Privacy policy
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Shelf Starter (“we,” “us”) is run by Travis Rickett, a sole proprietor in Florida, USA. This policy explains what we collect when you use the Shelf Starter website (shelfstarter.app) and the Shelf Starter Chrome extension, why, and the choices you have. Questions? Email [email protected].
What we collect from you
- Account details: your email address and, if you sign in with Google, your name as Google shares it. If you use a password, it’s stored only in scrambled (hashed) form by our sign-in provider; we can’t see it.
- Your books and plans: what you enter while planning a book, such as your book idea, answers to the book questions, your outline, your progress, and which AI tools you use.
- Basic technical information: like any website, our hosting provider handles details such as your IP address and browser type to deliver the site and keep it secure.
Pictures and text you load into the book maker and puzzle maker are processed in your own browser to make your PDF. We don’t upload or keep them.
Amazon search data (pooled and anonymous)
When you check a book idea with the Shelf Starter Chrome extension, it reads public information from Amazon’s search and product pages in your own browser: book titles, Amazon product IDs (ASINs), sales rank, number of reviews, star rating, price, page count, publish date, and whether a book is self-published, plus the search words you used.
To build sales history and trends that help every user, we save these facts in a shared database that combines searches from all users. This pooled data is anonymous: we don’t store who ran a search. We don’t save cover images, review text, or anything about your Amazon account, purchases, or browsing.
How we use your information
- To run your account and save your books so you can pick up on any computer.
- To send account emails, such as sign-in links and password resets.
- To improve Shelf Starter and, from the pooled anonymous data, show trends.
- To keep the service secure and prevent abuse.
We don’t sell your personal information, and we don’t show you ads.
Who helps us run Shelf Starter
We use a few trusted services that process data on our behalf: Supabase (database and sign-in), Cloudflare (website hosting and security), Resend (account emails), and Google (if you choose “Continue with Google”). If we start offering paid plans, a payment provider will process payments; we won’t see or store your card number.
Cookies and local storage
We use your browser’s storage to keep you signed in. The Chrome extension stores your saved ideas and settings in your browser. We don’t use advertising or tracking cookies.
Your choices
- You can view and change your books at any time, and delete any book from its page.
- To delete your account and everything linked to it, email us from the address on your account. We’ll do it within 30 days. Pooled search data can’t be traced back to you, so it stays in the shared database.
- You can ask us what personal information we hold about you.
How long we keep information
We keep your account and books while your account is open, and delete them when you ask us to. Pooled anonymous search data is kept to build long-term trends.
Security
Your data is sent over encrypted connections, and our database rules let each person read and change only their own books. No online service can promise perfect security, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.
Children
Shelf Starter is for adults. You must be 18 or older to use it, which matches Amazon KDP’s own age requirement. We don’t knowingly collect information from children.
Changes
If we change this policy, we’ll update the date at the top, and for important changes we’ll let you know by email or on the site.