Terms of Service

The Second Reach Publishing LLC · www.thesecondreach.com · Effective June 19, 2026

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of The Second Reach platform, located at www.thesecondreach.com (the “Platform”), operated by The Second Reach Publishing LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company (“we,” “us,” or “our”). By creating an account or accessing any content on the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

1. The Platform

The Second Reach is a digital platform providing access to the literary work The Second Reach by Sage: Harry Williams Jr. (the “Work”), along with audio narration, private user profiles, a community discussion forum, and integrated reading engagement features. The Platform is designed as a space for sustained, intentional intellectual exchange around the ideas presented in the Work.

2. Account Registration and Access

To access the Platform, you must create an account by providing your name, email address, and, optionally, a phone number. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.

Access to the Platform requires a one-time payment of fifty dollars ($50.00), which grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access the Work, audio narration, your private profile, the community forum, and all integrated Platform features. This payment is not a purchase of the Work itself but a license to access and engage with the Platform and its contents.

3. Physical Book Purchasers: QR Code Upgrade

Purchasers of the physical edition of The Second Reach may upgrade to full Platform access by scanning the QR code included in the physical book. The QR code will direct you to a registration page where your twenty-dollar ($20.00) book purchase will be credited toward the fifty-dollar ($50.00) Platform access fee, leaving a remaining balance of thirty dollars ($30.00). The physical book purchase and the Platform access are separate transactions. Refunding or returning the physical book after applying the QR code credit does not entitle you to a refund of the upgrade payment, nor does it revoke the credit already applied. We reserve the right to void QR code credits in cases of fraud or abuse.

4. Intellectual Property

All content on the Platform, including but not limited to the text of the Work, audio narration, design elements, logos, platform architecture, and all associated intellectual property, is owned by The Second Reach Publishing LLC and/or its author, Sage: Harry Williams Jr., and is protected by United States copyright law, trademark law, and applicable international intellectual property protections.

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, transmit, display, sell, license, or otherwise exploit any content from the Platform for any purpose without the prior written consent of The Second Reach Publishing LLC. Your access constitutes a limited license to read, listen to, and engage with the material for personal, non-commercial use only.

Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of any portion of the Work or Platform content may result in immediate termination of your access and may subject you to civil and criminal liability.

5. User-Generated Content

The Platform allows you to create content in several ways: on your private profile wall, in the public community discussion forum, through the “Put the Book Down” feature (described in Section 7), and within Conversational Throughput spaces (described in Section 8). Collectively, this is referred to as “User Content.” You retain ownership of the intellectual property rights in any original User Content you create.

By posting or submitting User Content to the Platform, you grant The Second Reach Publishing LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to store, display, and use your User Content solely in connection with the operation of the Platform and the author’s research into how readers engage with the Work. We will not use your User Content for marketing, advertising, or solicitation purposes, nor will we share it with third parties.

You are solely responsible for the content you post. You represent and warrant that your User Content does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of any third party, does not contain unlawful material, and complies with the Community Code set forth in Section 6.

6. Community Code and Conduct

The Platform operates under the following Community Code:

“This community exists for sustained, intentional exchange. Disagreement is welcome. Disrespect is not. The distinction between the two is the same distinction this book draws between friction that builds and friction that destroys. One sharpens. The other corrodes. We practice the first and do not tolerate the second.”

We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to remove any User Content and to suspend or permanently terminate the account of any user who violates the Community Code, engages in harassment, hate speech, threats, spam, or any conduct that undermines the integrity of the community. Termination of access for violation of these Terms does not entitle you to a refund.

7. “Put the Book Down” Feature

The Platform includes a persistent “Put the Book Down” button that is available throughout the reading experience. This feature is entirely voluntary. At any moment during reading, you may press this button to record a pause. When pressed, the Platform records the chapter you are reading and your approximate position within that chapter (expressed as a percentage). You are then given the option to provide a brief written reflection of up to 280 characters describing what prompted you to stop. This written reflection is optional; you may record a pause without providing any text.

Data collected through this feature is stored in the Platform’s database and is visible to the Platform administrator and author. This data is used solely to study how readers experience and engage with the Work. It is not shared with third parties, not used for marketing purposes, and not publicly displayed. Your use of this feature constitutes consent to the collection and use of this data as described herein and in the Privacy Policy.

8. Conversational Throughput

The Platform includes a feature called “Conversational Throughput,” which detects when a sustained dialogue is forming between two users in the community forum. When two individuals have exchanged five (5) collective comments in sequence on the same thread, the Platform will notify both users that a conversation is emerging and offer them the option to continue their exchange in a dedicated space.

Participation in Conversational Throughput is entirely voluntary. Both users must affirmatively consent to move the conversation into the dedicated space. If either user declines, the conversation continues in the public forum without interruption. The dedicated space is populated with the five preceding exchanges as pinned context.

Conversations that take place in Conversational Throughput spaces are visible to the Platform administrator and author. This visibility exists for the purpose of studying how ideas emerge through sustained dialogue, a core research interest of the Work. Users should understand that Conversational Throughput spaces are not private channels. By opting into a Conversational Throughput space, you consent to the administrator’s ability to view the contents of that conversation. This data is not shared with third parties and is not used for marketing or solicitation.

9. Payment and Refunds

All payments are processed through Stripe, a third-party payment processor. We do not store your credit card or payment information on our servers. Your payment information is subject to Stripe’s terms of service and privacy policy, available at stripe.com.

The fifty-dollar ($50.00) Platform access fee is a one-time payment. Refund requests may be submitted within fourteen (14) days of purchase if you have not accessed any chapter content beyond the first chapter. Once you have accessed content beyond the first chapter, no refund will be issued. Refund requests should be directed to thesecondreach4@gmail.com.

10. Privacy

Your use of the Platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. Please review the Privacy Policy for information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

11. Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SECOND REACH PUBLISHING LLC, ITS OWNER, AUTHOR, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUE, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE) THE PLATFORM. OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID FOR PLATFORM ACCESS.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Second Reach Publishing LLC, its owner, author, officers, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or in any way connected with your access to or use of the Platform, your User Content, or your violation of these Terms.

14. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Platform at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. Upon termination, your license to access the Platform and its content immediately ceases. You may request termination of your own account at any time by contacting us at thesecondreach4@gmail.com. Upon account termination, your User Content posted to the public forum and Conversational Throughput spaces will remain on the Platform unless you specifically request its removal prior to termination. Data collected through the “Put the Book Down” feature will be retained in anonymized form for research purposes.

15. Modifications to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by posting a notice on the Platform prior to the effective date of the changes. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

16. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

18. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Second Reach Publishing LLC regarding your use of the Platform and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

19. Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact: The Second Reach Publishing LLC · thesecondreach4@gmail.com · (704) 750-5448