1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
From Authors:
- Contact details (name, email, address, phone)
- Tax information (W-9 or W-8BEN, and taxpayer identification numbers for IRS reporting)
- Government-issued ID (passport, driving licence or national ID card), used solely to verify your identity and confirm that the country shown matches the country claimed on your tax form
- Payment details for royalty payments
- Book content, cover art, ISBNs
- Sales data, inventory levels, financial transactions
- Dashboard usage and website activity
From TikTok Orders (Not Shared with Authors):
- Customer names, addresses, order details for fulfillment only
- Handled per TikTok's requirements as merchant of record
Automatically Collected:
- IP address, browser type, device information
- Pages visited, time spent, dashboard activity
- Cookies for authentication and functionality
2. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
- Operate your author account and dashboard
- Process royalty payments and tax reporting
- List and sell books via Alchemy Books TikTok Shop
- Manage printing, inventory, and fulfillment
- Handle customer orders and returns
- Send account notifications and service updates
- Comply with legal obligations
3. WHO WE SHARE WITH
- TikTok Shop: Book listings and merchant requirements
- Payment Processors: For royalty payments
- Fulfillment Providers (3PL): For printing and shipping
- Tax Authorities: Required reporting (1099 and 1042-S)
- Legal Requirements: Court orders, legal compliance
We do NOT:
- Share customer data with authors (aggregated reports only)
- Sell your data to third parties
- Use your data for marketing to others
4. DATA RETENTION
- Active membership: Throughout your membership
- Government-issued ID: Deleted once verification is complete. We retain only a record that the check was carried out, by whom and on what date.
- Financial/tax records: 7 years after termination (legal requirement)
- Other data: Deleted within 60 days of termination unless legally required
5. YOUR RIGHTS
You may request to access, correct, or delete your Personal Data by contacting us at privacy@alchemybooks.us. Note: We must retain financial and tax records per legal requirements.
6. SECURITY
Tax documents and identity documents are encrypted at rest. Access to them is restricted to admin staff carrying out verification; support staff cannot view them. Links to view or download documents are time-limited and expire after a short period rather than remaining open. Full banking details are held encrypted, and staff see only the last four digits of an account number.
We use commercially reasonable security measures throughout, including encryption, access controls and secure servers. However, no internet transmission is 100% secure.
7. AGE REQUIREMENT
Service requires users be 18+ per our Terms and Conditions. We do not knowingly collect data from minors.
8. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS
Your data is processed in the United States. By using our Service, you consent to this transfer.
9. CHANGES
We may update this Privacy Policy with 30 days email notice for material changes. Continued use constitutes acceptance.