Shipping Policy
This Shipping Policy explains how Forgotten Rites Publishing processes, fulfills, and ships orders placed through forgottenritespublishing.com. It works together with our Refund and Returns Policy and our Terms and Conditions.
Effective date: August 2, 2026.
Order Processing
When you place an order, we begin processing it according to the product type and shipping method you choose. Order confirmation does not always mean your order has entered production. Standard BookVault-fulfilled books may enter production soon after payment is confirmed, except where a preorder hold applies as described below.
Preorders
Some titles, including The Bones Beneath the Maple, are offered for preorder before their release date. Payment is collected when you place a preorder. The Bones Beneath the Maple releases September 4, 2026. Standard preorder copies are held and do not enter production until on or after the release date. Delivery on the release date itself is not guaranteed. Production and delivery estimates begin only after the order has been released for processing.
Preorders must be placed in a separate order from non-preorder items. Checkout will ask you to complete preorder and non-preorder purchases separately. Signed Copy preorders are not currently available for this title because that edition is out of stock.
BookVault Print-on-Demand Books
Most Standard edition paperbacks and hardbacks are printed and fulfilled through our print-on-demand partner, BookVault, on our behalf. Production time is separate from carrier transit time, discussed below. If you have a question about a BookVault-fulfilled order, please contact us directly using the information at the end of this policy rather than contacting BookVault, since we handle all customer communication.
Signed Copies
Signed Copies are fulfilled locally by Forgotten Rites Publishing rather than through BookVault, and may ship on a different timeline than BookVault-fulfilled Standard editions. Signed Copy mailing is currently limited to United States destinations. If your cart contains a Signed Copy along with an international shipping address, checkout may not offer a shipping option, since we cannot yet ship signed items outside the United States.
Domestic Shipping
For United States orders, BookVault-linked Standard books may ship by USPS Media Mail or UPS Ground, when offered at checkout. US paperback production is generally estimated at 3 to 5 working days, and US hardback production is generally estimated at 5 to 7 working days. If your order includes both a paperback and a hardback, the entire order generally follows the longer of the two production estimates.
After production, UPS Ground transit is generally estimated at 1 to 5 business days after dispatch, and USPS Media Mail is generally estimated at 2 to 8 business days after dispatch, though delays may be longer. These are estimates, not guarantees.
International Shipping
International mailing is available for eligible BookVault-linked Standard books when checkout returns a shipping method for your destination. Signed Copy mailing is currently limited to US destinations, so an international cart containing a Signed Copy may not receive a shipping option.
Some international services are tracked and some are untracked. Any service checkout identifies as untracked, including some Royal Mail services, should be treated as untracked. Any service checkout identifies as tracked, including some Delivery Group and DPD services, can be treated as tracked. A label such as economy or priority does not by itself mean a shipment is tracked, only the specific service checkout applies to your order controls that.
Customs duties, import taxes, brokerage charges, and other local fees are the recipient’s responsibility unless checkout explicitly states otherwise. Customs and carrier delays are outside our control.
Mixed Carts
A cart cannot combine a preorder item with a non-preorder item. If you try to add a non-preorder product to a cart that already contains a preorder, or a preorder to a cart that already contains another product, checkout will ask you to complete these as separate orders so each can be fulfilled and scheduled correctly. You may still order more than one copy of the same preorder title in a single cart.
Event Pickup
Instead of mail delivery, you may choose to collect your order at a specific in-person event. If you choose Event Pickup, you must select one available, upcoming event during checkout.
Both card payment and Pay at Event Pickup may be offered for Event Pickup orders. Card payments are collected when the order is placed. Pay at Event Pickup does not collect payment during checkout, payment is instead handled at the event itself.
You have until the selected event ends to collect your order. If you miss the event, please contact us. You may choose a future available event or request a refund, subject to the terms in our Refund and Returns Policy. We cannot guarantee that any particular future event or location will continue to be offered.
Delivery Estimates
Any delivery date or window shown on our site is an estimate built from production time plus carrier transit time. It is not a guaranteed delivery date. Actual delivery can be affected by production volume, carrier performance, weather, customs processing, and other factors outside our control.
Tracking
Whether your shipment includes tracking depends on the specific shipping service selected at checkout. We do not promise tracking for USPS Media Mail, UPS Ground, or any international service, unless checkout or your shipment confirmation identifies that specific service as tracked.
Address Accuracy and Changes
You are responsible for entering an accurate shipping address at checkout. If you notice an error, contact us immediately. Depending on timing, BookVault may be able to update a delivery address or shipping service before an order is scanned into dispatch, but we cannot guarantee an address change will be possible once an order has been submitted, and no change can be made once an order has been dispatched. Additional production or shipping costs caused by a customer-entered address error may be your responsibility.
Delays
Production and carrier delays can occur, including for reasons outside our control such as high order volume, weather, customs holds, or carrier service disruptions. We will do our best to keep you informed if we become aware of a significant delay affecting your order.
Lost or Undelivered Shipments
If your order has not arrived within a reasonable time after the estimated delivery window, please contact us rather than BookVault directly, so we can investigate on your behalf.
For shipments sent by an untracked service, our print partner generally cannot file a carrier claim and does not promise a reprint. For shipments sent by a tracked service, where tracking shows no updates or the carrier confirms the package as lost, a carrier claim and reprint may be available. We will review the shipping service used, any tracking information, the delivery address, carrier status, and eligibility with our print partner before offering a resolution. We do not promise an automatic refund or replacement before this review is complete.
Packages Marked Delivered
If tracking shows your package as delivered but you have not received it, please check your delivery address, with other members of your household, with neighbors where appropriate, and any safe-delivery location or carrier notice. You should also contact the carrier when appropriate.
We will review the available tracking and fulfillment information. A delivered scan by itself does not create an automatic right to a refund or replacement. Any resolution depends on the carrier’s findings, our print partner’s eligibility rules, and the circumstances of your order.
Damaged or Incorrect Orders
If your order arrives damaged, defective, misprinted, or incorrect, please contact us within 7 days of delivery with your order number, a description of the problem, and photographs when we reasonably need them to evaluate the issue. See our Refund and Returns Policy for how we handle these situations, including for Signed Copies and personalized items.
Customs and Import Charges
For international orders, customs duties, import taxes, brokerage fees, and other local charges are the responsibility of the recipient unless checkout explicitly states otherwise. These charges are set by your country’s customs authority and are outside our control, as are delays caused by customs processing or the carrier.
Contact Us
If you have a question about shipping, a preorder, or an order that has not arrived, contact us at [email protected]. For information about returns and refunds, see our Refund and Returns Policy.