Journal

Privacy basics every author website needs

Newsletters, analytics and ads all involve personal data. What a small author site should have in place.

Even a simple author site usually collects some personal data: newsletter addresses, contact form messages, analytics and sometimes advertising cookies. A few basics keep you on the right side of readers and the law.

This is general information rather than legal advice. If your situation is complicated, speak to a professional.

A clear privacy policy

Say what you collect, why, who processes it on your behalf (email provider, analytics, payment processor, advertising network) and how readers can ask you to delete their data. Plain language beats copied legal boilerplate. Link to it from every page footer.

Cookies and consent

If you use analytics or advertising cookies, many readers' local laws require you to tell them and, in some regions, to ask before setting non-essential cookies. A small, unobtrusive notice at the bottom of the screen is enough; it should never block the page.

Advertising disclosures

If your site shows ads from a network such as Google AdSense, your privacy policy should explain that third-party vendors use cookies to serve ads based on prior visits, and tell readers where to opt out of personalised advertising.

Newsletter consent

Only add people who asked to be added. Keep a record of how and when they subscribed, and honour unsubscribes immediately. Never import contacts from your phone or from event sign-in sheets without clear permission.

Affiliate links

If you earn a commission from retailer links, disclose it clearly near the links or in a short site-wide statement. Readers appreciate the honesty and many programmes require it.

Collect less

The simplest privacy protection is not collecting data you do not need. A newsletter form needs an email address. That is all.

Written by the Spinecrest studio · October 5, 2026