.
Need the complete sequence?
Follow every customer and Maquine action from estimate to delivery.
Automatic declared-scope quote
Price the edition before sharing the manuscript.
Calculate the exact eligible-project price, choose one optional publication tier, and lock the proposal after email verification. The private manuscript enters only after agreement and deposit.