Dark House

1. Introduction

This Privacy Notice explains how Dark House Literary & Screen Agency Ltd (“Dark House”, “we”, “us” or “our”) collects, uses, stores and shares personal data in connection with our literary and screen agency business, our website, manuscript submissions, author representation, rights activity, business communications and recruitment.
 

This Privacy Notice also explains your rights in relation to your personal data and how you can contact us.
 

We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, transparently and securely.
 

2. Who We Are

Dark House Literary & Screen Agency Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales.

Company number: 14742761
Registered office: 19 Tottenhall Road, London, N13 6HY
Email: andreas@darkhouse.uk
Contact: FAO Andreas Charalambous
 

For the purposes of data protection law, Dark House Literary & Screen Agency Ltd is the controller of the personal data we process, unless we state otherwise.
 

3. Who This Privacy Notice Applies To

This Privacy Notice applies to personal data we process about:
 

• writers, authors and other creators who submit work to us;

• authors, writers or creators we represent or may consider representing;

• publishers, editors, producers, scouts, sub-agents, co-agents, rights buyers, licensees, lawyers, accountants and other professional or business contacts;

• visitors to our website;

• people who contact us by email, telephone, post, website form, social media or any other means;

• job applicants, contractors, freelancers and prospective service providers;

• any other person whose personal data we process in the course of running our agency.
   

4. Children and Young People

Our website and submission process are intended for individuals aged 18 or over.
 

If you are under 18, please do not submit personal information, manuscript material or other creative work to us without the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian.
 

We do not knowingly seek to collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have received personal data from a child without appropriate consent or involvement from a parent or guardian, we may delete that information unless we have a lawful reason to retain it.

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5. Personal Data We May Collect

The personal data we collect depends on your relationship with us.
 

5.1 Information you provide to us
 

You may provide personal data when you:
 

• make an enquiry by email, telephone, post, website form, social media or any other method;

• submit a manuscript, sample chapters, synopsis, query letter, proposal or other creative material;

• provide author biographical information, publishing history, writing credentials, sales history, platform information or publicity material;

• enter into discussions with us about possible representation;

• enter into a representation agreement with us;

• correspond with us about publishing, rights, contracts, payments, royalties, licensing, options or submissions;

• provide payment, tax, bank or contract information;

• apply for a job, internship, freelance role or other opportunity with us;

• interact with us on social media.
   

This may include:
 

• name, pen name, title and contact details;

• address, email address and telephone number;

• manuscript material, synopses, proposals, sample chapters, full manuscripts and extracts of writing;

• author biography, photograph, publicity information and professional background;

• publication history, prior submissions, prior representation, rights history and contractual history;

• correspondence between you and us;

• contracts, royalty statements, payment records, tax information, bank details and accounting information where we represent you;

• information about publishers, producers, licensees, sub-agents, co-agents, scouts or other parties involved in your work;

• employment history, CV, references, qualifications, right-to-work information, National Insurance number and identity documents where relevant to recruitment.
   

5.2 Information we collect automatically through our website
 

When you visit our website, we may collect limited technical information, such as:
 

• IP address;

• browser type and version;

• device type;

• operating system;

• pages visited;

• date and time of visit;

• referring website or source;

• approximate location derived from technical data;

• cookie and analytics information, where applicable.
   

Some of this information may be collected through cookies or similar technologies. Please see the Cookies section below.
 

5.3 Information we receive from third parties
 

We may receive personal data from third parties, including:
 

• publishers, editors, producers, scouts, rights buyers, licensees, sub-agents and co-agents;

• professional advisers, including solicitors, accountants, tax advisers and insurers;

• royalty administrators, payment providers and accounting systems;

• publicly available sources, such as publisher websites, Amazon, Nielsen BookData or BookScan, trade press, social media, review platforms, author websites and professional databases;

• recruitment agencies, referees, former employers or background-check providers where relevant to recruitment;

• website hosting, analytics, spam-prevention, security or IT service providers.
   

6. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes.
 

6.1 Manuscript submissions and enquiries
 

We may use personal data to:
 

• receive, review and assess submissions;

• correspond with writers about their work;

• assess whether a work may be suitable for representation;

• keep records of submissions and decisions;

• manage repeat submissions and prior correspondence;

• verify basic publication, sales or rights information where relevant.
   

Our lawful basis is usually our legitimate interest in operating a literary and screen agency, reviewing submissions, managing our business records and corresponding with people who contact us.
 

6.2 Representation of authors and creators
 

Where we represent you, or are considering representing you, we may use personal data to:
 

• negotiate, administer and perform our representation agreement with you;

• advise on submissions, rights, contracts, publishing strategy and commercial opportunities;

• submit your work to publishers, editors, producers, scouts, rights buyers, sub-agents, co-agents and other relevant industry contacts;

• negotiate publishing, licensing, option, adaptation, translation, audio, dramatic, film, television, streaming, gaming, merchandising or other rights transactions;

• administer contracts, royalty payments, advances, statements, commission, deductions and remittances;

• manage ongoing rights, reversions, renewals, extensions, reissues and related contractual matters;

• communicate with publishers, licensees, sub-agents, co-agents, professional advisers and other relevant parties;

• maintain records of submissions, rights activity, contracts, payments and correspondence.
   

