16 Content Marketing Books (and a Bonus Essay) That Should Be on Your Summer Reading List

Words unite us throughout powerful instances, direct us by confusion, and educate us as we develop. If you end up in search of a textual content geared at bolstering your advertising profession, you are not alone. We all want a little injection of camaraderie on event; generally, it takes the appropriate writer to know learn how to communicate to us. Helpful however not condescending. Direct with out preaching. Honest however not sugar-coated.The Skyword crew is worked up to share a handful of content material advertising books that strike this good steadiness. Some are new, some outdated, and all insightful and able to shift your mindset on among the foundational components of promoting: empathy, writing, and creating.Understanding and Leveraging Empathy in MarketingThere’s a rising pattern to construct campaigns from the bottom up by the eyes of the consumer’s audience (not the model’s mission assertion). Take your marketer’s hat off for a second and be the customer. Embrace a persona. These books might help you observe seeing from a perspective you do not at all times get in branding paperwork.1. Practical Empathy: For Collaboration and Creativity in Your Work by Indi YoungThis e-book helps readers perceive the pondering patterns and views of others with a focus on making higher choices, enhancing technique improvement and discovering options by profitable collaboration.”Everything we do as content material entrepreneurs comes right down to understanding and responding to issues and felt wants. This e-book is a nice learn for anybody seeking to shift their pondering from being oriented to options to being oriented to understanding the issues and views of audiences, end-users, and prospects. It accurately diagnoses the core downside plaguing most companies, which is a lack of listening (and a surplus of ego!). It challenged me to note assumptions about audiences/customers in my very own pondering and discover methods to hear higher (even when that is by my analysis). For those that have the assets, the e-book additionally supplies sensible insights on learn how to have efficient one-on-one and group conversations with audiences/customers to raised perceive their issues.” — Len Lee, principal skilled providers manager2. The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate by Fran HauserIn the case of empathy, it is best to gasoline it with clear, wholesome decision-making. In this learn, the writer will get candid about bold ladies who lose themselves in being a bit too good to keep away from showing aggressive of their careers.”The Myth of the Nice Girl by Fran Hauser had a large influence on me. It’s a nice learn for these in search of a extra balanced perspective than the “lean in” mentality. It’s all about how kindness and niceness may be highly effective strengths (primarily for ladies within the office) if used correctly and if balanced with boundaries. I attempt to hold among the classes in thoughts!” — Ash Holland, director of editorial3. The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight within the Age of Information Overload by Daniel J. LevinWe’re geeks for something mind science, which suggests we’re overjoyed to see a textual content about how folks suppose amongst a listing of content material advertising books. Every day, we analyze information, analysis, transcripts, slideshows, and reviews. How are we really processing all of this data and turning it into superb content material for our readers? This is a e-book about managing the circulate of data we eat every day.”This e-book helped me see and perceive how folks course of data in another way. As a marketer, it helps me take into consideration my viewers and the way they obtain and course of data. As a person, it helps me perceive myself and my organizational habits higher. It’s extremely thought-provoking. I like to recommend retaining a pocket book or a stack of Post-Its helpful whereas studying.” ~ Christine Kayser, director {of professional} servicesImage attribution: Suzy Hazelwood on PexelsPolishing Up Grammar and Writing ExpertiseYour crew relies upon on clear communications, together with articulate briefs for writers, concise directions for visible creatives, persuasive reviews for purchasers, and all of the task-driven emails despatched amongst our advertising colleagues. In so many instances, all of it comes right down to your wording.4. Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne TrussIf you are in search of a refresher on correct punctuation, this e-book is it. Learn all the things about semicolons, commas, apostrophes, and naturally, the controversy-stirring Oxford comma. Love it or hate it, it is best to know learn how to use it correctly.”Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss, Woe is I by Patricia T. O’Conner, and The Elements of F*cking Style by Chris Baker helped me go from fearing to appreciating to loving grammar, modifying, and diction. I by no means thought it doable to chortle out loud studying a e-book about grammar, however I stand corrected.” ~ Kara Burney, chief advertising officer5. Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’ConnerGrammar can get tough. This e-book untangles the rights and wrongs of English utilization with humor and allure. It additionally throws in a dialogue on the evolution of phrases, a nod to how we should adapt as always-on communicators within the digital age.”O’Conner breaks down grammar guidelines in a manner that is straightforward to know and makes use of humor and examples. It’s a nice learn for anybody seeking to refresh their grammar data, and I at all times have it at my desk as a reference.” ~ Kimberly Pavlovich, senior editor6. The Elements of F*cking Style by Chris BakerIf you study finest by getting down and soiled with cuss phrases and uncooked perception, decide up this e-book. There’s no boring grammar speak right here, and you will come away with as a lot data as that top college writing instructor you so admired—and possibly a newfound affinity for four-letter phrases.7. