A “You Can Do Better” Book Review
I don’t do negative book reviews — until I posted one yesterday.
The negative review was not for the content. The core ideas, principles, and recommendations are solid. Unfortunately, that brilliance is buried under mounds of words, so many meaningless, energy-sucking words.
I don’t post negative reviews because I don’t force myself to read bad books. I also don’t post negative reviews because I am a writer, have sat stunned at what people have had to say about my work, and would hate to inflict that particular pain on anyone else. However, this subject is so close to my heart, to my experience in business, and the gems that I ultimately unearthed were rare beauties that kept me reading. I told myself that the writer is an accomplished, renowned professional who would benefit from straight talk and shrug off anything that didn’t make sense.
Feeling guilty about the review, that it is the ONLY review posted on amazon years after the book was released, I researched the author and learned that he was founder and leader of a global powerhouse of a company.
I knew it! I knew that the insights that I managed to eke out came from hard-won experience, that the declarations were real-world useful and tested. I knew that the person behind the book was so much more powerful, effective, and articulate than the thing I read.
Grinning with my discovery, I kept on digging. What I learned made me write to the author, sharing my experience and suggesting he consider a “Do Over” of the book. I proposed that he create a more unique, ownable, compelling title on a new cover, update case studies and situation assessments, and offer the reader greater value in on-line tools, feedback, and ongoing relationship. I stated there are talented ghostwriters at the ready; find one and get to work.
I concluded by hoping that my woebegone note appealed to his business acumen and demonstrated passion. I urged that he go back and tell the important story that only he can tell with the help of a skilled, experienced professional.
Not everyone can write — nor should everyone try.
Writing this book was a golden moment to demonstrate how to rely on a specific ability and talent to create powerful, transformative results.
The first time out with the book was not successful. It was the expression, not the ideas, that sunk it.
Consider using your own principles and doing it over.
Here is an excerpt of my review:
This book is a perfect example of why there are ghostwriters in this world. The genuine, valuable, piercing insights are buried so profoundly in turgid, mind-numbing prose that it’s not worth the effort. The terrific principles that XXXX shares are simple and extraordinarily difficult to do well, but the desire and the doing make a powerful contribution to the organization and enable even greater growth. There are rockstar business book ghostwriters and there are also equally talented, less costly writers eager to craft, to mold and sculpt great ideas into powerful message. Not everyone can write — nor should everyone try. Writing this book was one of those golden moments to elect the precise talent to fill the need. It’s regrettable that the moment was blown.
As I read, I considered how XXXX might have shared his story. In the past, there were numerous business and academic outlets for tight, well-written pieces. Today, unfortunately, what would have made for a dense, memorable, important piece is puffed up into a book, into turgid, moribund, exhaustion-inducing blather.
I was desperately disappointed for the time I invested in reading this mess and heartsick over the book that might have been.
So far, the author has connected with me through a popular business networking site. He has my email, knows where to find me. I’m not a business ghost writer — nor do I know one, but I have many wonderful insights to share.
It will be interesting to see what happens next — just like in very best of stories…
