Basic Options Trading: Options Strategies For Beginners

Pendola’s approach to what many people find complicated is to breakdown explanations into simple and manageable illustrations.  If the thought of trying to figure out the square root of 9 freaks you out, don’t worry, most of his examples involve basic, simple math.  Put away your calculator.  His overarching goal is to make understanding options uncomplicated.  Have you ever wanted to know the terms: buy to open, sell to close, sell to open, buy to close, out-of-the-money, in-the-money, and at-the-money.  If you answered yes, this is the book for you.

The book is divided into five sections. Each section builds upon the information you learned in the previous.  The first section provides the reader definitions and concepts of basic options.  Complicated options are not discussed.  Remember, this book is for beginners, those somewhat familiar with the terms and who want to learn more to build up their comfort level.  Second, he explores his belief that options should be considered as an investment.   He writes, “It’s little more than a misnomer that options have no place in the portfolios of new, ardent buy-and-hold or even conservative investors. In fact, I argue that you hold yourself back by not using options in a variety of, albeit, relatively basic ways.”  The following three sections discuss covered calls, long calls and puts, and cash-secured puts respectively.

As I read this book, one thing that I found comforting was that the author frequently warns his readers not to do too much.  In today’s world, many people are leery with claims that risk will pay out as long as you have a lot of money in the game.  He feels the opposite.  “Simply put, many humans have an aversion to the notion of doing more with less, while failing to acknowledge the potential pitfalls of trying to do more with more.”  Pendola is cognizant to warn readers that caution and knowledge will get you results.  He also advises to only risk an amount of money in which you can afford to lose.  He believes the best type of investor, is a disciplined one who is informed, patient, and knows his or her limits –“(m)ost investors, namely relatively small ones, should never venture beyond the most basic options strategies.”

Rocco Pendola is a contributor to the website Seeking Alpha.  If you would like to sample his writing before buying this eBook, I recommend that you check out his articles.  I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.  It is a simple, yet informative read.

Links

Amazon

Rocco Pendola’s Instablog

Spiritual Alchemy: The Fall, The Cure, The Jesus Prayer

In 1984, Atwood was arrested in Texas by the FBI for kidnap and murder.  These crimes were allegedly committed in Arizona.  To this day, Atwood states that these charges were false and that he was wrongfully convicted.  However, he now lives on death row in Arizona.  While in prison, Atwood acquired a couple of Associates of Arts from Central Arizona College and from Ohio University.  In addition, Atwood has received a Bachelors and Masters degree from Ohio University.  And most recently, he has started a three year Masters program in theology.  He converted to Greek Orthodox Christianity.  In 2000, Atwood was baptized and received his name Anthony.  He added “of the Desert” to remind himself of sin.

His background intrigued me.  I am amazed by his resolve not to quit living or to become obsessed with vengeance, especially given his claims that he’s been unjustly accused and condemned to death.  This would break the spirit of many people.  Instead, he turned to religion to deal with an overwhelming situation. 

Given Anthony’s story, it is fitting that his book, Spiritual Alchemy, discusses sin. He divides his book into three parts.  The first part discusses the Fall, when Eve bit into the apple and the consequences for humans since that event.  The next component outlines the cure. This section delves into ways to bring a person back to his or her sole purpose, which is to reunite with God.  Lastly, Anthony discusses the Jesus Prayer and how it is “the ultimate cure for all infections from the Fall and as the quintessential vehicle for deification.”

As I read the book, I sensed the amount of research that the author utilized to present a clear and concise thesis.  Each section builds upon the other to aid the reader from point to point.  I found his historical research to be informative, albeit the sources are solely religious texts.  This book would be helpful to those who are on this path and would like to learn more about the healing benefits of the Jesus Prayer and the historical background.

Given the author’s personal history, I was somewhat surprised that he does not let you into his own personal struggles and salvation by introducing the Jesus Prayer into his own battle with sin.  It would move this work away from feeling like a term paper and into a thought provoking work demonstrating the rewards of accepting that humans are sinful and that utilizing the Jesus Prayer can bring people closer to God.

