Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 November 2026

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Anita Shapiro, trading as Bookshop 101 (“we”), is the responsible party for the personal information we process. We take reasonable steps to protect it, and we process it in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). “Personal information” has the meaning given in POPIA.

1. Information officer

Our information officer is Anita Shapiro. Contact: hello@bookshop101.co.za · WhatsApp +27 83 448 1925 · 22 Leeuwenhof Crescent, Higgovale, Cape Town, 8001.

2. What we collect

Account details: email address, password (stored in hashed form), display or pen name.
Writer profile details you choose to add: bio, photo, website link, and the books you upload.
Purchase records: what you bought, the amount, date and order reference. Card details are entered on our payment provider’s secure page; we do not receive or store them.
Reading activity: which chapters you open and how far you scroll, so we can keep your place and show writers anonymous, aggregated drop-off statistics.
Technical information: IP address, browser type and device information, collected through cookies and similar technology.
Messages you send us.

3. Why we use it

To create and run your account and give you access to what you bought.
To process payments, prevent fraud and handle refunds and disputes.
To show writers how their books perform (aggregated, without identifying readers).
To answer questions and complaints.
To keep the site secure and improve it.
To send you service messages (receipts, account notices). If you buy from us, we may also email you about similar books and offers on Bookshop 101 unless you tell us not to. You can opt out when you buy, or at any time afterwards using the unsubscribe link in every marketing email. We only send marketing to people who haven’t bought from us if they opt in.
To meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations.

4. Who we share it with

We don’t sell personal information. We share it only with:

our third-party payment provider, to process payments;
service providers that host the site, store data or send email for us, under contracts that require them to protect it;
a writer whose book you’ve bought chapters of, if that writer leaves Bookshop 101. We’ll give that writer your email address, and only that writer, so they can keep you up to date with their work. Writers only ever receive the email addresses of their own readers. From then on, the writer is responsible for how they use it;
authorities, where the law requires it.

Some of these providers may store information outside South Africa. Where that happens, we make sure the protections required by section 72 of POPIA are in place.

5. Cookies

We use essential cookies and local browser storage to keep you signed in, remember purchases made on this device and keep the site secure. We don’t use advertising or third-party tracking cookies. We do record anonymous reading activity (such as how far readers get through a chapter) so writers can see which parts of their book work best. You can clear or block cookies in your browser, but parts of the site may then stop working.

6. How long we keep it

We keep account information while your account is open. We keep purchase and payment records for at least five years, as required by tax and financial laws. Other information is deleted or anonymised when we no longer need it for the purposes above.

7. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections and access controls. If we become aware of a security compromise affecting your information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.

8. Your rights

Under POPIA you may:

ask whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy;
ask us to correct or delete information that is inaccurate, out of date or unlawfully held;
object to processing, including direct marketing;
withdraw consent where we rely on consent;
lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa): https://inforegulator.org.za, complaints.IR@inforegulator.org.za.

Contact our information officer at hello@bookshop101.co.za to make a request.

9. Children

Accounts and purchases are for people aged 18 and over. We don’t knowingly collect children’s information.

10. Changes

We may update this policy and will show the new date at the top. See also our Terms & Conditions.