1. Who handles your data
Your personal data is controlled by Abhiraj Kumar P (trading as AuthorFirstLibrary) ("we", "us"), the Data Fiduciary under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP). For any privacy question or request, contact info@authorfirstlibrary.com.
2. The information we collect
Information you give us: your name, email and password (the password is stored only in encrypted/hashed form — we can't see it); your profile and pen name; payout details you choose to save (UPI or bank details, for authors); the books you publish; and any messages you send us.
Information created as you use the service: the books you buy, your library, likes and saves; and basic activity records (for example, a listing, a sale, or a submission) that keep the platform working.
Information collected automatically: limited technical data needed to run and secure the service — such as your IP address, browser and device type, and timestamps of key actions. Our public pages also send basic visit data to Google Analytics, described under Cookies below.
Payment information: card, UPI and bank payment details are collected and processed by our payment provider, Razorpay. We do not receive or store your full card number.
We do not knowingly collect any special or sensitive categories of data beyond what's described here, and we don't ask for more than we need.
3. Why we use it, and our legal basis
We use your data to create and run your account, deliver the books you buy, process payments and pay authors, provide support, keep the service secure and prevent fraud, and meet our legal and accounting obligations. Under the DPDP Act we process your data based on the consent you give when you sign up and use the service, and for the legitimate uses the law permits (such as providing a service you asked for and complying with the law).
We do not sell your personal data, we do not use it for third-party advertising, and AuthorFirstLibrary does not show ads.
4. Your consent, and withdrawing it
By creating an account and using the service you consent to the processing described here. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us or closing your account — though some processing may continue where the law requires it (for example, keeping transaction records). Withdrawing consent may mean we can no longer provide parts of the service.
5. Who we share it with
We share personal data only with the service providers ("Data Processors") that make the platform work, and only as far as needed — for example, Razorpay for payments and our hosting/infrastructure provider for running the service. These providers are bound to protect your data and use it only for the services they provide to us. We also disclose data where the law requires it, or to protect the rights, safety and security of users and the platform. We do not sell or rent your data to anyone.
6. Where your data is processed
Your data is stored and processed on servers used to run the service, which may be located in or outside India. Where data is transferred outside India, we do so in line with the DPDP Act and only to destinations permitted under it.
7. Cookies and local storage
We use the browser storage needed to keep you signed in and to make the reader and work area function. We do not use advertising cookies, and we do not sell or share your data with advertisers.
On our public pages — the homepage, the store, and our information pages — we use Google Analytics to understand how many people visit and which pages they find useful. It sets cookies and receives your IP address and browser type. We do not run it on your dashboard, your library, or inside the reader, so what you write and what you read are not tracked. You can opt out entirely with Google's browser add-on, or by using any browser setting or extension that blocks analytics — the site works normally either way.
8. How we protect your data
We take reasonable security measures to protect your data: passwords are stored hashed, access to accounts is controlled by secure tokens, payment details are handled by our payment provider rather than stored by us, and books are served through a protected reader. No system is ever completely secure, but we work to keep your information safe and to limit who can access it.
9. How long we keep it
We keep your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the service. After you delete your account we remove your personal information, except records we're required to keep for legal, tax or accounting reasons (for example, records of transactions), which we retain only for as long as the law requires and then delete.
10. Your rights under the DPDP Act
You have the right to:
- Access a summary of the personal data we hold about you and how we use it.
- Correct, complete or update your data, and to erase it where it's no longer needed.
- Withdraw consent at any time, as described above.
- Nominate another person to exercise your rights on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacity.
- Grievance redressal — to raise a concern with us and have it addressed.
To exercise any of these, email info@authorfirstlibrary.com and we'll act on your request within the timelines the law requires.
11. Children
The service is intended for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect the personal data of children. If you believe a child has given us their data, contact us and we'll delete it.
12. Data breaches
If a personal-data breach occurs, we will take prompt steps to address it and will notify affected users and the Data Protection Board of India as required by law.
13. Grievance Officer and complaints
If you have a privacy concern, please contact our Grievance Officer first: Abhiraj Kumar P, info@authorfirstlibrary.com. We aim to respond promptly. If you're not satisfied, you have the right to complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy; the current version always lives at this page, with the changes taking effect when posted. If we make a significant change, we'll take reasonable steps to let you know.