Plain-English version: we don't sell your data, we use basic analytics, and some of our links earn us a small commission. The detail's below.
Last updated: September 2026.
The Village Bookshop ("we", "us") is an independent online bookshop and reading journal, operated from the United Kingdom and publishing at villagebookshop.co.uk. For any question about this policy, or to exercise the rights set out below, email editor@villagebookshop.co.uk.
We don't ask you to create an account and there is no contact form, no comments and no mailing list, so only two things reach us: the analytics described below, and anything you choose to email us - your address and your message, kept only to reply to you.
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages are useful - for example, how many people read a given reading list. It records pages viewed, approximate location from your IP address, device and browser type, and referring site, and it sets cookies in your browser. We don't use it to identify individuals and we run no advertising or remarketing audiences from it. You can block analytics cookies through your browser settings at any time.
Some outbound links to booksellers are affiliate links. If you click one and go on to buy, we may earn a small commission - at no extra cost to you. To make that work, our partners (such as bookshop.org, Amazon and Audible) may set a cookie to attribute the sale. We only recommend books on their merits; a commission never buys a place on a list.
Under UK GDPR we rely on legitimate interests for analytics - understanding which pages are useful so we can write better ones - and on your own action in contacting us where you send an email. We don't process special category data and we don't make automated decisions about you.
Analytics data is retained by Google for 14 months and then deleted automatically. Emails are kept only as long as the conversation is useful, and deleted on request.
Google processes the analytics data as our provider, and pages may load fonts from Google Fonts and cover images from third-party sources - those providers may receive your IP address as a normal part of serving the files. Cloudflare serves the site and keeps standard server logs for security and performance. Booksellers receive you only if you choose to click through. We share data with nobody else, and we don't sell it.
You can ask us for a copy of any data we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, or object to our processing it. Email editor@villagebookshop.co.uk and we'll respond within one month. You can also clear or block cookies in your browser, or opt out of Google Analytics entirely with Google's browser add-on - the site works normally either way.
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
If this policy changes, we'll update the date at the top of this page.