Writing a Book About Mystery Shopping

Hi! I am trying to write a Kindle book about mystery shopping for beginners, but I need a little help. No, I don't want your secrets, just advice that you would give to a newbie. Keep it short, 1-2 sentences. I will quote what you write and either credit it to you or anonymous. Please help me with my project! Thanks!

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There are already several books written by experienced mystery shoppers. You should check those out before entering this competitive field.
Here's one for your book "Run faster than a goat."

Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain
I am not going to discourage anybody with ambition and a goal. Here is my quote, Be dependable, and do quality work.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2015 04:29PM by audrialyn30.
Yes, there are enough ms books already written. If you do take the leap, I would like to see some non shopper topics written about such as a brief history of ms ( Woolworths was the first??) and how and where wanted ms services are advertised. You could also touch on the lengths of ms contracts being very short so shoppers will understand why clieints change their providers. Again, much of this may not be of interest to a novice shopper,except for business folks like myself...but a strategy would be for you to read the other ms books and determine what needed topics are lacking. Writing ms resumes is another topic needed major big time and has been asked about on this forum many times. The other books have not covered it.
Good luck to you !!!
I've been doing this eight years and am still learning.

You might enlighten us a bit more about your project. smiling smiley

Happily shopping Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut
Are you a published author? Are you a mystery shopper yourself? Perhaps you could share the autobiography which will appear on the book jacket to entice people to buy the book and which will establish your credentials.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
Yes. Almost 10 years. I have not been published but I am an author. This project started out as a way to help some friends break into mystery shopping. It will be exclusively on Amazon, an ebook.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2015 01:01AM by mrsanngut.
With 10 years of experience and the knowledge to write a MS book, I'm curious why you have chosen not to participate and share that knowledge with other members here in the nearly 1 year you have been a member of this forum.

That said, there's plenty of information within these forums to write a book if you're so inclined to organize the information in such a way to make it useful to a beginner.
A section about how to identify scams, so newbies don't fall for them, might be helpful.
Read your paperwork thoroughly. I have gotten stuck with that twice.

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/▌ ☆Happy Shopping☆
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I have not undertaken the endeavor of sharing my mystery shopping experience while on this forum because right after I signed up for it I became extremely ill. I had to stop shopping, had to stop pretty much everything. I am just now getting back into shopping and I can't even drive myself (hubby is very supportive).
An excerpt from my book: I’ve been a mystery shopper for almost ten years. This information is what I would have wanted to know when I got started, but it is not everything you need to know about mystery shopping. That takes experience.
Best Wishes to You mrsanngut. Debilitating, stop you in your tracks illness seems to be a common theme with a lot of the shoppers here. Very Strong people. Who fight their way back or onward. Their fight is inspiring to me and keeps me from being a crybaby and giving up! Maybe you can have a few pages on...What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

Shopping Central Jersey Shoreline. WHAT? I'm an adult?! When did this happen?! How do I make it stop?!


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2015 05:23AM by BeachBumess.
Beachbumness:
You are absolutely right. Mystery shoppers are often the sick, the disabled, or the single parent trying to make ends meet. I am going to dedicate a section of my book to this. Thank you for the amazing idea!
The piece of advice I'd give newbies? Brush up on your grammar and spelling skills. Get a good style guide, such as "Chicago," and don't forget to use it! Don't assume that being "good in English in school" makes you a good writer. Take a writing course at a local college if you need to.

And never trust spell check, auto-correct, or auto-fill. Never. You still have to proofread the work of machines.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.


Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2015 01:36PM by BirdyC.
....Such as when the software here turned my quotation mark, parentheses, and comma into an emoticon, and I had to change the sentence to get rid of it!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
A wee pontification: Establish your own dreams for your own business as part of your own life. If necessary, adjust these to accommodate other people in your life lest your business be a stumbling block in someone else's path. Don't overaccomodate. Please don't ask how I know this.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu
Accept that some editors will go out of their way to find problems, and some MSCs seem to reward editors for subtracting needless rating points. In the end, it doesn't matter. It behooves you to remember that, "Pride is a renewable resource." You own your own business, and should be proud of how you conduct yourself.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2015 03:21PM by myst4au.
Don't be defeated by that first rejected shop. Learn from it and keep going. You may not get feedback from every shop, but every time you receive payment from it means that you did something right. Good luck with the book, mrsanngut
You go, girl! I wrote an eBook and put it on Kindle when my friends kept asking how to get started with mystery shopping. For $.99, they get all my tips from 17 years of shopping. I'm not going to retire on the money, but it helps when inquiring minds want to know. It's also funny how $.99 will deter people from encroaching on my territory!

Mystery Shopper since 1998; Author of Make Money Mystery Shopping available on Amazon in the Kindle Store.
I've got a book underway too, after 23 years of mystery shopping and many weird adventures under my belt it's time I unleashed it upon the world.

Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain
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