If you’re serious about blogging, you’ll take every chance available to learn as much as you can. Seriously, the way to succeed in blogging is to educate yourself and then apply what you’ve learned to your blogging strategy.
Blogging is for life! That’s what I tell anyone interested in starting a blog.
Blogging is not something you can start doing today and decide that you’ll only spend a few months doing it.
I mean, by all means, you can do that, but if you’re expecting results in just a few months of starting a blog, then I have news for you – It’s not going to happen.
The point I’m trying to make is that you should get into blogging with the mindset that you’re going to be in it for a very long time. Try ten years or more!
As well as being a ‘lifetime commitment, blogging is also a constant process of learning and applying.
Whether you blog for business or for pleasure, the learning never stops as a blogger.
So, once again, without a doubt, the best way to become smarter at doing blogging is by educating yourself and learning new things.
You can watch tutorial videos on YouTube. You can follow and read other blogs because there’s nothing better than learning from bloggers that have found success, right?
One of my favorite ways to educate myself in blogging is by reading. Anything that’s worth reading: Blogs, magazines, books, guides, etc.
But on the subject of books – Books are priceless educational resources, in my opinion. I’ve read countless books that have helped me tremendously with my blogging and online business journey over the last ten years.
I know what you’re thinking –
OK, I get it, book are great. So, what books should I be reading then, Fabrizio?
Well, I’m glad you asked because, amongst the many thousands of self-help books, blogging books, and guides available out there, there are a few that really stand out, at least for me.
So, if you scroll down below, you’ll see that I’ve listed for you my personal list of the most valuable, resourceful, educational books for bloggers for 2021!
I’ve read every single one of these titles. Some of them in the form of digital books, others in good old-fashioned paperbacks. Some of these books I’ve read more than once. So, take a look and grab yourself a couple of them and get learning and inspired to do more with your blog.
Affiliate Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate/affiliate, I earn from qualified purchases. This means if you click on any of the affiliate links in this post and purchase a book from Amazon, I earn a small commission, at no extra charge to you. Thanks for your continued support.
OK, so let’s assume you’re totally new to the world of blogging and using WordPress.
I know how daunting that first experience can be. I mean, where do you start even as someone totally new to all of this? Not to mention, WordPress can be a minefield to someone new.
Well, thankfully, there’s a great little book for WordPress noobs. A complete manual to starting a WordPress blog. This book covers most essentials such as installing themes, installing plugins, creating a custom layout, and formatting your content. The book is called WordPress To Go.
I recommend this book to anyone that is new to WordPress and need to grasp the lines quickly. Learning how WordPress works and unlocking your potential as a user is vital if you want to succeed as a blogger.
This is another favorite little ebook from a professional blogger, eBook writing expert, and author Steve Scott.
If you’re looking for a simple step-by-step no-nonsense guide to starting a blog in no time at all, this eBook is waiting for you.
From a complete beginner’s perspective, this guide covers everything from registering a domain name, purchasing web hosting, installing WordPress, using themes and plugins, plus a lot more.
I recommend this book if you have no previous blogging experience and need to understand the entire process of starting and building a blog from start to finish.
I know what you’re thinking – Why do you need to learn HTML and CSS?
Here goes:
I honestly believe that to get the most from your WordPress blog or website, you need to know how HTML and CSS work.
I’m not saying its mandatory, but it really does help.
For me, learning basic HTML and CSS many years back not only allowed me to do some cool customizations to my WordPress blog, saving time and money outsourcing those services, but it also enabled me to start on a path to a whole new career as a freelance web designer and front-end developer.
I can’t begin to tell you how many bloggers have reached out to me over the years asking for my advice on how to do certain HTML and CSS customzations with WordPress.
I’m recommending this book because it’s straightforward to understand, it’s comprehensive, making learning HTML and CSS fun.
There are tons of books on social media out there, but only a few stand out from the crowd.
One of which is this one by Dave Kerpen: Likeable Social Media
This book teaches you how to delight your customers (blog readers, subscribers), create an irresistible brand (your blog), and be amazing on Facebook and other social networking sites.
