The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for PYWRITE: A Contrarian's Approach to Investing: Second Edition
Because PYWRITE: A Contrarian's Approach to Investing was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Bianka Walter
This is not a book that I would have sampled without the first ten program. The OBC review enlightened me on what the book was about, but it didn't make me want to read it. I am not someone that is investment savvy. I don't know what the Dow Jones is. I have a very basic understanding of bookkeeping. So the technical jargon in the first ten pages of this book made me a bit exhausted. Containing blog posts from over the years, I didn't really grasp what was being said. This is more for a seasoned investor who watches the markets and who enjoys finding ways to grow their money. The only error I found was a small formatting error which I'm not sure was meant to be there. At the end of the preface, the author says, 'Buy high and sell low.' There are a number of spaces before the word 'high'. Otherwise, the sample I read was error free and very well edited. I will not be reading this book, however, because it just doesn't appeal to me. Consider me a piggy banker. This is just too complex for me.
First Ten review added on January 6, 2019, at 3:50 am by Bianka Walter.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
briellejee
Based on the cover and title, I think I would have not sampled the book. Investing is a topic I'm not familiar with and not interested in. However, I'm actually intrigued by both aspect and the reason why it was chosen by the publisher to use it as a connection to the topic. As for the first few pages, I got lost immediately. The terms were not familiar to me. The first two chapters talked about S&P and the hedge fund, respectively: terms I just heard just now. However, I can see that the author included statistics, tables, and percentages that backed up his claims. It is clear that he is knowledgeable in the topic. The thing I liked is that he also presented questions and provided answers: an effective way to make the topic understandable to the target audience. I literally have no idea what he talked about though. I guess this book is not meant for everybody. There were no noticeable errors. The official OBC review also stated that it is for seasoned investors, so I guess I would have steered clear of this.
First Ten review added on January 6, 2019, at 3:21 am by briellejee.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Alice Heritage
I wouldn't have sampled this on the basis of the cover and title because investing is not a primary focus for me at the moment. The editorial review on Amazon did get me intrigued, though, and I will read the rest of the book because the information it contains seems worth knowing. As the author says, his wife may be better than some professional editors - I did not notice any errors in the sample. I particularly liked the author's objectivity - because he is now only dealing with his family's money, he is not trying to sell a product, but rather provided information on the returns on investments over periods of time. It's also good that he mentions at the start that this is a collection of blog posts, which explains why repetition could occur. I think this could be improved further by adding some definitions at the start. While I understand that the book will explain the methodology, I felt quite thrown into the deep end with terms like "bull market" and "bear market". I'm not even that clear about equities and securities. I hope to become better informed; a glossary, preferably at the beginning, would make the sample more user-friendly. I didn't see an OnlineBookClub review, which didn't affect my decision.
First Ten review added on January 6, 2019, at 2:27 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover, and title. I don't usually read non-fiction books, and the review and blurb didn't make this sound like a book I'd enjoy. The review said it is intended for readers who are interested in investing, and I don't fit that criteria. After reading the first ten pages, I won't be finishing this book. I honestly didn't understand most of what the book was talking about. I didn't know what a hedge fund was, and the numbers and percents that were included just in the preface were a little intimidating to me. Also, I am still in school, and I have no money to invest, so it's not really knowledge that I'm looking to gain at this point in time. This might be a book for me to read in the future, but not right now. I did like that the book was split into years, and that each year contained clearly labelled blog entries. This was very convenient, especially if the reader wants to skip around. Each heading contains the blog title and the date it was published. I didn't notice any errors, so I would say that the book did seem to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 6, 2019, at 2:26 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sharill Rasowo
If I had not read the sample, I probably would not have read the book. This is because I am not really interested in investments. The official onlinebookclub review did not change my mind. Reading the sample, I was immediately lost when the author started talking about equities and dividends. This convinced me that it was not the book for me so I would not buy and read it. I did not spot any typos so I think it was professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 6, 2019, at 1:57 am by Sharill Rasowo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vickie Noel
First things first, I've never heard of pywrite and the book's subtitle didn't do much to help explain the cover. I certainly wouldn't have read it outside the program. After being forced to sample a few pages, I'm still as lost as I was prior to reading. The author used his financial terms generously, like S&P, P/E, Baby Boomers, e.t. c., and provided no clue as to their meanings. He could have, at least, given what they stood for. The presence of so much numbers and percentages made my eyes glaze over. Even at that, the editing was neat. I found no errors to fault the book. The OBC review was detailed concerning the contents of the book, and I already knew that I wouldn't be reading a word more than the compulsory ten pages.
