Privacy policy

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 10 September 2026

1. About this policy

This privacy policy explains how I, Alex Williams, collect, use and protect personal information when you visit alexwilliamsbooks.com, contact me or subscribe to my newsletter.

For the purposes of UK data-protection law, Alex Williams is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy.

The website does not currently accept orders or payments. I do not collect payment-card information, delivery addresses or customer account information through this website.

If you have any questions about this policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact:

Email: mail@alexwilliamsbooks.com
Website: alexwilliamsbooks.com
Country: United Kingdom

2. Information I may collect

Depending on how you use the website, I may collect the following information.

Information you provide

If you contact me by email, I may receive:

  • your name;

  • your email address;

  • the contents of your message; and

  • any other information you choose to provide.

Newsletter and free-book information

The website contains a link through which you can receive a free book and subscribe to my mailing list. The sign-up page and delivery of the free book are operated using BookFunnel.

If you sign up, BookFunnel may collect:

  • your email address;

  • your name, if you provide it;

  • the date and source of your subscription;

  • information about the delivery or download of the free book;

  • technical information needed to provide the download; and

  • any subscription preferences you provide.

Your email address and relevant subscription information are then transferred from BookFunnel to MailerLite, which I use to manage my mailing list and send newsletters.

MailerLite may process:

  • your email address;

  • your name, if provided;

  • your subscription status and preferences;

  • the date and method of subscription;

  • information about newsletter delivery; and

  • information about how you interact with newsletters, such as whether an email was opened or a link was selected.

By completing the sign-up, you are requesting the free book and consenting to join my mailing list. You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by selecting the unsubscribe link included in every newsletter or by contacting me.

Unsubscribing will not affect your ability to keep or read a free book you have already received.

Technical and website-usage information

When you visit the website, Shopify and other authorised service providers may automatically process limited technical information, including:

  • your IP address;

  • browser and device type;

  • operating system;

  • approximate location derived from your IP address;

  • the pages you visit;

  • the date and time of your visit;

  • referring website information; and

  • information stored or accessed through cookies and similar technologies.

This information is used to operate, secure and maintain the website and, where you have consented, to measure advertising performance and understand how visitors interact with it.

3. How and why I use personal information

I may use personal information for the following purposes.

Operating and securing the website

Technical information may be processed to provide the website, maintain its security, prevent fraud or misuse and diagnose technical problems.

The lawful basis for this processing is my legitimate interest in operating and protecting my website.

Responding to enquiries

If you contact me, I will use the information you provide to read and respond to your enquiry and retain an appropriate record of our correspondence.

The lawful basis for this processing is my legitimate interest in communicating with readers and responding to legitimate enquiries.

Providing the free book

If you complete the BookFunnel sign-up, your information will be used to deliver the requested free book and provide any necessary technical assistance connected with accessing it.

The lawful basis for this processing is your request to receive the book and your consent to provide the necessary information.

Sending newsletters

If you complete the sign-up, your information will also be transferred to MailerLite and used to send you news about my books, new releases, promotions and other relevant author updates.

The lawful basis for sending these emails is your consent. You may withdraw that consent at any time by unsubscribing.

Measuring and improving advertising

Where you consent to advertising cookies and similar technologies, information about your use of the website may be used to measure the effectiveness of advertising, understand which advertisements bring visitors to the website and help deliver more relevant advertising.

The lawful basis for this processing is your consent.

Complying with legal obligations

I may process or retain information where reasonably necessary to comply with the law, respond to a lawful request, establish or defend legal rights or protect the rights and safety of others.

The lawful basis will be compliance with a legal obligation or my legitimate interest in protecting my legal rights, as appropriate.

4. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small data files stored on your device. The website may also use similar technologies, including pixels and tracking links.

Essential cookies

Shopify may use essential cookies and similar technologies to provide, operate and secure the website. These technologies are necessary for the website to function and do not require consent where they are used solely for essential purposes.

You can learn more about Shopify’s handling of personal information in the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy.

Optional cookies

Optional cookies and tracking technologies, including the Meta Pixel, will only be used where you have given your consent through the website’s cookie banner.

You can accept or reject optional cookies through the banner and change your choice at any time by selecting the “Cookie preferences” link on the website.

Disabling optional cookies will not prevent you from accessing the website, although some measurements or personalised features may be unavailable.

5. Meta Pixel

With your consent, this website uses the Meta Pixel, an advertising and analytics technology provided by Meta.

The Meta Pixel helps me:

  • measure the effectiveness of advertisements;

  • understand how visitors reach and use the website;

  • create advertising audiences; and

  • show relevant advertisements through Facebook, Instagram and other Meta services.

When activated, the Meta Pixel may collect information including:

  • pages visited and links or buttons selected;

  • the date and time of a visit;

  • the advertisement or website that referred you;

  • your IP address;

  • browser and device information; and

  • identifiers stored in cookies or similar technologies.

Meta may combine this information with information it already holds, particularly if you are logged into Facebook or Instagram.

The Meta Pixel will not be activated for advertising purposes unless you consent to marketing or advertising cookies. You may withdraw your consent through the website’s cookie-preference controls.

