Privacy Policy

Remembered ZIP code

When you successfully search the bookstore finder with a five-digit U.S. ZIP code, Indie BookSellers saves that ZIP code and the date it was saved in your browser’s local storage. This lets book pages prefill the bookstore finder and offer a direct “find bookstores near this ZIP” action without asking you to enter the same ZIP repeatedly.

The remembered ZIP stays on your device, is not placed in an Indie BookSellers user profile, and is not automatically sent to the server merely because you open a book page. It is sent when you choose to search for nearby bookstores, where it appears in the page URL and may consequently appear in browser history and ordinary web-server logs. The saved browser value expires after 180 days. You can remove it sooner with the “Forget saved ZIP” control in the site footer, by clearing this site’s browser storage, or by using a browser mode that blocks local storage.

Information you provide

The public site has no user accounts, comments, newsletter signup, or checkout. If you suggest a bookstore update or submit an ownership claim, the form asks for your name and email address and may ask for your organization, relationship to the store, verification details, and the correction you want reviewed.

Bookstore submissions are stored in a private moderation queue. The information is used to evaluate the requested correction or claim, prevent duplicate submissions, and contact you if clarification or verification is needed. It is not published automatically, sold, or used for marketing.

When you use the catalog search, the words you enter are sent to the server in the page URL so matching books can be returned. The application does not intentionally save those searches in its database. Search terms may still appear in your browser history and ordinary web-server logs.

Cookies and analytics

Indie BookSellers does not currently set advertising, analytics, personalization, or account cookies, and no first-party analytics service is built into the site. The remembered ZIP feature uses local browser storage rather than a cookie. A short-lived, secure session cookie is used when a visitor opens a bookstore correction or claim form so the site can protect the form against forged submissions. It is not used for advertising or cross-site tracking.

The site links to third parties and displays some book-cover images hosted by external book-data providers. Those services receive normal request information when your browser requests their content, and they may apply their own cookies or tracking technologies under their own policies.

Bookstore submission retention and review

Correction and ownership-claim records are available only through the private editorial moderation tool. Accepted, rejected, or spam submissions may be retained to document the source of a directory change, resolve later questions, and reduce repeat abuse.

Do not include payment details, government identification numbers, passwords, or other sensitive personal information in a bookstore form. A claim can usually be verified through an official store email address, website, or direct contact with the bookstore.

Server logs

Like most websites, the hosting provider and web server may automatically record technical information such as an IP address, browser type, requested URL, timestamp, referring page, and error details. These logs are used for security, reliability, abuse prevention, and troubleshooting.

Retention and access controls for hosting logs depend on the production hosting provider. The catalog application does not combine those logs with user profiles because it does not maintain user accounts.

Book covers and external services

Book-cover files may be loaded from Google Books, Open Library, or another metadata source. Loading a remote image allows that provider to receive the IP address and browser information normally included in an internet request.

Following a print or audiobook link takes you away from this site to Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, an affiliate network redirect, or another disclosed destination. Purchases, accounts, cookies, payments, and personal information entered there are governed by that service’s privacy policy and terms.

Affiliate links

Some outbound URLs contain an affiliate identifier. The destination retailer or affiliate network may use cookies or similar technology to attribute a qualifying purchase to this site. Indie BookSellers may receive a commission, but it does not receive your payment-card details from those links.

Affiliate links are marked in the page code as sponsored. You may browse the catalog and use its book information without following an affiliate link.

Children’s privacy

The catalog includes books for different age groups but is not designed to collect personal information from children. Bookstore correction and claim forms are intended for adult readers and authorized store representatives. The site does not knowingly request personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated when the site adds a new feature, hosting service, analytics tool, form, or other data practice. The revision date on this page will change when the policy changes materially.