First Ten review added on January 6, 2019, at 1:18 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sahani Nimandra
PYWRITE: A Contrarian's Approach to Investing by Walter H. Weil is a read about handling financial situations and assets. Being an ex-hedge fund manager in Wall Street and a graduate from Harvard Business School, the author's work seem reassuring. The author talks about the financial market between 1966-1982 and it's effects to the baby boomers during the cold war. These details can be found in: Zeroing Out the S&P 500*, Why an index fund is a bad bet for retirement money By Walter H. Weil Dec. 27, 1999. As I read along I couldn't help feel this book consists of a collection of articles related to finances, for example, SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 2007 Are hedge funds partially responsible for last week's decline?, THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2007 The Seven Percent Solution, etc. I believe this read will entice readers who's interests are associated in being a financier, financial manager or perusing financial studies. I found a typo error:"...and perhaps alter the behavior of some investors who "buy( big space )high" and "sell low” (p.156)". The official review provides a good amount of details, and I understand that it is the author's area of expertise. I was looking forward to this read, since the author knows what he's doing, but after I sample it I realized this is a complex read. And from this I conclude that I don't wish to read this book further as I'm not interested in financial books. (I thought this book was a financial advice book by a reputable person, but I'm not interested in a typical financial text.)
First Ten review added on January 6, 2019, at 12:39 am by Sahani Nimandra.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chelsy Scherba
I enjoyed the author’s easygoing writing style. It was warm and not too technical, which is always a concern of mine when reading books involving financial matters. The title is interesting and the pyrite on the cover caught my eye immediately. The book appears to be professionally edited with no errors, but the formatting for the sample on Amazon is very skewed and makes it difficult to read, so I would worry if I were to purchase it, that the digital version of the book would be the same. The review was positive and made me interested in reading the free copy I dwnloaded. I found his explanation of hedge funds interesting and the fact his chapters are based on his original blog essays by the same name, is likewise good to know. The book looks excellent and very professional.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 10:49 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Heidi M Simone
Without this program, I would not have sampled this book. The cover is unappealing; the title and blurb aren't applicable to me; and the genre isn't one that I enjoy. The positive customer and OBC ratings do not affect my opinion of the book. Based on what I read, the book could use another round of editing. For example, in the "Buying into a bear market" section, the statement, "One might ask 'Aren't you ignoring fundamental analysis'?", should have the question mark inside the quotation mark, not outside. The author seems to have a good grasp on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, interest rates, retirement, hedge funds, and bear markets. However, I feel much of the material is too much for me to understand and is overwhelming. Due to not having interest in learning more about investment and the fact that the material given is difficult for me to follow, I do not plan on finishing this read.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 10:48 pm by Heidi M Simone.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
KRay93
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if I can associate the design of the cover with a book of economic advice according to what the blurb proposes. The official review highlights how the author does an excellent job of condensing a vast field of study into key points and presenting them in a manner that is decipherable to intermediate and experienced investors. The first ten pages revolve around a preface where the author explains the reasons behind his desition to make his book, followed by an analysis of the market situation in 1999 with focus on the stock market index S&P 500. The prose is fluid enough for a technical book, while the editing work looks acceptable. Unfortunately, I am not interested in the investment world nor do I have the knowledge to correctly decipher this book, which is why I will not continue reading it.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 7:40 pm by KRay93.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
CataclysmicKnight
I'm not at all knowledgeable about things like investments or retirement funds. I'm also not in any kind of position to invest anything, so I wouldn't have been interested in this book if it wasn't the book of the day.
