# Opinions about two books on authorship



## Biz Maven (Aug 4, 2013)

I have been considering two different books on authorship (by two different authors) but before I get them I was wondering if anyone here had read them and had any opinions.  The first is Kindle Kingpin and the second is 7 Secrets to bestselling author.

I know I could just check the reviews on amazon, but both have only a few reviews (all good) despite being clearly purchased a lot given their rankings in their categories.  So I though I would ask if anyone here had any opinions about the books.

Whenever I see a book with less than about 10 reviews I automatically assume that the reviews are mostly by friends of the author.

So again, hoping someone here has read one of these books.  Honestly it's the first one that I'm particularly interested in based on what I read from the "look inside" free preview.


----------



## Skodt (Aug 4, 2013)

Why do you need them for? Those books are filled with general information. They pray on people who think they need a book. All that information is available free on the internet, or here on this forum. It may take you doing more searching, but it will save you money. Also you won't feel silly once you finish the book and realize they didn't really tell you anything.


----------



## Biz Maven (Aug 5, 2013)

Skodt said:


> Why do you need them for? Those books are filled with general information.



Are you saying this because you actually read them or because you're judging the books by their titles?

I found out that the Kindle Kingpin book was actually FREE (it was originally $4.99) so I got it last night.  I found a unique approach in that one that I haven't seen talked about anywhere else AND some good details on how to go about doing it.

The other one, the 7 secrets book is 99 cents.  I am a little leery of any book the author feels has so little value.

And I have been doing some digging through the forum to find some stuff.  I will say that I don't mind paying a little for good information if it's in one place.  As an example, the stuff that's in the Kindle Kingpin book might well be covered in posts here on the forum, but how long am I going to have to dig to find it?

Seriously, I would have happily paid $4.99 for it ... but free is a pretty good price you have to admit


----------



## Skodt (Aug 5, 2013)

^ The thing is if those books had any secrets, or real value; then everyone would be easily able to follow them. The real world shows us that there is no get rich fast schemes that work. Sure one approach may work for someone, and another for someone else, but no approach works for everyone. That is why gathering information that pertains to you is much better in the long run.


----------



## Biz Maven (Aug 5, 2013)

Skodt said:


> ^ The thing is if those books had any secrets, or real value; then everyone would be easily able to follow them. The real world shows us that there is no get rich fast schemes that work. Sure one approach may work for someone, and another for someone else, but no approach works for everyone. That is why gathering information that pertains to you is much better in the long run.



No one is saying that one thing works for everyone.  I find it odd that you say on one hand that a book only has value if it works for everyone but on the other, nothing can work for everyone.  This seems like one of those, "all business books are garbage so don't buy any of them" kind of response.

The Kindle Kingpin book as an example is meant only for non-fiction writers (which I am).

And at least the Kindle Kingpin book doesn't claim to have any "secrets" (of course the other does right in the title).  It simply gives what to me seems like a pretty viable method for non-fiction writers who don't already have an established market presence to get books sold and to establish a presence in the market.

I'm going to have to ask again, have you actually read either of the two books in my OP or are you simply judging the books by their titles and you don't have any specific knowledge of the two books in question?

I know it's typically considered bad form for a newbie to a forum to challenge a moderator like this out of the gate, but your responses are reading to me to be opinions with no knowledge of the actual books I was asking about.

It would be like someone leaving a 1 star comment on one of your books and waxing philosophical about the content ... but they hadn't actually read it.  That doesn't seem fair for someone to do does it?


----------



## Skodt (Aug 5, 2013)

Again a book providing useless knowledge for a price is a scam book. Hence why it has so little in the column of reviews. You do not need pay for information that is free. The information in these books is not going to get your books sold. That takes hard work and dedication. Reading the books will get you no further towards that goal. I am generalizing the category in a whole, no book will give you an edge, and no book will help you sell your books. 

My suggestion is to write your novel, and then use the free information to obtain knowledge about the publishing world. If you need better information, do not use the unknown sell such and such number of books in such and such time books. If these books had a shred of credibility the author wouldn't be writing them, he would have best sellers on the shelf. 

I would not leave a review on the books, because I would not fall into their schemes, if this book was compared to any other product it would be a late night infomercial and people would skip over it for a reason. :razz:


----------



## Biz Maven (Aug 5, 2013)

Skodt said:


> Again a book providing useless knowledge for a price is a scam book.



How in the world do you know if the knowledge in the book is useless or not if you haven't read it? 

I actually HAVE read the book.  So let me say this:
I would recommend Kindle Kingpin to any non-fiction author. I can say that because I actually read it.  The book was only made live on Kindle Tuesday of last week so the reason there are so few reviews is that the book is brand new.




> You do not need pay for information that is free.



The book is free, I didn't pay for it.  (edit: I sent an email to the author and it's going to be free till Thursday)




> The information in these books is not going to get your books sold.



You.
Are.
Wrong.

Perhaps you should actually read it ... like I said, it's free.  I think your opinion might change.  Well ... maybe not.  From what you said below you seem to have a pretty low opinion of non-fiction authors.



> That takes hard work and dedication. Reading the books will get you no further towards that goal. I am generalizing the category in a whole, no book will give you an edge, and no book will help you sell your books.



Again, I absolutely disagree with you.

The information in this book has ALREADY helped to give me an edge in both getting the book written AND in ensuring it will obtain sales.

Do you have any best selling books?  If you don't, then how can you actually argue that doing things the way you said is the only way to do it?



> My suggestion is to write your novel,



I'm a non-fiction business author, not a writer of novels.

If I were, I just realized I could probably still use the information in the book to write stories that would generate sales.  I tell you what, if you get the book and read it, I'll even explain how you apply the content meant for non-fiction writers to a fiction market.



> If you need better information, do not use the unknown sell such and such number of books in such and such time books. If these books had a shred of credibility the author wouldn't be writing them, he would have best sellers on the shelf.



This has got to be the craziest thing I've ever heard.  First, the author provides proof of his own sales to show that his methods work.

The author gives proof (one example right on the cover) that he is an author that gets #1 in the categories he writes for.  

Secondly, are you now suggesting that if every business author had a shred of credibility they wouldn't be writing books, they would be actually doing it?

Are you aware of how lucrative writing really is and how much of a passive income stream it creates?  People with knowledge will OFTEN write books about it.  I find it BEYOND bizarre that an author would cast such aspersions on other authors!!!

I swear, it really sounds like you're calling every non-fiction writer a bunch of scam artists.  What you said about the "how to sell books" author can be said of EVERY non-fiction topic.



> if this book was compared to any other product it would be a late night infomercial and people would skip over it for a reason. :razz:



Except that apparently people aren't "skipping right over it".  It's already the number 2 book on authorship on Amazon despite only being there for a few days. (edit #2: The book is also 1,260 in total sales and given how new the book is will almost certainly make the Amazon Top 1000 in another couple of days)

Edit: and how would you know what to compare the product to?  You haven't seen the book, you haven't read it, you have literally zero knowledge of the book other than the cover.

Interesting how you have such a strong opinion of something you have so little actual knowledge of.


----------



## Skodt (Aug 5, 2013)

Good luck with your millions. :thumbr:


----------

