PRIVACY NOTICE

We take your privacy and our responsibility to protect your information seriously.

1. WHO WE ARE

1.1 Our Company (company, we, us, our) is part of the Hachette UK Group of companies (see here).

1.2 We are the data controller in respect of your personal information. This privacy notice (Privacy Notice), together with our Cookie Policy, sets out ways in which we collect, use and share your personal data (your information) in connection with our publishing business. It also explains what right you have to access or change your personal data.

1.3 This Privacy Notice applies to anyone visiting our websites or attending our events, and includes authors, customers and speakers. Please read our Privacy Notice carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal information and how it will be treated.

2. CONTACT INFORMATION

2.1 For any queries about your personal data and how it is processed you can contact us at:

Legal Department (DPO)
Hachette UK Limited
Carmelite House,
50 Victoria Embankment,
London EC4Y 0DZ, UK
Email: privacy@hachette.co.uk

3. CHILDREN

Our websites are intended for adults. If you are under 13 you will need to have a parent or guardian sign up for any newsletters or services. If you are under 18 you will need to have a parent or guardian place orders on your behalf. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 13.

4. WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU

4.1 Information you provide:

4.1.1 The information you provide to us might include: your name, postal address, email address, phone number, social media handle or profile, gender, date of birth and your reading/marketing preferences. If you’re creating an account you will provide a username and password and if you are ordering products/services (like attending our events) you will provide your payment details. If you are submitting a manuscript you will provide additional information such as your academic and work history, references and any other information you choose to supply. Your information includes anything which identifies you so if you contribute to a blog or provide other user-generated content to us it may include personal information.

4.1.2 For more information on how we process job applicants’ personal data, please see our Privacy Notice for Job Applicants.

4.1.3 If you provide us with more sensitive information this is known as Special Category (“sensitive”) information and may include details about a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious, philosophical or similar beliefs, trade union membership, genetics, biometrics, health, sexual life, sexual orientation or about criminal offences or proceedings. This type of information will be treated differently, and we will explain why we are collecting it. Sensitive data will generally only be used with your explicit consent. However, we may collect sensitive data for example, to help us ensure equality of opportunity or treatment in our publishing business or where it is necessary for things like public health.

4.2 We collect your information when you:

4.2.1 interact or correspond with us in letters, by phone, by SMS, by email, through our websites or via any of our social media accounts or apps;

4.2.2 visit our offices;

4.2.3 buy a ticket for or attend online or physical events we hold (including if your badge is scanned at one of our events);

4.2.4 visit our websites (including when registering on our site, leaving any reviews or comments, or filling in forms on our site, such as when you sign up for newsletters or enter a competition);

4.2.5 create an account on our websites;

4.2.6 contact us with queries about your use of our websites or apps;

4.2.7 subscribe to our mailing lists or newsletters;

4.2.8 submit manuscripts to us by post, email or via one of our websites;

4.2.9 enter into a contract with us;

4.2.10 buy books or other products/services from one of our websites;

4.2.11 submit a request for an inspection copy of one of our books;

4.2.12 submit a review of, or provide feedback about, one of our books or other products;

4.2.13 enter a competition or prize draw or take part in other promotions;

4.2.14 complete contact forms on our websites;

4.2.15 update your account details or profile or change your reading preferences;

4.2.16 provide us with biographical information about you e.g. by completing an author questionnaire;

4.2.17 participate in our customer satisfaction surveys or other market research, feedback and survey responses;

4.2.18 participate in recorded video conferences; and

4.2.19 communicate with us via social networking websites, third party apps or similar technologies.

4.3 Information collected when you use our websites and apps:

4.3.1 We will also collect certain information about how you use our websites and apps and the devices that you use to access them. This includes your IP address, geographical location, device information (such as your hardware model, mobile network information, unique device identifiers), browser type, referral source, length of visit to the website, number of page views, the search queries you make on the website and similar information. This information is collected by Google Analytics on our behalf and may also be collected by third parties (such as Facebook) using cookies and similar technology on our website. For more information on cookies please read our Cookie Policy. We also use technology built into our websites when you subscribe to one of our newsletters to record information about your interest in a particular author, genre or title linked to the page where the newsletter sign-up happens. The interest is not recorded unless you sign up to a specific newsletter. This information is additional to any preferences you may indicate via the sign-up form itself. If you have signed up for direct marketing and we hold a record for you in our CRM this further information is added to your record in our CRM so that we can provide more tailored marketing to you.

4.3.2 Our websites may include third party plug-ins and apps and links to third party websites. We are not responsible for and cannot control the privacy polices of third parties. Please ensure that you read the privacy notices on any such external websites and relevant third parties.

