Privacy Policy – Coleman Editing
Coleman Editing stores and processes client data in order to provide proofreading, editing and ghostwriting services to our clients. This includes quoting for work and sending out invoices.
Coleman Editing values your business and will always look after your data (including both personal and business information) such as your name, email address, phone number, and postal address where needed. We ask for your name, email address and phone number when filling out the contact form so that we can easily contact you with information regarding our services and rates.
Coleman Editing will only use the information provided by you in the contact form for communicating with you about your work and for sending you information about our services in the first instance. We will not use your email address or phone number to send you promotional offers or any other information you didn’t request.
Any personal information we hold for our clients – both physical and electronic – is kept secure.
How We Collect Your Data
Google Analytics
The Coleman Editing website collects anonymised usage information using Google Analytics. This data is not personally identifiable and is not used for anything other than statistical analysis purposes.
Contact Form & Emails
Coleman Editing collects your personal data when you fill in the contact form on the website, which includes your name, your email address and/or your telephone number, as well as any information regarding the assistance you require.
These enquiry form emails are stored on a password-protected Gmail account, as are any direct emails from clients. These will be saved/archived unless you request for the information to be deleted (please see below).
This information is then inputted into a password-protected Excel spreadsheet. If you choose to use Coleman Editing for your editing/writing requirements, your information may also be inputted into Trello and Slack, programs that allows us to keep track of assignments.
Any computers with access to this spreadsheet, Trello or Slack are password-protected, as are the accounts used to log in to Trello and Slack. The computers are also encrypted, with a firewall and access control. Any backups are stored on a portable hard drive and kept locked away in a secure lock box.
Personal Information in Manuscripts
When working on memoirs and autobiographies, Coleman Editing will inevitably receive personal information regarding the client’s life. If required, Coleman Editing can provide a confidentiality agreement for the client, stating that we will not disclose any personal information (either from the manuscript itself or from discussions surrounding the manuscript) to any third parties. A Letter of Agreement can also be drawn up if required, which includes a confidentiality agreement.
This is also noted in the Coleman Editing Terms and Conditions, which get sent to every person who fills out the contact form:
‘14. The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential at all times and will not be shown to any third parties without prior written permission from the Client. Confidential information will also not be copied or reproduced, or used for any purpose other than the proofreading and editing of the work. CE can provide a signed Confidentiality Agreement for the Client if needed.’
Where subcontractors are used to carry out writing services, all third parties have to sign an agreement that includes a confidentiality clause:
- “The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and its contractors without prior written permission.”
Manuscripts will be digitally stored for five years, unless you request for the information to be deleted (please see below).
Third Parties
Coleman Editing will not sell your personal information to any third parties, although we do use several programs in order to process this information. All third party programs used by Coleman Editing are GDPR compliant. You can find their updated privacy policies here:
Online and Physical Payments
Coleman Editing accepts payments via bank transfer/BACS, PayPal and cheque. We do not store any clients’ card or bank information at any time.
Processing your Order/Providing your Service
When entering into an agreement with Coleman Editing, the personal details you provide (your name, email address, and telephone number) will be used during the processing of your order/providing you with the service.
This involves inputting your data into our spreadsheets and QuickBooks accounting software. This information will only be used to process your order and when contacting you regarding the work. At no time will we use your information for sales or marketing purposes.
Accessing/Changing the Information we have on file
Clients can request access to the information Coleman Editing holds on them, and under new GDPR regulations we have 30 days in which to provide you with this information.
If you wish to access this data or inform us of any changes to your personal information (including your name, email address, phone number and address), please email Coleman Editing at jess@colemanediting.co.uk.
If you want us to delete the personal information we hold on you, under the new GDPR guidelines you can request to have all data relating to you erased from our records. Coleman Editing then has 30 days in which to respond, though please note that if work is ongoing we may need to keep your data until the work has been completed.
GDPR Compliant Policy
This new privacy policy was implemented on 24/05/2018 in order to be GDPR compliant.