“From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it.” Groucho Marx (1890-1977).
Below are the winners (?) from my just-published STINKERS! America's Worst Self-Published Books. It's both sad and funny that most of the stinkers try to provide advice about publishing books. I hope you'll avoid the mistakes of the stinkers so your work won't be featured in Volume Two. We don't need more bad books.
Below are the winners (?) from my just-published STINKERS! America's Worst Self-Published Books. It's both sad and funny that most of the stinkers try to provide advice about publishing books. I hope you'll avoid the mistakes of the stinkers so your work won't be featured in Volume Two. We don't need more bad books.
Birth Control is Sinful in the Christian Marriages and also robbing God of Priesthood Children! by Eliyzabeth Yanne Strong-Anderson, AuthorHouse, 2008, 648 pages, $150
#1 |
This is probably the worst book ever published! It has 648 huge pages, $150 cover price and an Amazon sales rank below 10,000,000. No lowercase letters are used in the book. It’s ugly, has bad grammar, bad spelling and atrocious typography. Also, the title is stupid and the theme is absurd.
Mosquito Marketing for Authors
by Michelle Dunn, CreateSpace, 2010, 174 pages, $12.95 #2 |
This book is the second-worst, and third-rate. It demonstrates what happens when a marketing expert who’s a sloppy writer hires a designer who doesn’t know how to design books and an editor who doesn’t notice mistakes.
Best in Self-Publishing & Print on Demand...
by David Rising, Lulu, 2006, 136 pages, $19.95 #3 |
This is the third-worst book I’ve ever seen, and a catalog of all of the things you should not do if you write and design a book. It is so crappy that if you use its pages to wipe your behind, you might be dirtier after you wipe.
Principles of Self-Publishing: How to Publish and Market A Book or Ebook On a Shoestring Budget
#4 |
Self-Publishing Simplified by Brent Sampson, Outskirts Press, 2005, 110 pages, $5.95
#5 |
This book is ranked fifth-worst. It’s small, but errors are abundant. The author is a book publisher who badly needs a book editor.
Become a Published Author! by Dave Giorgio, Infinity Publishing, 2009, 95 pages, $14.95
#6 |
The sixth worst “book” is another ad masquerading as a book. It has some useful information, but is very poorly produced and terribly out-of-date. It’s supposed to attract potential author customers to Infinity Publishing. It’s more likely to drive them away.
The Truth and the Corruption of the American System by Eunice Owusu, Xlibris, 2009, 96 pages, $15.99 or $24.99
#7 |
This potentially important book was ruined by its uncaring and mercenary publisher. It badly needs an editor. Bertram Capital, which owns Xlibris, should be terribly embarrassed by this crappy book.
11 Secret Steps to Writing, Designing, Creating & Self-Publishing Your Very Own 'How-To' Book, Ebook or Manual by Jaime Vendera, Vendera Publishing, 2008, 136 pages, $19.95
#8 |
This author tried to do the right thing—but it turned out wrong. I don't like the book, but I do like the author. He knew not to do everything himself, but his helpers need help.
I Hate it When They Say “It Can’t Be Done!” by Leon Terrell Ash, Lulu, 2011, 58 pages, $20
#9 |
This undersized, overpriced and dreadful book should be euthanized. The author is an ignorant egomaniac.
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