Furthermore, it would behoove the author to take more time editing his work.  Certain words and phrases are repeatedly used to emphasize his point.  I lost count of how many times the writer used the words thus, perceive, perception, and the phrase, in other words.

Overall, this work would be a helpful aid to people seeking to learn more about the Jesus Prayer.  I give Spiritual Alchemy three out of five stars.

Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

www.churchfathertheology.com

Sector C

In this episode of The Indie Book Podcast, we review Sector C, a science fiction eco-thriller
that gave us an intimate look at the ranching community of the Great
Plains. We also interview Charles M. Pulsipher about his novel, The
Crystal Bridge, and about how your own characters can surprise you.

A minister, believing he was on a mission from God, identified a local teacher as a homosexual. The ‘outing’ led to the teacher’s murder. The states attorney decided the minister had put the teacher’s life in jeopardy by singling him out for only one reason; the teacher was a homosexual. The states attorney charged the minister with a hate crime reasoning you cannot use the Bible to justify homophobic behavior. Like a rock thrown into a pool, many persons in the community are touched by the teacher’s murder, the police investigation, the trial, and the jury proceedings.

When I reach for a novel, I’m looking for a good, tight story involving memorable characters told in a consistent narrative voice. In “God Hates Fags,” author Joe Wellman presents a core theme with a story packed around it from the outside, the characters are presented as sociological case studies, and the narrative voice is lost amidst lengthy flashbacks and repetitive, flat phrasing.

The question as to which comes first, the theme or the story, is essential. A theme should arise organically from within a well-told story. This book’s theme, overtly announced in the last sentence of the jacket copy quoted above, is overemphasized in the book’s epigraph: “No event is merely a rock thrown into a pond. The ripples touch the lives of many.”

But there is no focus on the event in question. Flashbacks are presented for 14 different characters, taking up approximately 105 pages (about one-third of the novel) and are spread throughout the book beginning in chapter 2. Each time I start to become involved in the basic story (a murder and hate crime trial), I have to stop and wade through an extensive explanation of why a particular character behaves the way they do. In chapter 12’s flashback, Paul is having a conversation with Sean; Sean then goes into a three-page flashback of his own during the first flashback conversation. This is very distracting.

Although the book is labeled “Suspense” on the back jacket, lack of surprise is another result of the flashbacks. In chapter 13 there are seven pages describing the horrid conditions of Sarah’s childhood; as we snap back to the present, Sarah attempts suicide. As a reader, I don’t need a graphic history of child abuse to precede a suicide attempt as it not only removes any surprise I might feel over Sarah’s drastic step, it also prevents me from using my imagination. This is particularly true of the character Runt. Given his nickname and wonderfully detailed physical description, I can guess what his childhood must have been like.

In an obvious attempt to make up for this pacing deficiency, chapter 21 (half-way point of the novel) is presented from eight different points of view with only two switches separated by extra space on the page. Unfortunately this becomes a trend: chapter 22 is a five-page flashback, chapter 23 is more flitting about between POVs; chapter 24 is a seven-page flashback, chapter 25 is two POVs with no space break between them; chapter 26 is a nine-page flashback, with chapter 27 then giving us more POV switches.

Chapter 28 describes an extramarital rendezvous that results in a scorned wife throwing her cheating husband out of the house – possibly the most non-surprising conclusion of a scene in the entire book.

In what would otherwise have been a great way to end the second act, chapter 29 is titled “The Riot,” giving away in advance what is about to happen in front of the courthouse on the eve of trial. After the dramatic riot scene we are given a rather unfortunate segue: “Across Westfield at Dottie’s house, she, Mike and Sarah were sharing a pizza.”

Mr. Wellman’s narrative style is inconsistent in other ways. Sometimes the dialogue is sharp, other times laden with exposition. Physical descriptions of characters are flat, consisting of height, age, hair color, marital status, and, if female, breast size. Many phrases are repeated within the same sentence or paragraph (as in the jacket copy, which mentions “states attorney” twice). In chapter 31, we are told for the third time that Shari is Gene’s assistant. It is in this chapter, titled “The Trial Begins,” that plot really kicks in. But what happens at the trial gives no surprises whatsoever due the previous flashbacks.