My goodness am I confused by pretty much every word I read in this book. This absolutely isn't an introductory book, it's in-depth with heavy vocabulary, statistics, and details. It felt like a huge chore reading through the pages I sampled because I just didn't grasp anything at all. I do enjoy that the book is a collection of blog posts, almost entirely unaltered aside from editing, and I found no errors at all. But I'm nowhere near ready for a book of this level.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 7:28 pm by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ritah
Based on the title and genre, I wouldn't have sampled the book because I don't often read books in this genre and category. I read the official review and then sampled Pywrite. I like the value information that this book provides for its targeted audience. The material seemed comprehensive because the author compares figures from different years to that of more recent years, and provides the reasons there were shifts in the numbers.e.g when discussing the yield to maturity of a treasury note, the author provided the figure for 1989 and today. I did not spot any errors in the pages I read. I don't have much knowledge in this area and I don't believe I'm the target audience for this book, which is the reason why I won't be reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 1:43 pm by ritah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Julie Green
I would not choose to read this book based on the title and cover; while the image is quite interesting, I do not understand the title. Having read the opening pages, I will not be reading the rest of the book.
Having no knowledge of trading, much of the terminology is beyond me e.g. "zero coupon bonds" or "trough to trough" growth.
It's actually not clear who is the intended audience for the book. It feels like a cross between a historical perspective on the capital markets and a manual that offers insights for the amateur investor. It even feels at times like a dissertation - in particular with the chapter titles posing questions such as "whether equity funds are responsible for recent downturns?".
When the author says the writing is becoming "wordy" and rambling, I lose interest entirely.
I did not spot any grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 12:23 pm by Julie Green.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Dolor
Without The First Ten program, I wouldn't have chosen to read this book's contents. The subject being discussed is not the usual topic I pick up for entertainment. The official OBC review and the first ten pages did not change my original hunch. I feel like there would be a better cover photo for this book. I have not found any error in the first ten pages, so I consider this book professionally-edited. The first ten pages talked about the financial status and valuation models in 1999. I did not find the topic interesting, so I will bypass reading this book. PYWRITE: A Contrarian's Approach to Investing, by Walter H. Weil (a graduate of Harvard Business School), talks about the concepts of #Investing. It includes investment pointers and personal practices when Weil was a hedge fund manager on Wall Street. He gave particular emphasis on how to buy during bear markets and sell during bull markets.
#NonFiction #Investment #Advice #FreeBook
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 11:12 am by Dolor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Samantha Simoneau
Prior to sampling the book, I was confused by the title, but the Amazon page cleared things up for me. At first, I was expecting this to be very dry and boring. I'm not a reader of investment-related books, usually. However, after reading the blurb, I think it's really interesting that this book is simply a compilation of his blog posts. This implies that the chapters will be brief and, hopefully, easy to comprehend. I have already downloaded it because it's free, but the sample will determine whether I will finish this one. In the preface, there should be a comma between "categories" and "including." In the phrase "money management styles," "money management" should be hyphenated because it's a compound adjective that describes and precedes "styles." The same is true for the phrases "hedge fund concept" and "risk reduction approach." All are missing an appropriate hyphen. The preface, at least, reads like it's written for someone who already understands the subject matter. I'm thinking: "What's a contrarian?" "How does a hedge fund work?" "In this context, what does 'bogey' mean?" If the rest of the book is written with the assumption that the reader "gets it," I may not be able to appreciate it enough to finish it or, perhaps, I would have to put this book down, read Investing For Dummies or something similar, and then come back to this book. Since "top down" and "bottoms up" are both intended to describe "approach," they should be hyphenated. (This is also true for "'bottoms up' style" and "'top down' investor.") The semicolon after "short" is misused and should be a comma. "90 day" should be hyphenated as it refers to "bills." The semicolon after "tactic" should be a comma. "Stock market" should be hyphenated with reference to "cycle." There should be a comma between "So" and "for." "Nine year" should be hyphenated in "nine year period." "Seventy-nine year old" is missing 2 hyphens. There are several extra spaces between "buy" and "high" at the end of the preface. "In house" should be hyphenated as it refers to "editor." The preface makes me suspect that this book needs more editing, and I'm still convinced that the content is simply over my head at this point. Weil may be giving amazing, bulletproof advice, but I can't appreciate it for lack of basic knowledge of the subject matter and related vocabulary. This is fine, of course, if it was his intention to only write for those who understand his meaning in the first place, but I was hoping for a more generally approachable content. I'm going to keep this book, since I already downloaded it for free, but I will need some education before I can understand or appreciate it enough to read it.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 9:10 am by Samantha Simoneau.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Yoli García
