Last updated: 22 September 2025

The Publishing Studio (“we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy applies to:

• Visitors to our website.
• Clients and authors we work with directly.
• Customers who may purchase goods or services from us in the future.

1. Who We Are

• The Publishing Studio is part of an independent publishing group based in the United Kingdom. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the ‘Data Controller’ of your personal information.
  
  Contact details:
  Acanthus Media & Publishing
  St Andrew’s Castle
  33 St Andrew’s St. South
  Bury St Edmunds
  Suffolk
  IP33 3PH

2. What Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following personal data:

• Basic contact details: name, email address, phone number, postal address.
• Author and client details: correspondence, biographical details, and materials related to publishing projects.
• Financial information: bank account details (for paying royalties or invoices).
• Website usage data: IP address, browser type, and information gathered through cookies.
• Marketing preferences: newsletter sign-ups, consent records.
• Purchase details (if applicable in future shop): order history, billing/shipping details, transaction information (processed securely by third-party payment providers).

3. Manuscripts & Confidentiality

As part of our publishing services, we may handle unpublished manuscripts and related creative materials. We treat these works with care and discretion:

• Manuscripts are shared only with trusted human freelancers (e.g. editors, proofreaders, designers) engaged under confidentiality agreements.
• Access is limited to those directly involved in providing the service.
• We do not disclose unpublished works to third parties outside this context.

We take reasonable steps to protect manuscripts from unauthorised use or disclosure. However, please note that electronic transmission and storage of documents carries some inherent risk, and no system can be guaranteed as entirely secure. 

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To provide publishing, editing, and related services.
• To fulfil contracts and make payments (e.g. royalties, invoices).
• To communicate with you regarding your project or enquiry.
• To comply with legal and financial obligations (e.g. HMRC record-keeping).
• To send newsletters and updates where you have given consent.
• To analyse and improve our website and services.
• To process online orders in our shop (where applicable in future).

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data on one or more of the following legal grounds:

• Contract: where processing is necessary for a publishing agreement, service, or purchase.
• Legal obligation: to comply with tax, accounting, or legal requirements.
• Consent: for sending newsletters and marketing.
• Legitimate interests: for improving our services and maintaining website security.

6. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We may share information with trusted third parties where necessary, including:

• Service providers (e.g. IT hosting, email providers, payment processors).
• Freelancers and contractors (e.g. editors, designers) engaged under confidentiality agreements.
• Legal or regulatory authorities where required by law.

All third parties are required to comply with data protection regulations.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:

• Encryption of files and secure cloud storage.
• Password-protected systems and two-factor authentication.
• Regular software updates, firewalls, and antivirus protection.
• Restricted access to sensitive data (only authorised personnel).
• Use of GDPR-compliant third-party providers for payments and email marketing.

While we take all reasonable steps to safeguard your information, no system is completely secure. By using our services, you acknowledge that data transmission via the internet carries some risk.

8. Data Retention

We will only keep your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including:

• Publishing contracts and financial records: typically 6 years, in line with HMRC requirements.
• Newsletter/marketing data: until you withdraw consent.
• General enquiries: usually no longer than 12 months after resolution.

9. Children’s Data

Our services and website are not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. International Data Transfers

In some cases, your data may be transferred or stored outside the UK or European Economic Area (EEA), for example if we use cloud services based overseas. Where this occurs, we ensure that appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) are in place to protect your personal information.

11. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that would have a legal or significant effect on you.

12. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request corrections or updates.
• Request deletion of your data (where legally possible).
• Restrict or object to certain types of processing.
• Request data portability.
• Withdraw consent to marketing at any time.
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your rights have been infringed.

13. Cookies 

Our website uses cookies to improve user experience and analyse site traffic. For detailed information, please see our [Cookie Policy].

14. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third-party sites.

15. Changes to this Policy 

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “last revised” date.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

Acanthus Media & Publishing
St Andrew’s Castle
33 St Andrew’s St. South
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP33 3PH

Email: info@thepublishingstudio.co.uk