Review: Information For Beginners
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 11, 2014
I was given a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review. This book is aimed at beginner writers and as an experienced writer and author, I found the author's detailed `paint by numbers' method of how to outline and write a book rather tedious to read; however it may well be useful to those just starting out.The book is certainly crammed full of information, but I think the author has tried to cover too much, spending pages on unnecessary detail (such as describing the significance of every colour in detail and how to use it in your writing) and skimming over important topics, like the process of formatting your book for e-reading and designing your cover, which he dismisses in a couple of sentences.Although I didn't agree with a lot of the advice the author gives in this book, I took particular exception to two points.  In the section on editing, he claims that if you wrote the book, then you're qualified to edit it and you don't need outside help. This is so verywrong - no matter how many times you read your work you are too close to it and cannot see your own mistakes.It is patently obvious the author has taken his own advice, as there are numerous spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors throughout the book. I would feel compelled to point this out regardless of the type of book, but in a book that purports to teach people how to write, it's inexcusable. The best option is to have it professionally edited, but if you can't afford that, all you need to do is find a person who is competent in the English language to read it and point out your errors - offer them a free copy of the book in return, or perhaps shout them dinner as well.The author has obviously formatted the book himself as well, as the layout was uneven, with large gaps in the text for no apparent reason. There isn't any excuse for that either, because if you search online you can find a professional to format your book for less than $100.The second point that I disagreed heartily with was the author's advice on getting testimonials for your book - all you have to do is find a celebrity or someone who has already written a book about your topic, send them a cover letter and ONE chapter of your book and ask for a testimonial for the whole book, based on the one chapter they've read. (And of course, if they're a celebrity they'll drop everything to read a chapter by an author they've never heard of).You can even save them the time by writing the testimonial yourself and all they have to do is sign it - they don't have to read any of your book at all. Ditto the author offering his own services to write a testimonial - just send him a brief synopsis of your book and he'll gladly send you one. When I first read this I thought the author was joking, but I fear that's not the case. This advice is ludicrous - besides making a farce of the whole testimonial process, it's just downright unethical.The best thing I can say is that this book has received 5 star reviews, so obviously there are some readers who have gained a lot out of it. I really think 3 stars is stretching it, but I'm a generous marker.