Chapter 33, “The Jury Deliberates,” is the best chapter in the novel. However, in chapter 34 we have POV switches again, followed by yet another flashback in chapter 35. This four-page flashback involves Jonathan, one of the jurors; in the next chapter, Jonathan has a conversation with another juror in which his resentments from the past are revealed in just a few short lines of dialogue, negating the need for the flashback in chapter 35.

Chapter 36, “More Jury Deliberations,” again presents good action and tight dialogue, but the final two chapters, titled “Four Weeks Later” and “One Year Later,” tie up the story way too neatly.

On the whole, the book’s pacing problem needs to be addressed (by using flashbacks briefly and only when germane to the plot) and a thorough copy edit performed (the states attorney says in his opening statement: “Hate crime legislation seeks to protect specific groups from undo victimization”). The narrative voice would be clearer if repetitive phrases were eliminated (starting with eight or nine instances of “guess we’ll find out” in the first few chapters), cliché word choices replaced (“The touch of his bare skin against her bare skin was more than exciting for Teri”), and the typos cleaned up (“You’re going to get a lot of flack”). There is a story in this book that would be interesting if it were allowed to breathe and executed on the basis of plot rather than theme. I give the book as-is a rating of two stars out of five.

Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

www.godhatesfags-anovel.com

We follow our detectives on three homicide cases: a strange shooting and theft, a dead body in the water with a pocket full of mystery and a very unique contract killer. The plots twist, turn and very much end with a surprise bang.

Not being one to spoil a good story, this book is a great crime drama. I liked the characters, as they were well developed and, as I said, unique. McGovern is a very likeable detective, has a personality that is charming but sharp and makes a good central character. Goreman, his partner, is aloof enough to be his partner and does not present herself as a potential love interest, which makes the working relationship solid. They have their methods down pat and they work well together.

There are two back up cops, Landry and Higgins. They are your typical detectives, doing the legwork involved in the case. They are developed enough to make them essential to the case and they are likeable figures. Sargent Mike Johns is the likeable but explosive boss of this unit, and he has all the attributes of a fiery Desk Sargent with upper management issues. I have to say I found all the main characters interesting and essential to the plot and each had their place and purpose. Very well thought out and executed.

The story is a plot within plots and is well developed and implemented. We have a murder in a garage, where a man is shot, his briefcase is stolen and his wife is left alive to tell the tale. We have a drowned man with some interesting pocket contents that leads to an intricate Ponzi scheme, and then we have a contract killer with a unique way of getting rid of his marks. The plot ties all these stories together and I was impressed with the way the story was woven, and all the little twists in the stories within the story.  Mr. Thompson’s first book is amazingly interesting and well done. I was impressed with his story telling skills and his character development. In other words, I really liked the story and for a first time out, the author did very well.

What was very noticeable was the lack of proofreading and editing. The spelling errors, the misuse of words, such as his use of there when he meant their, and the formatting issues made this a little hard on the eyes for the reader. About 3/4’s of the way through the book, it seems like the author gave up proofing the book altogether. The paragraphs dissolve into run-on thoughts, like someone writing a police report. There is no structure in many stretches of the story; missing periods, commas and capitalization at the start of new sentences. The formatting also gets jumbled at the end and it was very distracting from the story itself, especially where the author wraps up the story.

I also felt the introduction was giving away too much story, and there were inconsistencies presented. Case in point – the contents of the briefcase. The introduction says the case contained a million dollars, but the story itself speculated on the contents as possibly money, at one point it was thought it was half a million, but it was never really confirmed. Just minor details, but these can be essential to the reader, and would present a more professionally-finished product if corrected.

This book would benefit from a good proofing and editing and some better formatting for the Kindle. As a first class story, this would “finish” the book and make it a first rate book all around. 3 Stars for this particular Kindle version with 5 stars for the story itself.

Links

Amazon

theresalwaysanothercase.com

I just completed a study of twenty newly released ebooks just to see how far the art of ebook publishing has advanced in the last year. I choose ebooks from well-known authors, from self-publishing authors, some novels, some technical books. I wanted a variety for my study. I would like to share my observations and suggestions for their improvement.

