Books We Recommend

Publishing & Knowledge Product Strategy
Self-Publishing a Book
Marketing a Book

Publishing & Knowledge Product Strategy

The Long Tail

Chris Anderson

The Long Tail explains how the Internet and other technology innovations are lowering distribution costs in key industries, making diverse products and services profitable without scales of economy. Focusing on books, movies, and music, Anderson demonstrates how a market can be sub-divided to fulfill even the narrowest of interesting niches. Full of great stories and compelling statistics.

"The book becomes not the product of value but the advertisement for the product of value—the authors themselves."

Self-Publishing a Book

The Self-Publishing Manual

Dan Poynter

The Self-Publishing Manual is a great place to start learning the ins and outs of becoming your own publisher. It covers the basics of planning, writing, editing, designing, printing, and promoting a book. An invaluable resource.

Self-Publishing in Canada

Suzanne Anderson

A concise and logical guide—not to mention the only guide—to self-publishing north of the border. Anderson’s book proves especially valuable in the sections that outline tasks and contacts that are specific to Canada, such as how to get your ISBN through the National Library, advertising in the Globe & Mail, and dealing with GST.

Book Design and Production

Pete Masterson

A book that looks like an amateur effort can kill your chances of success. This primer, written for authors and self-publishers, provides a great education in the basics of book design and layout. It will help you talk knowledgeably with your designer (or try your own hand at layout) to get a professional-looking finished product.

The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days

Fern Reiss

Fern Reiss takes the daunting task of publishing a book and breaks it down into a series of straightforward tasks you can tackle day by day. Easy to understand, easy to follow, and easy to use, this volume makes a good addition to any publishing library.

The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days

Fern Reiss

Like the other books in her Publishing Game series, Fern Reiss' Find An Agent in 30 Days is not the most comprehensive resource you'll find, but it is one of the most straightforward. She outlines in simple steps the do’s and don’ts of finding, approaching, pitching and negotiating with agents. The complete sample proposal included at the end is particularly helpful.

Publishing for Profit

Thomas Woll

If you want a realistic look at what it takes to finance a book, this is it. Although written for commercial publishers, Publishing for Profit definitely offers valuable information for the self-publisher as well. The basics of planning, budgeting, and cash flow management are covered, and lots of helpful formulas, spreadsheets and templates are included.

Marketing a Book

Guerrilla Marketing for Writers

Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman, Michael Larsen

Authors take note! This is one book you don’t want to miss. The 100 promotional tactics from Levinson and the rest include everything from innovative word-of-mouth campaigns to launch parties and collaborative author tours. True to the spirit of the guerrilla marketing concept, more than half of the tactics can be implemented for free. The others are rated according to their cost.

1,001 Ways to Market Your Book

John Kremer

1,001 Ways is filled to the brim (to the covers?) with inspiring, creative and practical tactics for selling more books. At a hefty 700 pages, it’s not a book you’ll likely read right through but it does make an excellent desk reference. Pick and choose the ideas that work for you.