
Debunking Walt Goodridge's Claims of Internet and Kindle Success.
10 Reasons His Books Make Money Online, That Won't Work For You!You may not have heard his name, but Walt F.J. Goodridge has been writing business books since 1992, and is just now breaking into the mainstream and gaining popularity as the author of Turn Your Passion Into Profit, Living True to Your Self and the creator of the "Achievable Freedom" concept. In a secret interview, never intended for publication ScamWatch asked him bluntly and, deceptively assuring him of "off the record" status: "Give us 10 reasons your books sell online when other people try to do the same thing but can't." Here are his replies, as well as our standard post interview ScamWatch common sense debunks.
The minimum level of intelligence.
GOODRIDGE: First of all, let me say this. The minimum level of intelligence required to succeed in the world is simply this: You must be smart enough to know that there is always someone smarter than you...GOODRIDGE: 1. "I like to think I'm smart."
It's my Jamaican upbringing. As a society, we value intelligence and excellence. So, my belief in my smartness and ability to figure things out is probably what accounts for my success.SCAMWATCH: That can't be true, since there are many not so smart people who succeed in business, sell millions of books, and even become president.


GOODRIDGE: 2. "I have 10 books converted into Kindle format."
Having a whole bunch of books on sale is probably the key to my success.SCAMWATCH: That can't be true. You even said yourself that the 80/20 rule applies in your business, and that 80% of your income comes from 20% of your products. You even mentioned that your top seller, the single book that sold well enough to match your civil engineer's income, and is still selling today is the first book you wrote. If you could match your civil engineer's income in 1992 before the internet revolution, then obviously it doesn't take 10 books to be successful. There are numerous stories of Kindle success stories based on a single book.

GOODRIDGE: 3. "I strive to make my books perfect."
SCAMWATCH: Not to be mean (Scamwatch is all about truth, not meanness), but there are a few typos in his Turn Your Passion Into Profit book that he seems not to have caught. It's safe to say that despite their popularity, Goodridge's books were not professionally edited before they were self-published.

GOODRIDGE: 4. "I do this full time."
SCAMWATCH:According to the Wall Street Journal, Darcy Chan, one of the most recent Kindle success stories, sold 77,000 copies of her book in one month, AND she was a full-time lawyer who did writing on the side. It doesn't take a full-time focus to be successful.

