100 books like They Ask, You Answer

By Marcus Sheridan,

Here are 100 books that They Ask, You Answer fans have personally recommended if you like They Ask, You Answer. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

Melanie Deziel

From my list on how writers can avoid being replaced by AI.

Why am I passionate about this?

Professionally, I’ve been a journalist, author, speaker, marketer, adjunct professor, consultant, startup founder, and more; but at my core, I’m a storyteller and a lifelong student. I read voraciously about creativity, writing, media, marketing, psychology, and design, and I’m fascinated by drawing connections between these things. (I’m still allowed to say “read” when I mostly consume audiobooks, right?) I’m currently focused on helping other creators and storytellers master their craft, refine their big ideas, and figure out their unique differentiators, through The Creator Kitchen, the mastermind program I run with fellow creator Jay Acunzo.

Melanie's book list on how writers can avoid being replaced by AI

Melanie Deziel Why did Melanie love this book?

Ok, you caught me. I recommended the first edition of this book in a previous list. But this, my friends, is the second edition which, as the cover art indicates, is 10% funnier than the first.

Ann’s work is a testament to the power of honing your unique voice in a way that makes your work easy to identify, clearly differentiated, and dang near impossible to recreate well. Now that we’re battling it out against generative AI, not just other writers, this book serves as both an instructional guide and a case study on developing a distinct voice, in and of itself. 

By Ann Handley,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Everybody Writes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Finally a go-to guide to creating and publishing the kind of content that will make your business thrive. Everybody Writes is a go-to guide to attracting and retaining customers through stellar online communication, because in our content-driven world, every one of us is, in fact, a writer. If you have a web site, you are a publisher. If you are on social media, you are in marketing. And that means that we are all relying on our words to carry our marketing messages. We are all writers. Yeah, but who cares about writing anymore? In a time-challenged world dominated by…


Book cover of Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing

Joe Pulizzi Author Of Content Inc.: Start a Content-First Business, Build a Massive Audience and Become Radically Successful

From my list on content creation and content marketing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a content creator for over 20 years now. I’ve written six books on content creation and content marketing and founded two companies dedicated to helping companies create better content (The Tilt for content entrepreneurs and Content Marketing Institute for enterprise marketers). Some people credit me for coining the term “content marketing,” but really I only popularized it. Oh, and I’m very passionate about the color orange.

Joe's book list on content creation and content marketing

Joe Pulizzi Why did Joe love this book?

If you love formulas as to why content works or falls flat, then Content Chemistry is for you. Andy supplies a multitude of formulas for things like your content mission statement, how to get found for search engine optimization, and how to implement content inside your organization. Andy started this book in 2011 and continues to build upon it. It’s a treasure trove for content creators.

By Andy Crestodina,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Content Chemistry as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This edition has been updated to reflect new technology and marketing trends. The result of thousands of conversations about web marketing with hundreds of companies, this handbook is a compilation of the most important and effective lessons and advice about the power of search engine optimization, social media, and email marketing. The first and only comprehensive guide to content marketing, this book explains the social, analytical, and creative aspects of modern marketing that are necessary to succeed on the web. By first covering the theory behind web and content marketing and then detailing it in practice, it shows how it…


Book cover of The Content Fuel Framework: How to Generate Unlimited Story Ideas

Joe Pulizzi Author Of Content Inc.: Start a Content-First Business, Build a Massive Audience and Become Radically Successful

From my list on content creation and content marketing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a content creator for over 20 years now. I’ve written six books on content creation and content marketing and founded two companies dedicated to helping companies create better content (The Tilt for content entrepreneurs and Content Marketing Institute for enterprise marketers). Some people credit me for coining the term “content marketing,” but really I only popularized it. Oh, and I’m very passionate about the color orange.

Joe's book list on content creation and content marketing

Joe Pulizzi Why did Joe love this book?

