Hi Writers, as an independent author-marketing consultant people often ask me how they can begin finding author-clients of their own to work with. In today’s post, I’m going to compile a list of the best books for a new freelancer. Whether you yourself want to make a little extra money helping other authors or if you’re looking for a list of books to ‘train’ a new freelancer hire, I highly recommend these books!
The 15 Best Books for Freelancers
1. The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
Ryan Holiday
This book can help you turn your problems into your biggest advantages. And along the way it will inspire you with dozens of true stories of the greats from every age and era. Ryan Holiday shows us how some of the most successful people in history—from John D. Rockefeller to Amelia Earhart to Steve Jobs—have applied stoicism to overcome difficult or even impossible situations. Their embrace of these principles ultimately mattered more than their natural intelligence, talents, or luck.
Ancient Greek philosophy meets modern problems, and brings solutions. Check it out here.
2. The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future
Chris Guillebeau
Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment. It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise” – even if you don’t consider it such — and what other people will pay for. You don’t need an MBA, a business plan or even employees. All you need is a product or service that springs from what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid.
Learn how to lead a life of adventure, meaning and purpose – and earn a good living. Check it out here.
3. Friend of a Friend . . .: Understanding the Hidden Networks That Can Transform Your Life and Your Career
David Burkus
What if the best way to grow your network isn’t by introducing yourself to strangers at cocktail parties, handing out business cards, or signing up for the latest online tool, but by developing a better understanding of the existing network that’s already around you? In this startling new look at the art and science of networking, business school professor David Burkus digs deep to find the unexpected secrets that reveal the best ways to grow your career.
Learn how to make use of the hidden networks you already have, check it out here.
4. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future
Daniel Pink
The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic “right-brain” thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn’t. Drawing on research from around the world, Pink outlines the six fundamentally human abilities that are absolute essentials for professional success and personal fulfillment–and reveals how to master them.
On why creative are today’s leaders, check it out here.
5. Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
David Epstein
David Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable—generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see.
A compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency, check it out here.
6. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Charles Duhigg
Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.
Insights on how to optimize a freelance career, check it out here.
7. Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business
Paul Jarvis
What if the real key to a richer and more fulfilling career was not to create and scale a new start-up, but rather, to be able to work for yourself, determine your own hours, and become a (highly profitable) and sustainable company of one? By staying small, one can have freedom to pursue more meaningful pleasures and avoid the headaches that result from dealing with employees, long meetings, or worrying about expansion. Company of One introduces this unique business strategy and explains how to make it work for you, including how to generate cash flow on an ongoing basis.
A guide for a small business (of one) looking to stay that way, check it out here.
8. Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen
Rita McGrath
Columbia Business School Professor and corporate consultant Rita McGrath contends that inflection points, though they may seem sudden, are not random. Every seemingly overnight shift is the final stage of a process that has been subtly building for some time. Armed with the right strategies and tools, smart businesses can see these inflection points coming and use them to gain a competitive advantage.
A first hands-on guide to anticipating, understanding, and capitalizing on the inflection points shaping the marketplace––check it out here.
9. Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
Nir Eyal
You sit down at your desk to work on an important project, but a notification on your phone interrupts your morning. Later, as you’re about to get back to work, a colleague taps you on the shoulder to chat. At home, screens get in the way of quality time with your family. Another day goes by, and once again, your most important personal and professional goals are put on hold. Eyal lays bare the secret of finally doing what you say you will do with a four-step, research-backed model.
A guide revealing the key to getting the best out of technology, without letting it get the best of us, check it out here.
10.Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick
Wendy Wood
We spend a shocking 43 percent of our day doing things without thinking about them. That means that almost half of our actions aren’t conscious choices but the result of our non-conscious mind nudging our body to act along learned behaviors. Wendy Wood draws on three decades of original research to explain the fascinating science of how we form habits, and offers the key to unlocking our habitual mind in order to make the changes we seek.
A landmark book about how we form habits, and what we can do with this knowledge to make positive change, check it out here.
11. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
James Clear
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
Reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits, check out the book here.
12. Never Stop Learning: Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and Thrive
Bradley R. Staats
Technological automation is making jobs less routine and more cognitively challenging. Globalization means you’re competing with workers around the world. Simultaneously, the internet and other communication technologies have radically increased the potential impact of individual knowledge. In every industry and sector, dynamic learners outperform their peers and realize higher impact and fulfillment by learning continuously and by leveraging that learning to build yet more knowledge.
A framework to help you become a more effective lifelong learner, check it out here.
13.The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Steven Pressfield
What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do? Why is there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the roadblocks of any creative endeavor-be it starting up a dream business venture, writing a novel, or painting a masterpiece? Bestselling novelist Steven Pressfield identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.
A succinct, engaging, and practical guide for succeeding in any creative sphere, check it out here.
14. An Audience of One: Reclaiming Creativity for Its Own Sake
Srinivas Rao
The creator of the Unmistakable Creative podcast makes a counterintuitive argument: By focusing your creative work on pleasing yourself, you can increase your productivity, happiness, and (eventually, paradoxically) the size of your audience.
A collection of true stories of creatives who took this path, along with actionable tips and the research of creativity experts, check it out here.
15. You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth
Jen Sincero
You Are a Badass at Making Money will launch you past the fears and stumbling blocks that have kept financial success beyond your reach. Drawing on her own transformation—over just a few years—from a woman living in a converted garage with tumbleweeds blowing through her bank account to a woman who travels the world in style, Jen Sincero channels the inimitable sass and practicality that made You Are a Badass an indomitable bestseller. She combines hilarious personal essays with bite-size, aha concepts that unlock earning potential and get real results.
“A cheerful manifesto on removing obstacles between yourself and the income of your dreams,” check it out here.
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