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen KingA private favourite and inspiration, we’re thrilled to have this brief textual content on the listing. King is uncooked, trustworthy, and direct about what it means to write down for a residing. The famed writer shares actionable ideas and relatable experiences together with some laughable moments.”Even although most of my job is not writing, precisely, I discover that I return to this e-book time and again through the years due to its insights. I’m a large Stephen King fan—I even met him as soon as!—and studying this appears like getting recommendation from a trusted instructor or mentor. It’s a well-loved e-book in my dwelling, sufficient that I’ve a paper and a digital copy, simply in case.” ~ Christine Kayser, director {of professional} services8. A World Without “Whom”: The (*16*) Guide to Language within the BuzzFeed Age by Emmy J. FavillaThere’s a lot extra to writing on-line than polished grammar and following editorial pointers. Language issues! In this e-book, the writer dives into internet-age expressions and on-line phrase utilization, together with emojis for communication. This is not your highschool English lesson.”I have not learn it but, however I believe it’ll present some priceless insights about what’s “appropriate” language when writing for the Internet. Language is at all times altering, and writing for readers could contain breaking conventional grammatical guidelines—one thing I take note when modifying blogs.” ~ Kimberly Pavlovich, senior editor9. The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. WhiteI nonetheless have my tattered copy of this no-frills grammar information, bought in school within the ’90s, in my bookcase. It’s handy, basic, and a must-have useful resource in your assortment. It’s not precisely an entertaining summer season learn (except grammar guidelines make you are feeling heat and fuzzy inside), nevertheless it’s a good companion for polished summer season writing tasks.”A bit greater than 20 years in the past, I used to be handed this e-book in my first few months of college. I approached it with some reluctance and suspicion; it was so small, gray, and . . . uninteresting trying. Inside its unassuming jacket, nonetheless, I discovered a information that sparkles with confidence and readability and gives explanations for English’s generally esoteric guidelines with wit, magnificence, and spirit that makes studying in regards to the risks of an infelicitous comma splice a pleasure. Whenever I really feel misplaced as a author or an editor (and people instances have been many), I return to those pages. Each time, I discover solace and options in its unparalleled instruction, am reminded of one thing vital I’d one way or the other forgotten, and am comforted by its compassion and poetry: “There isn’t any passable rationalization of fashion, no infallible information to good writing . . . Writers will usually discover themselves steering by stars which can be disturbingly in movement.” What different type handbook captures the author’s existential battle with such empathy and humility?At some level my unique, dog-eared copy was misplaced within the shuffle of life, and, in changing it, I stumbled on a moderately beautiful version, superbly illustrated by Maira Kalman, that I might notably advocate to anybody who, like me, often falls prey to the pitfalls of judging books by their covers.” — Deirdre Ilkson, senior advertising communications manager10. Why Editors Drink: A Snarky Look at Common, Often Hilarious, Writing Blunders by Rob ReinaldaThe work we do is tough, so let’s poke enjoyable on the challenges, we could? In this commentary-driven learn, the writer makes use of humor to remind us we aren’t alone on this loopy, artistic profession alternative.”A former colleague advisable this e-book and touts it as ‘guidance-oriented with out being educational or dry.’ It’s written by an editor and author who labored in newspapers earlier than transferring to on-line publishing. It focuses on on-line writing and gives steering for editors. I’m trying ahead to studying it since our work as editors can usually be so critical and detail-oriented; it is going to be good to take a step again and admire the idiosyncrasies of our jobs in a light-hearted manner.” — Margy Looney, affiliate director of editorialImage attribution: Yogendra Singh on PexelsCrushing a Career in Content CreationIt’s one factor to get pleasure from writing in a journal or penning fiction on the weekends. It’s fairly one other to create nonfiction content material for a residing day after day with optimum readability, refreshing creativity and retaining consumer wants cheerfully high of thoughts. Whether you are actively creating content material every week or information individuals who do, it is best to carry your A-game. And Website positioning-game. These content material advertising books might help.11. Branding: In Five And a Half Steps by Michael JohnsonAs entrepreneurs, we’re usually employed to wash up a public picture mess—or mitigate a potential one. Hello, re-brands, editorial pivots, and persona revisions. If your consumer is seeking to uncover itself and what it needs to current to the world, take into account including this e-book to your weekend plans.”This e-book is a nice learn for any marketer fortunate sufficient to be tagged into a branding or rebranding mission. It contains a questions-based framework designed to assist groups outline the core components of name technique and narrative. It’s been a few years since its publication (2016), however one factor I notably cherished about this e-book was the hassle they put into consolidating and analyzing fashionable, related model marketing campaign examples to assist the reader perceive learn how to bridge the hole from technique to artistic.” — Ruben Sanchez, senior director of growth12. