review by Doug Nordman
Personal-finance authors have to deal with a credibility issue: "If you're so smart, then why aren't you rich? And if you're so rich, then why do I have to pay you to read your book?"
Marc Ostrofsky has already been smart enough to get rich, but I wouldn't pay for his book. If you must read it, then ask your local library to buy it. (My review copy has been donated to our Hawaii library.) While you're waiting for the library, go to GetRichClick.com and start learning.
The book is full of useful references for Internet profits. Ostrofsky shows that bandwidth has made starting a Web business cheaper than ever, and there are many inefficiencies in the bricks and mortar business world, which can be exploited by alert entrepreneurs. Not only are these profitable opportunities, but also they can scale worldwide and perpetually. He then cites the stories of people who have done precisely that.
The problem with a hardopy book is that its history doesn't translate into reader action. We're halfway through 2011, and this book has been in editing and printing since mid-2010. That's a generation at Internet speed. The gold rush in domain names ended years ago. Even casual tech readers know that Google recently changed their search-ranking algorithm, eBay has raised their fees (again), and that Facebook is facing serious competition and backlash. Some of the advice in "Get Rich Click!" is already out of date, and most of it will be obsolete before 2012.
The author tries to compress the entire world of online sales and marketing into 240 pages. Unfortunately most of the subjects are limited to a page of introduction, a success story or two, another paragraph or two of advice, and then the reader is referred to the website. Why not just skip the book and start with the website?
I'm a voracious reader, and even I think that the book's formatting is annoyingly distracting. There's very little white space at the margins. The layout uses two ink colors and a number of different font sizes. There's a trademarked phrase on nearly every page. Cartoon panels are sprinkled through the text but they don't always relate to the subject matter, and two of them have the same punchline. QR codes are used on many pages to get to websites that you'd never want to read on a smartphone. Text is sprinkled with disclaimers like "I'm not an expert" or "Try consulting a friend." Ostrofsky is a relentless name-dropper, even when names are irrelevant to the point of the story. The book is blatantly padded with five-page lists and "top 25" summaries. Maybe they're good brainstorming tools, but mostly they're history.
Ostrofsky will help you figure out how to get rich if you're willing to work for it. (It's not quick or just "Click.") But if you want relevant advice in a readable format, start with his website.
Doug Nordman is the author of The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement, coming in August. Learn more at The-Military-Guide.com.
