Non-disclosure agreement

1. Parties

This agreement is between you, the contractor, and T101 Group Ltd trading as Fable & Frontier Publishing. It is made for our benefit and for the benefit of every author whose work you see, and each author may enforce it directly under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

2. What is confidential

“Confidential information” means anything you receive or learn through us that isn't public, including:

• manuscripts, drafts, outlines, synopses, series plans and any extract from them;
• plot, characters, twists and endings, titles, cover artwork and briefs;
• an author's identity behind a pen name, their personal details, and their publishing plans or dates;
• our prices, commissions, terms with other contractors, and business information.

It stays confidential after a book is published: published text is public, but drafts, notes, unpublished material and anything about the author not made public are not.

3. Your obligations

• Use confidential information only to carry out the engagement you were booked for.
• Don't disclose it to anyone, including on social media, forums, reading groups or reviews, and don't discuss plots or reveal spoilers.
• Don't let anyone else do the work or see the material, unless the author agrees in writing; if they do, you are responsible for that person keeping this agreement.
• Keep files on password-protected devices and accounts with two-step verification where available. Don't print manuscripts unless the work needs it, and shred any printouts.
• Never upload confidential information to public AI tools, translation sites or any service that keeps or learns from what it is given.
• Tell us and the author immediately if you think confidential information has been lost, stolen or seen by someone else.

4. Returning and deleting

Within 30 days of delivering the work, or when we or the author ask, delete or destroy all copies of the author's material in your possession, including backups you control, and confirm by email that you have done so. You may keep your invoice and the record of the booking.

5. Exceptions

This agreement doesn't cover information that is already public through no fault of yours, that you already had lawfully, or that the law or a court requires you to disclose (tell us first where you are allowed to).

6. How long it lasts

These obligations start when you apply and continue indefinitely, even after the contractor agreement ends.

7. Breach

A breach can cause harm that money can't put right, so we or the author may seek an injunction as well as damages. A breach is a serious breach of the contractor agreement and ends it immediately.

8. Law

This agreement is governed by the law of England and Wales, and its courts deal with any dispute.