Privacy Policy

Last updated: 21 October 2026

Stonecurrent Press is an independent publishing imprint operated by Ian P. Loftus in Cumbria, United Kingdom.

Ian P. Loftus, trading as Stonecurrent Press, is the data controller responsible for personal information handled through this website and the business.

Business address:

Beech House
Newbiggin
Temple Sowerby
Cumbria
CA10 1TA
United Kingdom

Email: editorial@stonecurrentpress.co.uk

This notice explains what personal information Stonecurrent Press collects, why it is used, who may receive it, how long it is retained and the rights available to you.

Information we collect

The information collected depends on how you interact with Stonecurrent Press.

Website and shop orders

When you place an order through the website, we may collect:

  • your name;
  • billing and delivery addresses;
  • email address;
  • telephone number, where supplied;
  • the products ordered;
  • payment status and transaction reference;
  • delivery method and tracking information;
  • correspondence concerning the order;
  • refund, cancellation or return information; and
  • account details, if you create a customer account.

Payment-card information is processed securely by the payment provider. Stonecurrent Press does not normally receive or store your complete card number or security code.

Editorial-service enquiries and clients

If you enquire about or purchase an editorial service, we may collect:

  • your name and contact details;
  • billing information;
  • details of your manuscript or publishing project;
  • sample material and complete manuscripts;
  • correspondence, instructions and agreed terms;
  • editorial notes, reports and working documents;
  • payment and invoice records; and
  • information reasonably required to provide the agreed service.

A manuscript may contain personal information about the author or other people. Please do not supply confidential or sensitive information that is unnecessary for the editorial work.

Publishing submissions

When you submit work for possible publication, we may collect:

  • your name and contact details;
  • your biography and publishing history;
  • proposal, synopsis and manuscript material;
  • information about rights, representation and previous publication;
  • assessment notes and editorial correspondence; and
  • any other information included in your submission.

Please follow the published submission requirements and do not send unnecessary personal or sensitive information.

General enquiries

When you contact Stonecurrent Press, we may receive your name, email address and any information included in your message.

Mailing lists

If you subscribe to a newsletter or mailing list, we may collect:

  • your name, where supplied;
  • email address;
  • subscription date;
  • consent record;
  • mailing preferences; and
  • information about delivery, opening or interaction with emails where the mailing system provides it.

You may unsubscribe at any time by using the link in an email or contacting Stonecurrent Press.

The Five Hats Game

The Five Hats Game is a free email-based writing resource. When you join, we collect your email address and, if supplied, your name.

We use this information only to register you for the game, deliver its scheduled emails and downloads, and deal with any questions about your participation. We may also record email delivery, opening and link activity where our mailing system provides it.

Joining the Five Hats Game does not add you to Stonecurrent Press marketing or newsletter emails. We will send those only if you separately choose to receive them.

Your Five Hats contact record will normally be deleted within 30 days of the final game email. Delivery logs are normally retained for 14 days. If you unsubscribe, we may retain the minimum information needed to record that choice and prevent further unwanted email.

Stonecurrent Press does not receive or retain anything you write in the downloadable game materials.

Technical information

The website, hosting provider and security systems may automatically record limited technical information, including:

  • internet protocol address;
  • browser and device type;
  • operating system;
  • pages requested;
  • date and time of access;
  • referring website;
  • cookie identifiers; and
  • security and error logs.

This information is used to operate, protect and maintain the website and online shop.

How we use personal information

Personal information may be used to:

  • respond to enquiries;
  • process and fulfil orders;
  • arrange printing, delivery, replacement or returns;
  • take and record payments;
  • provide customer service;
  • provide agreed editorial services;
  • assess publishing submissions;
  • administer author and publishing relationships;
  • send requested newsletters or announcements;
  • maintain contractual, business, accounting and tax records;
  • prevent fraud and protect the website;
  • establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
  • comply with legal and regulatory obligations; and
  • improve the administration and reliability of the website and business.

Stonecurrent Press does not sell personal information.

Lawful bases

Stonecurrent Press relies on one or more of the following lawful bases under UK data-protection law.

Contract

Personal information is processed where necessary to:

  • take steps at your request before entering into a contract;
  • process and fulfil an order;
  • provide an editorial service;
  • administer a publishing agreement; or
  • perform another agreement with you.

If information required for an order or service is not provided, we may be unable to complete the transaction or provide the service.

Legal obligation

Information is processed where necessary to comply with legal duties, including accounting, taxation, consumer-protection and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate interests

Information may be processed where necessary for the legitimate interests of operating Stonecurrent Press, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.

These interests include:

  • responding to business enquiries;
  • assessing publishing submissions;
  • maintaining appropriate business records;
  • protecting the website and communication systems;
  • preventing misuse or fraud;
  • managing disputes and legal claims; and
  • developing and administering the publishing programme.

Consent

Consent is used where required, particularly for optional electronic marketing and newsletters.

You may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

Payment processing

Payments made through the Stonecurrent Press website may be processed by Stripe or another payment provider identified at checkout.

The payment provider receives the information required to authorise and administer the transaction. Its handling of payment information is also governed by its own privacy notice.

Stonecurrent Press generally receives confirmation of payment, the amount, transaction reference, payment status and limited information needed to identify and administer the order.

Order fulfilment and delivery

Orders placed through the Stonecurrent Press website may be printed, fulfilled or dispatched by BookVault or another supplier acting on our behalf.

To fulfil an order, we may provide the supplier with:

  • your name;
  • delivery address;
  • contact details where required for delivery;
  • the products and quantities ordered; and
  • relevant delivery instructions.

Delivery companies receive the information reasonably required to transport and deliver the order.