My contention is that REAL ebooks should be a different product than their paper counterparts. They should be formatted differently; sections arranged differently and in some cases they should have different covers. In short, to be a REAL ebook, they should not be just a copy of the traditional book version.

The following is a list of certain areas that I feel need improvement; areas that you must consider when you create your ebook.

REAL ebooks Links
Rendering your ebook with links is a major step in the right direction in creating a REAL book. What items MUST have links?

1. The Table of Contents must have links to the chapter headings. Most are doing this now.
2. Author’s References – the ebook must include links to the author’s website, email address, blogs, online profiles and social networking connections (Facebook/Twitter). You need this to get your reader/audience involved.
3. Author’s Other Books – there should be links to the buy pages for other books created by the author. Why miss this marketing opportunity.

For example, in my study two of the ebooks were written by top 10 authors and published by traditional publishers. Both had a list of their other titles, provided credits for the book creation and the usual publisher information. Neither used links to assist the reader in buying other titles or helping their co-developers secure new business. One did have a link to the publisher’s web site. There was no links to the author’s website, blog, email address or social network information.

4. In book Links – the REAL ebook should have links in the content to footnotes (held in appendix), to word and term definitions and to references. For example, one project I recently worked on was a pictorial about Omaha Beach with over 50 original pictures inserted in the content. With the picture, its title and the picture credits, the content became very difficult to read. The solution was to have a link from the picture title to the picture’s credits in the back of the ebook. If the reader wanted to check out the source they could follow the link and then hit the back key on the ebook device. If the reader didn’t, they could ignore the link and continue without interrupting the reading experience.

Another example in my survey was a technical book about the publishing industry. It was a well written book with lots of good information and references. But there were no links. None! It contained lots of hard coded website addresses and email contact information. All I had to do was re-enter the URL into my web browser and I could find the source.

Actually this is a missed opportunity. One of the problems that traditional books have that REAL ebooks can solve is the maintenance of links in the books. As we know we live in an ever changing world. Web and email addresses change on a daily basis, it seems. So there I am with a link to some interesting information and the link is no good. A broken link, if you will

If the REAL ebook is managed properly, you can avoid or limit this problem. You can create an online directory of links for your ebook. Then you setup a link monitoring process and a link maintenance routine and maintain a valid list of links in the directory. I call this the Goodlinks concept. Just include a link to the online directory in your ebook and you won’t lose your audience.

In fact you can draw the reader to your site and market other products and services. Of course, the beauty of the REAL ebook is you can republish it at any time with the updated links and information.

I believe the REAL ebook can help solve the read-back problems that all readers are faced with at one time or another. I watched a reader the other day try to deal with a novel that was riddled with acronyms and abbreviations. It was getting to be such a problem that half way through the ebook, she actually started writing them down on a separate piece of paper to reference later. Here is an example. “He called USAMRIID for advice.” I give up.

Other Considerations to Ponder
Covers
Sometimes the traditional book cover doesn’t work for the ebook. In this case, size does matter. That great book cover that you had designed is going to go small. On-line distributors try to catch the eye of would-be readers with thumbnail covers. The problem is that sometimes colors get in the way, the type size and face doesn’t look good small and the art gets distorted. A professional designer can solve this problem. You need one that can make the cover work in both environments. Check with our host for this site, Joel Friedlander.

One of the other cover issues is with the effort to get the prospective reader to view a sample of the ebook; some distributors will put a label over the right hand corner of the thumbnail which obscures that portion of the cover. A good designed cover will keep important information viewable like the author’s name or even the title of the book. I saw that in my study.

Copyright
REAL ebooks should include, with their copyright notice, the page number source document for the ebook, especially if the book has various editions. This is relatively a new process but it helps readers coordinate content between the paper version and ebook. This is increasingly important in the educational environment. Students using both hardbound and the ebook versions need a reference point sometimes.

Samples
One of the current ebook marketing strategies is to allow the prospective reader to read a sample of the ebook before buying. All distributors seem to go at this sample process differently but at the end of the day they want to provide the prospective buyer with something that can help with the buying decision. Most of them use a percentage basis.

