Last updated: 1 November 2026. What this site collects, why, and what you can do about it.
Who is responsible for your data
This website, jules-hart.com, is run by [legal name], who writes as Jules Hart (“I”, “me”). Under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018) I am the controller of the personal data described here.
To ask anything about your data, or to use any of your rights, email mail@jules-hart.com.
The short version
- I never sell, rent or swap your personal information, and I never add you to anyone else’s list.
- No spam. I only email you what you signed up for, and every email has an unsubscribe link that works straight away.
- I collect only what you choose to give: your first name and email address if you join the VIP Reader Club, and your name, email and message if you use the contact form.
- The Meta (Facebook) Pixel runs only if you click Accept on the cookie banner. If you don’t, nothing on this site tracks you for advertising.
What I collect, why, and for how long
The VIP Reader Club and the Shore Party (ARC) Team
What: your first name and email address; whether you ticked “Join the Shore Party (ARC) Team”; and which free book or bonus scene you asked for. Why: to send you the free ebook and bonus scenes you ask for, advance reader copies if you join the Shore Party, and an occasional newsletter about my books. Legal basis: your consent (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a)), given when you sign up and confirm your email address. Who handles it: Sender (Sender.net), the email service that stores the list and sends the emails on my behalf.
Confirming your email: after you sign up, I send one email asking you to confirm your address, and nothing else until you do. If you don’t confirm, I send up to two reminders over the next two weeks and then stop. Unconfirmed details are deleted after 6 months.
Opens and clicks: like most email services, Sender records whether an email is opened and which links in it are clicked. I use this to see which emails readers find useful and to follow up when you ask for something — for example, sending the Shore Party welcome when you click its “Join” link. You can stop this by unsubscribing, or by turning off images in your email app. Legal basis: part of the consent you give when you sign up.
How long: until you unsubscribe. After that I keep your email address only on a suppression list, so that you are not emailed again by mistake.
Where you signed up from
What: which page and form you used (for example the home page, or the page my Facebook adverts link to) and, if you arrived through a tagged link in one of my books, emails or adverts, a short label from that link. The label is kept in your browser until you sign up, then saved with your details in Sender. Why: to know which pages, books and adverts bring readers to the club. Legal basis: my legitimate interest in knowing which of my links and adverts work (Article 6(1)(f)). How long: for as long as you are subscribed.
Free ebooks and downloads
Free ebooks and advance copies are delivered by a download link on this site. The site keeps a record of downloads so it can count them.
The contact form
What: your name, email address, an optional subject and your message. Why: to read and answer it. Legal basis: my legitimate interest in replying to people who write to me (Article 6(1)(f)). Where it goes: the form emails your message to my inbox; the website does not keep a copy. (If the form shows an error, what you typed is held for up to 10 minutes so you don’t have to type it again.) How long: as long as the conversation needs, and no longer than 12 months after it ends.
Keeping the forms free of spam
The forms use checks that run on this site only: a hidden field, a timer, and a short-lived counter that stores a scrambled, one-way version of your IP address for up to an hour to stop repeated sending. Legal basis: legitimate interests — keeping the forms working and free of spam.
Cookies and similar technologies
Your cookie choice. When you first visit, a banner asks whether you accept one advertising-measurement cookie from Meta. Your answer is remembered in a small cookie (cp_consent) for 180 days. You can change it at any time with the Cookie settings link at the foot of every page.
The Meta (Facebook) Pixel — only if you accept. If you click “No thanks”, the Pixel never loads. If you accept, it sets a cookie (_fbp) that lets Meta recognise your browser, and tells Meta which pages you visit. If you signed up through my Facebook page and confirmed your email, it also tells Meta that you joined. To make these figures more reliable, this website’s server also sends Meta the same information directly (Meta’s “Conversions API”): the page address and time, your IP address and browser type, and the _fbp cookie — never your name or email address. This, too, happens only if you accept. This lets me see whether my Facebook and Instagram adverts work, and helps Meta show them to people likely to be interested. Meta uses this information under its own terms and privacy policy; I see only anonymous, combined figures, such as how many sign-ups an advert led to. Legal basis: your consent (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations and UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a)).
Everything else. If you close the announcement bar, or arrive through a tagged link, your browser remembers it in its own storage; nothing is sent anywhere. WordPress sets cookies only for people who log in to manage the site. There is no Google Analytics and no other tracking.
Links and content from other sites
Buy and review links take you to stores and book sites such as Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo and Goodreads. Some pass through Genius Link (geni.us), which sends you to the store for your country. Once you click, that site’s own privacy policy applies.
Instagram: the Instagram page shows my recent posts with the pictures stored on this site, so your browser does not contact Instagram unless you click through. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Bluesky and Patreon icons and buttons are plain links; nothing loads from those services until you click. Fonts are served from this site, not from Google.
Hosting and server logs
The site is hosted by Hostinger. Like all web hosts, it keeps standard server logs — IP address, the page requested, the time and browser type — to run the service securely, for a limited period set by the host. The site also keeps a 7-day record of broken or redirected links, without IP addresses, so I can fix them. Legal basis: legitimate interests (security and reliability).
Who else sees your data
Only the service providers named above — Sender, my web host, my email provider and, if you accept the cookie, Meta — each acting on my instructions or under their own privacy terms. I do not sell, rent or trade personal information, and apart from the Meta Pixel (only with your consent) I do not share it for advertising.
International transfers
Some of these providers process data outside the UK — for example in the European Union or the United States. Where they do, the transfer relies on UK adequacy regulations (which cover the EU, and US companies certified under the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework) or on approved contract terms such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.
Your rights
You have the right to ask for a copy of your data; to have it corrected; to have it deleted; to restrict or object to how it is used; and to receive it in a portable form. Where I rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time — use the unsubscribe link in any email, or change your choice with Cookie settings. I will reply within one month.
If you are unhappy with how I have handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk, telephone 0303 123 1113. I would be grateful for the chance to put things right first.
Children
This site and its books are for adults. The newsletter is not meant for anyone under 18. If you think a child has signed up or written to me, please let me know and I will delete their details.
Keeping your data safe
The site is served over an encrypted connection (HTTPS). Access to the mailing list and my inbox is limited to me and protected by strong passwords and, where available, two-factor authentication.
Changes to this notice
If anything here changes, I will update this page and the date at the top. If a change affects how I use your email address, I will tell subscribers first.