Notes on Reviews and Free Copies

When we send out free review copies, as we have been doing with Dr. David Alan Black’s forthcoming book The Jesus Paradigm most of this week, we do so without obligation, other than that if you requested your free copy we do ask that you actually review the book. That review can take any position on the book, but we want a review of some sort in exchange for the free copy.

There are some guidelines, however, that we think are simply good ideas.

First, please tell people in your review that you received a free copy. Obviously, we like other people to know that there are free copies, but that’s not the main point of this. People need to know that you received a free book in exchange for the review so they can account for any influence that might have. (It might diminish any such influence if you remind yourself that we send these copies as advertising, not because we’re generous!)

Second, if you review the book on any retail site, don’t game the system. This is mostly addressed to our good friends who might like to make us look good. Don’t post multiple reviews on the same site. Do indicate that you received a free copy. In addition, if you receive an advance copy and post anything prior to the release of the book, please indicate that you have an advance copy.

Finally, make sure to let us know when you write a review. If possible we will link to that review both from this blog and from the detail page for the book your reviewed. (If you tweeted about the book, it’s a little harder, but we will retweet (@energion) or do other things to call attention to your work.

As always, we are willing to send review copies to bloggers, users of various social media, and traditional media reviewers. We don’t make a distinction between bloggers and traditional media. We appreciate all discussion of our products.