The REAL ebook concept can help with this process but there has to be a rearranging of the book’s sections if the process is automated like most of them are.

Let me start with an example. I reviewed the buy page on Amazon for each book in my study. I choose one ebook in my study and downloaded the sample, comparing it to the full length version. Here’s what I found.

The ebook sample was in the same section sequence as the paper version. I know there is a traditional way to setup a book. This sample was no exception. It started with the cover followed by the title page, the table of contents, the dedication, the copyright page and a list of the writer’s other works.

So you ask what’s wrong with this. If this sample was going to help sell my ebook, it probably failed. The sample was 80 device pages long but the viewer had to page through 24 pages before they could start reading the book to make a decision.

I believe if you are going to use the sample as a sales tool, there are some slight changes you can make. I would include the cover and the title page with an abbreviated TOC up front along with the author’s other books with buy links. Also I would include upfront the author’s website and contact information. Move the copyright page, dedications and credits to the end of the ebook.

If you get to setup your own sample, keep this in mind. REAL ebooks and their samples should give the prospect what they need to make a decision and only that. A sample doesn’t need a complete table of content. This ebook had 80 chapters which took up four complete device pages and the kicker was; the links to the last 76 chapters were no good. Make the sample simple. Get the reader to your content as quickly as possible.

Bring on the REAL ebook
In most cases, ebooks are still just copies of the paper version but there is a huge opportunity to improve the ebook reading experience. Creative book design and digital links can help us move the ebook experience forward in acceptance.

Currently we have a problem. Let’s face it. Until traditional publishers start to treat ebooks as separate products with different properties and requirements, we have not taken advantage of the digital product. Their approach is simple but self-serving. Get it out the door. Get the copy into an ebook format, charge a higher price than needed and watch the money fall to their bottom line.

The advantage should go to the self-publisher because they control the process. They have the ability to correct the problems easily and make something really special.

Seek a professional to help you through the process if you’re really serious about marketing your ebook.

What do you think about the REAL ebook concept? Is adding links to an already completed product just too much work or would it move your book to the leading edge of ebook world and improve the readers enjoyment?

View my website: HBSystems Publications
Specializing in the ebook experience
Or EMAIL at: jrm@hbspub.com
Or go to my blog: The eBook Author’s Corner
LinkedIn Profile: James Moushon
Author: Call Off The Dogs, a rendered eBook

This blog was first published at the The Book Designer by Joel Friedlander.

Joel Friedlander is a self-published author and book designer who blogs about book design, self-publishing and the indie publishing life at TheBookDesigner.com. He’s also the proprietor of Marin Bookworks, where he helps publishers and authors who decide to publish get to market on time and on budget with books that are both properly constructed and beautiful to read.

It was posted again on the Passive Voice blog hosted by the Passive Guy.
Together the two have generated over 100 comments.

The Paper Rats deconstruct some common writer stereotypes.

About:

Authors  R.J. Keller and Kristen J. Tsetsi like to make videos when they should be writing. Their show is called “Inside The Writers’ Studio.”

They are Paper Rats.

The author’s web site describes 21 Erased with the following section:

The book addresses special readers, those who have the speed of thinking, sharp observations, and whose mind understands immediately. Those who need extensive descriptions to have enough time for their mind to adjust, whose mind wanders off, those find it too quick, need explaining what just hit them.

With just one sentence, the main character’s world is opening up in front of your eyes. All the rules of that harsh life are outlined and you are drawn into the plot breathless. You’ll find yourself breathing with her, tense and living her life. You are a special reader because the book itself is special.

Only intelligent mind that connects everything in an instant, that sees the traps and lies in a life around him, is the one that will breathe with this book. You will recognize some things that are in all regimes – you cannot fool the intelligence. We see…

When I first read the description above, I found it a bit pretentious. After having read the book and having gotten familiar with Rayne’s style (or at least the style she chose for 21 Erased), the above section doesn’t seem so odd anymore.

21 Erased is the story of Sarah told by herself. She is a young woman working as a cook in a government building. She also carries coffee, when necessary, to the offices. She is a simple resident living in constant fear of the system. However, what makes Sarah special is her ability to distinguish the true nature of the dark canvas of their lives. One day, during her brother John’s birthday party, she shares her negative opinions about their situation with Steven, a friend of John’s. And the same night she gets kidnapped from her home by government agents.

