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What do you think of reviews like this?
August 8th, 2008 by StephenPosted in Communication, E-book, Product Reviews |
Welcome back! It's good to see you again. Please note that I am now publishing all new material at my hub site: StephenPSmith.com
Leo has a post up at ZenHabits where he is promoting a new e-book on setting up your workspace. He includes a disclaimer at the beginning of the post, but that seems to have stirred up a hornet’s nest in the comments.
This is the beginning of the post:
Jump-Start Your Workspace: Small Changes That Improve Focus and Shorten Your Work Day | Zen Habits
Full disclosure: I’m part owner of Web Warrior Tools, the ebook publishing company that is selling the ebook below. However, I’m only sharing this ebook because I really like it and think you will find value in it. I don’t do advertising posts here at Zen Habits, but if you’re not interested in ebooks, you can skip this post.
I’m excited to share with you a new ebook from Glen of LifeDev that I think will be of value for anyone looking to optimize their workflow and generally make the most of their time.
While many of the Comments are positive, there are a few that are strongly negative.
Gideon Says:
August 6th, 2008, 19:25 pmI dunno… 10 bucks for 26 pages? Also, I assume it’s in PDF?
Maybe if it was offered in something else… ePub, Mobi, etc.. something I can put on an ebook reader, I’d be interested. But 10 bucks for 26 pages is still pretty steep. Maybe I’m just used to Kindle prices where that much will buy me a 500 page book.
And
joe falcom Says:
August 6th, 2008, 22:23 pmI am really disappointed to see such a blatant advertisement.
The disclaimer is bogus as far as I am concerned
I have written a few posts like this and never saw that kind of negativity. Do you, as a reader, appreciate this kind of review and respect my decision to participate in an affiliate program? Or do you get a negative impression?
Please let me know in the comments.
If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5vnfn5. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen
Leave a Comment: 
Get involved with the 
August 9th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Very cool for posting the good and the BAD. From a pricing perspective, you might want to work more towards like $3, but perhaps it’s working. I think the Kindle feedback is really pertinent from a perceived perspective. Thanks for sharing.
~jon
August 9th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Hi Jon, as a writer and publisher myself, it is important to me that I provide what my readers are looking for. With over 4,000 subscribers I have a pretty broad reach. I did a survey in January to get a feel for what people are looking for, and I am moving more and more in that direction.
If I can get everything to come together in the next few days I will have a big announcement.
Stay tuned.
August 9th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I appreciate your reviews, Stephen. In fact, I often depend upon bloggers like you to keep me ‘in the know’ about other authors. And I appreciate the disclaimer. Thanks!
August 9th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Posts are an important means of measuring our impact. At least, meaningful posts are a good measure.
The author of the ebook will quickly determine if the information offered is worth the $10 tag. The choice is then to offer it at a discount or to remove it from the market.
As far as “blatant advertising” is concerned, is there something inherently wrong with making a profit? It takes money to keep the sites up and running and I, for one, rely on much of the information I find in the blogs. If one of my favorites needs to make a little coin to keep the doors open, that’s OK with me. If I don’t want to buy the product I won’t. Where is the problem?
August 10th, 2008 at 2:22 am
I’m with Harry F on this. Not that I’m a huge market fanatic, but the marketplace of ideas as well as of e books will work it out. If I don’t want it I won’t buy it. If I get annoyed by seeing e books being hocked too often on a given blog, I’ll make a comment to share my opinion or vote with my Internet feet by finding another blog that suits me better. Harry captured the essence for me with “Where’s the problem?”
August 10th, 2008 at 5:36 am
Welcome to MC, Harry and Michael, It’s good to hear the positive and encouraging notes from you. I enjoy reading these types of books and e-books, and I feel that it is important to share them with you all. Many of the books that I review might never have come into your range of attention otherwise.
I am heartened by the comments, thank you.
August 10th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I don’t see a problem with it at all. As far as the price goes, if a person wants a clear desk and the author can tell him/her how to do that in 26 pages it seems to me to be a win win. Many longer books are filled with build-up, anecdotes, etc., which are interesting, but people just like the “beef”. (You may have to be of a certain generation to get that reference.)
And I count on blogs to let me know about stuff I otherwise might not hear about. The disclaimer was a nice touch and sends the message that he cares about how his readers spend their time.
I agree with Harry and others, “Where’s the problem?”
August 10th, 2008 at 9:52 am
That should read “some” people just like the beef.