Privacy Policy

Last updated February 17, 2024

We all worry about privacy these days, yet have you read a privacy policy lately? Most suck. That is why on this page for Manuscript Alchemy (‘we‘, ‘us‘, or ‘our‘) we want to be as transparent as possible by using plain language. It explains how we might collect, store and/or use your information when you use our services such as when you:

  • Visit our website at manuscriptalchemy.com, or any website of ours that links to this privacy policy.
  • Engage with us in other related ways, including coaching, sales, marketing, or events.

This policy has not been created to conform to some piece of legislation or cover our backsides. We’ve written it, so you know exactly what information we have on you and how we use it.

What We Know About the Average Site Visitor

We use Jetpack Stats that automatically collects minimal information about:

  • How many people visit our website.
  • Which website led them to manuscriptalchemy.com.
  • Which pages they visit.
  • What device they use.
  • What browser they are using.
  • Which country they connected from.

All of that information is anonymous and aggregated and we cannot (to our knowledge) access details about individual users. Full details on Jetpack Stats privacy here.

What We Know About Subscribers

If somebody decides to signup for the Manuscript Alchemy newsletter, we store their:

  • Email address.
  • Name.

We use a tool called Substack. We use them to store these details and to manage sending out the newsletter. Substack will tell us if a subscriber has opened an email or clicked a link. We rarely, if ever look at individuals. Our primary concern is whether the content we are producing is of interest. That said, that data is available.

What I Know About Clients

Direct Session Bookings

You can directly book two types of coaching sessions with us online. This is all done using a service called TidyCal. They handle all transactions and we never get access to your credit card information or other payment details. Full details on TidyCal privacy here.

Coaching Program Payments

Other than the direct booking options, we accept coaching program payments through Paypal. Once again, they handle all transactions and we never get access to your credit card information or other payment details. Full details on PayPal privacy here.

Client Details

We collect client details in two ways, through Google Forms and on this website.

We use Google Forms to collect information from people who sign up for single session coaching. It is very similar to the information we gather on the contact page but includes a file upload option for sample pages so they can be reviewed before we meet. Files uploaded through that form are stored on Google Drive. Full details on Google privacy here.

You can see what information we collect and store on current, future and past clients on the contact page.

What Do We Do With This Data?

Honestly, not much.

We use Jetpack Stats and Substack to inform us about what content we should be writing and how to make the website better. We never use TidyCal or Paypal for anything other than scheduling and taking payments. Form data we collect is used to inform our coaching sessions.

What we will never do is pass any of the data we collect (including your email address) to any other third party. We do not track you beyond your interactions on manuscriptalchemy.com and that data is never downloaded locally.

Coaching Clients and Those Who Email Us

As a requirement of coaching and when people email us, we do hold some information on them. Most of that information is stored on the coach’s password-protected and encrypted laptop. However, there is also some data in the cloud.

Our email is via Gmail and some information is also stored in other Google Workspace apps like Google Docs. Where possible, we secure accounts with two-step validation and they all offer secure encryption to keep your data safe.

In all cases, this information is held securely and never shared with anybody without your permission.

What if You Are Unhappy With How We Hold Your Data?

If any of the above concerns you, let us know. We will happily delete any information we hold on you.

  • If you have booked a coaching session or discovery call, we can delete your information after the session or call if you wish.
  • If you have emailed with us, just let us know, and we can remove any information we are holding on you.
  • If you are a newsletter subscriber, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of each email we send.
  • If you don’t like Jetpack Stats tracking you on this site, then we can recommend many other websites you could use instead (although they probably run Google Analytics, which is in my opinion even more intrusive).

We hope you can see, we are as open and transparent as we can be about your privacy, but if you have any questions please drop us an email.