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.


I wrote

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

What is my book about?

Today's markets are getting more and more dynamic, and customers are increasingly fickle. Meanwhile, the COVID-driven economic crash has made…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

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

Joe Pulizzi Why did I love this book?

Any person, whether working as an individual content entrepreneur or creating content inside a brand or media company, needs to understand how to write. There may be no better book in the world than Everybody Writes. Ann breaks down both the strategy (why are you writing and what’s your mission) as well as the tactical issues that all writers need to no. In addition, you don’t need to be an expert writer for this book to work. Just pick it up and enjoy the ride.

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 Why did I 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 They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer

Joe Pulizzi Why did I love this book?

Marcus Sheridan built a multi-million dollar business by doing one thing really well – he listened to his customer’s questions and then answered them online. Simple, right? Well, the strategy works. In this book, Marcus lays out the particulars for how content creators can leverage this strategy in their own organization and what the impact might be.

By Marcus Sheridan,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked They Ask, You Answer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The revolutionary guide that challenged businesses around the world to stop selling to their buyers and start answering their questions to get results; revised and updated to address new technology, trends, the continuous evolution of the digital consumer, and much more

In today's digital age, the traditional sales funnel-marketing at the top, sales in the middle, customer service at the bottom-is no longer effective. To be successful, businesses must obsess over the questions, concerns, and problems their buyers have, and address them as honestly and as thoroughly as possible. Every day, buyers turn to search engines to ask billions of…


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

Joe Pulizzi Why did I 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 Why did I 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…


Explore my book 😀

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

What is my book about?

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 learn how to develop valuable content, build an audience around that content--and then create a product for that audience.

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in content marketing, marketing, and writing?

Marketing 202 books
Writing 59 books