If you’re looking for clear cut instructions on how to engage with your audience on social network sites on a personal and professional level, this guide is a must for any blogger.
I’m recommending this book because it provides quick and simple actionable tips for using various social channels.
This is another favorite social media book, which I highly recommend for all bloggers and marketers leveraging social media. I actually have this one installed on my Kindle App for the iPad.
I love this eBook simply because it’s a quick and simple reference guide. And you’ll see for yourself, if you need a few social media marketing ideas for using a specific platform, that you can apply quickly, you can simply look it up.
I’m recommending this eBook because, as a reference guide, this can save you some time trying to develop simple ideas for promoting your content on social media.
Facebook is STILL at the forefront of social media marketing and will be for a long while yet.
Almost every internet business owner, solopreneur, and blogger that I know is leveraging Facebook’s features to drive readers, subscribers, and customers to their websites, whether done organically or by using paid advertisement.
Not to mention that Facebook itself is now considered a powerful platform for eCommerce.
If you’re totally new to the world of using Facebook to market and promote your business or your blog, this book is for you.
The book is currently in its 4th Edition, so a lot of it has been updated. It covers everything from increasing engagement to using advertising tools, and more.
There are many books on the topic of leveraging Instagram to drive engagement, likes, and comments. This book is NOT one of them.
Instead, Instagram Secrets will teach you how to grow a large following quickly, drive huge traffic and generate income from the platform.
Instagram Secrets was authored by entrepreneur and award-winning digital marketing consultant Jeremy McGilvrey.
I recommend this book for any blogger interested in building a large targeted audience on Instagram. An audience is critical for increasing brand awareness, driving traffic, and boosting conversions!
One Million Followers is the perfect Instagram followers growth strategy guide for any blogger starting from scratch with Instagram.
In this book, Author Brendan Kane teaches you how to grow a genuine and distinct online following starting from the ground up. So, if you have an Instagram account and have no idea what to do with it, start with this book.
The book also features in-depth interviews with Instagram superstars and influencers.
Here’s another great book by Steve Scott, and this is more of a booklet; it shouldn’t take you long to read at all.
That said, the tips and suggestions contained are priceless, especially for those new bloggers learning how to create great content for their blog.
The booklet contains simple-to-understand, actionable tips on how to write great content that will get readers commenting, sharing, and subscribing to your blog.
You’ll discover the various types of posts you can create –
The author also provides useful tips and ideas for blog post promotion, plus a lot more to mention. This is a booklet that is crammed with value, so grab it and read it.
Every once in a while we become disconnected from our blogs.
We sometimes get frustrated and lose direction and find it hard to find any real motivation to blog.
This book is genuinely the kick up the rear end you’ve been looking for to help you get off your lazy horse, and author Bryan Allain does a fine job of doing it.
Bryan shares his insights, tips, and strategies that will help you find your blogging voice and help you build the kind of community for your blog that you’ve always been dreaming of.
This book provides you with a Mojo action for each day, for 31 days, or until you get your juices flowing and find your blogging Mojo.
The combination of great practical tips and advice, humor, and a task for each day make this one of my all-time favorite blogging books. And, a must if you feel as if your blog requires some new direction.
Highly recommended!
Darren Rowse is one of the biggest names in the blogging world.
ProBlogger has become the mecca of blogging and a fine example of how successful you can become with a blog.
Darren has authored many great books on blogging in his time. This particular one, however, is authored by online business strategist Mark Hayward.
‘Blogging for your Business’ is a step-by-step guide to building an online presence and achieving your online business goals through the power of blogging.
One sitting on my computer for a while but still refreshing to read from time to time.
Chris Ducker is a serial entrepreneur, blogger, and author of Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business.
This is a must-read book for all small business owners, bloggers, and entrepreneurs. Because if you’re finding it increasingly difficult to manage and carry out all of the tasks involved in building a successful blogging business by yourself, you need to discover how working with a virtual team can help you, so get this book.
