Originally Posted by Ms. Janet

You know, it would be beneficial to hear about books that one has read that WASN'T a good read. I have not come across any as of yet, but would like to know if a book is worth buying or a waste of time. Just a thought...

Hi Janet,

If I feel that a book isn't beneficial for VAs, I will definitely make that clear in the review. I have been reading these books with the VA industry in mind, as I want this to be a resource that is helpful to VAs.

My first review was glowing because I thought so highly of the book and its impact on VA businesses, especially those in the early stages. It certainly helped me tremendously! I'm sure that not all reviews will be quite as positive, and I will not hesitate to let you all know if I feel a book isn't worth your money or time. There's nothing worse than buying a book that ends up serving as an expensive paperweight, or just clutters up your bookshelf gathering dust!

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Tammi Metzler ~ The Write Associate
Free call: "How to Write Email Subject Lines That Grab Attention!"

Hi Tammi!

Have you read The Virtual Assistant's Start-Up Manual: A 30-day plan to build your VA Business? I saw it listed some where else and only saw one review to go along with it.

Thanks,
Sundi

Hi Sundi,

Keep an eye out for a review of The Virtual Assistant's Start-Up Manual; it should be up within the next week.

__________________
Tammi Metzler ~ The Write Associate
Free call: "How to Write Email Subject Lines That Grab Attention!"

Well written review Tammi. This book was my first VA book purchase and I loved this book. I even took the author's little hint in the book about people using their copywrighted description of a Virtual Assistant and contacted Ms. Durst directly for permission to use their description of a virtual assistant and I have also provided a reference to the book.

This book is definitely a MUST READ for any virtual assistant. I wish they would work out a means of offering their training to the general public, that I have found it is only offered through military channels.

I have this book also & think it's an excellent resource! I find myself referring to it on a regular basis & keep learning something new each time.

I just checked to see if it is available in any of my local Chapters stores and it isn't but it got a bad review by one reader on their website:

"Save your cash - Curiosity got the best of me so I invested my $20+ in this book. It doesn't provide any information that (1) I didn't already know about the virtual assistance industry or (2) I couldn't have obtained surfing the net. I guess I know how this particular VA makes her money!"

I know that everyone here has liked this but I would caution people to actually take a look any book on the industry before putting out the money to be sure it contains what you really need.

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Julia

Originally Posted by JuliaW

I just checked to see if it is available in any of my local Chapters stores and it isn't but it got a bad review by one reader on their website: "Save your cash - Curiosity got the best of me so I invested my $20+ in this book. It doesn't provide any information that (1) I didn't already know about the virtual assistance industry or (2) I couldn't have obtained surfing the net. I guess I know how this particular VA makes her money!" I know that everyone here has liked this but I would caution people to actually take a look any book on the industry before putting out the money to be sure it contains what you really need.

Hmm...that's interesting. I wonder if the reviewer is an established VA or a newbie just getting started? Because this book is definitely for those that are new to the industry, not veterans who are already familiar with virtual assistance. And while it may be true that some of the info can be found by surfing the 'net, I think aspiring VAs need to consider whether it's worth their time to try and search for all of the info that they could otherwise pay a minimal fee to find all in one place.

With that being said, I completely agree that people need to do their research to find out which books would be best for them before shelling out the money. A lot of the VA start-up books contain similar info, so I try to point out what makes each book unique. Going into detail on the content of the books for this review section is my attempt to help readers decide if a book contains the info they need at that point in time; if a book is all about the "Getting started" phase of virtual assisting and potential readers already have most of the leg work done in regards to starting their business, then they know to steer clear of that book.

Thanks for the input; it's always good to hear others' reactions to or thoughts about books that are reviewed here.

__________________
Tammi Metzler ~ The Write Associate
Free call: "How to Write Email Subject Lines That Grab Attention!"

Regardless of the one negative review, I went ahead and ordered copy ($12 shipped from half.com). I'm looking forward to it and will give feedback when I'm done

Originally Posted by MsAahzz

Regardless of the one negative review, I went ahead and ordered copy ($12 shipped from half.com). I'm looking forward to it and will give feedback when I'm done

Looking forward to hearing your feedback!

__________________
Tammi Metzler ~ The Write Associate
Free call: "How to Write Email Subject Lines That Grab Attention!"

I wasn't very impressed with this book. I ordered it because of all the great reviews here and on Amazon.com. I was so excited when it arrived and then ended up being disappointed. I keep picking it up and rereading it to see what I'm missing! I can think of two reasons why (in my opinion) the book wasn't that great for me:

1) You know how it is when a new movie comes out and everyone says that you just have to go see it because it is the greatest movie ever. They hype it up so much that when you go, your expectations are so high that you end up being disappointed. I think that's what happened to me.

2) This was not the first VA book that I read. It was about my eighth book after taking a VA Training Course and doing a lot of research on the internet. I'm sure that if it had been one of the first books I read, I would have been a lot more enthusiastic about it. I also found some of the info outdated, but I'm sure with any business that requires technology it must be hard to stay updated.

I hope this review is of some value to those looking into purchasing it.

Leslie

Hi Leslie,

All good points. Thanks for sharing your input!

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Tammi Metzler ~ The Write Associate
Free call: "How to Write Email Subject Lines That Grab Attention!"

Leslie - I'm curious to hear about the other VA books you have read and what you thought about those?

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Cassi
More Time Virtual Assistance, LLC What could you do with More Time?

Hi Cassi,
I'll be happy to share with you some of the other books I've read. Most of them are e-books, not necessarily because I prefer e-books but because the majority of books on VAs are written in this format. I'll get back to you later when I have some more free time. I also want to make sure that posting this information here is acceptable.
Leslie

I'm off to the bookstore.
Thanks for the info.

Hi. I borrowed The 2-Second Commute fr the library. Finished reading it in a week. A very useful book.

Jas