Orders placed through Amazon, a bookshop or another third-party retailer are handled under that seller’s privacy arrangements. Stonecurrent Press does not necessarily receive personal information identifying the individual purchaser.

IngramSpark may print or distribute Stonecurrent Press books ordered through retailers and trade channels. Information about retail customers is ordinarily controlled by the retailer through which the purchase was made.

WooCommerce and website administration

The online shop uses WooCommerce, which operates within the WordPress website.

Order, customer and account information may be stored in the website database and processed through WordPress, WooCommerce and associated services needed to operate the shop.

Access is limited to people and service providers who require it to administer the website, fulfil orders, provide customer service or maintain security.

Mailing services

Stonecurrent Press may use MailPoet or another mailing provider to manage newsletters and subscriber lists.

The provider may process names, email addresses, subscription preferences and email-delivery information on behalf of Stonecurrent Press.

Marketing emails will be sent only where there is an appropriate lawful basis. Every marketing email will include an unsubscribe facility.

Other organisations that may receive information

Personal information may be shared where necessary with:

  • website-hosting and maintenance providers;
  • WordPress and WooCommerce service providers;
  • payment processors, including Stripe;
  • printing and fulfilment providers, including BookVault;
  • postal and delivery companies;
  • mailing-list providers, including MailPoet where used;
  • accountants, professional advisers and insurers;
  • technology, file-storage and communication providers;
  • law-enforcement bodies, regulators or public authorities where disclosure is legally required; and
  • legal advisers or courts where necessary to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

Only the information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose will be provided.

Manuscripts, submissions and editorial enquiries will not be passed to unrelated writers, publishers or literary agents without permission, unless disclosure is legally required.

International processing

Some service providers may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred outside the United Kingdom, Stonecurrent Press will rely on an applicable adequacy regulation, approved contractual safeguards or another lawful transfer mechanism.

You may contact Stonecurrent Press for further information about the safeguards relevant to a particular service provider.

When you purchase through an external retailer or platform, that organisation’s own international-processing arrangements apply.

How long we retain information

Personal information is kept only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, accounting and contractual obligations.

The usual retention periods are:

  • Orders, payments, invoices and accounting records: normally six years after the end of the relevant financial year.
  • Customer-service, return and refund correspondence: normally six years where it forms part of the transaction record.
  • General enquiries that do not lead to a contract: normally up to 12 months after the enquiry has been resolved.
  • Unsuccessful publishing submissions: normally deleted within six months after a final decision, unless the writer agrees that the material may be retained longer.
  • Accepted publishing projects: retained for the duration of the publishing relationship and afterwards for as long as reasonably required for contractual, rights, accounting, archival or legal purposes.
  • Editorial-service manuscripts and working files: normally deleted within 12 months after completion of the service, unless a different period has been agreed or retention is required for a dispute or legal obligation.
  • Editorial reports, contracts and financial records: normally retained for up to six years.
  • Mailing-list records: retained until you unsubscribe or the mailing list is discontinued. A limited suppression record may then be retained to ensure that further marketing is not sent.
  • Customer accounts: retained while the account remains active and for a reasonable period afterwards, unless earlier deletion is requested and no legal reason requires continued retention.
  • Website security and technical logs: normally retained for no longer than 12 months unless required to investigate a security incident or legal claim.

Information may be retained longer where required by law, an unresolved dispute, a contractual obligation or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Security

Stonecurrent Press takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, misuse or disclosure.

These measures include controlled access, password protection, secure hosting, software updates and the use of established payment and fulfilment providers.

No internet or email system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Please take care when sending confidential information electronically.

Cookies

The website may use cookies and similar technologies required to:

  • operate WordPress and WooCommerce;
  • maintain a shopping basket;
  • support checkout and payment;
  • remember customer choices;
  • provide account and administrative functions;
  • prevent fraud;
  • protect the website; and
  • maintain reliable operation.

Strictly necessary cookies may be used without consent where they are essential to provide a service requested by the user.

Stonecurrent Press does not currently use advertising cookies.

If analytics, advertising or other non-essential technologies are introduced, appropriate information and consent controls will be provided before those technologies are used.

Third-party payment or embedded services may set their own cookies subject to their privacy and cookie information.

External websites and retailers

The website may link to Amazon, other retailers, distributors, social-media platforms and external websites.

Stonecurrent Press is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those organisations. Please read the relevant privacy notice before providing personal information.

Automated decision-making

Stonecurrent Press does not use personal information to make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

Publishing and editorial decisions are made through human assessment.

Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

  • request access to your personal information;
  • ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;
  • request deletion of personal information;
  • request restriction of processing;
  • object to processing based on legitimate interests;
  • receive certain information in a portable form;
  • withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
  • complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

These rights are subject to legal conditions and exceptions. For example, information may need to be retained to comply with tax, contractual or legal obligations.

Your right to object

You have the right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time.

You may also object to processing based on legitimate interests. Stonecurrent Press will consider the circumstances and stop the processing unless there are compelling legitimate grounds to continue or the information is required for legal claims.

Exercising your rights

To exercise a data-protection right, contact:

editorial@stonecurrentpress.co.uk

or write to:

Stonecurrent Press
Beech House
Newbiggin
Temple Sowerby
Cumbria
CA10 1TA
United Kingdom

We may need to request information to confirm your identity before responding.

Complaints

Please contact Stonecurrent Press first if you have concerns about how your personal information has been handled.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
United Kingdom

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/data-protection-complaints/

Changes to this policy

This policy will be reviewed when the website, shop, mailing arrangements, fulfilment services or legal requirements change.

Any revised version will be published on this page with an updated revision date.

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