“They know everything. I was angry because I was scared, I lived in fascism and nobody saw it but me.”

The book starts well. It gives a good indication about what’s to come. It draws the reader in. When I read the short, 2-page, prologue-like first chapter, I felt I had to read more. This first chapter is a brief introduction to the book’s setting. Unfortunately the author doesn’t develop it as much as I’d like to but this brief glimpse is enough to tell the reader she’s getting herself into a story about a dark, tightly-controlled society.

In this future fascist dystopian society, the code that people carry on their hands is their identity, their money, their house key, their car key, their bus pass. Without it or with an invalid code, they are nothing. They simply cease to exist. And everybody knows that maladjusted people are taken to the Adjustment Centers that were originally opened for pandemic control. They never come back.

This is a world where the heavy hand of religion is constantly felt on the shoulders of the citizens. There are prayers every day, for everyone at specific times. When the TV programs end, everybody pray and place their hand on their code reader and then, only then, they can go to sleep. People don’t talk at work and the conversations during breaks revolve around simple things such as a TV show or a movie.

It doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that government controls every aspect of its citizens lives. They control the media who tell people what to say and what to think. They even control the music or the shows that people listen to in their smart cars. The government also takes the responsibility of raising exemplary citizens very seriously. For this reason, children are taken away from their parents at birth. Every citizen is given a pill once a month that needs to be taken during a predefined time of the month. Internet is heavily controlled, people cannot kiss in public, cannot consume alcohol, cannot leave their state without permission.

One can’t even find solace in good weather. Because of the climate change, the only season is winter. The temperature is always below 40F (5C). Some people are worn out from the cold and they have no money for heating. And when the sun comes out, it is not pleasant. It burns their skin.

21 Erased is a very fast read. Not only as a consequence of its novella size but also thanks to the author’s style. Rayne also uses short chapters in her book, which contributes to the overall ease of read. But mainly because the book has the feeling of a movie made by a camcorder. It’s not necessarily a bad story but the lack of depth in certain areas took me by surprise. All aspects of the story could be more developed. There are some brilliant ideas in the setting that don’t live longer than a simple mention in a sentence. Just when the reader gets ready to learn more about them, they never materialize.

The only character development is Sarah’s. The other characters feel like shadows. And I had a strong feeling that the author changed course in the middle of the story. At times it feels like reading through Sarah’s elaborate diary. There are also a few other things that I cannot discuss in a review for the fear of spoiling the story.

However, and this is important, despite all these shortcomings, I enjoyed reading 21 Erased. Normally, I would consider any one of the points I mentioned above annoying. However the runaway train speed of the author’s style grabbed me and pulled me until the very end. I think Rayne is currently working on her new book called Evolve. I’m interested to see how it compares to 21 Erased.

Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Facebook

Twitter

Google +

I then started getting into the book itself; the first chapter. I thought, oh my, Hunter S. Thompson’s final work? Or maybe this is his protégé? This is soooo Gonzo Journalism; but the author is no journalist. The author was just a member of the band. What is this anyway? I figured I was in for a ride. Well, I’m the committing type.

I continue to read… and the plot eventually comes to the surface. I don’t think the author intended the book to come out this way, but… I found myself laughing myself silly. Oh, this is just too wonderful to be missed!

The book is a crime piece, drawing on the main character of “Big Al Cancelino.” Big Al, as he is referred to in the book, is actually a guy from Upstate New York, trapped in the 80’s. He is a guy from a small Adirondack town and all he wants to do is have a band. Kevin, the author, was a guitarist with the band for a while, and a good friend of Al’s. Al, by the way, also has this bad habit of stepping into business situations that smell like poo but end up as mondo money makers.

The crime part of this comes about, as it did with most bands back then, in the drug scene of the 80’s. Cocaine abounds in this story, along with some pretty funny stories about cops, Feds, prisons, courtroom scenes and the way our judicial system was and still probably is (not so) working.

