Do you have to say the book was free?
Yes. One sentence, near the top, in your own words. It takes six seconds, it is what the FTC endorsement guides ask for, and it costs your review nothing that readers care about.
See the free shelfWhy it exists
A reader scanning reviews assumes the reviewer bought the book. When that assumption is wrong, the guides call it a material connection, and the rule is that the reader gets told. That is the entire principle, and it applies whether the free copy came from a publisher, an author, or a shelf like this one.
It is worth being clear about what disclosure is not. It is not an admission that the review is compromised, and it is not a confession. Free copies going out before launch is how publishing has worked for decades.
Wording you can copy
I received a free advance copy of this book. My review is my own.
The author gave me a free copy. Nothing was promised in return and this is what I thought.
Free ARC from the author, reviewed voluntarily.
Any of these works. Put it first, then review the book normally.
Four things to avoid
"I received this book in exchange for an honest review"
The most copied sentence in book reviewing, and the one that describes an arrangement nobody wants to be describing. In exchange for is a conditional transaction. If the copy genuinely came with no strings, do not write a sentence saying it did.
Burying it at the bottom
The FTC guides ask for disclosure that is clear and hard to miss. A line under a thousand words of review, or behind a read-more fold, is neither. Put it in the first line or two.
A hashtag on its own
#ad, #gifted or #ARC by itself, dropped into a block of other tags, is not a plain-language disclosure. Use a sentence. Add the tag as well if you like.
Softening the review to match the favour
Not a disclosure problem, a credibility problem. A reviewer whose free-copy reviews are all five stars is telling readers exactly how much those reviews are worth.
The thing disclosure does not fix
A review of a book you did not buy on Amazon does not carry the Verified Purchase badge, and no amount of correct disclosure changes that. Unverified reviews are weighed less and filtered more aggressively. That is a real limit on what free copies can do for an author, and any platform that quotes you a guaranteed number of reviews from free copies is quoting a number it does not control.
Frequently asked
Is disclosure actually required, or just polite?+
Required. The FTC endorsement guides say an endorser must disclose any material connection to the seller that a reader would not expect. Getting the product free is the textbook example of a material connection. Amazon asks for the same disclosure in its community guidelines.
Where exactly should the disclosure go?+
At the top of the review, in plain language, before anything a reader would have to expand or scroll to see. The standard is that somebody skimming should not be able to miss it.
Does disclosing make the review worth less?+
To a reader, no. A disclosed free copy plus a specific, critical, clearly-read review is more persuasive than an anonymous five stars. What genuinely counts for less is the missing Verified Purchase badge, and that is a consequence of not having bought the book, not of having said so.
What if I only borrowed it, or won it in a giveaway?+
Same principle. If you did not pay the usual price and a reader would not assume that, say how you got it. One clause covers it.
Does the author get to see or approve my wording?+
Not on this site, and they should not anywhere. An author who edits your disclosure or your review has turned it into their own marketing copy, which is the thing review policies exist to prevent.
Is this legal advice?+
No. It is a plain reading of the published FTC endorsement guides and Amazon's community guidelines. If you review at commercial scale, talk to somebody qualified.
Reading for free, not for pay
iWrity gives readers free copies from indie authors. No payment, no review required, nothing owed in return. Amazon bans paying for reviews, so we do not pay.
See the free shelf