The short version
- You can read Chapter I of every book without an account. We do not ask for your name, email or payment details to do that.
- If you make an account, we keep your email address, your reader name and your reading progress so your stories follow you.
- To write the chapters around your choices, the story so far and the moves you type are sent to our AI provider, OpenAI.
- We do not sell your data and we do not use advertising trackers.
- Wimbook is for readers 13 and older.
- You can delete your account at any time from your account page, and you can write to us at hi@wimbook.com about anything in this policy.
Who we are
Wimbook (www.wimbook.com) is a library of interactive stories you read in a web browser. The controller responsible for your personal data is the operator of Wimbook, reachable at hi@wimbook.com. In this policy "Wimbook", "we" and "us" mean the team that runs Wimbook. You can reach us at hi@wimbook.com.
What we collect
If you only read
- Your reading progress and choices are kept in your own browser (local storage), so you can come back to a story. They are not sent to our database unless you sign in.
- The moves you type and the story so far are sent to our servers and to our AI provider to write the next scene (see "AI and your stories" below).
- Technical data that every website receives, such as your IP address, browser type and the page you asked for. We use the IP address briefly to limit abuse (for example, too many requests in a minute) and our host keeps standard server logs.
If you make an account
- Email address. You sign in with a one-time link or code sent to your email. We do not use passwords or social logins.
- Reader name and pronoun you choose for the stories.
- Your library and progress: saved books, where you are in each one, your choices, the moves you typed and the chapters written for you, so they sync across devices.
- Books you create with "Create my story": what you enter and the card and opening written from it. These are private to your account unless you choose to share them publicly.
- Stories you share. If you share a story, its title, description, cover description and chapters are shown to other readers and sent to our moderation provider before they appear.
- Reports you send. If you report a book or a shared story, we store the reason you choose, the optional note you write and which story it is about, so we can review it.
- Plan and usage: your plan, its status and how many new chapters, pictures and own books you used this month, so we can apply the plan's limits.
Things that stay in your browser
The age range, gender and favorite genres you can give us in "About you" are stored only in your browser. We use them on your device to suggest stories and to pick the gentler teen writing mode for readers aged 13 to 17. They are not stored in our database.
Payments
Payments are processed by Paddle, which acts as the seller (merchant of record) and handles your card, billing address and taxes under its own privacy policy. See our Refund Policy. We receive your plan and its status, not your card details.
Analytics
We use PostHog to understand how readers use Wimbook, for example how many people start or finish a chapter. We record events such as "a chapter was opened" or "a choice was made", with the book and chapter. We do not record the text of the moves you type, we do not record your screen (no session replay) and we do not collect clicks automatically.
- In the EU, EEA, UK, Switzerland, and when we cannot tell where you are, analytics runs in a strict mode: nothing is stored on your device (no cookies), no profile is kept about you and no location is looked up.
- Elsewhere, PostHog stores a random identifier in a cookie and in local storage so visits can be counted, and links events to your account ID (never your email) when you are signed in.
PostHog data is stored in the United States.
AI and your stories
Wimbook writes the chapters after your first choice with artificial intelligence.
- To write a scene we send OpenAI the book's rules and world, a summary of your story so far, your choices and the moves you type, and your reader name and pronoun. For books you create, we also send what you entered.
- Moves you type, everything in "Create my story", and the chapters written for you are checked by OpenAI's moderation service to keep stories within our content rules. When you share a story publicly, its title, description, cover description and Chapter I are sent to OpenAI for a stricter safety check first. See our Content Policy.
- Pictures for your chapters are made by OpenAI's image model from a short passage of the chapter and the book's art style.
- If OpenAI is unavailable, the same information may be sent to Anthropic instead.
These providers process the data to give us the result. We do not send them your email address.
Who can see your story. Other readers cannot see your choices or your typed moves. They cannot see the books you create either, unless you share one publicly. Our AI providers process them as described above. Pictures made for your chapters are stored at long, unlisted web addresses: anyone who has the exact link could open the picture, but the links are not listed or shared anywhere.
How we use your information
- To run Wimbook: show the books, write your chapters, keep your progress and apply your plan.
- To keep stories safe and within our content rules, and to prevent abuse and fraud.
- To send you sign-in emails. We do not send marketing emails.
- To understand, in aggregate, what works and what doesn't, and to improve the books and the reader.
We do not sell your personal information, we do not share it for targeted advertising, and we do not use advertising pixels.
Who we share it with
We share data only with the services that run Wimbook for us:
| Service | What for | What it receives |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | Writing chapters, moderation, pictures | Story context, choices, typed moves, reader name and pronoun |
| Anthropic | Backup writer when OpenAI is unavailable | The same as OpenAI, only in that case |
| Supabase | Accounts, database and sign-in emails | Email address, account and reading data |
| Vercel | Hosting, server logs and picture storage | Technical data, generated pictures |
| PostHog | Product analytics | Usage events, as described above |
| Paddle | Payments, taxes, invoices and refunds | What you give Paddle at checkout |
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect readers, Wimbook or others from harm.
Cookies and local storage
- Sign-in cookie (from Supabase), needed to keep you signed in.
- Promo pass cookie, if you redeem a promo code without an account.
- Analytics cookie from PostHog, outside the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland only (see "Analytics").
- Local storage in your browser for your library, progress, settings and "About you" preferences. You can clear it at any time in your browser settings; that removes your progress on that device unless you are signed in.
Children and teens
Wimbook is for readers 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you pick "Under 13" in "About you" when you sign up, the new account is deleted straight away and the age is not stored. If we learn in any other way that an account belongs to someone under 13, we delete it. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has given us information, write to hi@wimbook.com and we will delete it.
Our books are written for readers 13 and older: romance is slow burn with no more than kisses, and violence stays off the page. Readers who tell us they are 13 to 17 get a gentler writing mode for the AI-written chapters.
How long we keep it
- Account data (email, reader name, library, progress, books you create, plan and usage) is kept until you delete your account.
- Pictures made for your chapters are not yet removed automatically when you delete your account. Write to us and we will remove them.
- Analytics events and server logs are kept for the period our providers keep them, and are not linked to your email.
Your choices and rights
- Delete your account from your account page. This removes your account, reader name, library, progress, books you create, plan and usage from our database and clears them from that browser.
- Ask for a copy of your data, or a correction, by writing to hi@wimbook.com. We answer within the time the law gives us, and within 30 days at most.
- If you live in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland, you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to the use of your data, to data portability, and to complain to your local data protection authority. We rely on the contract with you to run your account and write your stories, and on our legitimate interest to keep Wimbook safe and to measure use in the strict analytics mode.
- If you live in California or another US state with a privacy law, you can ask to know, correct or delete the personal information we hold. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
International transfers
Our providers process data in the United States and other countries. When data from the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland is transferred, we rely on our providers' standard data protection terms for those transfers.
Changes to this policy
When we change this policy we update the date at the top, and for important changes we will tell signed-in readers in Wimbook before they take effect.
Contact
Questions, requests and concerns: hi@wimbook.com.