I get that the FTC is trying to go after the big-time bloggers who are being comped vacations and cruises and appliances in exchange for their positive reviews, but I fail to see how book bloggers are somehow cheating the system.

I read the interview and the rule, and it seems like the FTC and its representative either lack a good understanding of new media (the internet is made of tubes!) or they just have some bias against it. As annoying as the new ruling is, I don’t think it will impact you too harshly.

The rule only applies to endorsements made when the blogger has received some form of compensation, without making a disclosure of said compensation. This means, that 1) if you didn’t get the book for free, this rule doesn’t apply to you; 2) if you don’t keep the book, this rule doesn’t apply to you, and 3) if you disclose that you got the book for free, the rule doesn’t apply to you. I don’t think that’s too harsh. All you have to do is post a disclaimer at the end of your post, or at the top or bottom of you website, stating that all books featured on the website were gifted to the blogger, though not all books gifted to the blogger have been featured on the website.

I do wonder how this would affect Amazon Vine members. Presumably not at all, because Amazon links to the Vine FAQ, which tells you these members get their products for free, so no reasonable consumer could not realize the link between Amazon and the reviewer. I think the same principle would apply to your Amazon affiliate link. Your “Recent Reads” post is different. I have no idea if you got those books for free, or if you purchased them. Most likely, the FTC would consider those endorsements, because your blog has “wide readership within a particular demographic group that is the manufacturers’ target market.”

Book pitch: "Laura Yates didn't realize she was signing up for mind erasure when she became the Seattle Times's junior movie critic. But that's just what she got after she reviewed her first film, a documentary on the life of Salvador Dali, since retaining the memory of that theater experience violates recent FCC ethics rules. The problem is, the mandatory mind erasure wiped out a few other memories, too. And she's not the only one forgetting.

THE PERSISTENCE OF FCC, my 156,000-word science fiction thriller, comes complete with four appendices of related FCC regulatory legislation…"

Any takers?

And no, I don't see a problem with including the Amazon link on your site. If that's your plan for getting rich, good luck! LOL!