Privacy Policy


Effective Date: August 12, 2020

Author Solutions, LLC, together with its parent, subsidiary and affiliated entities (collectively referred to as “ASL”) respects your privacy and values the relationship that ASL has with you. This Privacy Policy describes the types of information ASL may collect from you, how ASL uses the information, with whom ASL may share it, and the choices available to you regarding ASL’s use of the information. This Privacy Policy also describes the measures ASL takes to protect the security of the information and how users of this website and ASL’s customers can contact ASL about its privacy practices. This Privacy Policy applies to www.searchingforpublishers.com, whether accessed via computer, mobile device or other means (the "Site").

Click on one of the links below to jump to the listed section:

Information ASL Collects About You

            Information You Provide

            Information ASL Collects through Automated Means

            Cookies

            Third Party Web Analytics Services

            Targeted Advertising

            Do Not Track Notice

            Public Forums

How ASL Uses Your Information

Information ASL Shares       

Children under the Age of 13

Data Security

Links to Other Websites

Governing Law

Notice to Non-US Users: Consent to Transfer Data

Changes to This Privacy Policy

California Consumer Privacy Act

Contact Information


By using the Site, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Site.  ASL reserves the right to modify or amend the terms of its Privacy Policy from time to time, without prior notice.  Your continued use of the Site following the posting of changes to these terms will mean that you accept those changes.  


Information ASL Collects about You

Information You Provide. You may choose to provide to ASL certain personal information, whether over the telephone, on the Site, via email, or at a live events.  The types of “Personal Information” that you may provide to ASL include:

  • Contact information, such as name, postal address, email address, and phone number (collectively referred to as “Personally Identifiable Information” or “PII”);
  • Demographic information, including characteristics of protected classifications, such as your age, gender or ethnicity;
  • Any other personal information that you voluntarily provide;
  • Information provided to ASL by social networks when you log in to the Site using your social network credentials; and
  • Inferences drawn from any of the above, such as your preferences or interests. 


Information ASL Collects through Automatic Means. In addition to the Personal Information that you provide, ASL and its third party service providers may use various technologies that automatically or passively collect information such as your usage, browsing activity, device, and geolocations data (collectively referred to as “Usage Information”) when you visit or interact with the Site, ASL’s emails or ASL’s online advertisements  As set forth in more details below, ASL may also collect Usage Information using various web-based technologies.


The technologies that ASL may use for this automatic data collection may include:

  • Web Server Logs. In conjunction with obtaining information through cookies, ASL’s web servers may log details such as your operating system type, browser type, domain, and other system settings, as well as the language your system uses and the country and time zone in which your device is located. The web server logs also may record information such as the address of the web page that linked you to the Site and the IP address of the device you use to connect to the Internet.

  • Web Beacons. Pages of the Site and ASL’s emails to you may contain small electronic files known as “web beacons” (also referred to as clear gifs. pixel tags and single-pixel gifs).  Web beacons or similar technologies may be used for a variety of purposes, including, but not limited to: (1) to count users to the Site or specific pages on the Site; (2) to monitor how users navigate the Site; (3) to count how many people opened an email or clicked on a link; (4) to track other website statistics, such as the popularity of certain website content; and (5) to verify system and server integrity and security.


Third Party Web Analytics Services

ASL may use third party web analytics services on the Site, such as Google Analytics. The service providers that administer these services use technologies such as cookies, web server logs, web beacons and similar technologies to help ASL analyze how visitors use the Site, its emails and its online advertisements. The information collected through these means is disclosed to these service providers.


Targeted Advertising

ASL also may allow third-party advertising services and networks to use cookies, web server logs, web beacons and similar technologies on the Site and its emails, third party websites and emails and its advertising placed on third party websites. They use this information to provide advertisements about ASL’s services that may be of interest to you. You may see these advertisements on other websites.  ASL does not control these third party technologies, and they are not subject to this Privacy Policy. ASL does not authorize these third parties to use this technology to collect Personal Information about you, and they do not have access to your Personal Information that you provided to ASL. They may, however, track your Internet usage anonymously (that is, without being able to identify you personally) over time and across other websites beyond the Site. To learn more about the use of this information or to opt out of having this information used by ASL’s third party network advertisers, please visit the Network Advertising Initiative by visiting: http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp.


Do Not Track Notice or Signals

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” feature that allows you automatically transmit a “Do Not Track” signal to websites and online services that you do not want to have your online activities tracked. ASL does not respond to these “Do Not Track” signals. At this time, ASL does not track information about your online activities over time and across third party websites. ASL also does not authorize third parties to collect any Personal Information from you on the Site for these purposes.


Public Forums

This Privacy Policy does not apply to any information that you choose to post, submit or share in public forums, such as reviews, comments, critiques, editorials, testimonials, or blog discussions.  Information or other content that you choose to make available in a public forum may be viewed, collected and used by others.  ASL encourages you to use caution when posting personal information in a public forum. 


