Hey Jason,
I just recently found out about Pathfinder, so marketing might be need to be addressed. So far it looks like a great line of products, and I think every gamer should find out about them. I love the artwork, packaging, and direction this company is taking. Keep it up.
That being said, here a just a few editorial issues the design team may want to look into. These are off the top of my head after just having downloaded the beta pdf., and are probably nitpicky things.
I would like to see much more artwork within the pages of the guides/modules. On p.333 (Non-player characters chapter) "Tavern Brawl scene" and p.403 (Playtesting chapter) contain some of the coolest artwork. I'd like to see much more from those artists! The spell lists and magic items could use more visuals. Also within magic items, certain pictures are misplaced according to their descriptions. A green scarab, a potion/poison bottle, and a green Druid Vestment are a page or two before the paragraph. Lens of Detection and Goggles of Minute Seeing sound like they do basically the same thing.
The Poison section seems misplaced in the Glossary. Shouldn't it be closer to magic items or traps? More description for the look, texture, and origin/background would add imersion.
Eliminating XP Cost for spells is good, but Material Component gp cost of 5x seems outrageous. Why bother casting the spell?
The Character Sheets at the end seem to cover everything, but why list all the skills when my character might not have them? Use blank spaces instead to fill in, and use the extra room to make Conditional Modifiers section bigger. With all the spell effects and magic items, we are bound to need more room. There's an awful lot of weapon slots too...how many can one person carry?
All in all, I really like this take on the game. For some reason, it just feels more back to basics and what the rpg genre was originally about. Maps and artwork can make or break a book, and you guys did a fantastic job. Perhaps a few more pages in the modules, and keep the price in the mid-teens (that OTHER 3.5 company seems a little full of themselves when it comes to cost) and I think you'll go far.