Many times, content creators don’t focus on the entire plan…from the initial creation of the text, the audio, the video through to measurement. Well, fret no longer. Melanie takes her personal experience as well as interviews with content creators at companies around the world to develop a framework that works. The step-by-step format is can’t miss.

By Melanie Deziel,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Content Fuel Framework as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Marketers struggling to create engaging content will have a savior in The Content Fuel Framework. The Focus + Format approach is a simple yet highly effective way to inspire numerous rich ideas to rescue any content marketing program."
—Lee Odden, CEO and Co-Founder of TopRank Marketing

In The Content Fuel Framework, trained journalist and award-winning content marketer Melanie Deziel shows you how to maximize your creativity by systematizing it. This simple framework catalyzes the brainstorming process, making idea generation effortless and nearly automatic. No more writer's block. No more asking "what should I post?" No more waiting for that "big…


Book cover of Cumulative Advantage: How to Build Momentum for Your Ideas, Business and Life Against All Odds

Joe Pulizzi Author Of Content Inc.: Start a Content-First Business, Build a Massive Audience and Become Radically Successful

From my list on content creation and content marketing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a content creator for over 20 years now. I’ve written six books on content creation and content marketing and founded two companies dedicated to helping companies create better content (The Tilt for content entrepreneurs and Content Marketing Institute for enterprise marketers). Some people credit me for coining the term “content marketing,” but really I only popularized it. Oh, and I’m very passionate about the color orange.

Joe's book list on content creation and content marketing

Joe Pulizzi Why did Joe love this book?

Mark Schaefer has written countless books about marketing throughout the years, but Cumulative Advantage may be his best. In it, Mark goes through a very simple formula for how a content creator can take advantage of certain opportunities to rise above all the other content clutter out there. The book is not only incredibly helpful but also funny.

By Mark W. Schaefer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cumulative Advantage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

We live in a world where being "great" may not be enough. We need momentum.


From the best-selling author of "KNOWN" and "Marketing Rebellion" comes a practical guidebook to building unstoppable momentum for your ideas and your business -- even when the odds seem stacked against you. Filled with motivating ideas and fascinating case studies, "Cumulative Advantage" is an indispensable and practical source of inspiration for the entrepreneur, business leader, and every person with a dream that's ready to take flight.


You will learn:


- How the initial advantage that drives momentum comes from everyday ideas.

- The inside secrets…


Book cover of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't

Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott Author Of Every Shot Must Have a Purpose: How GOLF54 Can Make You a Better Player

From my list on improving performance and growth.

Why we are passionate about this?

We have been coaching and learning about peak performance for four decades. To learn from playing golf ourselves, coaching others to play better, and continuously staying curious and learning from others is a mix that we want to keep alive. It’s not only to perform well that matters to us, but that we also grow as a human being. It’s about excellence and wellbeing. What skills, what culture, and what foundation can make that a possibility? Our deepest wish is for all of us to access our own unique possibilities to be good and happy. 

Pia and Lynn's book list on improving performance and growth

Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott Why did Pia and Lynn love this book?

The learnings from this book have helped us so many times to make good decisions for our coaching business. Two concepts in particular have stood out: The Hedgehog Concept and Stockdale Paradox from this book are alive in us every day.

The Hedgehog Concept is the intersection between three circles: 1) What can you be best in the world at? 2) What drives the economic engine? 3) What are you deeply passionate about?

The Stockdale Paradox is to always retain the faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of difficulties, while confronting the brutal fact of your current reality.

By Jim Collins,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked Good to Great as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

________________________________
Can a good company become a great one? If so, how?

After a five-year research project, Jim Collins concludes that good to great can and does happen. In this book, he uncovers the underlying variables that enable any type of organisation to make the leap from good to great while other organisations remain only good. Rigorously supported by evidence, his findings are surprising - at times even shocking - to the modern mind.

