One of the people who downloaded an ARC of this book was particularly harsh about several points regarding the very nature and structure of this book. Once I got over all the icky feelings that naturally come with a negative review, I thought it might be best to put on my big girl panties and address those points.
The anonymous reviewer had this to say: This book is a sales pitch for several people/businesses used by the author. 9/10 of the book is repetitious blatant advertising. The author uses ALL CAPS on practically every page to emphasize the same things over and over. She frequently states that she is using a Mac version of the software she touts and she doesn’t know whether or not it’s available on Windows machines. Don’t you think that you’d find out before writing a book about it? You can find out this information on the Internet without purchasing this book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
- I clearly stated in the book’s front matter that I have only included service providers and tools that I have personally worked with and would recommend in this book. I’m not looking up and compiling what other people had to say about popular service providers and tools here. I spent the money and time it took to test drive these tools and service providers myself.
- I’m learning more and trying new service providers and tools out every single day. If I work with a new tool or service provider and have a good experience with them, it’s highly likely to show up on my blog or in a new resource I put together for you somewhere down the line. Just because a service provider isn’t listed here, doesn’t mean they aren’t good. I’m not going to include things I haven’t taken the time to personally work with and get to know.
- I don’t believe in trash talking or tearing service providers and tools down. If I didn’t have anything positive to say about a service provider or tool, they’re not in this book because I firmly stick to the tenet that if you don’t have anything nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all. I’ve only included tools and service providers that I had above-par experiences with, and I’m excited to share those things with you! I’m sorry if it comes across as a sales pitch (although I’ve included plenty of FREE tools in addition to ones that cost money). I’m not here to sell you on things. I’m not a salesperson, and that’s not my job. I’ve honestly never been good at selling things. If I were doing something like that, don’t you think I would have pimped my own writing-related services before I shared other service providers’ repertoires with you? I’m here to tell you the things I wish I’d known in the beginning of my writing career.
- I am actively working to improve this resource on a daily basis. I’ve got my big girl panties on, my cup of coffee in hand, and I’m attacking the issues the anonymous reviewer pointed out to me. I’m working on the all caps issue. I wanted this book to be personable and real, kind of like a conversation or texting with an old friend. I thought my voice, just as it is, would attract the right people. Some people aren’t into that, though, and that’s okay. I’m also working on the repetition. When I use resources, I don’t always read them in order from start to finish. I tend to skip around a lot based on my current needs, and I was working on the assumption that others might do that, too. I didn’t want you guys to miss anything, but I hate that it comes across as repetitive and boring. I’m not here to stuff my word count, so I’m cutting out a lot of the repetition. I’m also catching up the information for whether or not these tools are available on platforms aside from Mac.
- Changes and updates are imminent and can happen at any time. To be utterly and completely honest with you, I got in a bit of a time crunch with this manuscript, and I was forced to upload before I felt things were truly ready to go. You can expect changes and updates to this resource throughout the year, in an effort to make this tool the absolute best it can be in spite of the fact that I got behind the metaphorical eight ball where time is concerned.
I’d also like to take a moment to note here that some of the links to resources in this book are, in fact, affiliate links, and I may make a nominal fee for referring you as an affiliate. I promise you I only recommend and affiliate with resources that I believe will genuinely benefit you. I know from experience because they did it for me.
Chelsea C. Moye's Secrets to Writing Success 