Al finds himself in the situation that many bands end up in: too much money and nothing better to do with it than spend it on drugs, and side businesses that also generate too much money and nothing better to do with it. There are also the ever-present drugs, and while the general population seems to think that drugs are bad for you, the life style of the 80’s called for cocaine and saw nothing wrong with it.

The story is twofold. First, the main story appears [sometimes] to be the author trying to put this book together. He is an aspiring author with two unfinished books called upon by his friend to write his friends “real” story. Seems one of the Feds wrote a story about his big bust on Big Al, and Al wants the real story to come out. Kevin is nominated to write it. The other story is the actual story, as told to Kevin by Al, with embellishment by Kevin on occasions. Kevin is part of the story as well; hence the Gonzo Journalism style of writing – the journalist becomes part of the story as the story unfolds.

I have to admit (without admitting to anything) that I was “vaguely” aware of these kinds of things back when I was younger. And knowing a few folks who ended up being busted for drugs, the questions are pretty much the same. Why were the police and the Feds allowed to do what they did back then? The Feds especially, seemed to have a lot of freedom to interfere with a lot of cases they handled. The fact that Al, a small time drug addict who had lots of money and bought lots of cocaine for his own use and for partying, was never a real threat to society as some of the real heavy duty dealers were back then. Yet, the government was duped into thinking Big Al was a drug kingpin, and spent tons of money on building a stupid case against the guy, and then incarcerating him for 7 years on our tax dollars for… partying. Literally.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The guy did break the law as far as drugs were concerned. And, yes, it was against the law, and yes, when he was caught, yeah, he paid the penalty. And as a credit to the man when he was put in front of the judge, he pleaded guilty. But, the actual case appears to have been blown out of proportion. Well, at least based on the story told here.

The book seems to have been spurred on by the publication of a book by an ex-Fed named Paul Bannister, who seems to have blown this whole story out of proportion just to benefit his ego, and his collar record. Al seems to think his side needs to be told. And Al tells a whopper of a story. The judicial system, from the investigation to the arrest to the conviction to the prison system, is a joke. To read this book, you come away with the feeling that we are wasting our tax dollars on both incarceration and on the drug war.

But the reading of the story is well worth the price of the book. And as I made my way through the book, I found myself shaking my head in disbelief at some of the stupidity of our law and order system. I found myself laughing out loud at most of Al’s stories. Some of those stories are priceless.

As for Kevin’s writing: His personal aspect and philosophies add to the content of the book. That he was there at the time this was building adds to the possibility of the story. That he wasn’t there when the bust when down ads to the credibility of the story. He can then look back at the whole story and draw some pretty interesting and plausible conclusions.

But, alas, he is a writer, not an editor. Check at 107 and it should be altar, not alter. That’s just the start. The book needs an editor.  I’m not talking about Al’s priceless language use and misuse either. The formatting of the book also has some issues. The italic for the quotes from Al, well, OK. But the really tiny text for your commentaries… I am not getting any younger and that really needs to be worked on – it needs to stand out, but don’t use tiny text. He needs to indent the paragraphs, not make them smaller than gnats. I would have indented the quotes for Al and then put the author’s thoughts and insights in italic. Keeps the stories separate. Geez…I am telling the author how to format the book. But, you see, it really is a good book. It just needs some pro editing and some good formatting behind it and it could work. Yes, I can see that happening! And don’t change the ending! No matter what anyone says! Priceless.

I have to say I really enjoyed this story of the 80’s, music, drugs, booze, groupies, cops, prison and Feds. The way it is written is, well, curious. But in a good way! It makes the story that much more interesting. I enjoyed this, but it still needs a little work. 3.5 Stars.

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But most of these errors are correctable.  And it sooooo distracts from the content of the book.  It becomes almost impossible to read some passages as you read, then re-read and then read again and realize the author left out the word “not,” or used double negatives, or means her instead of he.   And I am not discussing dialogue here.  Dialogue sometimes has its own lingo, depending on the locale of the story.  But if you are going to use dialects, then do your research and use it correctly.  I had one book I just deleted because the dialogue was too difficult to read in the chosen dialect.  It was very poorly done.  If you don’t know it, don’t use it.   But when it’s supposed to be English and it looks like pig Latin, you know someone was not proofreading their work.

