On Reviews, Recommendations, and More

On just about every website, you will see two (2) things. You will often see articles, posts, blogs or other pieces that review, compare, critique, and recommend. Some of these posts are useful, and some aren’t. More on that in just a little bit.

You will also see either affiliate links to a product or product reviews based on the company providing the product or services to the reviewer. If a customer clicks on the affiliate link and purchases the product or service, the person or company associated with the affiliate link earns a commission. Likewise, if a customer buys a product or service based on the review, the person or company that wrote the review typically gets some benefit. If nothing else, they got a free product or service to review. They also are likely to get the opportunity to review other products or services based on their review.

Is this bad? No, it’s Marketing 101. The customer doesn’t directly pay more for the product or service. In fact, often an affiliate link also has a discount associated with using it. The company selling the product or service must market it, and it is going to cost them money to do that. These companies simply choose to spend their marketing budget in a particular way. Commercials on TV and celebrity endorsements are no different, and they are used to persuade you to buy a certain product or service.

So, why am I talking about this? What the heck does this have to do with writing a science fiction or fantasy story? Why am I asking rhetorical questions as if I am an announcer on a game show? Am I the only one who hears my words in that style? [Get on with it already! – Ed.]

As an author, editor, illustrator, graphic artist, or anyone else involved in the creation of content, it is possible, and perhaps even highly likely, that you will have links to where visitors to the site can purchase a product (e.g., a book or e-book) or a service from you. If you do, you are going to come into the realm of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission guide, 16 CFR Part 255.

The FTC created this guide to cover endorsements and testimonials, and that includes affiliate links and reviews where the company has provided a product or service to be reviewed. In other words, if you received or will receive any benefit (and it is not limited to cash), you have to disclose it. The customer can then weigh this in considering your recommendation, affiliate link, or similar.

WOW! Who knew that as an author, or other business or aspiring business person, you’d have to consider FTC guidelines? [Well! The FTC knew, for sure. So do lots and lots of other websites. Basically, a lot of people know. So, now you know. – Ed.]

But, how does this fit in with Strange, Far, and Fantastical, Inc.? I am glad you asked. [They didn’t ask. You wrote your own question, and now you are answering it. So, get on with it! – Ed.] At the Strange, Far, and Fantastical, Inc. site, there will be the following kinds of articles.

• General news and materials – this category is reserved for non-business things where we relay important information like who we are, what we do, and how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? (Turns out, those woodchucks could chuck about 700 lbs., per Cornell researchers.)
• Reviews – this is where we say something nice about a product or service, or in our case it is generally a book, that we like. In our world, reviews are positive. We don’t have time for negatives. Literally! We don’t have time. If we write a good review with an affiliate link, you might buy the book if you like what we write. If we write a bad review, you aren’t likely to buy the book. Our time is wasted. Kind of like seeing Highlander II: The Quickening for a second time.
• Critiques – these are pieces that dissect a work for good and bad. You might read it in the same way that some people go to NASCAR races, for the crashes. Or, you might read it to either save your time from a bad choice or prioritize your time towards a good choice. Obviously if we give a good critique, we will include an affiliate link. If we give a bad critique, we will likely include a link or two for something of the same sort that does it better. For example, in the ranks of dance movies, we dislike Staying Alive, and would substitute dance classics like Guardians of the Galaxy (buy here) or Hitch (buy here).
• Comparisons – these are times when we can compare several similar things, and let you decide on which meet the criterium important to you. It is not always possible to do comparisons. For example, how do you really compare a science fiction novel to a fantasy novel? Star Trek to Star Wars? Oreos to every other chocolate cream cookie? [As if! Nothing beats Oreos! – Ed.] [Hey Nabisco! We are open to sponsorship. – Ed.] [The editor has been sacked for promoting products. – Llama Ed.]
• Recommendations – this is where we step out and give you our opinion. We will always try to keep recommendations to two options, with one as the winner. In some cases, there may be three. But, we will do the hard work of reducing the list for you. You might not agree with our recommendation, but you will have to agree that we, at least, have an opinion to share. Kind of like how this guy has some opinions, like them or not.

So, for the record, we will, from time to time, have affiliate links to help us make money. At a general rate of about 4% per affiliate link, we might, if we get lucky, actually make enough money to approximate a minimum wage job. We’re very hopeful, knocking on wood, crossing our fingers, and performing other randomly superstitious behaviors.