4.3.3 E-Commerce:

If you visit one of our e-commerce sites, we record order history and collect interests in our products such as titles, genres, authors, collections and series on the basis of your use of our website. If you purchase any products directly from us via one of our websites you will be required to submit your name, address, email address and payment details. We or our contractors (such as our e-commerce platform provider) will use this information to process your order and your payment, and to send the products to you. Payments are handled by payment service providers (such as Stripe) who will collect your name, address and payment details solely to process the payment for your products. Your name and address will also be sent to our fulfilment services providers who will use that information solely to process your order and to deliver your products to you and, in the case of digital products, to facilitate your continued access to those products.

4.3.4 Information we receive from third parties:

In certain circumstances, we will receive information about you from third parties. For example,

(a) we use third party providers to verify information provided by you in connection with any manuscript you submit to us for publication. For example, we will use third-party databases or websites to confirm your publication history;

(b) we will receive information about you from third parties if they are referring you to us for publication. For example, if you are the co-author of a manuscript, your co-author will be required to provide us with information about you. Or if you have a literary agent making submissions on your behalf, your agent will provide us with information about you;

(c) we receive information about you from third parties if they are using our service to send our products to you as a gift;

(d) if you give permission to a review platform, bookseller or other third party running a competition or other event involving one of our books or authors for us to contact you;

(e) when we acquire rights from other publishers.

5. HOW WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

5.1 We use your information lawfully. We do not sell your information to third parties. However we use information we collect, across our group companies from you (using technologies such as Facebook Pixel as well as information you provide directly when you sign up to receive direct marketing from us or buy one of our products) to create a profile of you to help us provide more relevant advertising of our products to you and to analyse customer marketing and purchase behaviour. We may also share your information in other ways as set out in the section When We Share Your Information. The details of how we use your information and the legal bases for our use are set out below.

5.2 We may process your personal information to:

5.2.1 process your requests to purchase our products from out websites or apps and to share your information with our warehousing and delivery service providers;

5.2.2 administer your account with us;

5.2.3 provide customer service support;

5.2.4 respond to your queries and correspondence;

5.2.5 contact you about submissions you made or content you provided to us;

5.2.6 keep in contact with you and provide you with marketing communications about our news, events, authors or books and those of other Hachette UK companies that we believe may interest you;

5.2.7 for system administration purposes and for internal operations, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical and survey purposes;

5.2.8 tell you about new website features or services;

5.2.9 send you newsletters;

5.2.10 share your information with third parties such as authors, co-publishers or marketing partners so that they can contact you with information that might interest you (as described in the section When We Share Your Information);

5.2.11 measure or understand the effectiveness of advertising;

5.2.12 deliver relevant advertising (including via social media and other online platforms) and make relevant recommendations and suggestions to you about our products and services;

5.2.13 monitor your use of our websites and apps and your responses to our communications;

5.2.14 personalise, enhance, modify or otherwise improve the services and/or communications that we provide to you;

5.2.15 if you are filmed, photographed or recorded as part of any activities or events, your image or likeness may be used in promotional material, sponsor, exhibitor and media partner coverage in print, online and on broadcast television;

5.2.16 if you are an author, illustrator or other licensor to administer your publishing contract including including receipt, review, editing, production, marketing of your work and payment of royalties;

5.2.17 if you are a speaker, to administer your contract including promoting and invoicing for your services, negotiating contracts on your behalf and making payments to you;

5.2.18 for security and fraud prevention;

5.2.19 to ensure that our website is safe and secure; and

5.2.20 to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

6. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We will only process your personal information where we have a legal basis to do so. The legal basis will depend on the purposes for which we have collected and used your personal information. In almost every case the legal basis will be one of the following:

6.1 Consent: For example where you have provided your consent to receive certain marketing from us. You can withdraw your consent at any time, including by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any marketing email we send you.

6.2 Performance of a contract with you: for example, where you have purchased a product/service from us and we need to use your contact details and payment information in order to process your order and send/provide the product/service to you. This legal base also applies where you are an author, illustrator, speaker or other licensor and we require your personal information to administer your contract.

6.3 Our ‘legitimate business interests’. Where it is necessary for us to understand our customers, promote our services and operate effectively, provided in each case that this is done in a legitimate way which does not unduly affect your privacy and other rights.

6.4 Compliance with law: we may process your personal information where we are subject to a legal obligation and need to use your personal information in order to comply with that obligation.

