Reader finds advertisement for streaming service in the middle of an eBook: 'Have some self-respect and read a real book'

According to a recent post, this one oasis from our publicity-addled society is no longer. A reader was startled to find a blatant advertisement for a streaming service in the middle of her Hidden Pictures (2022) eBook.

_{^{Source: @lcthlorien}}

Blending advertising and reading is not unheard of. Kindles try to sell other books when their screens are in standby, and one respondent to this revelation pointed out that there was a phase in the mid 20th century when full-page ads used to be bound into the middle of paperbacks like they were a magazine. However, directly incorporating the promotion into the text feels like a step up from something that a reader can flick past with ease.

_{^{Source: @JrsViii61064}}

TV and movies have long used product placement as a means of advertising to an audience without getting put on mute. Even critically acclaimed shows like The Sopranos have been rumored to engage in the practice. It is a lot easier to do it with some subtlety when you can show without having to tell. Incorporating it with the written word offers more of a challenge.

_{^{Source: @autogynefiles}}

It is tempting to argue that if we are entering an age of unmistakable ads littered through novels, we should attempt to be more high-brow in our reading material to avoid them. In this case, though, we do not just have to think harder about the books that we read, but also who is publishing them, and on what medium. Author integrity is only a small part of the puzzle.

_{^{Source: @TakiVan1}}

If this turns out to be the future of publishing, then maybe the only way to (kind of) avoid it is to only read older, physical books. We could also argue that somebody who is a regular reader will be more scrupulous than somebody who spends several hours a day on TikTok when it comes to avoiding advertisements mixed into their entertainment. At the same time, the average TikTok user and the average reader are more often than not the same person. Perhaps that is part of the reason that publishers feel emboldened to make a little extra money on the words they present to the world