This irregular series is a review of archery books based upon the blurbs that accompany their back covers or online retailer sales page. Here is the blurb in question and would reading it encourage you to buy this book?

“Archery 411: Destined for Greatness” by Blake Jerome is an all-encompassing guide to mastering the art of archery. With over 11 years of experience in target shooting, Blake shares his wealth of knowledge and expertise in this comprehensive book. Whether you’re a beginner, high-level amateur, or a professional archer, this book provides valuable insights into bow set up, tuning, form, execution, aiming, mindset, goal setting, mental management, and much more. Blake’s practical advice, combined with his passion for coaching and helping others unlock their potential, makes this book a valuable resource for anyone looking to excel in the sport of archery. Whether you’re aiming for competitive success or simply want to improve your skills, “Archery 411” is the definitive guide for archers of all levels.

220 pages
Hardcover: U$ $ 49.99
Paperback: US$ 29.99

So, who is Blake Jerome? Here is an excerpt from his author bio in Amazon Author Central “Over the years, Blake has achieved significant milestones in target archery as well as bowhunting, including becoming the first amateur in history to shoot a perfect 560 hunter round in an NFAA national tournament. His accomplishments extend to securing national and state records, as well as numerous course records. His combined list of victories at national, regional, and state levels of competition are too numerous to count.”

So, he is not a lightweight. I never got close to a 560/560 Hunter Round but “victories … too numerous to count” seems a bit over the top.

Okay, 11 years of experience? When I started, my mentor and best friend had 32 years of experience. Eleven years hardly seems long enough to really acquire a bounty of knowledge about our sport.

The target audience of “Whether you’re a beginner, high-level amateur, or a professional archer …” say what? In 220 pages you are supposed to help all levels of archer to achieve “Greatness?” I call bullshit. My last book, on just the mental game, was 428 pages, but supposedly this book covers “bow set up, tuning, form, execution, aiming, mindset, goal setting, mental management, and much more.” This book may contain some helpful information but I think whoever was responsible for writing the subtitle and the blurb are a bit disconnected from reality.

And “Archery 411” as a title? The code 411 is a telephone number for local directory assistance in Canada and the United States. In slang, the phrase “the 411“ is an informal way of asking for information or news. It originates from the telephone number 411, which is used for directory assistance. “Give me the 411” essentially means “give me the lowdown” or “tell me what’s happening.” Outside of the US and Canada, 411 means nothing so this is not a smart marketing move as there are English reading archers and coaches all over the world who would be perplexed by the title, especially since it is non-archery related. And in this age when everyone, even toddlers, seems to have a smart phone, who calls directory assistance any more? And I would have advised against a hardcover edition. And extra $ 20 for hard covers? Sheesh! (Sorry, that’s me as a development editor speaking.)

I will not be reading this book but if you do and like it, please write a review and I will post it here.

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