Aren't Most eBook Authors Just Trying to Scam People?
How to choose a creative freelance business book that won't be a waste of money
There are loads of eBook scams out there - too many people saw this as a way to make quick, easy money rather than providing valuable information that can help others. The whole thing is really kind of sad, but if you use your common sense and ask yourself some logical questions, you'll easily be able to tell the legitimate authors versus the scam artists who are just trying to make a quick buck. Here are 10 quick questions I came up with that might help:

1. Can you ever get in touch with the author or do they make it impossible to ask them a question?
When was the last time you bought a book or an eBook and had a chance to converse with the author, or ask her/him a question? You'll find most of these authors either hide their contact information or don't even make it available. Want to get a hold of me? Email me at jeremy@beingastarvingartistsucks.com or call me at 480.391.0704, let me know how I can help you.

2. How enjoyable will the book be to read?
After all, if the book has good information but reads like a text book, will you even want to read it? You'll find through reading the testimonials and my blog that I write in an easy-to-read, fun style that presents information a conversational style - almost like we were sitting at a Starbucks together. The book is fully illustrated, has over 150 supporting pictures and graphics, as well as side bars, inspirational quotes, a workbook section in the back and real life stories that happened to me in my career. Check out a creative freelancing eBook I purchased and reviewed by clicking here.

3. Why do you think the author wrote the book? Did they wake up and think, "I should write a book and make some money", or do they really want to help creative freelancers?
I can't answer why other authors decided to write a book, I do know that many of them just woke up and thought, "Yeah, I should write a book and make some money on it." I titled and wrote these books because I know what it's like to struggle as freelancer, and I'd like to help other freelancers avoid what I went through. The point is, if the author is more focused on making money rather than providing insightful information, how good do you think the book will be?

4. Does the author have downloadable chapters or a blog so you can see their work?
Most don't - if they do is a very small snippet of work that really doesn't give you much to go on. You can download free chapters from this web site and visit the blog at by clicking here.

5. How many pages are in the book, and what's covered?
Most books are at most 100-200 pages, one eBook I found was only 29. The Being a Starving Artist Sucks book is just over 500 pages. You can see my entire table of contents by clicking here.


6. Are there testimonials available about the book?
Testimonials are a great way to tell if a book is worth buying or not. If you're looking to find testimonials on other books, don't hold your breath - most of the don't have any. If you'd like to see real, unedited testimonials for the Being a Starving Artist Sucks book click here.

7. Is the eBook available in print as well?
iIf you find the eBook you're looking at isn't available in print as well, this should be warning to maybe not purchase it. Having a book printed is both time consuming and costly, so most eBook authors that aren't confident their book is any good will never go through the bother or risk of having it printed. Finding an eBook that is also available in print is a good indication that the author is legitimate and seriously feels her/his book is a good one. Of course the Being a Starving Artist Sucks book is available in digital or print form - personally I think the printed form is significantly more helpful.


8. Does the book sound like a scam, does the author over-promise things?
One eBook author claims he made over $100,000 as a designer and he claims he can teach others as well - but if you look at his site it's awful. Would anyone really believe you can make over $100,000 as a bad designer? My guarantee on this book is contingent on you reading the book and taking action. No empty promises: if you have some talent and the desire to grow your business, this book will deliver a wealth of tools and strategies you never thought of.


9. Can you find examples of the author's design work, can you find her/his company?
While researching eBooks written by other creative freelance professionals, I was unable to find any infomation about them, their work or their company in googling them. This was troubling: wouldn't you expect that if these so called graphic design experts were successful and legitimate, they would have popped up a lot on Google? Google my name, "Jeremy Tuber", and see what comes up - it's not hard to find me, my work or my freelance design company.


10. Is the author a "one and done" writer, or is she/he providing more content?
Did the author create any additional books on freelancing or design, or this the only one? You can find a lot of dedicated authors who have written just one book, so this last question isn't as useful in finding scammers, but if you find an author who has written more than one book about design, she/he is probably an expert. In addition to Being a Starving Artist Sucks, you'll also be able to pruchase my 2nd book called Verbal Judo for Designers, the Work Smarter NOT Harder Contract Package and my 3rd book called, From Zero to Graphic Design Hero - Scoring Your First Clients.