How I choose books, check facts, and make money
Last updated 10 September 2026
If you are going to take a book recommendation, or an argument about the NHS, from a stranger on the internet, you should be able to see how she works. So here it is.
Where the money comes from
Three places, and that is the whole list.
- My own books. If you buy one of mine, I earn a royalty. Those links never carry an affiliate tag, because earning twice on my own book is not allowed and would not be right anyway.
- Amazon affiliate links to other people's books. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. Any page carrying one says so at the top, before you read the recommendations.
- Nothing else. No sponsored posts, no paid reviews, no gifted products, no advertising, no brand partnerships, no affiliate deals with clinics, apps, therapy platforms or supplement companies. Nobody has ever paid me to write anything on this site, and if that ever changes it will be stated at the top of the page in question.
How books get recommended
I recommend books I have read, or that are the accepted standard in a field and I can say honestly what they are and are not for. The ranking is by what I think helps, not by commission, and Amazon pays the same rate whichever book you buy, so there is no incentive to steer you.
I say plainly when a famous book is the wrong place to start, when a widely recommended one is contested by the people it is about, and when the free option is better than the paid one. If a page never criticises anything, it is an advert.
How clinical claims get checked
Everything on this site about diagnosis, treatment or the law is sourced to a primary document, and named in the text so you can go and read it: NICE guidelines by recommendation number, Royal College of Psychiatrists position statements, Cochrane reviews, RCOG guidance, ICO guidance, the DSM and ICD.
- Where a figure is widely repeated but has no research behind it, I say so rather than passing it on.
- Where the evidence is thin or disputed, I say it is thin or disputed.
- Where a source contradicts itself, I cite the underlying numbers rather than the headline.
- Where something is my opinion or my experience rather than a finding, it reads as mine.
Comparisons of apps and services are built from public listings, published prices and developers' own privacy declarations, and each one carries the date it was checked. Those things change. If you are reading months later, check the current listing.
What this site is not
I am not a doctor, a psychologist, a therapist or a solicitor, and I have never claimed to be. I write from lived experience, with the guidelines open in another tab.
Nothing here is medical advice, and nothing here is legal advice. It is information to help you have a better conversation with someone who can give you both. If you are struggling, the support page lists real services, and if you are in crisis in the UK, Samaritans are free on 116 123.
Tell me if I am wrong
If something on this site is out of date, misread, or plainly incorrect, email esme@esmehartley.com and say which page and what is wrong. Corrections get made to the page rather than buried, and if a correction changes the meaning of a piece I note it in the text with the date.
That applies to anyone named on this site as much as to readers. If you build one of the apps or run one of the services described here and something has changed, tell me and I will check it and update it.