CraftBeacon is a writing coach, not a data business. We collect the little we need to run your account and improve your coaching, and nothing we can't account for. This page explains, in plain language, exactly what is collected, why, who it passes through, how long it stays, and how to have it removed.
Who we are
CraftBeacon is an AI writing coaching service for authors, operated from the United States and available to authors anywhere. When this page says we or us, it means CraftBeacon. If you have a question about anything here, you can reach a real person at patrick@thecraftbeacon.com.
What we collect
There are three kinds of information involved in using CraftBeacon, and it's worth being precise about each.
Your account information
When you sign up, we collect your name and email address, and — if you join a paid membership — your payment is processed for us by a third party. We never see or store your full card details ourselves; those stay with the payment processor described below.
A short record of your coaching sessions
When you have a coaching session as a logged-in member, we keep a brief record of it. That record contains your email address, your membership tier, and the first 500 characters of what you typed to open the session — roughly the first paragraph. We keep this so that the coaching can be improved over time and, in the future, so that we can offer you a record of your own work and decisions.
Two things are worth saying plainly. First, we do not store the coach's responses, and we do not store your full conversation — only that opening excerpt of your own words. Second, because that excerpt is simply the first 500 characters of whatever you type, it may include a short piece of your manuscript if that's what you paste in first. We mention this so you know exactly what's retained and can decide what to put in that opening message.
Coaching memory (paid memberships)
If you're on a paid membership, your coach keeps a short running summary of your work together — what you're writing, the craft questions you've explored, and where you left off — so it can pick up where you last stopped instead of starting cold each time. We also store the name you give us, so your coach can address you properly.
This summary is a description of your coaching, not a copy of your writing. It captures the shape of the conversation — the problems you worked on and the decisions you made — and is written to hold onto that, not the words of your manuscript. It's kept only while your membership is active, it's never shared, and it's removed on request along with everything else, exactly as described below. Members on the free tier have no stored coaching memory.
Basic usage information
Like most websites, CraftBeacon uses analytics to understand how the site is used — which pages are visited, roughly where visitors come from, and how they move through the site. This is standard web traffic information, handled by the analytics service named below, and it is not tied to the content of your coaching.
Who your information passes through
Running CraftBeacon means relying on a small number of trusted services. We believe in naming them plainly rather than hiding behind "third parties." Here is each one and what it does:
Each of these services has its own privacy practices, and we choose them because they take that responsibility seriously. We do not sell your information to anyone, and we do not share it beyond what's needed to run the service you're using.
How long we keep it
We keep your account information, session records, and coaching memory for as long as your account is active. We hold on to your data only while it's serving you — not indefinitely, and not after you've gone.
If you close your account, or ask us to, we delete the information associated with you. You don't have to give a reason, and you don't have to keep an account open to have your data removed.
Your choices
Whatever country you're in, the same rights apply with us. You can:
- Ask what we hold. Request a copy of the information associated with your account.
- Ask us to correct it. If something is wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.
- Ask us to delete it. Request removal of your data at any time, whether or not you keep your account.
To do any of these, email patrick@thecraftbeacon.com. A person will handle it.
A note for visitors outside the United States
CraftBeacon is operated from the United States, which means your information is processed there and in the locations where the services above operate. By using CraftBeacon from another country, you understand that your information is handled in the United States. The rights described above — to see, correct, and delete your information — are available to you regardless of where you are.
Changes to this page
As CraftBeacon grows, what it does with information may change — for example, when the author's own session record becomes a feature you can use directly. When that happens, we'll update this page and change the date at the top. Meaningful changes will be made clear, not slipped in quietly.
Questions
This page is meant to be readable, not to hide behind legal language. If anything here is unclear, or you want to know more about how your information is handled, write to patrick@thecraftbeacon.com and ask.