Before I begin this review, I need to let you know I've bought all nine books of the three series involving Stiger. I've read six of them so far, and they're all great. This author knows what he's talking about!
One of the most important things to do when purchasing a book on writing is to check the author's credentials, to see if they've actually sold books. The author even mentions this in his book. I've bought several books on writing that had dozens of reviews, and they were underwhelming, had too much information, etc. This book is right up there with Chris Fox's books on writing, which I've read several of.
This book is very easy to read. There is an equal balance between the tone of voice, which makes me feel like Marc Alan Edelheit is right in the room with me and talking to me as a friend, and businesslike. This book covers Marc's writing process, as well as the marketing side of writing.
There are many lists in this book, and it can feel overwhelming to me, a new writer, but Marc has done a lot of research for our benefit. He's compiled different sources that we can go to research ourselves, like Bookbub. I've personally checked out some of these websites before I read this book, and I can say this book might save you dozens to hundreds of hours on research.
At one point, the author has said fans have compared his work to Tolkien. I can say this is true because I've also recommended this book to friends, telling them this series was just as good Lord of the Rings.
The author also mentions something I feel not many indie authors have addressed, and that's when choosing among the many freelancers out there, there are some people that can take your money and cheat you. Marc tells you ways to save money and avoid those cheaters.
Below is a rough idea of each chapter, just in case you're wondering if this book is for you and if it's really worth your money. No big spoilers here.
Chapter 1: Business
Chapter 2: The author's writing process in good detail
Chapter 3: Types of editing and why some books do not do as well
Chapter 4: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
Chapter 5: Marketing
Chapter 6: Marketing Plans, Tools, and sample budgets
Chapter 7: Cover designers, author web developers, and more
There was one little comment in the book I didn't understand, and that was the "virtual assistant". Would have been nice to get one sentence explaining what that was.
There was also one small thing that wasn't mentioned in the book, and according to what I've learned, Kindle Countdown Deals still net you full profits.
I would also have liked to read a little more on getting started as an indie author. While Marc Alan Edelheit has done a comprehensive job of this, I would have liked to know a little bit more about how cost-per-click ads worked, and what the first week or two after publishing your first book entail.
All in all, a five star book I highly recommend!