Hello there and welcome to The Turndog Review: the books I read, reviewed.

I aren’t a professional critic, instead all I offer is my honest opinion into everything I read. However, I do this with a difference, as I don’t only offer my personal views on the Writing, Plot, and Story, but also the Book Cover, Book Marketing, and Author Website.

We live in a modern world where being a writer is different to years gone by, and I feel the whole experience of the book matters. This covers everything from the initial find, the actual read, and everything that follows. Therefore I hope this review not only offers a great insight into the book and author, but also into my own mind and what makes me tick.

So without further ado let’s begin, and today I focus on The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

 

Published: 2002

Read: July 2012

Discovered: Because I heard so many good things

 

Overview:

This is one of those books I kept hearing about. Everyone had read it. Everyone was referencing it. Then I heard another book was coming out. I clearly had to get on board and read it, didn’t I?

So I did, and like most people, loved it.

This is a book that got me thinking…a lot. It also happens to be a very quotable book. I don’t think I’ve highlighted one individual book, like I did with The War of Art. Steven simply states things in the most obvious, poetic, and inspiring way.

All the way through I was thinking. Thinking about my writing, being an entrepreneur, and how much of a fraud I am. And then, at time, how I was doing the right thing, and how it’s a crime I haven’t been doing this for years.

It throws your brain in the blender and has you questioning everything. This is no bad thing. We can all do with some questionable looks into our reasons, our ways, and our ideas.

If you didn’t know, this is a book that talks about the pain and love of creating art. It talks about your demons, how to tackle them, and how to snap out of it. It gets you working hard and makes you realise you aren’t on your own.

Brilliant!

 

The Good:

Hmmmmm, how about everything?  Seriously, it is good. It’s well written and so very real. Steven has found his voice and it shows throughout. He has lived the pain. In fact, he has gone through a lot of it. More than I have

Do I have to go through this much pain, too?

Maybe…maybe not. Whatever happens, it’s a comfort to know that faith and hard work can pull you through. This is inspiration in paper form. Or, in my case, within my iPad

 

The Bad:

The one thing that lost me a bit was when it started to look at certain religious ways. Steven is somewhat religious, and when he talks about Muses and Angels, some of the aspects went above me a little. I found myself losing a little bit of concentration.

Not a bad thing as such, because lets face it, if you have faith in this, it’s perfect. I don’t, though, so it went beyond my mind a little. Still, it was interesting never the less. I had to come up with something that was bad, right?

 

Book Cover:

Simple. Very very simple. It’s white, with a large title, and a small flower (I’m not sure why there is a flower. Am I missing something?).

It doesn’t particularly stand out. It’s not bad, but it isn’t great. It’s simply a good cover. It does what it needs to, although the authors name should be a tad bigger I feel.

As far as a cover for an Ebook, it isn’t amazing, but this is a book that pre dates Ebooks, so this is hard to criticise. Maybe time for an update? Maybe…it would be good to see.

 

Book Marketing:

There isn’t really any marketing within the book, and Steven doesn’t really do too much with regards advertising. However, this is a word of mouth express train, and to be honest, if I was to hand pick one type of marketing above all else, it would be word of mouth.

This book is a decade old, has an army of adoring fans, and Steven is an idol to many. Yeah, book marketing, in this instance, isn’t too important.

 

Author Website & Engagement:

Steven is pretty old school, so his engagement isn’t amazing. He actually did an interview recently with Chris Brogan, where the main subject was how he didn’t intend to do interviews.

His site is nice, though. It is full of info, about him and his various books, and is a great place for writers to visit. He doesn’t engage per se, but there are some wonderful insights into his world (favourite books and additional reading, etc).

I can’t praise him for his Website and Engagement, but I’ve seen worse. A solid C-Student I’d say

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What can I say? You should read this book. If you plan on creating something – a book, a business, a work of art – this is a book YOU MUST read. It’s one of those certainties. A little like how everyone needs to read The Great Gatsby.

You just have to. It’s kind of the law.

I now await some free time to read Turning Pro (the new book). I’m excited, but first lets rank this one, shall we?

5 Turndogs out of 5

 

Thanks for reading this version of The Turndog Review. I review every book I read, not only for the writing, but the marketing, website, and general communication from the author.

Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million