Customer Reviews

Book Publishing Encyclopedia: The Secrets of Successful Publishing

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As a publishing professional, I was looking forward to reading anything that billed itself as a "book publishing encyclopedia." After purchasing this slender book, however, I was very disappointed. First, the title itself is misleading. This book is anything but an encyclopedia -- it is instead a quickie reference of publishing basics. And I do mean basics: The book is geared toward the rank beginner, rather than the industry professional who might wish to rely upon such a guide for daily reference or even as an occassional refresher. In many cases, the author simply refers you to other publishing reference guides that, frankly, pull a lot more weight than his own. I don't like to disparage someone's work and efforts, but the other guides to which the author refers (such as John Kremer's excellent 1,001 Ways to Market Your Books or Tom Ross's prodigious Complete Guide to Self-Publishing) reflect years of effort in their generous selection of ideas, advice, and do's-and-don'ts. None of that is apparent in this guide. The backcover of this book boasts that it includes "thousands more facts and ideas" -- and this, too, is sadly inaccurate. I challenge anyone to find "thousands" of ideas within the large-type, 140 pages that are devoted to text. I am sorry to say that I returned my copy shortly after receiving it and I would have to immediately refer any friend or colleague to a different book.