I might have sampled this book at a library or a store because investing is an interest of mine and my husband. The OBC review convinced me of getting a copy. I liked that the author explains advanced methods of investing. The book seems to be professionally edited. I liked that the author has extensive experience in the field of investments since he was a hedge fund manager. I also appreciated that he is a risk-adverse investor. I will read this book to learn more about investing strategies.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 9:07 am by Yoli García.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
micoleon13
While this is a nice enough looking cover page, the title indicates that this is not a book that I would be interested in reading. The OnlineBookClub review was complementary and outlined a book that would be very beneficial to its target audience. I found it interesting that it included the author's blog posts from an eleven year period. However, it did not change my original opinion of the book. The pages which I read were well written and edited, however, I struggled to finish the first pages. There was a lot of jargon that was beyond my knowledge such as "bogeys", "equity", "no-load mutual funds", which contributed to it being difficult for me to read. The author obviously knows a lot about the subject of money management, hedge funds and Wall Street, and even though he's retired has obviously still kept the interest for money investment for his family. Unfortunately, this is not a book that I would be interested in continuing to read. I have no ideas for improvement.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 8:17 am by micoleon13.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cristina Chifane
Since I'm not interested in reading non-fiction books on finance, I wouldn't have sampled this book without the first ten program. I din't like the cover and I didn't understand the type of investing suggested by the title and Amazon blurb. With no editorial reviews and only 1 customer review, I didn't know much about the book. For me, whatever deals with economics and money management is extremely boring. Honestly, I had troubles focusing on the sample and trying to understand what hedge funding is. Besides, the writer confesses he did not change anything in the transition from blog to eBook, so there are probably repetitions and lack of coherence in the organization of the material. Although I did not understand much of the few pages I have read, I did not notice any visible editing errors. However, the author seems to master the topics very well. The official OBC reviewer also considers the book appropriate for intermediate and experienced investors. As I'm neither of them, I can't add this book to my reading list.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 2:27 am by Cristina Chifane.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
va2016
The title is indicative of the theme of the book. I found only 2 Amazon customer reviews. I found the Amazon summary very clear and motivating for me to sample the book. Based on the Amazon summary and my interest in the topic, I would have chosen to sample the book even if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the author to be quite knowledgeable about the investment instruments and the general approach on how to go about investing. I especially liked his approach on 'top-down' mechanism on deciding what percentage of funds should be put on stocks, and why he chose to go for mutual funds instead of individual stock picking. So, I am going to read this book in full and educate myself, as the book seems to be a wealth of knowledge on investing. I found the book to be professionally edited. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors. What I liked most about the book is its solid content on educating the readers on investing. I could not find anything that could be improved with the book. I found one OBC review on the book that gave 4 out of 4 stars rating, but my decision to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 2:02 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
ReviewerDiksha
The title of the book is punny, however, investing is not something that I like to read about, so I wouldn't have bought this book. I hadn't read any reviews of it before, so I didn't know much about its contents. Non-fiction, especially which concerns things of commerce and stuff, is not what I read. I even had trouble understanding all the things the author was trying to say. The people who have the mind and use for this stuff will surely find it helpful. The writing was okay and I didn't find any grammatical mistakes. I just couldn't understand it!
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 1:38 am by ReviewerDiksha.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mercelle
Judging by the cover, I wasn't going to read this book, and the OBC review discouraged me when it mentioned that seasoned investors are the target audience. When I read the first ten pages, I liked that the author pointed out that an equity-fund manager who has received an inflow of dollars in a rising market is more pressured to purchase stocks. Since I noticed no errors, I'll conclude that the text underwent professional editing, but I won't read the rest of the book because it is content heavy. As it is there's nothing I would change about the bit I read.