7. WHO PROCESSES YOUR INFORMATION FOR US

Your information may be processed by our staff or by the staff of third parties we work with to deliver our business. Processing can mean any activity that involves the use of information about someone that can identify them. All uses, for example, obtaining, recording, storing, disclosing, organising, retrieving, deleting and destroying are types of data processing. We take measures to ensure that third parties processing your information on our behalf are acting lawfully in accordance with our instructions and are subject to appropriate confidentiality requirements. We also have adequate technical and organisational safeguards in place in our company and with third party processors to protect your information. Third party processors of your information include:

(a) website hosts and operators, IT support providers, database operators, site analytics providers and software developers;

(b) marketing or publicity service providers (e.g. CRM, surveys, quizzes, competitions and newsletter providers);

(c) social media and other online platforms to send you targeted advertising based on your preferences and other information we hold about you;

(d) events organisers and events platform service providers;

(e) video-conferencing service providers;

(f) our editorial and production service providers, submissions platform providers; peer-reviewers, third-party manuscript readers;

(g) e-commerce provider and connected service providers (e.g. payment service provider);

(h) our royalty system software provider;

(i) our financial services and payment service provider;

(j) our warehousing and delivery service providers;

(k) our auditors, technical consultants and legal advisors;

(l) our fraud detection services.

8. WHEN WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION

8.1 We share your information within the companies that make up the Hachette UK group of companies as well as with our parent company and their parent company and as set out below. Where we share your information with third parties it is subject to usual requirements listed in the earlier sections of this Privacy Notice.

8.2 We will share your information with the following third parties:

8.2.1 selected publishing partners and authors;

8.2.2 selected marketing partners;

8.2.3 any prospective seller or buyer of businesses or assets, only in the event that we decide to acquire, transfer or sell any business or assets;

8.2.4 any other third parties (including legal or other advisors, regulatory authorities, courts and government agencies) where necessary to enable us to enforce our legal rights, or to protect the rights, property or safety of our employees or where such disclosure may be permitted or required by law or where we have a legal obligation to do so.

9. HOW WE LOOK AFTER YOUR INFORMATION

We look for opportunities to minimise the amount of personal information we hold about you. Where appropriate we anonymise and pseudonymise your information. We use appropriate technological and operational security measures to protect your information against any unauthorised access or unlawful use, such as:

(a) ensuring the physical security of our offices, warehouses or other sites;

(b) ensuring the physical and digital security of our equipment and devices by using appropriate password protection and encryption;

(d) limiting access to your personal information to those in our company who need to use it in the course of their work.

10. HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION

We will retain your information for as long as is necessary to provide you with the services that you have requested from us or for as long as we reasonably require to retain the information for our legitimate interests, such as for the purposes of exercising our legal rights or where we are permitted to do so for purposes of academic, literary expression and research purposes. After this period it will be deleted or in some cases anonymised. We operate a data retention policy and look to find ways to reduce the amount of information we hold about you and the length of time that we need to keep it. For example,

(a) we archive our email and paper correspondence regularly and destroy unnecessary information;

(b) we operate a best practice email retention policy and protected shared drives to provide restricted access to information;

(d) we conduct regular access reviews to keep access profiles and policies up to date;

(e) we conduct periodic review and purge cycles of documents in accordance with our document retention policy;

(f) we retain information relating to orders, refunds and customer queries for approximately 7 years;

(g) we retain information relating to commercial contracts for approximately 7 years after expiration or termination whichever is the sooner;

(h) we maintain a suppression list of email addresses of individuals who no longer wish to be contacted by us. So that we can comply with their wishes we must store this information permanently; and

(i) we process requests to unsubscribe from our marketing lists promptly.

11. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS OF YOUR INFORMATION

11.1 Our company is located in the UK.

11.2 Whenever we transfer your personal information out of the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA) we will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that it is adequately protected and processed and that your personal data has the same protection it has in the UK and EEA. If you are located in the UK or the EEA, you may contact us for a copy of the safeguards which we have put in place to protect your personal information and privacy rights in these circumstances.

12. SECURITY AND PASSWORDS

12.1 You must keep your password and any other authentication information for our website confidential. If you know or suspect that anyone other than you knows your password or any other authentication information, you must promptly notify us using the contact details below.

12.2 Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your information transmitted during your use of our website.

13. YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES

13.1 You have certain rights in relation to your personal information. These include: the right to object to the processing of your information for certain purposes, the right to access your personal information, and the ability to erase, restrict or receive a machine-readable copy of your personal information.

13.2 We will handle any request to exercise your rights in accordance with applicable law and any relevant legal exemptions. If you wish to exercise any of these rights please contact us using the contact details above.

13.3 Please contact us if you have any questions or are unhappy about the way your information is used. We hope we will be able to resolve any problems or issues you may.

13.4 You also have the right to lodge a complaint about us and our use of your information to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (https://ico.org.uk/) or the relevant authority in your country of work or residence.

14. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

We may make changes to this Privacy Notice from time to time. We will post any changes to our site.

This Privacy Notice was updated in January 2024.