Book recommendations + Book is done ✅ Follow up
I'm closing up my call for beta readers + 5 marketing/business books you should read as a creative person ;)
Hey,
First off, I need to say how amazingly overwhelmed I was by the response I received for yesterday’s call for beta readers of my book. I’m beyond grateful for the messages of support and encouragement, plus the super valuable feedback that’s already begun trickling in.
Thanks again to those who responded and are providing comments. 🙏
(I think I replied to everyone, but if you haven’t gotten a response yet, check your junk folder or else write to me again to see what happened.)
That said, I’ve reached, and much surpassed, my goal for beta readers, so I’m closing up my request, for now at least.
Note: I haven’t officially launched the book yet—that’ll happen once I incorporate all the feedback. But the site is still up. So if you want to check it out in it’s evolving state, you can go ahead and subscribe with a free trial.
Book Recommendations
I received lots of positive feedback the last time I provided a book recommendation list, so it’s time for round 2.
This time though, I’d like to recommend my top 5 marketing/business books, which have influenced the way I’m pursuing this project.
1. Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday
This book has massively reshaped my perspective and strategy.
Creating a Perennial Seller, as Holiday defines them, isn't about chasing a fleeting, explosive launch. Instead, it’s about crafting a product that endures; that sells consistently, not just in a quick burst, but slowly and steadily over many years by relevance and word of mouth.
In the book, Holiday meticulously examines what enables a book, a piece of art, or any creative work to not only survive but also prosper through the decades. He delineates the process into distinct phases: initial creation, meticulous polishing, strategic market positioning, and ongoing audience engagement.
When it comes to marketing, Holiday shifts away from typical short-lived tactics. Instead, he advocates for building strong foundations—think robust IP platforms, engaged communities, and meaningful partnerships.
2. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, by Nir Eyal.
This book apparently gets circulated around tech circles in Silicon Valley. But its relevancy, in my opinion, extends beyond tech startups.
Eyal explores how companies can create products that capture user attention and become essential parts of daily routines (which is exactly my goal as someone creating a self-help ‘method’). The book breaks down the "Hooked Model," a four-step process aimed at building customer habits:
Trigger: The cue that initiates the behavior, which can be external (like a notification) or internal (like a feeling or thought).
Action: The behavior performed in anticipation of a reward. This step is facilitated by making the action as easy as possible.
Variable Reward: The step where users get a reward that satisfies their needs but in a way that varies, which keeps the engagement high.
Investment: This involves the user doing something that improves the service for them and creates future triggers, increasing the likelihood of going through the hook cycle again.
Just like his self-help book, which I previously recommended (and still do), Nir’s writing is clear, accessible, and full of great examples.
What’s interesting too is that the book addresses the ethics of habit-forming practices, urging creators to use these techniques responsibly and to enhance users' lives. In that regard, he’s a bit of an optimist, envisioning a world where technology works to make our lives better and more enjoyable, rather than… well you already know what’s happening.
3. Contagious: Why Things Catch On, by Jonah Berger
In Contagious, Jonah Berger explores the science behind why certain things go viral and why others don’t.
The book breaks down the key principles that make products, ideas, and behaviors infectious: Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories. These ‘STEPPS’ provide a framework that anyone—from small business owners to writers like me—can use to enhance the appeal and reach of their ideas.
It’s a great read—the kind of book that helps you regain focus on a strategy. Now, my actions must first go through a very specific filter: will this make the product better? Will it make it increase its value as Social Currency, thus more likely to be shared?
For example, I could spend my time and resources on making super persuasive ads, website copy, email funnel campaigns, webinars… all to eventually sell an expensive course or whatever. Or, I could do everything I can to make the product so damn good; so stuffed with value, tools, and extra perks; so enormously worth the money… that it sells through word of mouth.
I much prefer the latter strategy… but that’s just me.
4. That Will Never Work, by Marc Randolph
Marc Randolph, the co-founder of Netflix, shares the unlikely story of how a small startup idea turned into a global behemoth. It's both a fun memoir and a useful guide for aspiring entrepreneurs, filled with candid anecdotes of the challenges and triumphs that define startup life.
It’s super easy read; great as an audiobook to listen in the car or out walking the dog
5. Building a StoryBrand, by Donald Miller
The takeaways from this book are super simple, but super important for anyone trying to get attention from the public and drive sales:
Clarify your message. As they say, if you confuse, you lose. Better to be clear and concise than ‘cute’, ‘clever’ or ‘profound’.
Be sure to position the customer as the hero and you/the business as the guide. Nobody cares how your pest control business was started by your grandfather in 1942. What they care about is if it will solve their very precise cockroach problem. (I shamelessly bit this premise for the last part of the book’s prologue).
Call them to action. Eliminate all clutter. Give them a clear, step by step, process to follow to do business with you. Make it super obvious how they can get started.
It’s all just really solid advice, which gets expanded on in a more systematic and practical way in the follow up book, Marketing Made Simple.
So, that's it for now.
If you found this useful, please hit the heart icon as it helps Substack’s algorithm recommend my stuff to others. It also makes me feel special—like getting a sticker for your third-grade homework.
All the best,
Simon ㋛