The Reader's Privacy

Lantern & Ink is a small independent publishing studio. The studio takes your privacy seriously because it believes publishing is built on trust. This policy explains how the studio handles information you share with it.

Lantern & Ink is a small independent publishing studio. The studio takes your privacy seriously because it believes publishing is built on trust. This policy explains how the studio handles information you share with it.

The studio does not sell data. It does not track you across the web. It does not build profiles. It does not use invasive advertising networks.

Lantern & Ink is a publishing house, not a technology company.

Lantern & Ink is a publishing house, not a technology company.

Contact Form Submissions

Why: To respond to your inquiry. This is the only way the studio can reach you.

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your message subject
• Your message content

How long the studio keeps it: The studio retains your message and its response for up to two years, in case follow-up is needed. After that, it is deleted.

Who has access: Only Lantern & Ink staff members who need to respond to your inquiry.

Email Communications

If you subscribe to the studio's occasional newsletter or correspond with the studio about cases, licensing, or partnerships, the following is collected:

• Your email address
• Your preferences (if you tell the studio what you're interested in)
• Any other information you choose to share

Why: To send you updates about new cases, archive news, or respond to your specific questions.

How long the studio keeps it: Until you ask the studio to stop. You can unsubscribe from any email the studio sends you. When you do, the studio removes your address from its list.

Who has access: Only Lantern & Ink staff managing communications.

Analytics

The studio uses Vercel Analytics to understand how people use its site. This service collects:

• Which pages you visit
• How long you spend on each page
• Your general location (country/region, not your address)
• Information about your device and browser
• Whether you came from a link or search

Why: To improve the website — to know which cases people find, where they discover the studio, and whether the site works well on different devices.

How it works: Vercel Analytics does not use cookies. It uses a privacy-respecting method called 'web beacons' that do not track you across different websites.

What is not collected: The studio does not collect your specific IP address in a way that identifies you. It does not track your activity after you leave its site. It does not create detailed profiles of your behavior.

PDF Downloads

When you download a case file from the studio's site or from Etsy, the following is logged:

• That a download occurred
• The date and time
• Which case was downloaded
• Your general location (country)

Why: To understand which cases are most popular and to comply with Etsy's reporting requirements for sales.

What is not tracked: The studio does not track what you do with the PDF after you download it.

Cases are organized by age tier:

• Junior Cases (ages 8–12): Designed for children. They are cozy mysteries without frightening content.
• Teen Cases (ages 13–17): Designed for teenagers. They contain complex deduction but nothing graphic or disturbing.
• Adult Cases (ages 18+): Designed for adults. Some cases explore psychological themes or ethical dilemmas.

If you are a parent or educator buying a case for a child, please choose the appropriate tier.

If you purchase an Adult case believing it is suitable for a child, that is a judgment you make as a parent or guardian. The studio describes each case's content, tone, and intended age in the case description.

The studio does not collect age information. It trusts parents and educators to make appropriate choices for the young people in their care.

The studio uses information you share with it to:

• Answer your questions
• Send you updates about new cases or studio news (if you've asked the studio to)
• Improve the website and fix problems
• Understand which cases resonate with readers
• Respond to legal or regulatory requests

The studio does not use your information to:

• Sell or trade your data
• Create advertising profiles
• Track you across other websites
• Share with third parties for marketing
• Build behavioral models

Etsy

Case files are sold through Etsy. When you purchase a case, Etsy collects payment and delivery information. Etsy is responsible for that data. This privacy policy does not cover Etsy's practices. Please review Etsy's privacy policy.

Vercel (Hosting and Analytics)

The website is hosted on Vercel, and the studio uses Vercel Analytics to understand site usage.

Vercel may collect information necessary to:

• Keep the website running
• Detect abuse or security issues
• Improve site performance
• Generate usage statistics

Vercel does not share your data with the studio in a personally identifiable way.

Formspree (Email)

If the studio emails you, it may use Formspree to send the message. Formspree handles email delivery and security.

The studio takes reasonable steps to protect information you share:

• Communications are encrypted in transit
• The studio uses standard security practices for data storage
• The studio limits access to your information to staff who need it
• The studio does not store payment information (Etsy handles that)

However, no security is perfect. If you have concerns, please contact the studio.

You have the right to:

• Access: Ask the studio what information it has about you
• Correction: Ask the studio to correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Ask the studio to delete your information (the studio will comply, except where it is legally required to retain it)
• Unsubscribe: Stop receiving emails from the studio at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email

To exercise these rights, email the studio at hello@lanternandink.studio.

Contact form submissions: Up to 2 years

Email subscriptions: Until you unsubscribe; then deleted immediately

Analytics data: Retained by Vercel per their policy (typically 30 days)

Download logs: Retained for 12 months

The website is accessible internationally. If you are in the European Union, you have additional rights under GDPR. If you are in California, you have rights under CCPA. If you are in another jurisdiction with privacy laws, the studio respects those too.

If you have questions about your rights, please contact the studio.

The studio may update this policy if its practices change. The studio will post changes here and update the "Last Updated" date.

If changes are significant, the studio will try to notify you by email if you've subscribed to its updates.