By including your email address in the ARC Application Form and clicking Submit, you acknowledge that your submission constitutes your electronic signature and that you agree to be bound by this Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreement (“Agreement”).

This Agreement is entered into between N. von Wolf (“Disclosing Party”) and the applicant identified by the email address provided in the ARC Application Form (“Recipient”).

1. Purpose

The Disclosing Party may provide the Recipient with an Advanced Reader Copy (“ARC”) of an unpublished work for the limited purpose of personal reading and, if the Recipient chooses, providing an honest review.

2. Confidential Information

For the purposes of this Agreement, “Confidential Information” includes:

• the ARC manuscript in whole or in part;

• all excerpts, screenshots, photographs, recordings, summaries, notes, descriptions, or reproductions of the ARC;

• all unpublished plot details, characters, scenes, endings, twists, dialogue, and other non-public content contained in the ARC;

• any related unpublished material shared by the Disclosing Party in connection with the ARC;

• any file personally assigned, stamped, or watermarked for the Recipient.

Confidential Information includes materials in digital, printed, audio, visual, or any other form, whether marked confidential or reasonably understood to be confidential by its nature.

3. Recipient Obligations

The Recipient agrees that they shall:

a. keep the Confidential Information strictly confidential;
b. use the Confidential Information solely for personal reading and review purposes;
c. not copy, reproduce, distribute, share, forward, upload, post, transmit, display, sell, resell, sublicense, lend, or otherwise disclose the Confidential Information to any third party without the prior written consent of the Disclosing Party;
d. not make the ARC available on any website, server, cloud storage service, peer-to-peer platform, forum, social media platform, messaging group, or file-sharing service;
e. not post screenshots, photographed pages, scanned pages, substantial excerpts, spoilers, or recorded readings from the ARC without prior written consent from the Disclosing Party;
f. not create or distribute audiobook, narrated, translated, dramatised, adapted, or derivative versions of the ARC;
g. take reasonable care to protect the ARC from unauthorised access, copying, or disclosure;
h. notify the Disclosing Party promptly if the Recipient becomes aware of any loss, misuse, unauthorised access, or unauthorised disclosure of the ARC or any Confidential Information.

4. Reviews

The Recipient understands that any review is voluntary. The Disclosing Party does not require a positive review, does not require a review in exchange for the ARC, and expects only an honest review if the Recipient chooses to leave one.

5. Permitted Disclosure

The Recipient may disclose only the minimum necessary non-spoiler information for the purpose of posting an honest review, provided that such review does not include substantial excerpts, unpublished sensitive content, scanned pages, or other material that reproduces or meaningfully reveals the ARC beyond what is customary in a standard review.

6. Exclusions

This Agreement does not apply to information that the Recipient can demonstrate:

a. was already lawfully known to the Recipient before disclosure by the Disclosing Party;
b. becomes publicly available through no breach of this Agreement by the Recipient;
c. was independently developed by the Recipient without use of or reference to the Confidential Information; or
d. was lawfully obtained by the Recipient from a third party without any duty of confidentiality.

7. Copyright and Ownership

The ARC and all associated rights remain the exclusive intellectual property of N. von Wolf and are protected by applicable copyright laws in the United States, the European Union, and other jurisdictions. Nothing in this Agreement transfers any ownership, licence, or other right in the ARC to the Recipient except the limited right to access and read it for review purposes.

8. Watermarking and Reader Identification

The Recipient acknowledges that ARC files may be uniquely assigned, watermarked, stamped, tagged, or otherwise linked to the Recipient’s email address or account details for anti-piracy, identification, and enforcement purposes.

9. No Compensation

The Recipient understands and agrees that participation as an ARC reader is voluntary and uncompensated. No payment, gift, reward, or other consideration is promised or owed in exchange for reading the ARC or posting a review, other than the ARC itself.

10. Return, Deletion, and Cessation of Use

Upon the Disclosing Party’s written request, or upon the Recipient’s removal from the ARC Team, the Recipient shall promptly cease using the ARC and permanently delete or destroy all copies of the Confidential Information in the Recipient’s possession or control, except to the extent retention is required by law. Upon request, the Recipient shall confirm in writing that deletion or destruction has been completed.

11. No Warranty

The Recipient acknowledges that the ARC is an unpublished, pre-release work and is provided as is. It may contain typographical errors, formatting issues, omissions, unrevised material, or content that differs from the final published edition. The Disclosing Party makes no representations or warranties regarding completeness, accuracy, or final publication.

12. Term

This Agreement begins upon submission of the ARC Application Form and continues until the Confidential Information becomes lawfully public through the Disclosing Party, or until the Disclosing Party provides written notice releasing the Recipient from these obligations, except that any confidentiality obligation relating to non-public excerpts, unpublished material, and copied materials shall survive for as long as such information remains non-public.

13. Required Disclosure by Law

If the Recipient is required by law, court order, or legal process to disclose any Confidential Information, the Recipient shall, to the extent legally permitted, promptly notify the Disclosing Party before making such disclosure so that the Disclosing Party may seek protective relief or other appropriate remedies.

14. Breach and Remedies

The Recipient acknowledges that unauthorised use or disclosure of the Confidential Information may cause substantial and irreparable harm to the Disclosing Party for which monetary damages alone may be inadequate. The Disclosing Party reserves the right to seek all remedies available under applicable law, including injunctive relief, equitable relief, damages, account of profits where available, recovery of legal costs where permitted, and any other appropriate legal or equitable remedies.

15. Removal from ARC Team

Any breach of this Agreement may result in immediate and permanent removal from the ARC Team, withdrawal of future ARC access, and possible legal action.

16. Applicable Law

The Recipient acknowledges that unauthorised disclosure, copying, distribution, or misuse of the ARC may violate copyright, confidentiality, and other applicable laws in one or more jurisdictions. The Disclosing Party reserves the right to pursue any rights and remedies available under applicable law in any relevant jurisdiction.

17. No Assignment

The Recipient may not assign, transfer, delegate, or otherwise dispose of any rights or obligations under this Agreement.

18. Severability

If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

19. Waiver

No failure or delay by the Disclosing Party in exercising any right under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of that right.

20. Entire Agreement

This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties regarding the ARC and the Confidential Information and supersedes any prior discussions or understandings relating to them.

21. Electronic Acceptance

By submitting the ARC Application Form, the Recipient confirms that they have read, understood, and agreed to this Agreement, and that their electronic submission shall have the same force and effect as a handwritten signature.