In a nutshell, the book talks about outsourcing and building a team of virtual staff affordably.
When it comes to being more productive online, we could all do with a little extra help, right.
This book will inspire and teach you how to become more productive with your online business from the world Go. Even if you are already a busy person and have other important commitments in your life, such as 9 to 5 job or a family, you can take something valuable from this book.
Online Business Productivity is co-authored by 18 leading entrepreneurs and experts, including Pat Flynn, Chris Ducker, Chris Guthrie, Corbett Barr, and many more. Each of them shares their advice and strategies with you, a great read.
Oh, wait! That’s my book. Well, actually, this is a PDF template workbook that I think every disorganized blogger needs to have.
The Ultimate Pro Blog Planner contains 70+ professionally designed, full A4 sized, printable templates to help you plan, manage, and grow your blogging business.
If you want to stay organized and reach your blogging goals in 2021, and, of course, get more done, then grab a copy of my Blog Planner. Over 500 copies were sold in 2020.
How much success you find with your blog depends on how well of a marketer you are.
It’s not just about being able to create great content. It’s also about being able to promote that content in the right context to the right audience.
If you’re just starting out and need to master online and digital marketing essentials, you most definitely need to pick up this handbook.
Although I’ve had it a few years now, much of what’s in it is still very much relevant, now more than ever.
If you’ve had your blog for some time and would like to learn how to generate and income from your blog, this is the book to start with.
In this book, author Bob Lotich explains how he was laid off from his day job in 2007, and in 2008 took the plunge to start his own blog.
Today, Bob earns more money from his blog than he ever did with his day job, and with this guide, he shares the steps he took, mistakes he made, including tips and strategies.
Great little read for anyone NOT making money, or enough money, from blogging. Also, this guide is a good source of inspiration.
This is another one of Darren’s many successful books on blogging and making money, and this one is maybe one of his most popular books ever published.
Secrets to Blogging Your Way To A Six-Figure Income is one of the most complete books there is out there on the subject of making money from blogging. Now in its third edition.
The book is authored by Darren and another iconic name in the blogging world, Chris Garett.
OK, so I got a little confession to make, I didn’t actually buy this book, but it was given to me as a Christmas present from my sister.
How To Blog For Profit is one of the most complete books I’ve ever read on the topic of building a profitable blog from start to finish!
It shares some intelligent strategies for creating great content and tips for building traffic, developing a social media strategy for capturing viral growth on sites like Pinterest and Facebook, and more.
I honestly thought I knew everything there was to know about blogging, even after eight years, until I started reading this book. I highly recommend it.
It is said that the affiliate marketing industry is worth a monstrous 6 billion dollars. Staggering stuff, right?
Now, if you want to learn how to earn passive income from your blog through smart affiliate marketing in 2021 and beyond, this guide could be for you.
Affiliate Marketing 2019 contains a lot of useful information for bloggers new to the world of affiliate marketing and passive income. Yep, it’s a 2019 book, but I can tell you that the information is still relevant today in 2021.
The book will teach you –
I end this list with the book that started it all off for me back in July of 2010.
Who is John Chow, and what does he know about making money from blogging?
John is an A-list blogger, one of the most successful and highest-earning bloggers globally, making well over $100,000 a month from his blogs.
Make Money Online was one of the first books I read on blogging for money. And, needless to say, I was hooked from that day forward.
Shortly after reading John’s book, I started my first blog, which was called Magnet4Marketing at the time. I spent three years building, learning, and making a ton of mistakes with that blog. And I’m glad I did because it paved the way for me to start over, with Magent4Blogging.
So there you have it, some great books for bloggers and marketers, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading too.
As I mentioned at the very beginning of this post, there are many more titles that I’ve not mentioned here, but if you know of a great book that you think should be added to this list, get in touch with me to let me know.
I’ll be adding more books to this list in the future, so keep a close eye on any updates I make. You can also subscribe for updates using the button below.
Enjoy and happy blogging!
