Privacy Policies

This page outlines my policy regarding user privacy and data. There are two areas:

• Visitors To This Website

• Newsletter Subscribers

 

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Visitors To This Website

 

Anyone can visit this website freely. No one will be asked to log in or provide any personal details in order to just view the site.

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A pop-up will appear once per visit offering a visitor the chance to subscribe to my free newsletter. Visitors can simply select to close the offer.

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Since no direct sales are made via this website, no personal or financial information is requested for that reason either. To buy a book listed on this site, you can follow a link to a seller such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, etc.

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Should a visitor decide to use the message facility on this site to contact me by email, it will be necessary for them to provide a name and email in order for me to reply to them. I will reply once only. I will not use the provided details to contact the person further, unless requested by them. If asked, I will completely erase their details from my personal email system.

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You may wish to read the Wix.com's Privacy Policy, since this website has been developed using their web-based technology:

 

https://www.wix.com/about/privacy

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Cookies. The only cookies that I am interested in are of the baked variety. I personally do not use cookies to track or link to visitors in any way. However, cookies are implemented on every site created by Wix – to provide the services and features offered on their websites, and to improve user experience.

 

The link below provides information about cookies implemented by Wix:

 

https://support.wix.com/en/article/cookies-and-your-wix-site

 

For more information about cookies:

 

http://www.aboutcookies.org/

 

For how to delete cookies:

 

http://www.aboutcookies.org/how-to-delete-cookies/

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There is a link on the footer of every page of this website: "Use Of Cookies". This link jumps to the cookie section of my privacy policy.

I chose to offer the link rather than install a pop-up notice about cookies on the website, since I understand that most people find numerous pop-ups annoying, distracting and intrusive.

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Newsletter Subscribers: Your Privacy & Data

 

How I use your data: the only information I seek from subscribers is a "name" and "email address" so that I can send them Newsletters (via the MailChimp automation service) which I hope prove entertaining, informative and useful. I have no other interest in such data and will never pass it on to anyone else.

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Who controls this data? You do. If you don't want any more Newsletters, you can unsubscribe at any time. After that I won't send you anything, unless you decide to re-subscribe.

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More Detail

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We all know or have heard of someone who has either received a mountain of unwanted Spam or had their personal details abused. Thankfully, there are more and more controls to prevent such misuses, and I’m grateful for them.

 

Everyone who receives my emails either: (a) signed up at my website or (b) signed up as part of a promotion (most likely for a free book). I’m very grateful for the interest you have shown in a rising independent author.

 

Your details will always belong to you. What happens to them is entirely up to you. For example, you may decide you want to:

 

{1} Unsubscribe from my newsletter. You’ll find an option for this at the bottom of every newsletter. Another way is to go onto my website and use the message facility to tell me. Or you can email me. In all of these cases, I’ll stop sending you emails and remove your details from the list of subscribers.

 

{2} Have some of your details removed. All I have is the name you supplied and your email. If you’d rather be referred to as “X” (for example) at your email address, I’ll happily do that. Just message or email me with instructions. Update: you can now change your own details via a link on the bottom of each Newsletter "update your preferences").

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{3} Have all your details erased forever. If unsubscribing is sufficient, you can unsubscribe. If you wish me to use the MailChimp "Forget" facility to erase all your details, just message or email me.

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{4} Verify what details I have (which would be the name you gave and your email only). Again, feel free to message or email me.

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{5} Want to know the “mechanics” of how a newsletter is delivered to you? Once more, feel free to message or email me.

 

The only information I will not share with you are anyone else’s details, obviously.

 

To send Newsletters, I use the email automation service provided by MailChimp. They have an excellent reputation and are committed to ensuring the privacy of all their customers and their customers' audiences. You can view their Privacy Policy here:

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https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/

 

My only interest is in supplying a Newsletter that contains information relating to my writing. Sometimes I include a little personal information about myself, book promotions I may be involved in, etc.

 

Some people you have signed a subscription to will email you several times a week or even daily. I find such a volume of emails tedious and intrusive, and I have no intention of doing that. I also don’t have enough time – all my free time is spent writing! I send out newsletters when I have something interesting to reveal, usually once a month.

 

Marketing gurus would tell me I’m not doing a good job – that a constant tide of newsletters would grab people’s attention and gain me more sales. Myself, I don’t want to bore you or pester you. I hope the quality of my storytelling will be what draws readers in.

 

I don’t use your details for any other purpose. I’m not going to try to tell you who to vote for, for example, and I’ll never pass your details onto anyone else (MailChimp, obviously, does hold your details for me securely as part of their service).

 

If you have any concerns, questions or comments about your privacy in relation to my Newsletters, please message or email me.

 

I’m a very private person who doesn’t want his personal information misused. I’ll respect your privacy as much as I respect my own.

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Improvements Made In April-May 2018 (Re-GDPR Implementation)

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• 29th April. In a newsletter, I outlined (similar to the above) how I had received details from subscribers (ie. with their consent) and how I used this information (ie. solely to provide free Newsletters)

• Shortly after, a subscriber contacted me with regard to whether I would be asking subscribers to re-confirm their consent. I replied and continued to look into the matter.

• Week commencing 7th May 2018: I switched to a new provider for automated emails (ie. MailChimp) and began to develop a "re-confirming consent Newsletter". This will enable a fresh record of consent from every subscriber. Anyone who does not re-confirm will be removed from the list on 25th May 2018. (Update: successfully deleted all "non re-confirmers" on 25th May 2018.)

• Rather than just trying to target European subscribers, I am seeking global re-confirmation. This is better and safer for everyone concerned.

• Re-Confirmation Letter to be sent by end of that week. A second reminder to be sent a few days later and, perhaps, a final one before the deadline. (Update: Final reminder sent 23rd May 2018).

• After this, all remaining subscribers will be on record as having re-confirmed their consent. New subscribers will be recorded as consenting by MailChimp.

• I continue to be open to suggestions for improvement by subscribers.

• My aim is to have a very simple, open system that satisfies GDPR and other requirements. Most importantly, I want all subscribers satisfied and assured.

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Example of GDPR record stored at MailChimp (my own details used for example):

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