Impartial e-book reviews are a help if you are trying to choose the best e-book downloads for your needs.Hopefully, honest e-book reviews will be based on an assessment of their overall value to prospective readers.Be aware, though, that quite often the review writer may be paid a small commission should a sale of the book result so their review could err on the side of over-enthusiasm! Writing e-book reviews is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. You will probably be skeptical of ‘rave’ reviews that don’t bring a sense of balance to the investigation and appear to be sales pitches. So I only review books that I have read and considered from the viewpoint of prospective students. Even then, I will not write e-book reviews if I don’t feel that the book is of much value. What is an e-book?The ‘e’ stands for electronic, so an e-book is transmitted over the internet and can be instantly downloaded and read on the screen of your computer, ipad or other e-book reader. Many people choose to print out their newly purchased e-book for easy reference or copying of exercises and diagrams.Payment for the book may also be made electronically using credit cards or other arrangements. If you are worried about security choose sites that start with ‘https’ – the extra ‘s’ meaning that they are particularly secure. Reputable payment systems include Click Bank and Paypal. Most e-books carry a warranty and have a ’no questions asked’ refund policy should you be dissatisfied with your purchase for any reason. Free e-booksIt has become common practice for authors to offer free e-books relating to the subject of the book as a bonus to purchasers. Sometimes the extra book or books will have been written by the same author, at other times by a different writer with similar interests and skills. They usually complement the purchased book in some way.As well as bonuses some e-book authors will encourage you to read a sample of a section of the book – perhaps a chapter or the introduction. This is useful to you as it shows the author’s style and you will be able to get a sense of how well informed and experienced they really are. Books and videos about how to paint, draw, sculpt, photograph and so on are usually written by an artist or else about an artist and their working methods by an interested and understanding author/publisher. This is a valid arrangement as visual artists are not always interested in or capable of making videos or teaching others through their writing. Although e-books about aspects of making art are interesting and informative they are, in my opinion, no substitute for an accredited tertiary art course. Their usefulness seems to be as an adjunct to other studies, to assist with a hobby or as a substitute for ‘hands on’ instruction in a classroom situation if you live distant from such facilities or are unable to travel for some reason. Please remember that we ‘learn by doing’ so you will need to practice your new skills if you wish to become proficient at them. Here are links to recent e-book reviews: To top of E-Book Reviews |
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