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne LamottTales from a author may be extremely motivating. Here, this writer shares private recommendation from each her desk and that of her writer father. The struggles of content material creation are actual, and you will by no means really feel remoted in these sentiments with this e-book on your desk. Skyword Chief advertising officer Kara Burney says this e-book is a part of her writing inspiration studying listing.She additionally recommends searching Lorrie Moore’s essay How to Become a Writer, which incorporates one among her all-time favourite strains: “Plots are for useless folks, pore-face.”13. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann HandleyThis wildly widespread staple across the Skyword workplaces can be scorching among the many freelance author neighborhood, at all times exhibiting up on must-read lists.”The e-book breaks down the basics of writing 101 and emphasizes how everyone seems to be a author. I like to recommend it most possibilities I get when referring books to others.” — Jamal Robinson, enterprise improvementSkyword CEO Andrew Wheeler seconds this advice.”The e-book is written at a stage the place it appeals to a novice or to an knowledgeable. It incorporates content material fundamentals similar to methods and techniques entrepreneurs can take to make their content material stand out. And, it helps entrepreneurs perceive what to not do,” Wheeler commented. “Love Ann’s persona and magnificence that comes by on this e-book.”14. Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorsen and Melissa RachIf you have been pondering, We simply have to get one thing, something, written and printed! it is time for a pause. This refresher on content material technique—what it’s, its worth, and learn how to construct it—is the right summer season learn. (You may also slip this e-book into a welcome bundle for brand new advertising hires.)”The unique and nonetheless related Kristina Halvorsen and Melissa Rach’s Content Strategy for the Web gave me a identify to place with the techniques I used to be utilizing instinctively in my job on the time. I had by no means heard the phrase “content material technique,” however this e-book validated the methods I used to be already beginning to use and opened my eyes to different techniques. It was extraordinarily influential in my graduate capstone mission and has caught with me through the years as content material technique grew to become not simply a assortment of techniques, however a profession.” ~ Christine Kayser, director {of professional} services15. The Subversive Copy Editor: Advice from Chicago (Or, How to Negotiate Good Relationships with Your Writers, Your Colleagues, and Yourself) by Carol Fisher SallerMarketing is a crew sport. We need to work in collaboration with each our coworkers and with freelance assist employed to flesh out the content material creation course of. It can add as much as a lot, and this e-book digs into methods for working collectively when many palms are finessing one piece of content material, report, or presentation.”A former colleague advisable this e-book, saying it isn’t about learn how to copy edit, however moderately learn how to survive whereas doing it. The writer is a manuscript editor and editor of Chicago Style’s on-line Q&A. The e-book focuses on the connection between editors and writers but in addition offers copy modifying recommendation. I’m trying ahead to studying it as a result of it combines a lot of what we do right here at Skyword: working with editor colleagues, writers, and purchasers, and constructing relationships amongst all three roles by suggestions and collaboration.” — Margy Looney, affiliate director editorial16. The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary KellerSomeinstances, probably the most sage recommendation is the only. This e-book will get again to fundamentals, making it simpler to chop by the psychological muddle and rising to-do lists. One factor, folks. Focus on one factor.”The aim of The ONE Thing is to show you to focus on one factor at a time to attain your objectives. Simple sufficient, proper? After all, you in all probability already know that multitasking simply results in much less successfully doing extra issues. But have you ever realized that the identical factor may be mentioned about your advertising techniques? The extra your present and potential prospects need to comb by a number of messages to find out the worth you may present them, the much less probably they’re going to be prepared to have interaction with you. This e-book takes a easy technique and dives deeply into learn how to successfully prioritize and develop habits that result in success—each at dwelling and on the job!” — Suki Saunders, affiliate director of editorialHere’s to sipping a chilly beverage on a shaded patio as we flip the pages on inspirational nonfiction. May we at all times be studying!For extra advertising insights, subscribe to our month-to-month publication, Content & Context, penned by Skyword CEO Andrew Wheeler.Featured picture attribution: Lenin Estrada on Unsplash