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[Publicity] Broadcast Muse Radio Show

TheOneTrueBen

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This site is raising some questions for me, ethically. Any thoughts?

Here are the things that are raising questions for me:

1) Charging for interviews. Since I've never PAID for an interview, I've never considered the ethics of charging for one either. In my opinion, radio or blog interviews are a two way street, where you help the program by creating content during the interview, in exchange for coverage of your book. (This site requires you to create at least part of the content by providing them with 10 questions to be asked during your interview). Is coverage that much more important than the content the author provides? (As an author I admit to thinking my content may carry a somewhat inflated value in my own head.)

2) Charging for "ad space" mentions on his various social media pages. On his website, I can see, but on social media...it raises questions for me.

3) What amounts to buying a review (which he does say will be unbiased) on Goodreads and Amazon, as well as being promised that with the Gold Level package, he will buy your book on Amazon if it's $2.99 or less. While I have no issues with providing a copy for review...paying for said review does pose concerns for me. And I know every sale impacts your Amazon numbers positively, but one book bought as a part of a package still sort of sits on the edge for me.

Am I WAY off base here?

http://www.braewyckoff.com/#!broadcast-muse-radio-show/cvah
 

AdrianLynn

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1) Charging for interviews. Since I've never PAID for an interview, I've never considered the ethics of charging for one either. In my opinion, radio or blog interviews are a two way street, where you help the program by creating content during the interview, in exchange for coverage of your book. (This site requires you to create at least part of the content by providing them with 10 questions to be asked during your interview).

Paying for an interview? That leaves a bad taste in my mouth! If you're providing the questions and you're paying for the interview it just taints the whole thing. It's basically like an infomercial on TV and I don't know about you, but I personally don't put much stock in the 'unbiased' opinions of someone who is getting paid to 'interview' someone in an infomercial.

As far as the ethics of charging for an interview depends on what he's presenting himself as. Is he trying to pretend to be a journalist? Then that's highly unethical. Is he upfront and about being in it for the money? Then he's just being honest about what he's charging for. (But again, BAD taste in my mouth when I think about this!)

Is coverage that much more important than the content the author provides? (As an author I admit to thinking my content may carry a somewhat inflated value in my own head.)

His radio show is on Blog Talk Radio. I haven't been on that website in years, but if it's still anything like it used to be you can see how many people are listening to a show live. Does he have thousands of listeners? Hundreds? Or does he have dozens? Sure, he can always claim the radio shows are available for download for people to listen to later, but who is really going to download an interview with an author they know nothing about? Maybe someone coming off your website if you link to it, but that means they already know you. You're not generating any new readers with that.

2) Charging for "ad space" mentions on his various social media pages. On his website, I can see, but on social media...it raises questions for me.

Is he talking about promoting you on Facebook and Twitter like he's read you and likes you and no one knows it's a paid advertisement, meaning he doesn't have a notification with each post that it's a paid advertisement or he doesn't have a prominent statement that he posts about things he's being paid to post about? If that's the case that's not only deceitful, that's illegal. The FTC requires any blogger to be upfront if they're advertising something in their blog post and I think that extends to Twitter and Facebook too.

If he does have his FTC compliance notification as legally required or is honest that he's being paid for his mention of your book, then it comes down to this: How much stock do you put in shout outs that someone was paid to give?

3) What amounts to buying a review (which he does say will be unbiased) on Goodreads and Amazon, as well as being promised that with the Gold Level package, he will buy your book on Amazon if it's $2.99 or less. While I have no issues with providing a copy for review...paying for said review does pose concerns for me. And I know every sale impacts your Amazon numbers positively, but one book bought as a part of a package still sort of sits on the edge for me.

ICKY! ICKY ICKY ICKY! This is even worse than paying for an interview! If he is unbiased and he hates your book, how are you going to feel about that money you spent? If he writes a glowing review of your book, deep down are you going to think it's just because you paid him for it, despite his claim of being unbiased? And what about if a reader searching for a new book knows about this guy and knows he charges for his reviews? Are they going to trust the glowing review or are they going to run far from your book and any other book you might have already published or may publish in the future?

Am I WAY off base here?

NO!
 

JournoWriter

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Don't waste your time or your money. No reputable interviewer will ask you to pay for an interview.
 

TheOneTrueBen

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How did you hear about this?

On a facebook page for promoting books and screenplays. The post on the page says nothing about him charging anything, but the page it sends you to is the one I posted here.

I agree, it's a pretty blatantly commercial set up. Did anyone check the LR Publishing page? That one set off alarm bells, too.
 

FluffBunny

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Didn't a few PA authors try something like this on a radio station? Mr. Marcus and company? Where they bought some time and tried to make it look like an actual radio interview? As I recall, it failed miserably and only lasted a couple short weeks and, no, no one was fooled by it.