Book Summary Services - Worth It?

[Tapp001]

One complaint I have heard around the forum is that they have a never ending backlog of books to read. This got my problem solving senses itching, so I started to look around for business book summarizing services. Lo and behold, there seems to be quite a few big players in this business. Even a few who are more focused on self-help books.

However, I looked at a few summaries, and still looked pretty long. Plus, they were often structured along the same lines as a book, which is pretty inefficient if your goal is pure knowledge extraction. I wasn't that impressed.

My question to you then, as both a potential client of and competitor to these services, is 'Are these services worth anything?' Have you had experience with them, or found them useful? Are they great, or do they just provide wantrepreneurs with more 'learning' excuses that delay action?

 

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[JDx]

I've recently tried one called "Blinkist". An app that offers text and audio summaries of books in several categories.
Perfect while I was on the road during holidays; all the books take around 15 minutes to finish. I listened to Rich dad poor dad, Richest man in Babylon etc while driving. (TMF was also on there, actually!)

The danger in these things is that you have to rely on someone else to summarize a book for you, which might just miss a few key notes the book brings when you read it fully.
After finishing my trial I didn't buy a membership.
IMO the summaries give a nice indication about what the book is about, but to get the full value, you just have to read the whole book yourself.
I noticed this with RmiBabylon, where a lot of stories are told throughout the book which they obviously leave out when summarizing. Though for me, this adds to the experience of the book and the lessons you can take away from these stories.

So in short; for me, I definitely enjoyed it for while on the road, though prefer the real deal. The summaries allow great insight into keypoints from books, but you're (I'm) more likely to learn more by reading the whole thing. Especially with entrepreneur stuff and examples

 

[Tapp001]

I've recently tried one called "Blinkist". An app that offers text and audio summaries of books in several categories.
Perfect while I was on the road during holidays; all the books take around 15 minutes to finish. I listened to Rich dad poor dad, Richest man in Babylon etc while driving. (TMF was also on there, actually!)

The danger in these things is that you have to rely on someone else to summarize a book for you, which might just miss a few key notes the book brings when you read it fully.
After finishing my trial I didn't buy a membership.
IMO the summaries give a nice indication about what the book is about, but to get the full value, you just have to read the whole book yourself.
I noticed this with RmiBabylon, where a lot of stories are told throughout the book which they obviously leave out when summarizing. Though for me, this adds to the experience of the book and the lessons you can take away from these stories.

So in short; for me, I definitely enjoyed it for while on the road, though prefer the real deal. The summaries allow great insight into keypoints from books, but you're (I'm) more likely to learn more by reading the whole thing. Especially with entrepreneur stuff and examples

Thanks, @JDx I appreciate the input! I also like the real deal, and don't really know how they would work with books that are basically all anecdote like The $100 Startup.

 

[germandude]

Book summaries are crap. Try summarizing TMF and you will see that it just isn't it.

 

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[axiom]

I've found that the most valuable takeaways come from reading between the lines.

You can't possibly appreciate the true depth of a book from a summary.

I'm of the opinion that it can be counterproductive to swallow book after book as fast as possible because you won't be able to internalize the deeper messages. I'd much rather deeply analyze one terrific book and learn to apply its lessons than skim through a dozen books.

My .02 anyways.

 

[Tapp001]

Thanks @germandude and @axiom! If these aren't providing real value to people, then I am going to steer clear.

 

[Madhu]

I’ve never used a book summary service, but I am a big fan of “Fight Mediocrity” on Youtube which summaries popular books as animations.

I only use it to help pick which book to read next and not as a substitute for reading. Here is why:

I used to hate a lot of personal developments books, as they normally contain a simple message that seems to be overly padded in order to fill out a 150+ page book. So from that viewpoint, a book summary seemed like the most efficient way to access knowledge.

However, I’ve found that simple messages are actually quite difficult to absorb. My brain often goes “That’s so simple” and then glosses over the whole thing. The repetition and padding in most books is actually useful to drill the message into my brain.

So while a book summary is quick and efficient, it also bypasses the absorption process.

I used to stress out about the number of books available to read. But now I am focusing on quality instead of quantity. I far more concerned with absorbing messages than simply reading them.

 

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[Digamma]

It depends on the book.

If you are trying to extract information from a how-to book, then I wouldn't be caught dead reading the whole thing.

Howto books are, no exception, 40 pages of content and 300 pages of fluff padding.

If the book is the kind of book that should transmit you wisdom, then you need to read it.

Examples?

TMF is meant to change your way of thinking. A summary can't do that.
It can give you the gist, but it can't do the persuasive work that it takes to switch your mindset.

Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius.
A summary can give you a list of stoic viewpoints, but it can't get you to internalize what tranquillity is like his own words can.

 

[Tapp001]

Thanks @Madhu and @Digamma, you've given me more to think about. Books meant to transmit Wisdom (the most valuable kind) need to be experienced in depth. And I've added Meditations to my reading list.

 

[Digamma]

Thanks @Madhu and @Digamma, you've given me more to think about. Books meant to transmit Wisdom (the most valuable kind) need to be experienced in depth. And I've added Meditations to my reading list.

Oh, you gotta read it asap. As well as the Enchiridion and Seneca's Letters from a Stoic.

 

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