Over the years, I’ve picked up many tips and tricks. Some I wish I’d known sooner and so I’m going to pass on the love. Bloggers, feel free to add your own additions in the comments below; the more the merrier!
- Authors are not your friends.
This one is the hardest to deal with. Authors are business people and the majority of them will deal with you, the blogger, in a professional capacity. They will be lovely and friendly but please don’t read more into it.
- FTC regulations are not there for fun.
I’m fucking deadly serious on this one. No, I don’t give a flying fuck if you are international you need to still do it if you are targetting US readership. Declare where you got the product you are reviewing, declare if you have any relationship with the company that produces them and you better damn declare if you receive any money for reviews.
- Picture copyright means you can’t just put any picture on your site or within your review.
Artists and Photographers are protective of their work and they will sue your arse if you use their picture without permission. Use creative commons search engine to find work you can use and don’t assume you can use everything. Ignorance is not an excuse that will get you out of trouble with this one.
- Anything you put on your site, you endorse.
I wish I had known this when I started. I often got involved with blog tours I knew nothing about or hosted posts from authors I had never read but I don’t do any of that anymore. When it goes on your site, you promote it. If that book ends up being problematic when someone reads it from seeing it on your site? On you. If the book is actually garbage and someone buys it from seeing it on your site? On you. That author is an actual arsehole with questionable behavior and you put them on your blog? On you. I carefully select what I promote now and it serves me well.
I’m just a reader but I’ve seen the items you listed become issues for other blogs.