Meta processes information in accordance with its own Privacy Policy. You can also manage how Meta uses information for advertising through your Facebook or Instagram advertising settings.

6. Amazon Attribution links

Some links on the website take you to Amazon to view or purchase my books. These links may contain an Amazon Attribution tag, which helps measure how many visits or purchases result from my advertising and website links.

When you select one of these links:

  • you leave alexwilliamsbooks.com and enter an Amazon website;

  • Amazon may record that the visit came from a particular link or advertising campaign;

  • Amazon may use cookies or similar technologies on its own website; and

  • I may receive aggregated reports about clicks and resulting activity.

I do not receive your Amazon account details, payment information or complete purchasing history through Amazon Attribution.

Amazon is responsible for the information it collects on its websites. Its use of that information is governed by the applicable Amazon privacy notice and cookie preferences.

7. BookFunnel and MailerLite

BookFunnel

BookFunnel provides the external mailing-list sign-up page and delivers the free book offered to new subscribers.

When you sign up, BookFunnel processes the information needed to register your subscription, deliver the book and provide technical assistance if you experience difficulty accessing it.

BookFunnel then transfers your email address and relevant subscription information to my connected MailerLite account.

BookFunnel processes information according to its own privacy policy and its contractual data-protection obligations.

MailerLite

MailerLite stores and manages my mailing list and sends newsletters on my behalf.

MailerLite may also process technical information connected with newsletter delivery, including delivery status, email opens and link selections. This helps maintain the mailing list and assess whether newsletters are being successfully delivered and read.

MailerLite processes personal information in accordance with its contractual data-protection obligations and its Privacy Policy.

You can unsubscribe from the mailing list at any time using the link in any newsletter.

8. Who information may be shared with

I do not sell personal information.

Where necessary for the purposes described in this policy, information may be processed by or shared with:

  • Shopify, which hosts and operates the website;

  • BookFunnel, which operates the newsletter sign-up page and delivers the free book;

  • MailerLite, which stores subscription information and provides mailing-list services;

  • Meta, where you consent to the Meta Pixel;

  • Amazon, when you follow an Amazon link;

  • technical providers that help maintain or secure the website;

  • professional advisers where reasonably necessary; and

  • courts, regulators, law-enforcement bodies or public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

These organisations may act as data processors, independent data controllers or, in some circumstances, joint controllers, depending on the service concerned.

9. International transfers

Some service providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

In particular, information connected with the website, free-book delivery, mailing list and advertising may be processed internationally by Shopify, BookFunnel, MailerLite, Meta or Amazon.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, appropriate protections will be used where required by law. These may include transfers to countries recognised as providing adequate protection or contractual safeguards approved under UK data-protection law.

Further information about international processing by these providers is available in their respective privacy notices.

10. How long information is retained

Personal information will not be kept for longer than reasonably necessary.

Generally:

  • email enquiries and related correspondence may be retained for up to two years after the last meaningful contact, unless there is a legal or business reason to keep them longer;

  • newsletter subscription information will be retained while you remain subscribed;

  • records relating to delivery of the free book may be retained by BookFunnel for the period necessary to provide the download and technical support;

  • limited information may be retained after you unsubscribe to ensure that your preference is respected and you are not accidentally re-added;

  • records showing when and how consent was obtained may be retained where necessary to demonstrate compliance with data-protection and electronic-marketing requirements;

  • technical and security records will be retained according to the needs of the website and the retention periods applied by Shopify; and

  • information processed by BookFunnel, MailerLite, Meta and Amazon may be retained according to their respective policies and settings.

Aggregated or anonymised information that no longer identifies an individual may be retained for longer.

11. Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data-protection law gives you the right to:

  • ask for a copy of the personal information held about you;

  • ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;

  • ask for your personal information to be deleted;

  • ask for the use of your information to be restricted;

  • object to certain uses of your information;

  • receive certain information in a portable format;

  • withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and

  • complain about the handling of your personal information.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions.

To exercise a right, contact mail@alexwilliamsbooks.com. You may be asked for enough information to confirm your identity before a request is completed.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

I would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you contact the ICO, although you are not required to contact me first.

12. Security

Reasonable technical and organisational measures are used to protect personal information against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

However, no internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

13. External websites

The website contains links to external websites, including BookFunnel, Amazon and social-media platforms.

The newsletter sign-up link takes you to a page operated by BookFunnel. The information submitted there is processed as explained in the newsletter sections of this policy.

For other external links, once you leave alexwilliamsbooks.com, the relevant third party is responsible for its own website and data-processing practices. You should review its privacy information if you would like to understand how it uses your information.

14. Automated decision-making

I do not use personal information collected directly through this website to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

Meta, Amazon and other third-party platforms may use automated systems for advertising, personalisation, fraud prevention or other purposes. Their respective privacy notices explain these activities.

15. Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated when the website or its data-processing activities change.

The current version will always be published on this page, with the date of the latest update shown at the top. Material changes may also be brought to visitors’ attention through the website or mailing list where appropriate.

This policy will be reviewed and expanded before online shopping, customer accounts, payments or direct order fulfilment are introduced.