Privacy Policy
Last updated: 15 October 2026
1. Who We Are
Bhutaneseliterature.com is the publication platform of the Literature Council of Bhutan (LCOB), a volunteer-run community organisation. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why, and the choices you have.
The Literature Council of Bhutan is responsible for your information. You can reach us at editor@bhutaneseliterature.com.
This policy applies to bhutaneseliterature.com and to emails you send us. It does not apply to other websites we link to.
2. Information We Collect
We collect only what we need to publish literature and run the site.
| When You | What We Collect |
|---|---|
| Visit the site | IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, referring site, approximate location (country or city) |
| Leave a comment | Name, email address, optional website, the comment itself; if you sign in with WordPress.com, Google or Facebook to comment, the name and profile picture from that account |
| Subscribe to new posts | Email address |
| Submit your writing | Name, email address, city and country, a short biography, a photograph, and the work itself |
| Order a book | Name, email, postal address, phone number and order details |
| Email us | Your email address and whatever you include in the message |
We do not ask for, and do not want, your date of birth, government ID numbers or bank details. Please do not send them.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- review, edit and publish the work you submit, and credit you as its author
- reply to your messages and confirm submissions
- show and moderate comments
- send new posts to subscribers
- process and deliver book orders
- understand how many people read the site and which pages they visit
- keep the site secure and prevent spam
We never sell your information and never use it for advertising.
Legal basis (for readers in the EU, EEA and UK). We rely on your consent for subscriptions and analytics cookies, on the agreement between us for submissions and book orders, and on our legitimate interest in running a secure literary website for comments and security logs.
4. Cookies and Third-Party Services
Cookies are small files your browser stores. We use them to remember comment details, keep the site working and count visitors. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site will still work, though comment forms may forget your details.
The site uses these outside services, each of which may receive your IP address and browser information:
| Service | What It Does | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Counts visits and shows which pages are read | |
| Jetpack and WordPress.com | Visitor statistics, image delivery, comments, subscriptions, security | Automattic |
| WP Statistics | Visitor statistics stored on our own server | Our server |
| Google Fonts | Loads the fonts the site uses | |
| Facebook and X share buttons | Let you share a post; only contact those networks when you click | Meta, X Corp. |
| WooCommerce | Runs the book shop | Our server |
Each provider handles data under its own privacy policy.
5. Writers and Published Work
When we publish your work, these details become public: your name (or the pen name you choose), your city and country, your photograph, your biography and the work itself. Your name and work are also listed on our Writers page and in our archive.
Your email address, postal address and phone number are never published.
Published work stays in our archive because it forms part of the community’s literary record. You can ask us at any time to correct your details, change your photo, use a pen name, or remove your work.
6. Young Writers (Under 18)
Our Youth Literature section publishes work by young people. For any writer under 18:
- a parent or guardian must send the submission, or confirm by email that they agree to it
- we publish only the writer’s name (or first name), and country or state, never their school, exact town or contact details
- a photograph is published only if the parent or guardian agrees
- a parent or guardian can ask us to remove the work or photo at any time
We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 except through a parent or guardian.
7. Book Orders
When you order a book, we use your name, address, email and phone number only to process and deliver the order. Some books are sold directly by their authors or local distributors; in that case we pass your order details to that seller so they can deliver it.
We do not store card or bank details on this site. If you pay online, payment is handled by the payment provider under its own privacy policy.
8. Who We Share Information With
We share information only with:
- our volunteer editors, who need it to review and publish submissions
- the service providers listed in section 4, and our web host, who run the site for us
- book sellers, only for orders you place with them
- authorities, if the law requires it
International transfers. Our writers, readers and volunteers live in many countries, and some of our service providers are based in the United States. Your information may therefore be stored or processed outside your country. Where the law requires, we rely on our providers’ standard safeguards for these transfers.
9. How Long We Keep Information
| Information | How Long |
|---|---|
| Published work, name, bio and photo | As long as the work stays in the archive, or until you ask us to remove it |
| Submissions we do not publish | Deleted within 12 months |
| Emails | As long as needed to answer, then up to 2 years |
| Comments | As long as the post is online, or until you ask us to remove them |
| Subscriber email | Until you unsubscribe |
| Book orders | As long as tax and accounting law requires |
| Visitor statistics | Up to 26 months |
10. Your Rights
You can ask us to:
- show you the information we hold about you
- correct anything that is wrong
- delete your information or remove your published work
- stop sending you emails (every subscription email also has an unsubscribe link)
- withdraw any consent you gave
To do any of this, email editor@bhutaneseliterature.com. We reply within 30 days and never charge for it.
If you live in the EU, EEA or UK, you also have the right to object to how we use your information, to receive it in a portable format, and to complain to your national data protection authority.
11. Security, Changes and Contact
Security. The site uses an encrypted connection (HTTPS), and only volunteer editors who need your information can see it. No website is perfectly secure, so please do not email us anything you would not want exposed.
Changes. We may update this policy. The date at the top shows the latest version, and we will announce important changes on the site.
Contact. Questions or requests: editor@bhutaneseliterature.com, Literature Council of Bhutan.