If I had to rename this review post into something click-baity, I would call this post "How To Write A Sh***y Resource For A Quick Buck: A Lesson In Editing". Unfortunately, that title would not be a stretch in the slightest as you will see by the end here.
This month (October, 2022) I decided to get back into tackling my TBR for writing resources and to start researching new ways to get reinspired into a regular writing habit, as well as a few tips to make the writing process easier and faster. Unfortunately, my dive back into my TBR has lead me down the dark rabbit hole that is How To Start A Publishing Company: Turn Your Passion Into Profit Using This Comprehensive publishing Business Blueprint by Maxwell Rotheray. If the tagline for this book didn't tell you anything, this is going to be a bumpy ride.
What I First Thought When I Bought It
So, originally I purchased this book in 2021, and gave it a quick glance over before throwing it back on my shelf as a TBRL (to be read later). It has since been close to one and a half years since purchasing that I have finally decided to open up this book and get a real sense of the work as a writing resource to compare against others in the field. It was my hope that at the beginning of this journey that I could not only use this book as a guide to pursuing my own publishing needs, but also showcase as a guide and resource for others in the writing community.
Rotheray's How To Start A Publishing Company marketed itself as a seven step, easy to use guide or blueprint for teaching readers how to start and build a successful publishing company. The pitch, located in the description as well as on the back cover of the book, leans into how ... and ... the use and effectiveness of this guide can be for users. Unfortunately, this is where the last of the good or neutral things I have to say for this resource ends.
What I Thought As I Was Reading It
My typical reviewing process consists of three steps: 1) speed read for information dumping, 2) slow reading for analysis and commentary, 3) speed reading again while note taking. During this initial speed reading, it was apparent to me that a lot of surface material was either wrong, missing, or just poorly written. By the time I got through a slow read, and it was excruciatingly slow, I noted many grammatical error and poor outline/formatting. Finally, by the time I managed to get to my note taking session, I found myself only discovering more and more negative things to jot down with each section I read.