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 12:36 am by Mercelle.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ladycraic
I would not have chosen to sample Pywrite due to my disinterest in both the cover and the title. The blurb didn’t capture my attention either seeing as I have little to no interest when it comes to the topic of financial investments. The first ten pages went by slowly for me. When it came time to read the first blog post, I found myself thrust into a world I had little knowledge of. i was quickly lost in the jargon, which fueled my disinterest. I don’t plan on reading the rest of this book. Pywrite seemed professionally edited and I didn’t notice any grammatical errors!
First Ten review added on January 5, 2019, at 12:03 am by ladycraic.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kendra M Parker
I don’t have any interest in handling my own investments. I’m glad that this book is available, but it’s clearly not something that will appeal to me, especially with the rather technical language I’m seeing in these ten pages. While the author thanks his wife as his amateur editor, I think she has done a fantastic job with the text that I read. I could not find any mistakes in the ten pages I read. I can really appreciate how even back in the late 90’s, he predicted a flat, slow period of growth in the economy. Looking back, I can appreciate that he was correct in his assessment. It lends credence to his words. Still, I’ll pass since I still have no desire to handle my own investments.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 8:41 pm by Kendra M Parker.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
cpru68
The opening pages of this explain how the author came to put this all together into a book based on his personal blog for which the book is named. After retiring as a hedge fund investor on Wall Street in 1995, he manages his family's finances but continues to share his insight and advice. The first blog post is from 1999 where he advises that for a person to retire at 60, he or she should save more and invest in stocks which he says have the highest historical returns.
I liked that this book spans across time because as a person who is an assistant in investment related business, I know full well that investing can be explained to people by looking at the history of the market to calm fears and to show numerical proof where the numbers don't lie. While this is highly technical, I plan on reading the rest of it. I don't profess to know all that is in this field, so to be able to take my time and read it would help to expand my knowledge, and I can discuss the content with those around me who are more up on terms related to this field.
I did find in location 111 this sentence: Pyrite was taken and I liked the pun... that a comma is needed after taken and before the word and. In location 158, there is too much space between the words 'buy' and 'high'. Other than that, I did not see any further errors in punctuation, spelling, and grammar. The review indicated only minor issues, so based on that and the sample, I would say that this work has been professionally edited.
I probably wouldn't have found this book by searching for it myself. I do read a lot of non-fiction. However, it is not generally in the investment realm. So, I appreciate the free copy so I can finish it.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 3:54 pm by cpru68.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Nelsy Mtsweni
I do not like the cover of the book, but I would have chosen to read the book because I have an interest in investing. Having sampled the book, I found useful information and I am planning on reading entirely so that I can know the tricks and tips of investing - given that they are from a hedge fund manager of Wall Street. The book offers ample guidance for new and advanced investors. It gives tips on what markets to buy from, such as the bear market. Of the first ten pages that I have read, I did not notice any editorial errors. Thanks
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 3:44 pm by Nelsy Mtsweni.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Laura Ungureanu
Today's book deals with financial investing. I like the fact that the author started with a blog and that he has experience as a hedge fund manager on Wall Street and graduated from Harvard Business School. These facts make you trust the author to receive his advice. The target audience for this book is the seasoned investor. The book is structured on specific years and includes the original posts from the author's blog. I've never read a financial book, so I am not the target audience. Because of this reason, I wouldn't have checked the book without the program. As I am a noobie in the financial field, I am not sure how to spell specific terms, but it looks professionally edited.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 3:33 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
britt13
Weil seems highly qualified to write this book and it sounds like there is a great deal of good information in it based on what the official review said. I have read many financial books and have an investment manager as well so I do not think that I will be reading this one. I still gave the first ten pages a chance though. It was written much like most of the other financial books I have read. I did find it interesting that it started in 1999 though. That, and his description of working in the field since the '60s, shows the length of experience that Weil has. The market can react the exact way it did in the past. I found no grammatical errors. I still will not be reading the book for the above-mentioned reason but I did find it to be pretty well written!