SCAMWATCH: What would you say to people who are skeptical about your products?
GOODRIDGE: "I'd probably tell them 'don't buy it!'"
In the same way that no single religion, or single flavor of ice cream can please or be effective for every person, no single success formula can be expected to work for everyone. Your job is to find a teacher you can relate to, a style you're comfortable with, and a strategy that works for you. The fact that my way of doing things won't work for everyone is not an indictment or nullification of its effectiveness for those whom it does help. I'm not writing for everybody. If you're already starting our relationship thinking it's not going to work for you, then don't buy the book. It's not my job to convince you of anything. I write about what works for me. It it works for you, great! If it doesn't, keep searching!
RELATED LINKS:
• Claims of those who have read his books,
attended his workshops, or received his coaching.
The fact is, there are no internet scams with my name on it, and thus, there are no scambuster, snopes, quackwatch or BBB complaint articles about me for those who like to read that sort of thing. Sooooo, I decided to write one myself!--Walt F.J. Goodridge
Speaking of skeptics, here's something I wrote:
Thoughts on Skepticism
Introduction
Types of Forum Participants
First, here's a quick overview of the the types of people who frequent forums.The Lurkers
These are the people who read, absorb, observe, but remain outside of the general discussions.The Undecided
These are people who may be seeking some sort of validation or opinion in order to make a final decision. They may ask questions of the group in order to get their opinions.The Converted
These may be people who have tried the product/service in question and who are advocates.The Skeptics & Killjoys
These are the people who cast doubt, aspersions, ridicule and attack any or all of the above under the guise of "debunking" scams and scam artists. (I find these people most fascinating of all)What I've Learned About Skeptics & Killjoys
2. People believe that their own reality is universal. In other words, they believe that if they themselves haven't been able to do a thing, that others are not really able to do that thing either, and if they are claiming to, they must be lying.
3. Therefore, no amount of "proof" is actually effective in alleviating a Skeptic's or Killjoy's skepticism because what the skeptics are really revealing is their own frustration at their own failures. So, to admit that YOU as the one selling a solution have been successful at something that they (the skeptics) failed at (eg. making tons of money on the internet, for instance) is an indictment that they weren't as smart, committed or lucky as you have been, or as smart, committed or lucky as they would like to believe themselves to be. Is that making sense? They must discredit you in order to believe that they did the best they could and that their failure was not due to their own lack of intelligence/commitment, but due to the nature of the game, the cards being stacked against them, etc.
MY RESPONSES TO YOUR FREQUENTLY VOICED OPINIONS
So, no matter how much you battle a skeptic, after much back and forth, many forum rants and disputes with skeptics eventually end up here:
"Well, if it's so helpful for humanity, why charge for it, why don't you give it away?"
ANSWER: In the same way that YOU will not give away the hours you work at your job, I, too, will not give away the thing of value I offer to the world in order to survive. Firefighters, ministers, priests, employees and authors, too, have nothing to prove to you or anyone else by giving away their firefighting skill or contributions to the well being and betterment of society. I sell information. That's what I do.HERE'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: I'm always fascinated when I encounter individuals who balk and get turned off reading a free website like this one the moment they realize that something is for sale.
As an author, and as my part of my personal mission, my greatest wish to share the details of what I've learned with as many people as possible. So, I write books, and yes I SELL those books! That's what I do. That's the VALUE that I've been blessed to be able to provide to the world in exchange for the things of value that I desire. That's how I survive. That's how ANY of us survives in this world, really. We offer something of value--whether it's our time, experience, expertise or training--in exchange for money. That's what a job is. If you're working in a job, then you've chosen to sell your freedom--your time, your presence every day in a cubicle or office-- in exchange for a paycheck. Your presence as well as the tasks you perform for your boss are the things of value YOU are selling.
Here's a scenario: Let's say you work at your job for a week, and at the end of that week, you don't receive your paycheck. So you walk into your boss' office... YOU: Hi, Boss, I've given you my time and presence for the past week, but I didn't get paid. BOSS: Paid??? Yup, I knew it. I KNEW there was a 'catch!' You just want my money! If you REALLY wanted to help me, why don't you work for me for free??? What a scam!
Silly, isn't it? Would you give away YOUR value--your time and presence-- for free? Well, neither would I.
It's almost as if some people think that working a job is noble and acceptable, while selling a product is somehow "shady." People with that belief system will remain trapped in a job unless and until they change that attitude.
So, for the record, I absolutely, positively make NO apologies (nor should you) about offering value to the world in exchange for the means to ensure survival and prosperity. That's what it's all about! That's what turning your passion into profit is all about. That's what living true to your self is all about. If you ever want to follow the path that I and others are on, and free YOUR self, you MUST stop thinking that the only "acceptable" way to generate money is as an employee, and expand your self-concept to trade something other than your time and presence at a job in order to earn money. You can never be truly free as long as a single entity controls your income. You can never live true to your self as long as single person other than you decides how much you can earn.
This may sound a bit self-serving, but perhaps the first step towards freedom and away from that way of thinking is to honor, respect and purchase from those who are already doing it. You can't envy and begrudge those whom you aspire to be like and then expect that YOUR path will be easier and that others will honor, respect and buy from YOU when your time comes. That single decision and act of generosity and support may be the thing that sets you free.
This is not about me. I've offered enough value to others over the years and as a result, enough people all over the world have supported me that it's been possible for me to live the simple, yet free life I've always wanted. This will continue whether YOU make the leap or not. You can think or say anything you wish, but this is not about me, it's about YOU.
Or, it ends up here:
"If this was true, and so great, we would have heard about it on the six o'clock news"
ANSWER: Actually, you wouldn't. And it's for the same reason that Max Gerson and his daughter, Charlotte, had to move to Mexico to continue their track record of curing cancer; for the same reason you don't hear that fasting, and hydrogen peroxide, and DMSO and other inexpensives therapies have and can cure 90% of all illnesses; for the same reason you don't hear about automobiles that last longer, light bulbs that don't blow and many advances in science and knowledge that would put doctors, car manufacturers, meat producers and dairy councils out of business....THE BOTTOM LINE
Your agreement is not required, nor is it being sought.
I'm not here to convince, justify, defend or apologize for my beliefs, choices or lifestyle. I'm not here for validation, vindication, approval or to respond to personal attacks. I'm here to share a philosophy & formula that works for me and others I've helped. And it's always been my belief that in a world of 7 billion people, that if ONE person can do a thing, then it MUST be possible for at least ONE other person to achieve the same.I'm going to say something here that other marketers would consider "selling suicide." The fact is, if you're on this forum seeking someone else's opinion in order to persuade you to purchase, you're probably not the sort of customer who will be happy with this purchase. Anything other than "I paid my money, the site works, and I was able to download the product" will likely be just an opinion. If someone says, "I tried it, and it didn't work", then what does it say about you that would allow a total stranger's failure to determine your probable outcome?
By the same token, if they say, "I tried it and it worked!", that'll be great, but how angry will you be if you try it and it doesn't work for you?
People who seek validation and permission from others, or
who are intent on whining, will find something to whine about whether they have purchased
the product or tried the service or not. Therefore, my ideal customer is likely not the type
to put to much weight on the opinions of forum skeptics and killjoys.