I have to admit it.I'm a readaholic. I just can't help myself. As a kid I read anything I could get my hands on and regularly devoured whole books in a day. Now I manage to fit in one to two business books a month. And when I find one that was really worthwhile, I let you know right here.

These are by no means all the books I've read. Just the ones I think are truly valuable. Generally, I also only suggest ones that are fairly easy-and dare I say, maybe even fun-to read. Or I let you know up front when something's going to be a bit of a bear to get through, and why you should make the effort.

I hope you find them to be as informative and inspiring as I did.

Just scroll down, or click the links below to jump to a particular topic. Enjoy!

Success      Sales      Copywriting
    
General Writing      Branding

Success

	How to Make Millions with Your Ideas By Dan Kennedy Got an idea for a product or service you'd like to sell, but you don't know where to start? Dan Kennedy always comes through with a wealth of proven, yet often out-of-the-box ideas for making money with your ideas. Even if you own a "mundane" business like dry cleaning or dentistry, Dan's book will give you a boatload of ideas for creating more revenue.
	The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It By Michael E. Gerber Sure, some people complain he follows the franchise model a bit too closely, but there's still tons of value to be had in this book. And it's perfect for the entrepreneur who feels overwhelmed by handling all the day to day details of running a business on top of doing what they love. Michael shows you a simple way to get your business organized. And he also shows you how to prepare for future growth.
	Rich Dad Poor Dad By Robert Kiyosaki This is the book that first made me realize my ideas on getting rich were not crazy! Kiyosaki puts money management, and more importantly money mentality, in a whole new perspective. You'll learn the difference between good debt and bad debt. And how the poor and middle class work for their money, while the rich let their money work for them. This is the kind of book everyone should read. In fact, I think it should be mandatory reading for all high school students. And anyone who owns their own business, or has ever thought about owning their own business, or buying real estate, or getting rich, would benefit from reading this.

 

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Sales

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion By Robert B. Cialdini A classic, and a must read for anyone in sales, marketing or copywriting. That means if you own a business, this book is for you! Heck, even if you don't own a business this book will teach a ton about how easily a good salesperson can manipulate you into happily forking over your hard-earned dollars for something you never even knew you wanted. This was actually a college textbook of mine, and it is without a doubt the most enjoyable one I had to read in college. And I believe it is so valuable that I've read it again twice since then.

To Be, or Not to Be, Intimidated By Robert Ringer This is a new, rewritten version of the classic "Winning through Intimidation". And chances are, if you haven't heard of this one it's not about what you think. It's packed with solid information on how to create the right image in a prospects or opponents mind to put you in the position of power. You'll learn how to use their perception of you to your advantage. And it's all packaged around a fun, slightly irreverent character that lets the author poke fun at himself while teaching the reader incredibly valuable lessons. This book is a must for anyone who ever does sales, or engages in any kind of negotiations (and who doesn't??).Especially if you often feel like you got the short end of the stick.

 

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Copywriting

	The Copywriter's Handbook By Robert Bly The perfect primer for anyone who wants to learn how to write to sell! Bob Bly is a copywriting legend who is well-known for making the fundamentals of writing great copy easy to understand. This one was my first books on copywriting, and I still refer back to it periodically.
	Secrets of a Freelance Writer By Robert Bly Considering a freelance career in copywriting? Then you should read this. Once again Bob Bly has come up with a clear, concise book that touches on all the basics you need to know to get your new business up and running.
	The Ultimate Sales Letter By Dan Kennedy Have you ever spent hours writing the perfect sales letter, only to send it out and get little or no response? This information-packed book is sure to show you where you went wrong. And it takes you through all the basic steps and concepts that go into writing amazingly effective sales letters. Known as the "No B.S." guy, Dan Kennedy is a crack copywriter and consultant who regularly helps clients make millions of dollars. All his books are worth their weight in gold. But be warned, he has a straight-up, slightly sarcastic style of communication that you either love or hate. Personally, I love it. And I confidently recommend anything and everything Dan Kennedy writes or sells.
	Tested Advertising Methods By John Caples THE how-to book for writing advertising that works, by one of the top advertising men of the last 100 years. More than just a look at ads that have pulled the best, this book includes simple, easy to understand tips and ideas you can use right away in your own advertising and copywriting. From ways to start and write headlines, to how to organize and word your ad for maximum results, this book is considered the bible of proven advertising techniques. Buy it, and put it on your shelf right next to "Ogilvy on Advertising" (see below).
	Ogilvy on Advertising By David Ogilvy A true classic, Ogilvy on Advertising is one of the best known books on what really works in advertising. And it's written by one of the best known and most successful ad men of the 20 th century. In it, Ogilvy gives you his critique of many of the most successful ads ever written-plus you see a few that didn't fare so well. Though some of the ads may seem a bit dated, you can easily see how the same concepts can be tweaked and updated to work just as well today. If you plan on doing any advertising at all, do yourself a favor and buy and study this book.
	Words that Sell & More Words that Sell By Richard Bayan If you struggle with writer's block, or have trouble hitting just the right tone and voice when you write, pick up these handy thesauruses. Some people say the lists are obvious, simple or overly salesy. But then again, that's easy to say when you aren't the one facing a blank page. The beauty of these books is that they don't just include descriptive words, they give you whole phrases you can use to speak to a particular target audience. So think of these as a great place to start when you need to stimulate some fresh words, phrases or ideas.
	The Analogy Book of Related Words By Selma Glasser Looking for a simple way to consistently score a home run with your writing? Stop swinging wildly. Instead, load up the bases with this clever little tome. All you have to do is flip to a particular subject and you'll find a fun list of words that all relate-like the ones I just used about baseball. Choose the ones that suit you best and work them into your writing to create a cohesive theme. Before you know it you'll be batting a thousand.
	Falser than a Weeping Crocodile By Elise & Mike Sommer Sometimes, coming up with a clever turn of phrase is harder than picking up a greased watermelon in a swimming pool. That's when I turn to this highly entertaining and inspiring book. It's full of interesting, funny and sometimes bizarre similes that are sure to get your brain going like a lawnmower on a downhill slope.

 

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General Writing

	On Writing Well By William Zinser Looking to polish up your prose? This book will get you well on your way to becoming the kind of writer who can hook people in from the word go. And best of all, despite the bland sounding title, it's actually a great read. Zinser has a way with words that stays with you and makes everything you write a little bit better.
	Elements of Style By Strunk and White If you didn't buy this one in high school, grab yourself a copy now. This baby is the bible of good writing basics. Don't know the difference between and m-dash and an n-dash? Not sure where to use that semi-colon? Strunk & White has the answer.
	Stylebook and Libel Manual By The Associated Press Also know as the AP style guide, this book should be every copywriter's and journalist's bookshelf. This is the definitive guide to punctuation, grammar and writing style for magazine and newspaper articles as well as most business writing. And it is vastly different from the style of writing most of us learned in school, which follows the Chicago Manual of Style.

 

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Branding

The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands through the Power of Archetypes By Margaret Mark & Carol Pearson Alright, I'll be the first to admit it; this book is not an easy read. In fact, I'd call it a slog (and I'm a readaholic who can't put down the back of a cereal box!). But, the concepts presented are worth the work. You'll learn what's so darn compelling about Apple's logo. What type of client you want to speak to, and what they need you to say to make a connection with them. And much, much more. So if you're trying to get a handle on branding and figure out what will work for you, grab this book. Thankfully, it's fairly skim-friendly, so skip the parts that don't apply or get too boring, and just look at the handy call-out boxes of bulleted info.

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