P9NW participates in affiliate programs, meaning that some links on this site earn a small commission when used. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission requires that this be disclosed plainly. What follows is that disclosure, and the editorial principles that govern how P9NW uses affiliate links.
What an affiliate link is.
An affiliate link is a special URL that allows the destination — usually an online bookseller, software vendor, or other retailer — to know that a particular sale originated from a link on P9NW. When a reader follows such a link and goes on to make a purchase, the retailer pays a small percentage of the sale to P9NW as a referral commission.
The cost to the reader is the same as if they had typed the URL directly. The reader pays nothing additional for using an affiliate link.
Programs P9NW participates in.
P9NW currently participates in the affiliate programs of, among others:
- Amazon Services LLC Associates Program — for books and other items purchased through Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, P9NW earns from qualifying purchases.
- Selected booksellers, publishers, and tool vendors whose products are recommended in the editorial work.
The specific programs evolve as the editorial work evolves. The principles below apply equally regardless of which program a given link belongs to.
Editorial principles around affiliate links.
Three rules govern how affiliate links are used on P9NW.
One — recommendation precedes commission.
A book, tool, or other item appears on P9NW only because the writer would recommend it on its own merits. The presence or absence of an affiliate relationship has no bearing on whether something is recommended, and no payment of any kind — from a publisher, vendor, or other interested party — secures placement.
Two — the writer uses or has read what is linked.
Where P9NW links to a book, it is a book the writer has read in full. Where P9NW links to a tool or service, it is one the writer has used directly. P9NW does not promote material on the basis of a publisher’s summary or a vendor’s pitch.
Three — commissions are kept modest, and reinvested.
Affiliate income on P9NW is supplemental, not primary. What it earns helps cover hosting, software, and editorial time. It does not, and is not intended to, fund a marketing operation, paid advertising, or any activity that would compromise the editorial independence of the work.
How to identify an affiliate link.
P9NW does not visually distinguish affiliate links from non-affiliate links in the body of essays — both look identical so the reading is not interrupted by a disclosure marker. As a rule of thumb, any link to a book on a major bookseller, or to a software tool the writer references favorably, can reasonably be assumed to be an affiliate link.
If knowing in advance whether a particular link is an affiliate link is important to you, write to the editor and ask. The writer will tell you honestly.
How to support P9NW without using affiliate links.
If you prefer not to use affiliate links — whether for principle, browser-extension reasons, or any other — you are welcome to type the destination URL directly, or to search for the title or product on your own. P9NW will continue publishing either way.
For readers who wish to support the work more directly, paid offerings — the treatise, future memberships, future editions — are the simplest way. Affiliate commissions are appreciated; direct support keeps the work going.
FTC compliance.
This disclosure is published in accordance with 16 CFR Part 255 (the FTC Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising) and with the disclosure principles published by the Federal Trade Commission for online endorsements. It applies to all content published on P9NW, including the journal, treatises, investigations, and any future editorial or commercial work published under the P9NW name.
Changes to this disclosure.
This disclosure may be updated as the editorial work and its commercial arrangements evolve. The current version is the one published at this URL; the “effective” date in the header reflects the most recent material revision.
Questions? Write to the editor.