Due to the fact that authors themselves are 1. Salesmen, 2. A business, and 3. A brand, it’s important for writers and authors to have an understanding of basic business skills in the present era. The books below are the books I’d recommend for every writer to read before they get their book published.
1. START WITH WHY – Simon Sinek
I think this book is really important for writers and authors when they’re first starting out.
Start With Why is a good book for you to decide how and who you’re going to sell your work too.
I wish I’d read this book a lot sooner than I did. If I did so, I probably wouldn’t have gotten so lost and confused when I began spiralling out of control with all my sales-ideas and side projects.
2. SAPIENS & HOMO DEUS – Yuval Noah Harari
What these two books really come down to, once you’ve filtered out all the historical – humans are awful because we not only killed the majority of the animal kingdom, but we started our evolution by killing off our cousin species first – information, is that humans are story telling and consuming creatures.
Sapiens and Homo Deus, basically details the capacity in which humans consume stories, from money, to religion, to politics and government. Highly recommended read.
And as a writer, you can guess why I hold these two books in such esteem.
3. HOW TO WIN FRIENDS & INFLUENCE PEOPLE – Dale Carnegie
Important for writers and authors when it comes to social media and book launches.
4. THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE – Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, highlights how to utilise your own personal power and influence to get things done, without burning yourself out. A very enlightening read.
5. TRUMP BOOKS
- THE ART OF THE DEAL
- THINK LIKE A BILLIONAIRE
- THINK LIKE A CHAMPION
- HOW TO GET RICH
- MIDAS TOUCH
- GREAT AGAIN
When it comes to books by Donald Trump, it’s all about attitude, really. The reason I recommend them is you’ve got to be able defend yourself, have a think skin and be able to develop a kind of charisma for when it comes to dealing with tough guys.
6. THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A FUCK & EVERYTHING IS FUCKED – Mark Manson
Good books for self reflection and assessment. Good for your confidence and motivation.
7. THINK AND GROW RICH – Napoleon Hill
Good for understanding basic economics and how to build something from nothing.
8. TOTAL RECALL – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Teaches the principles of good training and discipline, and also gives you a nice idea about sales and selling.
9. BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY – W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne
Very similar to Start With Why by Simon Sinek. Blue Ocean Strategy helps you understand how you can make a new market out of the shortcomings from other markets.
10. RICH DAD BOOKS
- RICH DAD POOR DAD
- CASHFLOW QUADRANT
- RETIRE YOUNG, RETIRE RICH
- GUIDE TO INVESTING
- WHY WE WANT YOU TO BE RICH
- FAKE
- SECOND CHANCE
- CONSPIRACY OF THE RICH
The books by Robert Kiyosaki are all about teaching you what the rich teach their kids, that the poor and middle class do not.
Robert Kiyosaki teaches you about money, a subject that is not taught in schools or very many other places.