Cookie Policy

Last updated: March 2025

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, remember your preferences, and provide information to website owners.

In addition to cookies, this Website also uses your browser's localStorage and sessionStorage to remember preferences and improve your experience. These work similarly to cookies but are stored locally in your browser rather than being sent to the server with each request.

2. How I Use Cookies

This Website uses cookies and browser storage to:

  • Keep you securely logged in and protect against cross-site request forgery
  • Remember your cookie consent preferences
  • Enable shopping cart and checkout functionality
  • Save your reading position and preferences in the ebook readers
  • Remember your preferred purchasing region (UK shop or international retailers)
  • Understand how visitors interact with the Website (with your consent)
  • Measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns (with your consent)

3. Types of Cookies and Storage Used

3.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the Website to function properly. They enable core features such as security, account login, and the shopping cart. They cannot be disabled without breaking essential functionality.

Cookie Name Purpose Duration
csrftoken Protects against cross-site request forgery attacks. Required for all form submissions (login, checkout, newsletter signup, etc.) 1 year
sessionid Maintains your logged-in session and shopping cart contents as you browse the site 2 weeks (or until you log out)

3.2 Consent Cookie

This cookie records your cookie consent preferences so you are not asked repeatedly.

Storage Name Type Purpose Duration
cookieConsent localStorage Stores whether you have accepted or declined non-essential cookies Until cleared

3.3 Functional Storage (localStorage & sessionStorage)

These items are stored locally in your browser to improve your experience. They are not sent to the server and do not track you across websites.

Storage Name Type Purpose Duration
reader-position-*, reader-font-* localStorage Saves your reading position and preferred font size in the ebook reader. One entry is created per book so you can continue where you left off. Until cleared
*Region localStorage Remembers your selected purchasing region (UK or international) on each book page. Until cleared
newsletterSubscribed, newsletterBarDismissed localStorage Remembers that you have subscribed to or dismissed the newsletter signup prompt so it does not reappear. Until cleared
visitor_country sessionStorage Caches your detected country code so the region lookup is not repeated on every page. Cleared when you close the browser tab. Browser session

3.4 Third-Party Cookies (Require Your Consent)

These cookies are placed by third-party services and are only loaded if you consent to non-essential cookies via the cookie banner. They help me understand how visitors use the Website and measure advertising effectiveness.

Service Purpose More Information
Google Analytics (GA4) Analyses website traffic, visitor behaviour, and page performance. Helps me understand which pages are popular and how visitors navigate the site. Google Cookie Policy
Google Ads Measures advertising effectiveness and tracks conversions from Google search and display ads. Google Cookie Policy
Meta (Facebook) Pixel Measures advertising effectiveness on Facebook and Instagram. Tracks website interactions on specific pages (landing pages, reading samples, podcast page) to improve ad targeting. Meta Cookie Policy
MailerLite Powers newsletter signup forms and tracks subscriber engagement (e.g. email opens and clicks). MailerLite Cookie Policy

3.5 Third-Party Cookies (During Checkout)

When you proceed to checkout, additional third-party cookies may be set by the payment provider.

Service Purpose More Information
PayPal Processes your payment securely. PayPal may set its own cookies when you are redirected to their payment page to complete your purchase. These cookies are necessary for the payment to function and are governed by PayPal's own policies. PayPal Cookie Policy

3.6 Security Services

Service Purpose More Information
SiteLock Scans the Website for malware and security vulnerabilities. May set cookies for security monitoring and verification purposes. SiteLock Privacy Policy

4. Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies and browser storage in various ways:

Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit the Website, you will see a cookie consent banner asking you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. If you decline, third-party analytics and advertising cookies (Google Analytics, Google Ads, Meta Pixel, MailerLite) will not be loaded. Essential cookies and functional storage will still be used as they are necessary for the Website to work.

Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically find these in the "Options" or "Preferences" menu of your browser. The following links may help:

Clearing localStorage and sessionStorage

You can clear localStorage and sessionStorage through your browser's developer tools or by clearing your browsing data. Note that this will reset your reading positions, font preferences, and region selections.

Opting Out of Google Analytics

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Impact of Disabling Cookies

Please note that if you disable essential cookies, some features of the Website may not function properly. Specifically:

  • You will not be able to stay logged in to your account
  • The shopping cart and checkout will not work correctly
  • Form submissions (newsletter signup, contact) may fail
  • You may see the cookie consent banner on each visit

5. Changes to This Policy

I may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies and storage I use, or for legal, technical, or operational reasons. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

6. Contact

If you have any questions about my use of cookies or browser storage, please contact:

Daniel A. Riddle
Email: author@danielariddle.com

7. More Information

For more information about cookies and how to manage them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

For information about your privacy rights, please see my Privacy Policy.