Our lawful basis may include performance of a contract with you, steps taken before entering into a contract, our legitimate interests in operating our agency and managing our client relationships, and compliance with legal obligations.
 

6.3 Business contacts and professional communications
 

We may use personal data to:
 

• communicate with publishers, editors, producers, scouts, sub-agents, co-agents, rights buyers, licensees, professional advisers and other industry contacts;

• manage business relationships;

• keep records of meetings, submissions, negotiations, offers and contractual discussions;

• protect our legal and commercial interests.
   

Our lawful basis is usually our legitimate interest in running and developing our agency business, maintaining professional relationships and managing rights activity.
 

6.4 Website operation and security
 

We may use personal data to:
 

• operate and maintain our website;

• respond to website enquiries;

• monitor website performance;

• detect, prevent and investigate security incidents, spam, misuse, malicious activity or unauthorised access;

• maintain backups and technical records.
   

Our lawful basis is usually our legitimate interest in operating a secure and effective website and business.
 

6.5 Recruitment and applications
 

If you apply for a role, internship, freelance position or other opportunity with us, we may use your personal data to:
 

• assess your application;

• contact you about the opportunity;

• verify information you provide;

• take up references where appropriate;

• check right-to-work information where required;

• keep recruitment records.
   

Our lawful basis may include our legitimate interest in recruiting staff, contractors or freelancers, taking steps before entering into a contract, and compliance with legal obligations.
 

6.6 Legal, accounting and compliance purposes
 

We may use personal data to:
 

• comply with tax, accounting, company law, data protection and other legal obligations;

• maintain proper business records;

• manage client money, payments, invoices, expenses, royalties and commission;

• obtain legal, accounting, tax, insurance or professional advice;

• enforce or defend legal rights;

• respond to court orders, regulators, law enforcement agencies or public authorities where required.
   

Our lawful basis may include compliance with legal obligations, performance of a contract and our legitimate interest in protecting our business, legal and financial position.
 

7. Lawful Bases for Processing

We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases when processing personal data:
 

• Contract: where processing is necessary to perform a contract with you or take steps before entering into a contract.

• Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

• Legal obligation: where we must process data to comply with the law.

• Consent: where we specifically ask for your consent, such as for certain optional uses of photographs, publicity material, marketing communications or non-essential cookies.
   

Where we rely on legitimate interests, those interests may include operating and developing our agency business, reviewing submissions, representing authors, managing contracts and payments, maintaining professional relationships, protecting our rights, keeping appropriate records and ensuring website and business security.
 

8. Special Category Data

We do not usually seek to collect special category data, such as information about health, ethnicity, religion, political opinions, trade union membership, sex life or sexual orientation.

However, you may choose to include such information in a submission, biography, correspondence, manuscript, publicity material or other material you send to us. Where this happens, we will process that information only where necessary for the relevant purpose, where you have made it manifestly public, where you have given consent, where required by law, or where otherwise permitted under data protection law.
 

Please do not send us unnecessary sensitive personal information.
 

9. Manuscripts and Creative Material

Manuscripts, synopses, proposals, treatments, sample chapters, scripts and other creative material may contain personal data about you or others.
 

We may store, read, assess, copy, annotate, discuss and share such material where reasonably necessary for reviewing submissions, considering representation, representing you, submitting your work, negotiating rights, obtaining professional advice, or administering contracts.
 

We will not use your manuscript or creative material for purposes unrelated to our agency business without your permission, unless required by law or necessary to protect our legal rights.

Submitting material to us does not transfer copyright ownership. Copyright ownership remains with the relevant rights holder.
 

10. Who We Share Personal Data With

We may share personal data where reasonably necessary with:
 

• publishers, editors, imprints and publishing groups;

• producers, production companies, studios, streamers, scouts and rights buyers;

• sub-agents, co-agents and specialist rights agents;

• foreign-rights, film/TV, audio, dramatic, translation or other rights representatives;

• lawyers, accountants, tax advisers, insurers and other professional advisers;

• banks, payment providers, accounting software providers and royalty administrators;

• website hosts, email providers, IT support, cloud storage, security and analytics providers;

• recruitment agencies, referees and background-check providers where relevant;

• HMRC, Companies House, courts, regulators, law enforcement agencies or public authorities where required or permitted by law;

• prospective buyers, sellers or successors of our business or assets, where relevant and subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards.
   

We require service providers and professional partners to handle personal data appropriately and securely.
 