Good to Great achieves a rare distinction: a management book full of vital ideas that reads as well as a fast-paced novel. It is widely regarded…


Book cover of The E-Myth Revisited

Kevin Stansfield Author Of The BIG Dipper: How to Survive the Rollercoaster Ride of Business Ownership

From my list on helping build a great business.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been around businesses most of my life. Both my parents ran them, and as an accountant and business coach, I have helped many grow and be successful. I have also seen many businesses fail, including my father’s, and so I have been passionate about what it takes to build a successful business for many years. I am constantly on the lookout for great authors who have been through a journey and learn from their successes and failures. It was hard to select only 5 books in this review as I have read so many, but I hope that you find these as useful as I have.

Kevin's book list on helping build a great business

Kevin Stansfield Why did Kevin love this book?

In this book, Gerber discusses three types of business owners: the Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Technician.

I have seen all three of these types in real life, and I agree with Gerber that 80% of businesses are run by technicians. I also agree that this type can struggle the most to build a profitable business that works without them. But unlike many other books, Gerber also gives ideas on what to do about it, which I loved. From putting in systems and processes to building a great team, the book got better and more engaging the more you read.

By Michael E. Gerber,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The E-Myth Revisited as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

E-Myth \ 'e-,'mith\ n 1: the entrepreneurial myth: the myth that most people who start small businesses are entrepreneurs 2: the fatal assumption that an individual who understands the technical work of a business can successfully run a business that does that technical work Voted #1 business book by Inc. 500 CEOs. An instant classic, this revised and updated edition of the phenomenal bestseller dispels the myths about starting your own business. Small business consultant and author Michael E. Gerber, with sharp insight gained from years of experience, points out how common assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise can get…


Book cover of The New One Minute Manager

Kevin Stansfield Author Of The BIG Dipper: How to Survive the Rollercoaster Ride of Business Ownership

From my list on helping build a great business.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been around businesses most of my life. Both my parents ran them, and as an accountant and business coach, I have helped many grow and be successful. I have also seen many businesses fail, including my father’s, and so I have been passionate about what it takes to build a successful business for many years. I am constantly on the lookout for great authors who have been through a journey and learn from their successes and failures. It was hard to select only 5 books in this review as I have read so many, but I hope that you find these as useful as I have.

Kevin's book list on helping build a great business

Kevin Stansfield Why did Kevin love this book?

There are many books written on Leadership but very few on management. This is a small but powerful book that I have read many times.

While the concept of giving your team 1 minute of your time on a regular basis is simple, it is never easy, so having a template that I could follow was of great help. His concept of the 1-minute praise and 1-minute reprimand has helped many of my clients and me over the years to deal with difficult situations, and I even give it to team members so that they know what I am trying to achieve.

By Ken Blanchard, Spencer Johnson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The New One Minute Manager as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A revised edition of the timeless business classic—updated to help today’s readers succeed more quickly in a rapidly changing world.

For decades, The One Minute Manager® has helped millions achieve more successful professional and personal lives. While the principles it lays out are timeless, our world has changed drastically since the book’s publication. The exponential rise of technology, global flattening of markets, instant communication, and pressures on corporate workforces to do more with less—including resources, funding, and staff—have all revolutionized the world in which we live and work.

Now, Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson have updated The One Minute Manger…


Book cover of Winning!: The path to Rugby World Cup glory

Kevin Stansfield Author Of The BIG Dipper: How to Survive the Rollercoaster Ride of Business Ownership

From my list on helping build a great business.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been around businesses most of my life. Both my parents ran them, and as an accountant and business coach, I have helped many grow and be successful. I have also seen many businesses fail, including my father’s, and so I have been passionate about what it takes to build a successful business for many years. I am constantly on the lookout for great authors who have been through a journey and learn from their successes and failures. It was hard to select only 5 books in this review as I have read so many, but I hope that you find these as useful as I have.

Kevin's book list on helping build a great business

Kevin Stansfield Why did Kevin love this book?