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 3:30 pm by britt13.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample, I would not have read the book because I do not really read this genre. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind for the same reason. I also still think that this book is a little bit above my understanding level, as there were some basic terms and systems, like valuation models or zero-coupon bonds, that I still don't really understand. This may be something I would have to come back to after learning more. The sample was professionally edited. I did not read the official review but that did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 3:21 pm by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Scerakor
From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I wouldn’t have read it. I'm not interested in investing nor am I seasoned enough for the advanced advice in this book. After reading the first ten pages I didn’t change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I appreciated how in this book, for those to which this book is geared, there is both information and explanations. In the 1999 chapter the author expertly explains the rises and falls in percents with the influx of baby boomers as well as general retirement advice that is traditionally given to them. That being said, I have very little interest in investing and would get very little out of this book. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read, but it did seem well written and edited. The official review did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 2:15 pm by Scerakor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'Pywrite: A Contrarian’s Approach to Investing' by Walter H. Weil is a non-fiction book. The title, blurb, the OBC review, and the customer reviews in Amazon did a good job of convincing me to give the book a try. However, I would have skipped it as I am not in the mind-frame to read a book of this genre.
The first ten pages of the book leads me to believe that it provides valuable advise for investment management. I liked how the author segmented the book chronologically. I also liked the way he included statistics. I did not find any error. Hence, I found this book to be professionally edited. I would give this book a skip as I am not interested in reading a book of this genre as of now.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 1:36 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
I would not have picked this book up because I am not interested in finances. The first ten pages were professionally edited. I found myself using Google to find out the definition of many words like pyrite. I feel like the author should have included some explanations. This book seems like it is written for people that already know most of this finance information, therefore I will not be reading the rest. I did not feel the need to read an OBC review.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 12:36 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
sarahmarlowe randomeducator
I love the use of "contrarian" in the title. I think it lets readers know that the author is a bit of a skeptic and is trying to present a spin on his topic that is different than the norm. However, that would not have been enough to get me to pick up this book. I am not interested in reading about investing. After reading the first ten, I must admit to reading it more for error check than for understanding. The jargon was over my head. I will commend his wife who was his editor, though. I found no errors. While I won't be reading this one, I would guess that those interested in investing would find it helpful. The author writes with authority and knowledge. I have not read an OBC review of this book.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 11:19 am by sarahmarlowe randomeducator.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
HRichards
I normally wouldn't have picked this book up on my own since financial books don't really interest me. Having read the sample I won't be continuing on with this book, as I found it rather boring and hard to read. The sample deals with the author talking about why the stock market has changed and why certain financial investments aren't as beneficial any more. The first part involves Standard & Poor's index and an article from 1999. To be very honest I had trouble understanding what the author was talking about. For those who are into banking and investments this might be a good choice for a book. For me, I struggled translating into layman's terms what was going on. I didn't notice any grammar errors though. I have not read any other reviews for this book.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 11:07 am by HRichards.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Camille Turner
I would not have sampled this book without the program because it's clear from the title, cover, and Amazon blurb that it's about financial investing, a subject that doesn't interest me at all. After reading the first ten pages, my impression has stayed the same as this is definitely not a book for me. For starters, I find the subject of finances and investing uninteresting. Secondly, I can't understand the majority of what is written in this book (terms and phrases like "contrarian" and "exchange-traded funds...equity exposure"). As such, I won't be reading the rest of the book. I don't think anything should be improved, however, because I'm sure readers interested in finance will understand and like the book. I liked that the author has compiled his published blog posts and featured articles into one book, but it's just not a subject for me. On a side note, I'm not sure if the book is professionally edited as I did note extra spacing between words in the sentence "some investors who 'buy high' and 'sell low.'"
