Hi there, Im considering having a few blog entries reviewing books. Any tips on this? Is it also allowed to have photos of the books I'm reviewing or is this copyright? Ideally i was going to have short 'flip video cam' video clips of me leafing through the book but thats up for debate... any pointers are much appreciated
Yes, you can use the book cover as it's use is covered in fair use as long as it's included as part of the review. Most publishers actually give this permission within the copyright page. I would stick with using just a thumbnail though. I went looking for the wikipedia article on the topic of it's use within it's site but can't find it right off.
ok thanks - so lets forget the concerns with the image and the video part - any other things i should be wary of regarding just a standard review?
If you sign up as an affiliate at Amazon.com, they will not only supply you the images of the book covers you can put on your site, but you might also make a few bucks from people buying copies.
Publishers do indeed give permission, so I'd say you're in the clear. However, sometimes it doesn't hurt to ask the author/publisher, and as Nonny said, see if there's a chance to set up an affiliate/commission link in case you direct sales to them -- a definite added bonus!