Last updated: 24 June 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Olney Review of Books collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you use our website:

https://olneyreviewofbooks.co.uk

Olney Review of Books is a book review website. We publish reviews, editorial content and related literary material. We may also collect email addresses and related information from visitors who choose to subscribe to our newsletter, so that we can send occasional updates, news, articles and other relevant communications.

This Privacy Policy should be read together with our:

Terms and Conditions:
https://olneyreviewofbooks.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/

Cookie Policy:
https://olneyreviewofbooks.co.uk/cookie-policy/

Contact page:
https://olneyreviewofbooks.co.uk/contact-the-editor/

2. Who We Are

This website is owned and operated by Olney Review of Books.

For privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns, you can contact us through our contact page:

https://olneyreviewofbooks.co.uk/contact-the-editor/

3. What Personal Information We Collect

We only collect personal information where it is necessary for the operation of the website, communication with readers, or management of our newsletter.

Depending on how you use the website, we may collect the following information:

Information you provide directly

When you contact us or subscribe to our newsletter, we may collect:

  • Your email address
  • Your first name and last name, if requested
  • Your title or form of address, if requested
  • Your country, if requested
  • Your profession or area of interest, if requested
  • Any message or comments you send to us through the contact form
  • Your consent preferences, such as newsletter consent or cookie consent

Information collected automatically

When you visit the website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, such as:

  • Your IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited
  • Approximate location based on technical data
  • Date and time of visit
  • Cookie preferences
  • Website usage and interaction data

This information may be collected through cookies, analytics tools, security tools, server logs or similar technologies. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy:

https://olneyreviewofbooks.co.uk/cookie-policy/

4. How We Use Your Personal Information

We may use your personal information for the following purposes:

To send newsletter updates

If you subscribe to our mailing list, we will use your email address and any other information you provide to send occasional newsletters, updates, article links, editorial news or other communications connected with Olney Review of Books.

You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in the email or by contacting us.

To respond to messages

If you contact us through the website, we will use the information you provide to respond to your message, question, comment or request.

To manage the website

We may use technical and usage information to help us operate, protect, maintain and improve the website.

To understand readership and website use

We may use analytics or statistics tools to understand how visitors use the website, which pages are visited, and how the website can be improved.

Where required, analytics cookies will only be used with your consent.

To comply with legal obligations

We may process personal information where required to comply with legal, regulatory, accounting, security or administrative obligations.

5. Lawful Bases for Processing

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using your personal information.

The lawful bases we may rely on include:

Consent

We rely on your consent when you subscribe to our newsletter or agree to receive marketing or email updates from us.

We may also rely on consent for non-essential cookies, analytics cookies or marketing cookies, where applicable.

You can withdraw your consent at any time.

Legitimate interests

We may rely on legitimate interests to:

  • Respond to messages sent through the website
  • Maintain and protect the website
  • Prevent spam, abuse, fraud or security threats
  • Understand general website performance
  • Improve our content and reader experience

When we rely on legitimate interests, we only do so where our interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Legal obligation

We may process personal information where necessary to comply with applicable legal obligations.

6. Newsletter and Email Marketing

If you subscribe to our newsletter, your details may be stored and managed through an email marketing platform, such as MailerLite.

We use the newsletter system to:

  • Store subscriber details
  • Send newsletters and updates
  • Manage unsubscribe requests
  • Monitor basic email performance, such as whether an email has been opened or whether a link has been clicked

You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any newsletter email.

We will not sell your email address or share it with third parties for their own independent marketing purposes.

7. Contact Forms

When you use a contact form on the website, we collect the information you enter into the form so that we can respond to you.

This may include your name, email address and message. We may keep a record of your enquiry for administrative purposes, to manage correspondence, or to respond to follow-up messages.

Please do not send sensitive personal information through the contact form unless it is strictly necessary.

8. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to make the website function properly, improve performance, understand website use and, where applicable, support marketing or tracking features.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to work and do not require consent. Other cookies, such as analytics or marketing cookies, may require your consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences through the cookie banner or consent settings on the website.

For full details, please see our Cookie Policy:

https://olneyreviewofbooks.co.uk/cookie-policy/

9. Sharing Your Personal Information

We do not sell personal information.

We may share limited personal information with trusted service providers who help us operate the website and manage communications, including:

  • Website hosting providers
  • Website maintenance and security providers
  • Email marketing providers, such as MailerLite
  • Analytics or cookie consent providers
  • Professional advisers, if required
  • Legal or regulatory authorities, where required by law

These providers are only allowed to process personal information where necessary to provide their services to us and should handle your information securely and lawfully.

10. International Transfers

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

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, data processing agreements, or other legally recognised safeguards.

11. How Long We Keep Personal Information

We only keep personal information for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

As a general guide:

  • Newsletter subscriber data is kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
  • Contact form enquiries may be kept for as long as needed to manage correspondence and administrative records.
  • Cookie consent records may be kept for compliance purposes.
  • Technical logs may be kept for a limited period for security, maintenance and troubleshooting.

We may retain certain information for longer where required by law, necessary to resolve disputes, or needed for legitimate administrative or security purposes.

12. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

These steps may include:

  • Secure website hosting
  • Access controls
  • Password protection
  • Security monitoring
  • Regular website maintenance
  • Limiting access to personal information only to those who need it

However, no website or online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

13. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights in relation to your personal information.

These may include the right to:

  • Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you
  • Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
  • Ask us to delete your personal information
  • Ask us to restrict how we use your personal information
  • Object to certain uses of your personal information
  • Withdraw consent where we rely on consent
  • Ask for your information to be transferred to another provider, where applicable
  • Complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office

To exercise your rights, please contact us through:

https://olneyreviewofbooks.co.uk/contact-the-editor/

We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.

14. Withdrawing Consent and Unsubscribing

If you have subscribed to our newsletter, you can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any newsletter email.

You can also contact us through the website and ask to be removed from the mailing list.

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

15. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including publishers, authors, booksellers, cultural organisations, article sources or other external websites.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of third-party websites. You should read the privacy policy of any external website you visit.

16. Children’s Privacy

This website is intended for a general audience interested in books, reviews, literature and related cultural content.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe that a child has provided personal information through the website, please contact us so that we can review and, where appropriate, delete the information.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the website, our services, legal requirements or how we handle personal information.

The latest version will always be published on this page with the updated date shown at the top.

18. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal information, please contact us through:

https://olneyreviewofbooks.co.uk/contact-the-editor/