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 10:02 am by Camille Turner.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
lesler
Looking at the cover, this book interests me slightly. Reading the sample, I liked what I read, and want to read further. This book appears to be professionally edited, with no grammatical errors or typos that I noticed. I like how the author compiled his blog posts over time to document how his investing strategy works with different financial times. I did not like how dry the language was-I understand finance can be boring, but this book is worth the attempt to read through. I will be reading this book.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 9:31 am by lesler.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
desantismt_17
This book’s title and description caught my interest. I know next to nothing about investing but would like to learn, and this sounded like a very comprehensive guide. Before sampling, I was thinking about reading. After sampling, I will read this, most likely slowly to really dig into everything presented here. The book appears professionally edited. I noticed no errors. I like how the author gives the link to his blog up-front. After reading a bit past that and feeling at ease with his conversational tone, I feel I will visit the blog to see what comes next. I like that the preface starts with the author’s family and their impact on him putting the book together. That made the entire idea of a book on investing seem less intimidating somehow. Knowing that I’m jumping into someone’s financial journey for their family, rather than for outright hard-and-fast personal gain puts a personal spin on this that I found appealing. I also like that the author says each person should find an investing style that works for them, rather than giving a “this approach or nothing” idea. He goes on to explain a few styles, which is helpful. The only downside to this book is that I’m such a newbie to investing that I need to look up even the most basic terms. This is not a flaw of the book, though, just my lack of knowledge. Thus, I have no improvements to suggest. The OnlineBookClub.org told me this presents much useful information I would like to understand and reinforced my decision to read.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 9:27 am by desantismt_17.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
LV2R
I was not sure about reading the book just from the book cover and title. I didn’t know what “Pywrite” was, but “A Contrarian’s Approach to Investing” sounded interesting. The Amazon Blurb explained that “Pywrite” was the name of the author’s blog on investing and gave a big list of topics of which most were unfamiliar to me. In the first ten pages, the author explained that his book is made up of the posts that he posted only when he felt strongly about things that would affect his investing over a nine-year period. I like that he explained that some of the methodologies explained were repeated in the blogs, so the reader would know what the post was about more clearly. I best like that the author wishes that the topics discussed on investing and his contrarian approach will be “thought-provoking,” and that it may change the behavior of some investors who ‘buy high’ and ‘sell low’.” The book seems to be edited well, as I did not notice any errors. The OBC review mentioned that the last chapter was a summary of the author’s pointers and personal methods of investment. I do not want to read this book because it seems to be more suitable for the advanced investor, and the first ten pages were not easy to read.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 9:11 am by LV2R.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
FictionLover
I would have sampled this book on my own. I don't know much about investing, and as I get closer to retirement, I believe I should learn more. I liked the title and the cover, I think they are clever. I was excited to have a guide to success. However, the first ten changed my mind. This book is, in my opinion, not for the novice. There is way too much specific strategies without any explanation of what these investments are. I hate to admit it, but I don't know what a hedge fund is. Or where you get one. I don't know what my equity exposure is, but I assume I have none, because the only equity I have is in my house. I know what the Standard & Poor is, but even there, a refresher would have helped me understand Chapter 1, which was too technical for me. Too, bad. I won't be reading this. The book seemed to have been professionally edited, I didn't notice any grammatical errors.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 8:16 am by FictionLover.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Fu Zaila
The cover, title and blurb are interestingly contrasting which made me second-guess my decision to not read this book. The sample is well-written, edited professionally without any noticeable errors. I liked that I got to learn more about hedge fund and appraoching financial asset investments in an unconventional way. The author clearly explains how he took a different path than others, especially in allocating personal assets to fixed income and equities. There wasn't anything I didn't like, but it would have been better to include a small introductory chapter for better understanding of financial aspects. I won't be reading this book since I'm not a fan of non-fiction.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 8:01 am by Fu Zaila.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gali
I wouldn't have sampled the book on my own, as I don't read financial books. While a book about financial investing sounds useful, it isn't a topic that appeals to me. Sampling the book cinched my decision to skip it. Although I didn't notice any glaring errors, the dry language made it hard to follow. My eyes glassed over when I saw all those numbers quoted by the author. I like the author's straightforward approach. It was interesting to read that the book contains the author's original posts from his blog without changing the odd error. However, I'm not interested in the subject matter. The official review further steered me away from the book by mentioning it's geared toward the seasoned investor, which I am not.
First Ten review added on January 4, 2019, at 6:45 am by gali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 20%
PYWRITE: A Contrarian's Approach to Investing earned a score of 20%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 20% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for PYWRITE: A Contrarian's Approach to Investing
