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Confidentiality letter for people you introduce to your biographer
Your father’s partner from 1982 has never met the writer. He does not know what the book is for, who will read his words, or whether the family wants the project kept quiet. This letter answers all three before he picks up the phone. It is friendlier than a contract and it still holds both sides to something.
This is a one-page letter a biographer sends to the friends, colleagues and relatives a client introduces. It says what the book is for, what the writer keeps private, and what the client asks of them in return. It is friendlier than an NDA, and it still puts both sides’ promises in writing.
- Who signs
- The writer signs it and sends it to each person the client introduces. The person signs at the bottom if they agree.
- When
- Before the first conversation with each person: an old friend, a business partner, a cousin, a former colleague.
- Length
- 5 parts, each with a plain-English note
- Formats
- Word and PDF. Free, no sign-up.
Not legal adviceThis is a template, not legal advice. Laws differ by country and by state. Have a lawyer where you live read it before anyone signs. I am a writer, not a lawyer. These are the documents I would want in place, written in plain English so you can see what each line does.
The letter, clause by clause
Each clause reads as it does in the download. Words [in brackets] are yours to fill in. A line with a box (☐) is an option: keep one, strike the rest.
Opening
Dear [NAME],
[CLIENT NAME] has asked me to write a book about [SUBJECT NAME], and has suggested I speak with you. Thank you for agreeing to talk to me. This letter sets out how I will treat what you tell me, and asks one thing of you in return.
What it meansWarm, short, and from the writer. The person learns who asked, and why.
What I will do
Everything you tell me is confidential. I will use it only to write the book. I will not share it with anyone outside the small team working on the book without your agreement, and I will not use it for anything else, during the project or after it.
If you tell me something is off the record, I will not quote you or attribute it to you.
If I would like to quote you by name, I will ask you to sign a short interview consent form first, which explains how your words will be used.
What it meansThe writer’s promise. If the conversation turns into an interview with quotes, the release form takes over.
What I ask of you
[CLIENT NAME] would like the book kept private until it is published. ☐ Please do not mention the book, or our conversation, to anyone else. ☐ You may mention the book, but please keep the details we discuss to yourself.
What it meansThe client’s request. A surprise gift for a parent’s 80th needs the first box. A company history may only need the second.
Your information
If we record our conversation, the recording will be stored securely and deleted [WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF PUBLICATION]. You can ask me at any time what I hold about you, and ask me to delete it before [DATE].
What it meansOne line on data, in plain words, with a deletion date.
Closing
If you are happy with this, please sign below and send me a copy, or reply to my email saying you agree. If you have any questions, write to me at [WRITER EMAIL] or call [PHONE].
With thanks,
[WRITER NAME]
What it meansAn email reply counts as agreement. For a cousin of eighty, a phone call and a signed copy at the door also work.
Signatures
Take the letter with you
Confidentiality Letter: Word (.docx) to edit, PDF to print. Free, no sign-up. Blanks are highlighted.
India and other countries
India
A signed letter is a contract under the Indian Contract Act 1872 once the person agrees, and an email reply saying “I agree” is enough. The writer’s promises also help meet the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, which needs notice of what personal data is held and why. Check your state’s Stamp Act if it will be used in a dispute.
UK
English law protects information shared in confidence even without a signature, so the letter records what both sides understood. UK GDPR asks for clear information about how personal data is used and kept, which the data paragraph gives.
US
A signed letter of this kind is a contract under state law. The request to keep the project quiet is enforceable if it is reasonable and specific to the book, which this one is.
UAE
The letter is enforceable as a contract under the Civil Transactions Law once signed. If the person reads Arabic first, send an Arabic copy alongside the English one.
Singapore, Canada and Australia
All three recognise both contract and confidence at common law. Each has a privacy law that asks for notice of how personal data is used, which the data paragraph covers.
Questions people ask
Do people I introduce to my biographer need to sign an NDA?
A full NDA can feel heavy for an old friend. A confidentiality letter does the same job in plain words: the writer promises to keep what they hear private, and the person is asked to keep the project quiet.
What is the difference between this letter and the interview release form?
The letter covers the conversation. The release form covers quoting the person in the book. Many people sign both.
What is a confidentiality letter?
A short signed letter in which one side promises to keep information private and asks the reader to do the same. This one is written for people asked to talk to a biographer.
What should a confidentiality letter say?
Who is writing, what the project is, what the writer will keep private, what the reader is asked to keep private, how their information is stored and deleted, and a signature line.
Hiring a writer for a family book?
Send me the contract you have been offered, or ask for mine. I respond within 48 hours, in confidence.