Marina’s Academy Newsletter – March 2018

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What is GDPR?

GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation. It goes into effect May 25, 2018.

The GDPR is Europe’s new framework for data protection laws – it replaces the previous 1995 data protection directive, which didn’t work very well because it didn’t have an enforcement mechanism.

The new regulation is much tougher, and will force anyone collecting information on the internet to handle that information responsibly.

Why GDPR?

Data breaches happen frequently, information gets lost, stolen, shared, or otherwise in the hands of people who were never intended to see it. Internet data collectors (ie: anyone with a website and/or mailing list) are now legally obligated to ensure that data is gathered legally, protected, and the property of the individual and not them.

To quote Grace Burrows: “The fines are hefty, because asking nicely wasn’t working.”

What exactly does GDPR say?

You can read the entire text here, but the upshot for authors is:

People must actively and knowingly opt-in to your mailing list.
People must be able to remove themselves from your mailing list.
You now have 72 hours to report a data breech (not months)
You can’t sell, share, or pass along people’s information without their express consent. Oh, hi Mark Zuckerberg.
You have to be much more careful about who has access to people’s personal data. (Also Lyft)
People have the right to access the information you are holding, and to request that the information be destroyed.

How does this effect writers with websites and email lists?

To be in compliance:

On your website tell your visitors:
- what personal data you are collecting
- what the data is being used for
- who is handling the data
- how the data was obtained
- how and where it is stored
Email lists:
- Enable Double opt-in active consent, which means your subscribers need to initiate the consent. You can no longer include the checks within the checkbox and make the user remove it. The user must click the checkbox.
- have unsubscribe links
- grow your email list organically
- don’t share your email lists unless people on it actively consent to have it shared with a specific person.

What you can no longer do

You cannot send unsolicited emails to anyone.
No more purchased lists or merging lists from different authors into your lists.
You cannot refuse to give customers their personal details on request.
You cannot send unsolicited text messages via mobile phone numbers. (To which I say AMEN.)
Cross promotions – It’s murky whether or not cross promotion services like Instafreebie and BookFunnel will still work. BookFunnel seems to be serious about getting in compliance, but I can’t find anything from Instafreebie.

The good news

For most authors, adding or updating a simple Privacy Policy website page with standard language will be enough (see How to get in compliance with GDPR – PDF). You can also add a cookie notice banner.

Your email service provider (MailChimp, MailerLite) should, and probably already does, keep detailed records of how people got on your lists. You can see these details by pulling up your email lists and scrolling across the columns. You can also export and download an Excel file, and see it clearly there.

The (really) bad news

GDPR rules say that all information collected (emails) must have been collected using the new rules, even though those rules were not in effect when you collected those emails. Nothing is grandfather’d in.

So… my email list might have some issues.

What you can do if there are emails on your list that were not directly enrolled (meaning you bought, borrowed, swapped, or scraped them): Do a Re-engagement email campaign, where people can re-opt-in. Your inbox might suddenly be full of these from other sites.

Silver lining – having a bloated email list is expensive, and trimming it down will save you money.

But I’m an American and this is just a European thing. Why bother?

GDPR specifically states that it applies to you if you store information on just one EU citizen. The huge fine – upwards of 20 million Euro’s (about $25 million US dollars) – is for big fish like Amazon and Google. But they have said they will not hesitate to go after smaller fish.

Is it enforceable?

Yes, although enforcement relies on customers reporting non-compliance. But it only takes one person to rat you out.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_text_separator title=”tl;dr? Watch the video” border_width=”3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVBHishpew8&feature=youtu.be”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

WIIFM?

What’s in it for you? First, compliance signals that you are a reputable author who values their reader’s privacy. Second, having an organically grown and maintained email list is much cheaper than sending emails to people who will never open them. And lastly, Google will rank you higher in search returns if you have a recognizable Privacy Policy page.

I love Europeans and want them to love my books. So I’m in compliance, and I want you to be as well.

Go to Academy Resource page (Password: fowled)

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Have a question? Comment? Suggestion?

Email me at marina@marinareznor.com

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THIS MONTH’S HOW-TO: Get in compliance with GDPR

Getting your WordPress website in compliance:

Use a free, online privacy policy generator like privacypolicytemplate.net or iubenda.com (basic free) to create a privacy policy. I like PrivacyPolicyTemplate.
In WordPress, create a new page called Privacy Policy. Copy and paste your privacy policy, and then tweak the policy created above to suit your situation. Click Update, and add the Privacy Policy page to your menu.
Optional: install the WordPress plugin Cookie Consent (free). Configure it to link to your Privacy Policy page.

Getting your email list in compliance:

Make sure that your email list is set to Double Opt-In (here’s the MailChimp instructions for doing that).
Make sure that the emails you send include an ‘Unsubscribe from this list’ option at the bottom, along with your contact information.

Here are some good examples of author Privacy Policies:

Marina Reznor

Chelsea Mueller (very good)

Jessie Donovan (a good variant of PrivacyPolicyTemplate)

Conde Nast (a major magazine owner, well written)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#a37a5b” scene_position=”center” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”small_depth” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

REAL LIFE PLOT DEVICES

The City of Atlanta has been hit by a system-wide ransomware attack, and the attacker is demanding $51,000 worth of bitcoin to decrypt it. This has been going on for several days, and the mayor admitted in a press conference that the city’s cyber-security was a shambles to begin with. Read more here from our good friends at Wordfence.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#a37a5b” scene_position=”center” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”small_depth” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

JUDGING A BOOK BY IT’S COVER

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”padding-3-percent” column_padding_position=”right” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”1118″ alignment=”” animation=”None” img_link_target=”_blank” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”small_depth” max_width=”100%” img_link=”http://www.casualoptimist.com/”][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”2/3″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]I’m a fan of Dan Wagstaff’s cover design critique website, The Casual Optimist. He covers a broad range of cover art and follows the national and international award contests. I learn something everytime I visit.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#a37a5b” scene_position=”center” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”small_depth” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

WASTE TIME LIKE A PROFESSIONAL WEB DEVELOPER

At CSS Puns George Saijo has come up with a gorgeous and instructive set of slides that will teach anyone the basics of Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS. As an added bonus, his graphics are available in merchandise you can purchase.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#a37a5b” scene_position=”center” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”small_depth” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

IN NEXT MONTH’S NEWSLETTER

What I do, why I do it, and how much it cost

In my annual snapshot of how I run my online and social media game, I will lay out what I do, why I make the choices I do, and how much it costs me (spoiler alert: very little). Have a particular question you’d like me to address? Drop me an email.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_color=”#a37a5b” scene_position=”center” text_color=”custom” custom_text_color=”#ffffff” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-1-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ font_color=”#ffffff” column_shadow=”small_depth” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

WHAT I’M WORKING ON

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]I have a new manuscript in process and am writing over three thousand words a day. But I still find time to check my updates!
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My name is Marina Reznor, and I am a romance author by night and a web developer by day. I’ve been hanging around the internet for a long time, and enjoy sharing the information I come across*.

Have questions? Comments? Let’s be friends.

Email me here: Marina

Did a good friend forward you this email?
Click here: Join the Academy and receive it every month yourself.

*I am not paid to recommend or advertise any tool or service, and if I was I would clearly disclose the fact.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”3″ divider_color=”extra-color-3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][/vc_column][/vc_row]