Privacy Notice

Last updated: 14 July 2026

Dithering Chaps respects your privacy. This notice explains what personal information we collect when you contact us, submit work, buy a chapbook or use our website, and how we use, store and protect that information.

Who we are

Dithering Chaps is the trading name of David Herring, a sole trader. David Herring is the data controller responsible for the personal information collected through this website.

For privacy or data-protection enquiries, please email ditheringchaps@gmail.com

Information we collect

We may collect the following personal information:

  • your name, email address, postal address and any other contact details you choose to provide;

  • messages and correspondence you send to us;

  • poetry manuscripts, biographies, covering information and other material submitted for consideration;

  • order and transaction information, including the chapbooks purchased, payment status and delivery details;

  • technical information about visits to our website, such as IP address, browser or device information and website usage data.

Payment card details are processed securely through Squarespace and its payment providers.

How we use your information

We use personal information to:

  • respond to enquiries and correspondence;

  • receive, assess and provide feedback on poetry submissions;

  • communicate submission decisions and, where relevant, discuss publication;

  • process payments, fulfil chapbook orders and deal with delivery, returns or customer-service enquiries;

  • maintain appropriate financial, business and publishing records;

  • protect the security and proper operation of our website; and

  • understand how our website is used and improve its content and usability.

Our lawful bases for using your information

We use personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on:

  • Contract — where processing is necessary to assess a paid submission and provide feedback, fulfil a chapbook order, deal with payment, delivery, returns or customer service, or take steps you have requested before entering into a publishing agreement.

  • Legal obligation — where we need to keep tax, accounting or other records required by law.

  • Legitimate interests — where necessary to respond to general enquiries, maintain appropriate business and publishing records, prevent fraud, protect the security of our website and improve our services, provided that these interests do not override your rights.

  • Consent — where we specifically ask for your permission, such as for non-essential cookies or optional marketing communications. You may withdraw your consent at any time.

Who we share information with

We may share personal information where reasonably necessary with:

  • people working with Dithering Chaps;

  • trusted reviewers, competition judges, cover designers, editors and published poets who help us assess, prepare, endorse or publish work;

  • Squarespace, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and other companies that provide website hosting, online-store, publishing, payment and technical services;

  • postal, delivery and fulfilment providers where needed to send orders;

  • professional advisers, such as accountants or legal advisers; and

  • public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

Where submitted work is shared, we provide only the information reasonably necessary for the particular purpose. We do not sell personal information.

How long we keep your information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

  • Submission manuscripts, assessments, feedback and related correspondence may be retained for up to seven years after the submission decision, so that we can maintain an appropriate record of our editorial work and previous dealings with submitters.

  • Information relating to published poets and publications may be retained for as long as the publication remains available, or while it is needed for contractual, rights-management, archival or publishing purposes.

  • Order, payment and financial records are retained for the periods required for tax, accounting and legal purposes.

  • General enquiries are retained only for as long as they remain relevant.

We may delete information sooner where it is no longer needed. If Dithering Chaps ceases trading, personal information will be securely deleted unless it must be retained for legal, tax, contractual or archival reasons.

How we protect your information and international transfers

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure. Access is limited to people who need the information for their work with Dithering Chaps.

Some of our service providers, including website, payment and publishing platforms, may store or process personal information outside the UK. Where this happens, we use providers that apply recognised legal safeguards for international transfers, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework or approved contractual safeguards.

Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

  • ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;

  • ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;

  • ask us to delete your information;

  • ask us to restrict how we use your information;

  • object to certain uses of your information;

  • receive information you provided to us in a portable format; and

  • withdraw consent where we rely on consent.

These rights are not absolute and may not apply in every situation. To exercise any of them, please email ditheringchaps@gmail.com. We may need to confirm your identity before dealing with your request.

Questions and complaints

If you have any questions or concerns about how we use your personal information, or wish to make a data-protection complaint, please email ditheringchaps@gmail.com.

We will acknowledge a data-protection complaint within 30 days, investigate it appropriately and explain the outcome.

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection. Click on the link to find information about making a complaint on the ICO website.

Cookies and similar technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Necessary cookies support core functions such as security, navigation, the shopping cart and checkout, and cannot be disabled through the cookie banner.

Squarespace also uses non-essential analytics and performance cookies to help us understand how visitors use the website. These are restricted unless you choose to accept them. You can accept all cookies, decline all non-essential cookies or manage your preferences through the cookie banner. You can change your choices later using the cookie-preferences control on the website.

Third-party services or embedded content may also use cookies in accordance with their own privacy policies.

Changes to this privacy notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time to reflect changes in our work, website, service providers or legal obligations. Any updated version will be published on this page, with the “Last updated” date changed accordingly.