Most everyone I know is a book blogger. That is, we review books on our blogs, sell books on our blogs, or otherwise serve as a means of disseminating infromation about books on our blogs.
If you are among this group in the U.S., you will be subject to regulation by the Federal Trade Commission starting December 1, 2009. The FTC has announced that on that date blogs edited by individuals must disclose where they got the book or other product of which they make a favorable assessment.
This all started because people complained about bloggers who were rewarded with electronics, trips, other goods in exchange for praising those things. The principle is that readers should know whether a recommendation is made by a disinterested blogger, that the blogger really does like the product and even so, if he or she gets any compensation, no matter what it is, by the product's seller. For book bloggers that means books.
The trouble is that this is how book blogging works. An author or publisher contacts me, for instance, and asks if I'd like to review a new book. If I agree, they send me a copy of the book. What I do with the book after I write and publish my review is of no interest to the author or publisher who sent it to me. It is, after, now a used book and not worth to them to resell it. The book is mine now. ASccording to the FTC I have therefore received compensation for my review.
In an interview with the FTC's Richard Cleland on Edward Champion's Reluctant Habits blog, Champion challenged Mr. Cleland to explain why a reviewer in a slick magazine or city newspaper did not have to reveal where he got a book but individuals who voluntarily blog about books and other media must.
“We are distinguishing between who receives the compensation and who does the review,” said Cleland. “In the case where the newspaper receives the book and it allows the reviewer to review it, it’s still the property of the newspaper. Most of the newspapers have very strict rules about that and on what happens to those products.”
So what can you do to avoid having to reveal whether you received the book from the publisher or author? "You can return it." I guess I should just delete the ebooks I review?
I find myself wondering about my medieval-novels.com website and its accompaying blog, That's All She Read. They are based on a very sspecifgic relationship of compensation between me and Amazon Associates. Every book sold through any of my blogs and that site come from Amazonm and I get a referral fee. I will have to make this crystal clear on everything I publish related to this.
I also wonder what my responsibility is if I provide a link to someone else's blog where they recommend a book without disclosing? My Historical Blogs: Fiction & Fact is nothing but that.
I am not necessarily objecting, though if I were I would not be alone. Book bloggers are shouting from the virtual rooftops, "UNfair! Unfair!" They feel, as one writer who commented on Champion's blog expressed the regulations show a remarkable ignorance about blogging in heneral and book blogging in particular.
No, my purpose here is to inform you all that starting December 1st you must reveal to your readers whether a book or other media you review was given to you by the author or publisher and if you intend to keep or sell it. If you do not, you are subject to being fined for each instance.
I intend to add my disclosures. As it happens, most of the books I review are ones I either took out of the library or bought, but as I become known as a reviewer and particularly ince I joined the august crew at Historical NOvel Review, that will change. The last three books I read to review the author or publisher sent me. In my case, they sent electrnic files but I assume that makes no difference. I wonder if some of the puclishers books I didn't so much like will want their conpensation back.
As to my links to books on Amazon, you can count on it I plan to be upfront about that. Consider yourself informed, and not for the last time, that any book on any blog I own, such as this one, That's All She Read, Today in Medieval History, etc.m that has a link to Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk is a compensated link. They will eventually send me a small referral fee for the mention and link.
If there are any developments regarding the new FRV regulations that I hear before you do, I will let you know.
Federal Trade Commission Guides to the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising
The only issue I have with it, really, is that it is one more example of the government showing how little it knows about the Internet... And how much it likes to spend its efforts on trivial matters. it's like the IRS freaking out about yard sales.
ReplyDeleteI am only too happy to say where I got a book.. if anything, revealing that an author or publisher actively sought my opinion raises my status, no?
By the way, the Featured author on Historical Novel Review this week is this very Joan Szechtman and her lovely novel "This Time" which she gave me an electronic version of. http://historicalnovelreview.blogspot.com