This site, cowriternotghostwriter.com, is run by me, Stephen Scott, an individual author in Los Angeles, California. "I" and "me" below mean me. If you have a question about your information, email stephen@cowriternotghostwriter.com.
What I collect, and why
- Email signups. If you ask for the free toolkit on the Resources page, I collect your email address. I use it to send the toolkit and occasional notes when I publish something new. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe.
- Manuscript Audit bookings. If you book an audit, the booking form collects your name, email address, the book's working title, its genre, its approximate word count and the package you chose. I use these to price the audit, run the engagement and contact you about it.
- Payments. Payment is taken on a checkout page run by Stripe. Stripe collects your card details and billing information there. The site's server also sends Stripe your booking details (name, email, manuscript title, genre, word count, package and your acceptance of the client agreement), and Stripe stores them with the payment as the record of your booking; the title appears on your receipt. I never see or store your full card number.
- Your manuscript and brief. If you become a client, you upload your manuscript and a short brief through a private page after you pay. How I handle them, including the AI services used to audit them and when I delete them, is set out in §4 of the client agreement. That section governs your manuscript; this policy covers everything else.
- Emails you send me. If you write to me, I keep the message and your address so I can reply.
- Site analytics. The site uses Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages are read and which links are clicked, such as the "Get the Book" button. Google Analytics uses cookies and collects information such as your approximate location, device, browser and the pages you view. I see only aggregate reports, not who you are.
- Server logs. Like any website, the hosting service records technical information such as IP addresses and the pages requested, to deliver and secure the site.
Who else receives it
I don't sell your personal information. I share it only with the services that run this site and the audit, each for the purpose described above:
- Stripe, which processes payments, stores your booking details with the payment, and sends your receipt.
- Google, which hosts this site (Firebase Hosting), holds uploaded manuscripts until I collect them, and provides Google Analytics.
- A backup host, which holds only encrypted copies of audit files that I alone can open.
- Kit, the email service that stores signup addresses and sends the toolkit and newsletter.
- My email provider, which stores the email I send and receive.
- AI providers, for audit clients only, under the terms in the client agreement.
Each service handles the information under its own privacy policy. I may also disclose information if the law requires it.
How it's shared. Information reaches these services electronically, over encrypted connections: you enter it on a form that sends it to the service, or I send it as part of using the service.
Links and videos. "Buy" links go to Amazon. I'm an Amazon Associate and earn from qualifying purchases, so Amazon can tell that a visit came from this site. Chapter videos on the Introduction page load from YouTube's privacy-enhanced service only when you press play. Amazon, YouTube and the social networks linked in the footer collect information under their own policies once you visit them.
How it's protected
- Every page and form on this site is served over HTTPS, so what you send is encrypted in transit.
- Card details go straight to Stripe's checkout page and never pass through this site or my systems.
- I don't run my own database of visitors or customers. Your information sits with the services listed above, each with its own security.
- Client manuscripts are handled and deleted as §4 of the client agreement describes.
No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but I take reasonable care and keep as little as I need.
How long it's kept
- Email signups: until you unsubscribe or ask me to delete them.
- Booking and payment records: as long as I need them for tax and accounting.
- Manuscripts: as set out in §4 of the client agreement.
- Analytics data is kept under Google Analytics' retention settings.
Your choices
- Unsubscribe from email at any time with the link in any email.
- Email me to see, correct or delete the information I hold about you. I'll respond within 30 days. Two things can't be deleted early: payment records I'm required to keep for tax purposes, and, for audit clients, the records §4 of the client agreement says I keep (the order details, payment records and the coverage statement).
- Block or delete cookies in your browser, or use Google's Analytics opt-out add-on.
- "Do Not Track": browsers can send this signal, but there's no common standard for honoring it, and this site doesn't change what it does in response. Google Analytics, a third party, may collect information about your visits here and on other sites.
Children
This site is meant for adults. The Manuscript Audit is offered only to people 18 or older, and I don't knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you think a child has sent me information, email me and I'll delete it.
Changes
If I change this policy, I'll post the new version here with a new effective date. If a change matters to people who have booked an audit, I'll email them.
Contact
Stephen Scott · Los Angeles, California · stephen@cowriternotghostwriter.com