This review compares the tutorial supplied by Scrivener (with its software), this "Dummies," book, and the user manual supplied by Scrivener. Depending on your Scrivener ambitions, you may want to work through the tutorial and avoid the time and money for the "Dummies" book. (Yes, I have all three references in front of me now.)
In this review, I suggest an order for reading these materials, pros and cons of each document, and how you might save money if you are a casual or serious Scrivener user.
Read the documents in the order listed above. How far you go depends on how deep you want to go. Of course, the costs of study are your time and the money for the "Scriveners for Dummies" book. (I am assuming that you are buying the Scrivener software in this review.)
So before you plunk down money, decide where you are on the Scrivener spectrum: casual, serious, or hard-core. Decide on this basis: If you write shorter documents on an intermittent bases (an undergraduate, let's say, or a business-memo writer), you are casual. Yes, your documents are important, but you probably don't need to use every Scrivener tool for handling long documents. If you often write longer or multi-scene, multi-chapter documents or documents with many references (technical manuals or novels), then you may be (now or potentially) a serious user. Finally, if you work on long, multi-chapter documents almost every day, especially documents with many references (e.g., manuals, long research papers or novels), then you would be a hard-core user.
On the other hand, if you will spend most of your time doing layout and page design, then you should concentrate more time and study on design-oriented or word-processing tools -- Apple Pages, Adobe InDesign or HTML for the Web.
Before I get into how to use the Scrivener guides, I will list the pros and cons for each.
1. The Scrivener tutorial
Pros: a) free -- comes with the trial or full version of the software. b) a great place to start. You will get the best overview the fastest. c) highly interactive. The tutorial is in Scrivener, and you edit and compile output while reading, for in-context, deep learning. d) It is well designed and written. The authors have a sense of fun and humor.
Cons: a) You may want a hard copy of the tutorial, but you can compile and print it through Scrivener (since it is in Scrivener). b) It is not as in-depth as the "Dummies" book or the 500+ page Scrivener pdf manual. Regarding complexity and the need for long explanation: Scrivener is not rocket science (or Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop or InDesign). It is a very intuitive program, and you will learn the most whilst (the Scrivener British authors have inspired this scruffy American) trying out features once you know the basics.
Bottom line: Regardless of your level, start with the tutorial. This tutorial is much better than most tutorials supplied with other software.
2. "Scrivener for Dummies"
Pros: a) Like most "Dummies" books, this book is an extended how-to focusing on mechanics rather than an extended example. It can serve as a pretty complete reference manual (if you are scared by the 500+ pages Scrivener "free" user manual). b) It is well written and the design makes it easy to navigate visually. c) The print version is a hard-copy for your (probably overcrowded) bookshelf. d) It covers the same ground as the tutorial (above), but with significantly more information in some areas, e.g. compile options, compiling for e-books, document templates, setting word count goals, tracking revisions, and more.
Cons: a) It costs money -- not crazy like some manuals -- but significant. b) For a small-sized Kindle version, the screen shots are almost too small to read. (They would probably look fine on larger-sized Kindles). Highly formatted books like "Dummies" do not render too well on relative-formatting, small devices. c) It does not follow a single example throughout. (The tutorial, on the other hand, asks you to revise it as a document, so it serves as its own hands-on example throughout.)
Bottom line: Only take this extra step if you have already done the tutorial, are a serious user, and are willing to spend the time and money. If you buy it, use it as an adjunct to the tutorial. If you want to really increase your skill, keep the tutorial open while reading it. Add cross-references to the "Dummies" chapters and pages in the document synopses in your tutorial Scrivener project. You can then go back and forth between the two references later. You will learn a lot going through this exercise. Of course, you better be serious because now we are into serious learning time.
Again, Scrivener is not rocket science. I have found the "Dummies" designation and approach more relevant for tricky software like Final Cut Pro. For more intuitive software like Scrivener, you won't feel like a "Dummy" after going through the tutorial that comes with the software.
3. The 500+ pdf user manual that comes with the Scrivener software
Pros: It is an exhaustive 500+ page reference.
Cons: It is an exhaustive 500+ page reference.
Finally, here is a summary of how to approach your Scrivener learning.
1. Decide where you are on the Scrivener spectrum (casual, serious, or hard-core).
2. No matter what, do the tutorial first.
3. Play around with the Scrivener software. Try lots of things that were unclear after doing the tutorial. Really, this is the best way to learn intuitive software like Scrivener.
4a. If you are serious and are willing to spend the money, buy the "Dummies" book and reference it alongside the tutorial while you work.
4b. If you are serious and not willing to spend the money, cross-reference the 500+ page user manual with the tutorial (through the tutorial project). This will take a lot more time than 4a.
5. If you are hardcore, do at least 2, 3, 4 (a or b) above. Most importantly, take a project that you can play with (meaning fill with junk in the learning process), and try all the things you will want to do in your intensive work. Use the references that help the most.
I am a serious user and really like the combination of the tutorial with the "Dummies" book. I do like having a physical book on my desk that references the software that I use. Call me old-fashioned.
