In light of the new Federal Trade Commission Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255), I am posting my disclosure policy. At the end of any review based on a free book provided by the publisher or author, I will disclose that information in the following manner:
“Review copy provided by [name of publisher, creator, or other source].”
If no such disclaimer appears at the end of a review, that means I purchased the book with my own funds or borrowed it from the Boston Public Library.
To avoid the appearance of impropriety, I do not review materials by friends or family members, nor do I accept gifts, cash, trips, etc. from publishers or authors in exchange for sharing my opinions of their products. If I am personally acquainted with the creator or editor of a book I’m reviewing, I will disclose that information in my review. Any links to Amazon.com or other retail outlets are based solely on my opinion of the work; I do not receive any form of compensation from the publisher or creator for such an endorsement, nor are such endorsements a form of quid pro quo for receiving free books.
The value of the review copies I receive ranges from $0 (for electronic copies or paper galleys) to approximately $30 (for hardcover books). If I do not keep a book for my own personal use, I generally donate it to my cousins (both avid readers and budding comic fans), a public library, or a charity such as Reader to Reader, a non-profit organization that distributes books to schools and libraries around the US.
In short: the opinions I post here at The Manga Critic are mine and mine alone. If you’ve visited my Manga Hall of Shame, you know that I’m not shy about criticizing material I didn’t like, regardless of how that material came into my possession.
Disclosure policy posted on October 11, 2009 and revised January 22, 2010.