People rely too much on the power of the word processor to correct most errors.  That is so wrong.  It is a machine, not AI.  The machine does not know you mean their instead of there, or bailed instead of balled.   The words are spelled correctly as far as the machine is concerned.   But you know you didn’t mean “…and the girlfriend balled him out.”

Unless your aunt or sister is a schoolteacher, having a family member proofread your work is not going to do it.  You can see in the acknowledgements at the front of the book “With many thanks to yadda-yadda, my cousin (or fill in the blank), for proofreading my work.  Ya did a great job.”  NOT!  Sorry, but if the relative can’t tell the difference between here and hear, then they did not do such a great job, dude.

Then there is the Kindle formatting.  Now, I know how to format a book myself.  I’ve learned.   But I am an IT freak and software is my game.   But for the average person, this can be tricky.  And when you see typefaces in 4 different font sizes in the same paragraph, you know they were having a hard time figuring out how to work the software.  Or there are 4 blank pages between each chapter.  Or everything becomes indented in the middle of the book.  I’ve seen everything go Italic in the middle of a book and then to bold typeface near the end.  And, of course, the pictures.  Missing, too big, too small; yet the author references them and you need the picture.  All these are due to not knowing how to use the word processing program well enough to correct these errors.

I cannot emphasize enough the need for self-publishing authors to seek out professional help in proofing their work.  And that includes editing.  If you are going to publish a book that references specifics, you need to make sure you are doing your fact checking correctly.  That’s where an editor comes in.  Editors will also tell you if you use something in the wrong manner or if the reference is incomplete, in error or outdated.  I was reading the other day where a character was given a bunch of letters after their name to insinuate they were a psychiatrist.  Well, the letters denoted he was a dentist.  I was wondering why they brought a DDS in to interrogate a suspect.

While you might think the average reader will not notice such “little things,” truth is it should be a matter of pride in your work.  Because you know someone is going to point out your major Faux Pas.  And as a reviewer, I am not only going to knock off a star or two for bad proofing, editing and formatting, but I will mention it in the review I write.  Why?  Because it does make a difference, and it will be noticed and you should really care about what you are writing.

One of the reasons publishing houses take a large chunk of your book fees is because they proofread your work before they publish it.  Now, granted, some publishing houses have crack editors and proofreaders.  Others…well.  Let’s just say I’ve seen some really sloppy editing on the part of some publishers, and have written them asking…did you do that on purpose or did you just not care?

In particular I remember where a biography was done and except for the title on the book cover, the subject of the bio had their name misspelled throughout the entire work.  Someone had the window pop up in the spellchecker that said “this word is spelled wrong, suggesting…” and they hit the “OK, change all” button.   It went to press wrong.  And everyone noticed it right away – Amazon was flooded with reviews about the misspelled name.  How many times have you hit the change button without look at what you are changing?  We all do it, don’t feel bad.  But that’s what a proofreader gets paid to catch.

But back to self-publishing: poorly formatted and proofread work is going to affect the sales of your book, if you want to come right down to the bottom line.  I have seen some author complain about poor sales and then someone comments “well, if your work was readable, it might sell better.”  You have to love Facebook for the raw comments if nothing else.

Look into the numerous proofreading firms out there.  Actually LOOK at the Kindle copy of your book and see how it came out AFTER Amazon converted it.  If it looks funky, chances are it will look funky to everyone and you should get help to reformat it.

One more side note – cover art.  I’ve seen all sorts of “Kindle Art” for books.  That Fire just came out and presents color to the public now is probably a great thing.  But I have a black and white Kindle and I would guess at this point so do many others.  Have you looked at your cover art in a black and white Kindle?  Some of it is scary!  If you don’t have a Kindle, the reader software is free and you can install it on your home PC.  Read your book in a Kindle and see what it looks like BEFORE you load it into Amazon.

If you are not sure, then you should get a proofreader.  And check your formatting.  Present a professional appearance.  You are going to make more money if you present a professional appearance.  I can almost guarantee it.  Of course, a good story always helps.