Disclosure

According to the FTC, bloggers who do any sort of reviews now "must disclose freebies and financial interests or face fines up to $11,000, according to rules announced by federal regulators Monday in an attempt to make word-of-mouth endorsements on the net easier to believe." (Here's the FTC website just in case you want to have a closer look. Warning: It's boring.)

Anyhow, I occasionally review books (mainly Appalachian fiction) on this blog which I would like to point out to the FTC and anyone else who is interested that I have never made a cent on. I have gotten a couple of ARCs to review and an actual copy of a book on a couple of occasions. One author even sent me some stuff (tea, lavender water, & lavender soap) that was mentioned in her historical fiction. Those items helped me understand the time period a bit better—especially the smells of the period. I shared the tea with my crit group.

Some of the books I review on this blog are ones I actually bought. Because I review those books so long after they were published, I doubt that my reviews count for much. But I'm an amateur. Professional reviews come out just before the book is published so readers can actually get it in a bookstore. (If books don't sell within six weeks or so, the bookstore sends them back. Reviewing a book that is no longer available in bookstores isn't especially helpful.)

I know that there are unscrupulous bloggers and online reviewers who charge for book reviews, and I hope that the FTC goes after those scumbags. I can't understand why an author would actually pay for a review anyhow, but apparently some authors aren't too bright. (Some paid “review services” are here, here, here, here, and here.)

While I'm disclosing, I should point out that I’m not highly qualified to review. I don’t have a background in publishing. My master’s in English isn’t an MFA in creative writing; it’s an MAT in English education. I have published some reviews in local/regional publications—including two newspapers, but they’re a far cry from Publisher’s Weekly or NYT book reviews. For what it's worth, I'm basically just a literate reader with a fairly good background in American and British literature—and I like to share what I've enjoyed.

As for other products/good/services/etc., if I mention any on this blog, I paid for them myself or received them as presents from friends, not from the manufacturer. (When I get around to posting about my current kitchen renovation from hell or why I hate the recently redesigned Rocky Mount Wal-Mart with its recently jacked-up prices, bear in mind that I'm only expressing my opinion/telling about my experiences and I have received no monetary payments whatsoever. Though I wouldn't mind a kickback.)

This blog is for fun, not for profit.

Darn it.

Edited to add: See this link to agent Janet Reid's comments on the FTC decision.

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