Ebook: WordPress 2.9 E-Commerce

I bought this book thinking it would ease the process of adapting WordPress to build a simple e-commerce site. It didn't. When I followed its directions early on for selecting and modifying a free e-commerce theme, I found discrepancies. The theme wasn't available through the WordPress site as indicated. I had to import it from another site. Nonetheless, even though I didn't care for the theme (it's too juvenile-looking for my business), I did import it just to follow along.

Next, as instructed, I tried to eliminate the theme's blog aspects by removing a specified string of code located in a specified place. The code wasn't there. I searched every other place within the theme where the specified code might have appeared, but nothing. I'm not a programmer--perhaps the code has changed since the book was published and I just can't recognize the bits that need removing--but the whole point of the book is to assist the non-expert.

Unable to move forward, I wrote to the publisher and asked for help, spelling out exactly the obstacle I was up against. Several days later, I received this e-mail from the publisher:

Thank you for contacting [...]


I have forwarded your query to the support editor who will be able to help you.

Please let me know if you need anything else, I'll be glad to help.

With warm regards

For Packt Publishing

Notice that Warm Regards did not provide his or her name or the name of the "support editor." I wrote again asking how to connect with the support editor. No reply.

$35 and a lot of frustration later, the book is sitting in its shipping box in my office. I've gone back to Dreamweaver.