Okay, this is annoying. Really and truly annoying.

[badstar]

So a couple of weeks ago I came across a book on Amazon, Apollo: The Great God by Gregory Zorzos. I ordered it a bit over a week ago and have been waiting for it since, including some stupidity on the delivery by the post office.

I just opened the box roughly three minutes ago and I can already tell anyone who wants to know more: Don't bother. It's self-published. I knew that before I ordered it. It doesn't mean the book is going to be bad- I have read books by other folks (on my friends list! Hi guys!) which are self-published and have no arguments about the quality of the writing.

Apparently, this is one example of the sort of self-published book that isn't of the greatest quality.

The book is 152 pages long. The cover is nice and shiny! The first three paragraphs of the book appear on the back cover. Pages 23-149 plus page 152 are noting but images- statuary, coins, renaissance-era paintings, modern day postage stamps. Including two images and the title "Apollo Secret Symbols" at the top- but no indication of where these symbols came from or how they are known to be "secret symbols". Basically, it seems that the guy did a google image search and pasted everything he found into a document and shipped it off to press.

The type is huge- 16 or 18-point maybe? Which I have to say- if you're visually impaired and want a book with some basic information on Apollo, here's one for you. The first four pages of the book are devoted to the author telling you how awesome he is- pictures, organizations he belongs to and awards he's won. There is a detailed, numbered list of every group that thinks he's awesome. (Or that he at least pays dues to) Apparently he's written more than 500 books, dvd's, cd-roms and board games on assorted ancient subjects. Five hundred???? I want to say that's an outrageous number, but if they're all like this book, I can totally believe it.

I have yet to carefully examine what little text there is, but so far as I can see, there is nothing contained in this book that can't be found on theoi.com

Also, the writing is rather awkward and clumsy. I can't decide if it was translated into English by a babelfish engine or if he used a rather sucky translating service. I'm assuming that some sort of translating service or the such was used, as the languages in which this book is available number in the double digits.

There is no bibliography, no explanation of any of the abbreviations used. Sadly, amazon provides no information to indicate that the book would be so useless.

I think I'm going to need to post a review.

ETA: Someone posted a discussion on the Author's Amazon page stating that he plagiarized her and other author's works. Awesome. Wish I had bothered to check this out before.

I think I am going to contact Amazon to see about the possibility of a return.

Comments

[peaceful-fox.livejournal.com]

The music -THE MUSIC - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AtUpDsUd6M

[dance-shiva.livejournal.com]

Clearly, someone likes to feel all published and important. I'd bet real money that he's a member of some large-enough-to-be-truly-petty Pagan organization. I bet he boasts of his being published as the sort of circular logic that you see all the time in such circles (I am an expert and I can prove it becaue I am published. I am qualified to publish because I am an expert.)

I refer to this kind of crap as "legitimancy".

Or maybe I'm just an overly-bitter lapsed Pagan. In which case I will stop ranting in your replies.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

Heh...no worries.

Nothing in the book indicates that he's at all pagan (or not, for that matter, though based on the sheer number of bullet points in his pages of self-fellatio, I would guess that if he were a member of any such organization, it would be there.) But he does definitely seem to be all self-important.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

Already sent a return request! Heh...it's eligible for refund only- no replacement. So sad :-P

[fuego.livejournal.com]

Oh that's hilarious. Sad but hilarious.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

I do believe I saw one listed on his amazon page.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

is that shit like this gives those of us in the self-publishing business a bad name. I mean, some of us work hard to put out a quality product at least as good, if not better, than what you'll find from established publishers. And sure, you know that, but what about a total stranger? They may see us and assume we're all like this Zorzos fellow.

I commented to this effect in my official review.

[sephatta.livejournal.com]

Apparently, all his books are just an example of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Masturbation-Analysis-Human-Greek/dp/1441449485/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265340788&sr=8-1

Only mentally. :)

[sephatta.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I meant, you should totally be the first reviewer of the book on his amazon.com page: http://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Great-God-Gregory-Zorzos/dp/1441467718/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265340842&sr=8-1

I would totally rate you as helpful.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

Heh...I've already submitted the review that I posted in my most recent entry. Should be up in a day or two.

[peaceful-fox.livejournal.com]

I know Hekate is associated with torches, but the only torches this reminds me of are the ones used at the Nürnberg rallies!

I've been looking around for info about this guy and he seems like a nutter. He has so many videos on youtube. I think my favourite is "UFOs Creatures In Ancient Greece Vol 1 By Gregory Zorzos". I'm glad there is a Vol 2. The world isn't complete without it!

[peaceful-fox.livejournal.com]

Apparently, he has "written" a lot of "books" (according to him, anyway):

http://www.jacketflap.com/profile.asp?member=zorzos

[fuego.livejournal.com]

I find myself boggling 0over the fact that you can buy a catalog of his books- and it takes up at least two volumes.

You can pay this guy for a list of things he's uh, written???

[verginiamus.livejournal.com]

As a self-publisher, I take pride in making sure my product is the best. However, sounds like this guy just did a cut and paste job on whatever. A lot of people do that in self-publishing unfortunately. There is one who even does that with her "witch school" materials and sells the classes as orginal. One problem that this guy may run into which is what I tackled with "witch school" cutie is intellectual property and copyright violations. Photos are copyrighted - even those you pay for from royalty free services. I wonder how many photographers etc know about this guy. There is that problem too. I'll bet this guy got a lot off the net and passed it off as his own. Cutie did that with my stuff.

[chronarchy.livejournal.com]

I've heard exactly what you're describing about this particular book. I don't own it myself (thankfully), nor have I ever seen it, but yeah: all your criticisms seem spot-on.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

Then I have to assume that you didn't see my post a few weeks back asking if anyone had heard of it before I bought it? (Otherwise, why didn't you tell me!!! :-P)

[fuego.livejournal.com]

Just thought I'd let you know that my review has been published.

[chronarchy.livejournal.com]

I recognized the review, interestingly enough, not the title :) It was only after seeing what you wrote about it that I realized which book you were talking about (which says a lot, that the review was virtually identical to the last one I'd read). . .