Thorough, detailed, actionable

***Received books in return for review. This is my unbiased opinion anyway.

Pros:

The _Win Competitions Online_ book set is written well and offers a great deal of information about entering online competitions. The author points out this is gambling and asks anyone with gambling addiction to get help. Additionally, he offers some suggestions to keep any 3rd party emails to a minimum. Next, are recommendations to read all Terms & Conditions to ensure exactly what you are competing for in addition to what is required - which anyone should do and many don't. Of course, anything too good probably is - and that is stated in plain language. Other suggestions include tracking what competitions are entered, what the timelines are, and what wins are achieved. The information offered in these three books is very close to a "...for dummies" type of book with nearly step-by-step instructions - especially the first book. Nothing is overly complex or requires constant payments to a 'guru' for more information. One overarching theme is to treat comping as a job (full or side) where your boss requires very good research and tracking everything. As with anything else, good habits will provide better results.

Cons:

If you are someone who just wants to play or has extensive experience these books may not be the best choice. This book collection is aimed more toward someone with at least some experience in online competitions who wants to ramp up. Most of the references and several of the websites are United Kingdom only. While I am sure there are just as many competitions in other countries, a large number of the more helpful websites only apply to UK residents. Therefore, you may need to find similar references in your country. The second and third books assume you are experienced in this activity and from both sides - as someone trying to win and as someone offering or running a competition.

Narration and Writing:

Both are mostly great. It seems like we are almost sitting together discussing the topic, not listening to someone read an instructional book. The transitions between books is quite rough, though. The narrator doesn't transition well here at all.



Personally, I found this an interesting read - especially as I'm not really interested in comping. It is engaging and not nearly as dry as I anticipated. If you are interested in learning more about online comping, this is a good reference book for your library. You would probably find more applicable information with additional listens as you gain experience.