Privacy policy

This policy explains what personal data yasminevanhove.com collects, why, who it's shared with, and what you can do about it. The short version: I only collect what you type into a form, I never sell it, and the site doesn't use cookies.

Who's responsible

The data controller is Yasmine Van Hove, the author running this site. For anything privacy-related, email info@yasminevanhove.com.

What I collect and why

Newsletter and free ebook

When you subscribe (with or without the free ebook), I collect your first name and email address to send you the newsletter. If you take the free ebook, I also create a personal download link, and if you ask for it, email that link to you or pass on a Smashwords request.

• Legal basis: your consent (GDPR art. 6(1)(a)). You can withdraw it any time with the unsubscribe link in every email.
• Kept: until you unsubscribe. Download links expire after a few days; the record of them is deleted within 12 months.

Contact form

Your name, email address, message, and any image you attach (such as a proof of purchase) are emailed to me so I can reply.

• Legal basis: my legitimate interest in answering the messages you send me (art. 6(1)(f)).
• Kept: as long as needed to deal with your message, and no longer than 3 years after our last exchange.

ARC (advance reader copy) sign-ups

When you apply for an ARC, I collect your name, email address, the social links and description you provide, and whether you'd like the newsletter. If you're approved, I also store your personal access link, its expiry date, how often it was used, and my own notes about the ARC (for example whether you've posted a review). Approved readers are added to an ARC readers list in my email tool so I can send ARC-related emails; you only get the newsletter if you ticked that box.

• Legal basis: handling the ARC request you make (art. 6(1)(b)), and your consent for the newsletter.
• Kept: for the ARC campaign and up to 2 years afterwards, so I can see who has read for me before. Rejected applications are deleted within 6 months.

Ebook downloads and watermarking

Every ebook downloaded from this site (the free newsletter ebook, ARCs, and gift or redeem links) is watermarked before it reaches you. A short page near the start of the book shows who the copy was prepared for (your name, or your email address with most of it hidden, like j***@gmail.com), the date, and a reference code. The same reference code is also hidden inside the file. Gift and redeem links don't ask for your details, so those copies only show the date and reference code, plus your name if I added it when creating the link. I don't keep a copy of your watermarked ebook: once it's downloaded, it's only on your device.

Each download is also logged: the reference code, which book, when it was downloaded, and the name and email address the copy was prepared for. If a copy turns up shared online, this lets me find which download it came from, even after the download link or ARC access itself has been deleted. I may then contact that reader and ask for the copy to be taken down.

• Legal basis: my legitimate interest in protecting my books from unauthorised sharing (art. 6(1)(f)).
• Kept: download log entries are deleted 3 years after the download.

ARC typo reports

If you report a typo from your ARC page, I keep what you wrote and which ARC access it came from, so I can fix it and thank you. If your ARC access is deleted, the report stays but is no longer linked to you.

Data requests

When you use the your data page, I keep your email address, the kind of request and when it was confirmed and carried out, as a record that it was handled.

• Legal basis: my legal obligation to answer and document data requests (art. 6(1)(c)).
• Kept: 12 months.

Spam and abuse protection

To stop form spam, your IP address is held briefly in the server's memory to limit how many requests can be sent. It's never written to a database and is forgotten within about 10 minutes.

Hosting

Like any website, the host receives technical data (such as your IP address and browser) when you load a page, in order to deliver and secure it. Legal basis: legitimate interest (art. 6(1)(f)).

Analytics and cookies

This site sets no cookies and doesn't track you across other websites. I use Vercel Web Analytics and Speed Insights to see anonymous, aggregate statistics: which pages are visited, where visitors come from, country, device type, browser, and how fast pages load. These tools don't store anything on your device, and visitors are only told apart within a single day by a hash that is discarded after 24 hours. The statistics are used only by me, to improve this site. Legal basis: legitimate interest (art. 6(1)(f)).

The site does save two small things in your browser's local storage, purely for the site to work: which news popups you've already seen (so they don't keep reappearing), and your analytics opt-out choice if you make one below. Neither is ever sent to me or anyone else.

You can opt out of the analytics in this browser at any time:

Who your data is shared with

I never sell your data or share it for advertising. It's only handled by the services that run this site, acting on my instructions:

• Vercel Inc. (USA): website hosting and analytics.
• Supabase Inc. (USA): database for ARC sign-ups, download links, and the download log.
• MailerLite (EU, data stored in the EU): newsletter and ARC reader emails.
• Resend Inc. (USA): sending emails from the site, such as download links, ARC decisions, and contact form messages.

Where data is processed outside the European Union, it's protected by the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses and/or the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, under each provider's data processing agreement.

Your rights

Under the GDPR and French data protection law, you can:

• access the data I hold about you, and get a copy of it;
• have it corrected or deleted;
• restrict or object to how it's used;
• withdraw your consent at any time;
• give instructions on what should happen to your data after your death.

You can see or delete your data yourself on the your data page. For anything else, email info@yasminevanhove.com. I'll reply within one month. If you're unhappy with how your data is handled, you can complain to the French data protection authority, the CNIL, or the authority in your own country.

Changes

If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new date at the top. See also the legal notice.