11. International Transfers

Dark House is based in the United Kingdom. Some of the people and organisations we work with, and some of our service providers, may be located outside the UK.
 

This may include, for example, publishers, producers, scouts, sub-agents, co-agents, rights buyers, cloud software providers, email providers, website providers or professional advisers based outside the UK.
 

Where we transfer personal data outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that the transfer is lawful under UK data protection law. This may include relying on:
 

• UK adequacy regulations;

• the UK International Data Transfer Agreement;

• the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses;

• the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, where applicable;

• another lawful transfer mechanism or exception permitted by UK data protection law.
   

You may contact us if you would like further information about the transfer mechanism used for a particular transfer.
 

12. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies. Cookies are small files placed on your device to help websites work properly, operate securely, remember visitor choices, understand general website use and improve functionality.
 

Some cookies are necessary for the website to function properly or securely. Other cookies, such as analytics cookies, may help us understand general website activity.
 

We may have access to basic website analytics, such as the number of website visits, page views, general traffic sources and approximate visitor location by country or region. We use this information only to understand general engagement with the website and to operate and improve the site. We do not use website analytics to identify individual visitors, build detailed profiles about them, or make decisions about them.
 

Where required by law, non-essential cookies or similar technologies should only be used with your consent. You may be able to accept, reject or manage non-essential cookies through the cookie banner or privacy settings displayed on our website.
 

You can also control cookies through your browser settings. If you disable certain cookies, some parts of the website may not work properly.
 

Third-party websites, plug-ins or services linked from our website may use their own cookies and privacy practices. We do not control those third-party services and are not responsible for their privacy notices, cookies or data practices. We encourage you to read the privacy notice and cookie information of any third-party website or service you use.
 

13. Marketing

We may occasionally contact you with information about Dark House, our services, relevant opportunities, news or updates where we are lawfully permitted to do so.
 

You can ask us to stop sending marketing communications at any time by contacting us at andreas@darkhouse.uk.
 

We will still be able to send you service-related, contractual, accounting, legal or administrative communications where necessary.
 

14. How Long We Keep Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, contractual, rights-management, tax, audit, dispute-resolution and legitimate business purposes.
 

Different retention periods may apply to different categories of data. As a general guide:
 

• unsuccessful submissions and related correspondence may be retained for a reasonable period to manage records, repeat submissions, queries, disputes and agency administration;

• represented-client records, contracts, royalty records, rights records, payment records and related correspondence may be retained for the duration of representation and for a further period afterwards where necessary for contractual, accounting, tax, rights-management or legal reasons;

• financial, tax and accounting records are usually retained for at least six years where required for business, tax or legal purposes;

• recruitment records for unsuccessful applicants are usually retained for a limited period unless a longer period is justified or you consent to us keeping your details for future opportunities;

• website and technical records may be retained for shorter periods unless needed for security, analytics, legal or operational reasons.
   

We may retain certain records for longer where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, manage ongoing rights or royalty obligations, comply with legal requirements, or protect our legitimate business interests.
 

Where information is no longer needed, we will delete, anonymise or securely archive it as appropriate.
 

15. Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
 

These measures may include password protection, access controls, secure storage, backups, anti-virus or security tools, confidentiality obligations, limiting access to those who need it, and careful handling of client, submission, contract and payment information.
 

No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect the personal data we hold.
 

16. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the following rights under data protection law:
 

• the right to be informed about how we use your personal data;

• the right to access personal data we hold about you;

• the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;

• the right to request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances;

• the right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;

• the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests;

• the right to data portability in certain circumstances;

• the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;

• the right to object to direct marketing;

• the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
   

These rights are not absolute. We may need to retain or continue processing certain information where we have a lawful reason to do so, such as contractual obligations, legal obligations, accounting requirements, rights-management records, dispute handling or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
 

17. How To Exercise Your Rights

You can exercise your rights by contacting us at:

Email: andreas@darkhouse.uk
Post: Dark House Literary & Screen Agency Ltd, 19 Tottenhall Road, London, N13 6HY
FAO: Andreas Charalambous
 

We may need to ask you for information to confirm your identity before responding to a request.

We usually respond to valid requests within one month. If a request is complex or you have made several requests, we may need longer, in which case we will let you know.
 

You will not usually have to pay a fee. However, we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse to comply where a request is manifestly unfounded, excessive or repetitive.
 

18. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.
 

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection.
 

ICO website: https://ico.org.uk
ICO telephone: 0303 123 1113
 

19. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, plug-ins, platforms or services. We do not control those third parties and are not responsible for their privacy notices, cookies or data practices.
 

When you leave our website or interact with a third-party platform, we encourage you to read that organisation’s privacy notice.
 

20. Changes To This Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time.
 

When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date below. If we make significant changes, we may take additional steps to notify you where appropriate.
 

It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and up to date. Please contact us if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.

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Last Updated: 11.06.2026