Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Desverso LLC, trading as Book to Shelf ("we," "us," "our"), respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and share it, how long we keep it, and the rights and choices available to you.

This Policy applies to our website, our communications with you, and the services we provide. It does not apply to third-party websites or platforms we may link to, which have their own policies.

The data controller for the purposes of applicable data protection law is Desverso LLC, 1400 112th Avenue SE, Suite 100, Bellevue, WA 98004, United States.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Contact and identity data: name, email address, telephone number, postal address, business name and role.
• Project data: manuscripts, drafts, outlines, notes, recordings, interview transcripts, images and any other materials you submit for the purposes of the Services.
• Transaction data: services purchased, invoices, payment records and correspondence. Card details are processed by our payment provider and are not stored by us.
• Communications: emails, messages, call notes and support enquiries.
• Marketing preferences: your consents and opt-outs.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• IP address, approximate location, browser type and version, device and operating system;
• Pages viewed, referring URL, time on page, and interactions with our site;
• Cookies and similar technologies, as described in Section 7.

2.3 Information From Third Parties

We may receive information from analytics and advertising providers, payment processors, publishing and distribution platforms where you have authorised us to act, and from publicly available sources.

2.4 Sensitive Information

We do not seek sensitive personal information. Memoir and biography projects may involve health, family, religious or similarly personal detail within the materials you supply. Where you provide such material, you do so voluntarily and instruct us to process it for the purpose of delivering the Services.

3. Manuscripts and Confidential Materials

We treat unpublished manuscripts and project materials as confidential. They are:

• Used solely to perform the Services you have engaged us for;
• Shared only with the writers, editors, designers and contractors assigned to your project, each bound by confidentiality obligations;
• Never sold, licensed, published or used for our own commercial purposes;
• Not used to train any third-party artificial intelligence or machine learning system without your express written consent.

4. How and Why We Use Your Information

5. How We Share Information

We share information only as follows:

• Personnel and contractors assigned to your project, under confidentiality obligations;
• Service providers who support our business — hosting, email, payment processing, analytics, project management and accounting — under contract and only as needed;
• Publishing and advertising platforms, where you have instructed us to publish, distribute or advertise on your behalf;
• Professional advisers such as lawyers, accountants and insurers, where necessary;
• Authorities, where required by law, regulation, subpoena or court order, or to protect our rights, property or safety or that of others;
• A successor entity in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing or sale of assets, subject to this Policy continuing to apply.

6. Telephone, SMS and Marketing

Where you provide your telephone number and consent, we may send you service-related and promotional messages by SMS.

• Consent to marketing messages is not a condition of purchase;
• Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply;
• Reply STOP to any message to opt out. Reply HELP for assistance;
• Opting out of marketing does not stop essential service messages about your active project;
• Mobile opt-in data and consent records are not shared with or sold to third parties for their own marketing.

You may unsubscribe from marketing email at any time using the link in any message, or by contacting us.

7. Cookies and Analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the site, remember your preferences, measure traffic and understand how the site is used.

• Strictly necessary — required for the site to function; cannot be disabled.
• Analytics — help us understand usage and improve the site.
• Functional — remember choices such as theme preference.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect site functionality. We honour Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals where required by law.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described, including to satisfy legal, accounting, tax and reporting obligations, and to establish or defend legal claims.

• Client project files and manuscripts: retained for the duration of the engagement and for a period afterwards to support reprints, revisions and warranty matters, unless you request deletion.
• Financial and transaction records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
• Enquiries that do not become engagements: retained for a limited period, then deleted or anonymised.

You may request deletion of your project materials at any time under Section 10, subject to our legal retention obligations.

9. Security

We maintain administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. These include access controls, encryption in transit, confidentiality agreements with personnel, and restricting access to those who need it.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any credentials you use and for the security of your own devices and accounts.

10. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights:

• Access — to know what personal information we hold and obtain a copy;
• Correction — to have inaccurate information corrected;
• Deletion — to request erasure, subject to our legal retention obligations;
• Portability — to receive your data in a portable format;
• Objection and restriction — to object to or restrict certain processing;
• Withdraw consent — at any time, without affecting prior lawful processing;
• Opt out of sale or sharing — we do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under applicable law;
• Non-discrimination — we will not treat you differently for exercising your rights.

10.1 How to Exercise Your Rights

Contact us at privacy@booktoshelf.com. We will verify your identity before acting and respond within the period required by applicable law. An authorised agent may submit a request on your behalf with proof of authorisation.

10.2 California Residents

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended, California residents have the rights described above regarding personal information collected in the preceding twelve months. We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioural advertising, and we do not knowingly collect or sell the personal information of consumers under sixteen.

10.3 UK and EEA Residents

Where UK or EU data protection law applies, you may lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first.

10.4 Other US State Residents

Residents of Washington, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas and other states with comprehensive privacy laws may exercise the applicable rights described above by contacting us. You may have a right to appeal a refusal of a request; appeal instructions will be provided with any refusal.

11. International Transfers

We are based in the United States and our service providers may be located in other countries. Where we transfer personal information out of the UK, EEA or another jurisdiction with transfer restrictions, we rely on an appropriate safeguard such as standard contractual clauses or an adequacy decision.

By using our Services from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection law may differ from that in your country.

12. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are directed to adults and are not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under sixteen (16), or under thirteen (13) in the United States.

Where we produce children's books, the client is the adult author or rights holder, and any child depicted or described is the responsibility of that client, who warrants that all necessary parental or guardian consents have been obtained.

If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

13. Third-Party Sites and Platforms

Our site may link to third-party websites, retailers and platforms. We are not responsible for their content, security or privacy practices. Their handling of your information is governed by their own policies, which we encourage you to read.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or the law. The revised version takes effect when posted with a new effective date. Where changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to notify you. Please review this page periodically.

Contact