Our privacy promise
This Privacy Policy explains what information SOTRANE Publishers collects through the platform, why we use it and the choices you have.
We collect what we reasonably need to provide publishing, account, shop and support services. We do not sell your personal information.
SOTRANE Publishers Limited is responsible for the information described here. Our contact details are at the end of this policy.
Information we collect
The information depends on how you use the platform. It may include the details you give us, records created while we serve you and basic technical information needed to keep the service working.
- Your name, email address, phone number, profile details and account type.
- Manuscripts, book information, messages, files, support requests and publishing instructions.
- Contracts, invoices, payment records, royalty information and shop order details.
- Sign-in, security, device and activity information used to protect accounts and diagnose problems.
- Registration details for the FITABO International Book Fair and our other events, including any access or dietary requirements you tell us about.
- Blog comments and replies you post, reactions you choose, reports you submit, and moderation records needed to operate reader discussions.
Payment information
We do not receive or store your full card number, card security code or mobile money PIN. Payments are handled by our licensed payment providers, and those details go to them rather than to us. What we keep is the fact of payment, the amount, the method and a reference.
We do not ask for information about your health, beliefs or other sensitive matters, and we would rather you did not send it. If such information is part of the work itself — a memoir, an oral history or a case study — it is handled as project content under the confidentiality terms below.
How we receive information
Most information comes directly from you when you register, complete your profile, submit work, send a message, place an order or contact support.
We may also receive information from a SOTRANE team member working on your project, from a person authorised to act for you, or from an earlier SOTRANE record when an existing client account is moved to the platform.
Why we use it
We use personal information to provide the service you requested, communicate with you, protect the platform and meet ordinary business and legal responsibilities. Every use rests on one of the grounds the law recognises.
- Create and secure your account and confirm important account changes — to provide the service you asked for.
- Review manuscripts, manage publishing work and deliver files or updates — to take steps you requested and to perform our agreement with you.
- Prepare contracts, invoices, payment records, royalties and order fulfilment — to perform our agreement with you.
- Answer questions, provide support, prevent abuse and investigate security concerns — our legitimate interest in running a safe and useful platform.
- Improve reliability and understand which platform features need attention — our legitimate interest in maintaining the service.
- Send you news about our titles, events and offers — your consent, which you can withdraw whenever you like.
- Keep accounting, tax and statutory records — a legal obligation we are required to meet.
Consent
Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time and we stop. Withdrawing does not undo anything done before you withdrew.
Private files and messages
Manuscripts, project files, account documents and private conversations are not public catalogue content. Access is limited by account and project permissions.
Your manuscript stays yours. Sending it to us does not transfer any right in it, copyright remains with you, and rights move only under a publishing agreement you have signed. We do not publish, quote or use your work for any purpose other than the service you asked for without your written permission.
Please do not upload more personal information than the publishing task requires. If a file contains another person's private information, make sure you have a proper reason and permission to share it.
Public Blog discussions
Approved Blog comments are public. When you comment, we display the public name on your SOTRANE profile, any relevant verified role label such as Author or Sotrane Staff, the comment or reply, its time, whether it was edited, and public reaction counts.
We do not display your email address, phone number, account ID or private profile details with Blog comments. Reactions are counted publicly, but the public discussion does not identify which account selected a reaction.
Reports are private moderation information. Ordinary readers cannot see who reported a comment, the notes supplied with a report, or the staff member who reviewed it.
If you reply to another signed-in reader, we may send that reader an in-platform notification identifying your public display name and the article where the reply was made. We do not send a notification for every minor reaction.
If you delete a comment that already has legitimate replies, the thread may retain a neutral notice such as '[Comment deleted by user]' so the replies remain understandable. Moderation records and abuse reports may be retained where reasonably necessary for platform safety and accountability.
Cookies and sign-in information
The platform uses essential cookies to keep you signed in, remember basic account state and protect important actions. We use no analytics, advertising or third-party tracking anywhere on the platform. Our Cookie Notice sets out the full position.
How we protect information
We use access controls, private storage, encrypted connections, server-side checks, audit records and other reasonable safeguards. Administrative accounts require more than a password alone, and we keep regular backups. No online service can promise absolute security, so we also ask you to use a strong password and tell us promptly about suspicious activity.
How long we keep it
We keep information for as long as it is reasonably needed for your account, publishing project, order, support request or our legal and financial records. In practice that means:
- Your account and profile — while the account is open, then 24 months, so you can return without starting again.
- Enquiries, support requests and chat transcripts — 24 months, to follow up and handle complaints.
- Manuscripts we declined — 12 months after our decision, for queries and appeals.
- Manuscripts under a signed agreement — the term of the agreement and the archival life of the title, for publishing and archival obligations.
- Contracts, invoices, orders and royalty records — as required by tax and company law, because this is a statutory obligation.
- Newsletter subscription — until you unsubscribe, because you asked for it and can stop it.
- Event registrations — 24 months after the event, for reporting and planning the next edition.
- Security and sign-in logs — 12 months, to investigate account and platform security.
When information is no longer needed
When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete it, anonymise it or keep it securely restricted until deletion is practical.
Your rights and requests
These are rights the Data Protection Act gives you, not favours we grant. There is no charge for exercising any of them.
- To be told what information we hold about you and how we use it.
- To receive a copy of it.
- To have anything inaccurate or incomplete corrected.
- To ask us to delete it, unless we are legally required to keep a particular record.
- To object to a use that rests on our legitimate interests.
- To ask us to pause a use while a question about it is sorted out.
- To withdraw consent at any time, and to stop marketing messages whenever you wish.
- To receive your information in a portable form.
- Not to have a decision that significantly affects you made by automated processing alone.
Making a privacy request
You can update many account details yourself through your profile. For anything else, email us. We may need to confirm your identity before acting on a privacy request so that we do not give account information to the wrong person, and we will respond within thirty days. If a request is complicated and we need longer, we will tell you why and when to expect our answer.
If something goes wrong
If a security incident affects your personal information, we will notify the Data Protection Commissioner within twenty-four hours of becoming aware of it, as the law requires. Where the incident is likely to affect you, we will tell you as well — what happened, what information was involved and what you should do about it.
Children
The platform is not designed for a child to create and manage an account alone. In Zambia a child is anyone under eighteen.
Where publishing work concerns a child — a young author, a school anthology or a competition entry — a parent, guardian, school or other properly authorised adult should contact SOTRANE, give consent and supervise the arrangement. We collect only what the work requires. If we find we hold a child's information without that authorisation, we delete it.
If you are not satisfied
Tell us first. We would far rather put something right than have you carry a complaint elsewhere. If we cannot resolve it, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner at any time.
Policy updates and contact
We may update this policy when the platform, our practices or legal requirements change. We keep previous versions on record. If a change materially affects you, we will tell you directly rather than relying on you noticing.
For a privacy question or request, email info@sotranepublishers.com or visit our office at Kulima Tower Building, 6th Floor, Room 601, Katunjila Road, Lusaka, Zambia.