How ASL Uses Your Information

ASL uses Personal Information that you provide to ASL and Usage Information that ASL collects through automated means to:

  • Send communications and contact you about ASL’s assisted self-publishing services and related products and services, including promotional materials and other information about the assisted self-publishing services of ASL’s various imprints;

Perform audits regarding a current interaction with you and concurrent transactions, including, but not limited to, counting ad impressions to unique visitors, verifying positioning and quality of ad impressions, and auditing compliance;

Short-term, transient use, including, but not limited to, the contextual customization of ads shown as part of the same interaction;

Detect security incidents, protecting against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, and prosecuting those responsible for that activity;

Debug to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality;

  • Operate, optimize and improve ASL’s products, services and operations, including, but not limited to, developing new services, managing communications, performing data analytics, and performing training, accounting, auditing and other internal functions;
  • Comply with applicable legal requirements, relevant industry standards and ASL’s internal policies and procedures;
  • Detect, investigate, and prevent activities that may violate ASL’s policies; and
  • Use the information in other ways that ASL describes when you provide the information, or for any other purpose with your express consent.


Information ASL Shares

ASL does not rent, sell or otherwise disclose Personal Information that it collects about you, individually or as part of a list, except as described below. ASL may share your Personal Information with:

  • ASL’s publishing imprints and third party publisher imprints with which ASL contracts, which may contact you directly to offer their assisted self-publishing services and related products and services that may be of interest to you.
  • ASL’s contractors, service providers and other third parties that ASL uses to support its business and to fulfill services requested or purchased by you, including, but not limited to, credit card processing companies, marketing services providers and consultants, public relations firms, editorial service providers, printers, distributors, and retailers;
  • To any subsequent owner, co-owner or successor-in-interest; or in connection with a merger, consolidation, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of ASL’s assets, ownership interest or both, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation or similar proceeding, in which Personal Information held by ASL about the Site’s users is among the assets transferred. Under such circumstances, ASL would, to the extent possible, require the acquiring party to follow the practices described in this Privacy Policy, as it may be amended from time to time. Nevertheless, ASL cannot ensure that an acquiring company or the merged company will have the same privacy practices or treat your information the same as described in this Privacy Policy; and
  • To other third parties, with your express consent.

ASL may also disclose your personal information:

  • To comply with any court order, applicable law or legal process;
  • To respond to law enforcement or other governmental authorities;
  • To enforce ASL’s agreements with you, including for billing and collection purposes; and
  • If ASL believes disclosure is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical harm or financial loss, or in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual fraudulent or illegal activity. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for the purposes of data protection and security, fraud prevention and risk reduction.


Children under the Age of 13

The Site is not directed to and should not be used by children under the age of thirteen (13).  ASL does not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of thirteen (13) on the Site.


Data Security

ASL takes commercially reasonable steps to help protect and secure your Personal Information from accidental loss and unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. However, please remember that no data storage or data transmission over the Internet, or by other means, can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Thus, while ASL strives to protect your Personal Information, ASL cannot and does not ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to ASL. Therefore, you understand, acknowledge and agree that you transmit your Personal Information to ASL at your own risk.

 


Governing Law

The Site is published in the United States. ASL attempts to protect the Personal Information of all users of the Site and to comply with local data protection and consumer rights laws.  However, the Site is located in and operated from the United States, and ASL’s policies are directed at compliance with the laws of the United States. If you are uncertain whether this Privacy Policy conflicts with the applicable local privacy laws where you are located, you should not submit your Personal Information to ASL.


Notice to Non-US Users: Consent to Transfer Data

ASL is a company organized under the laws of the United States, and it operates the Site from the United States.  If you are located in Canada, the European Union or elsewhere outside of the United States of America, please be aware that your Personal Information, including Personally Identifiable Information, will be transferred to and processed in the United States or other jurisdictions, the laws of which may be deemed to have inadequate data protection by your country of residence. If you are located in a country outside the United States and voluntarily submit Personally Identifiable Information to ASL, in any manner whatsoever, you thereby consent to the general use of such information as provided in this Privacy Policy, as well as to the transfer of that information to, and/or storage of that information in, the United States or other jurisdictions.


Changes to This Privacy Policy

ASL may update this Privacy Policy at any time without prior notice to you.  Any changes will be effective upon posting on the Site, unless otherwise indicated.  Your continued use of the Site or other interaction with ASL after the effective date of the revised Privacy Policy will constitute consent to those changes.   If ASL makes a material change to the way it treats or uses your Personal Information, ASL will provide prominent notice of the change on the Site.  If you do not consent to such changes, you may opt out in accordance with this Privacy Policy.    


California Consumer Privacy Act 

California residents may click here for additional information.  


Contact Information

To ask questions or comment about this Privacy Policy and ASL’s privacy practices, contact ASL by mail or email sent to:

AUTHOR SOLUTIONS LLC
ATTENTION:  GENERAL COUNSEL
1663 LIBERTY DRIVE
BLOOMINGTON, IN 47403 (USA)
legal@authorsolutions.com