Being a business coach, I am always looking for lessons from the sporting world to help my clients and this book delivered in spades. Woodward's story of how he took a bunch of talented individuals into a World Cup-winning team was gripping from start to end, even if you are not into Rugby. 

I loved his team-ship rules and how talent is only the beginning of building a successful team.  It also confirmed that even talented people need to leave the team if they don’t agree to keep to the values of the team.

By Clive Woodward,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Winning! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'There is so much more to the man than single-minded determination.' Sunday Telegraph

'His first day in the job of England coach is superbly described, and thereafter he is forever going the extra yard to make his team great.' Sunday Times
__________

Winning! tells a remarkable story - an unforgettable journey that began in September 1997 and took the English Rugby Team team from the lower ranks of international first-class rugby to the top as World Cup Champions.

Sir Clive Woodward and his team mounted a campaign of vast change, great learning, team building and clear vision to achieve their…


Book cover of Valuable Content Marketing: How to Make Quality Content Your Key to Success

Henneke Duistermaat Author Of How to Write Seductive Web Copy: An Easy Guide to Picking Up More Customers

From my list on writing for the web.

Why am I passionate about this?

In 2012, I escaped my corporate job to found Enchanting Marketing. I had discovered I love writing and I love teaching people how to write even more. I help small business owners and solo flyers find their voice and share their ideas with gusto, so they can captivate, educate, and inspire their audience. I created this list with 5 book recommendations as a mini-course on writing for the web. There’s little overlap between the books; they all complement each other. Happy reading and happy writing! 

Henneke's book list on writing for the web

Henneke Duistermaat Why did Henneke love this book?

For writing online beyond your own website, I highly recommend this book. It presents both the big picture and the nitty-gritty of content marketing for small businesses.

What I like about this book is that the authors understand that as a small business, you can’t do everything and be everywhere. So, choose where you want to be and create content that captivates, educates, and inspires your audience.

By Sonja Jefferson, Sharon Tanton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Valuable Content Marketing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER: Small Business Book Awards 2016 - Community Choice - Social Media Category WINNER: Small Business Book Awards 2014 - Community Choice - Marketing Category (1st edition) Make sense of content marketing in the digital world with this award-winning, practical guide to using content to grow your business and raise your brand. From websites, white papers and blogs to tweets, newsletters and video, content is king in the digital world, now more than ever before. Get it right and you have a huge opportunity to connect with clients and customers in ways they appreciate and trust - they will be…


Book cover of Content Inc.: Start a Content-First Business, Build a Massive Audience and Become Radically Successful

Anne H. Janzer Author Of Subscription Marketing: Strategies for Nurturing Customers in a World of Churn

From my list on rethinking marketing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an author, nonfiction writing geek, and marketing practitioner on a mission to help people make a positive impact with their writing. Before setting out on this path, I spent many years as a marketing consultant, working with over 100 technology companies to articulate their messaging and value to customers and prospects. My first book, Subscription Marketing, was my manifesto about the changes needed in marketing to thrive in the emerging, subscription-based world. It’s now in its third edition and has been translated into multiple languages.

Anne's book list on rethinking marketing

Anne H. Janzer Why did Anne love this book?

In Content Inc, Joe Pulizzi makes a bold proposal: What if you build your business on content—before you sell anything? Start with content, build a community, figure out what people want, and then serve it to them. A company built this way will have a culture aligned with its customers’ values. Now in its second edition, this book will make you rethink content marketing and entrepreneurship.

By Joe Pulizzi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Content Inc. as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Updated for the post-COVID economy! The proven low-risk, cost-effective way to launch a successful business

Today's markets are getting more and more dynamic, and customers are increasingly fickle. Meanwhile the COVID-driven economic crash has made mitigating financial risk more important than ever.

From one of today's leading experts in content marketing, Content Inc. is the go-to guide to building a solid small-business by establishing a loyal audience before you sell any products or services. In these pages, Joe Pulizzi provides a lower-risk, better way to build a successful business by re-engineering the process that so often leads to failure: You'll…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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