When I started my business, I began devouring every business book I came across.

I also ate up productivity books because I was trying to figure out how to be a good boss to myself. (It’s not so easy!)

If you’re new to Blacksburg Belle, you might not know that my idea of a good Friday night is cuddling between my husband and one of my dogs while reading an engaging book. I have three sets of bookshelves and I still don’t have enough room for all of the books that I own. And, I’m a ‘highlight and mark in my non-fiction books’ kinda girl, so I’ve gotta own them. Doubt the library would be happy with me highlighting my favorite passages.

Just trying to paint a picture for you so that you know when I say that culled this list to pick the best of the best, I mean it.

I picked all the books I think are essential for creative entrepreneurs. I’ve broken up the list into four main categories (creativity, marketing, productivity/motivation, writing/copywriting) so that you can pick a book from the area you need help with now.

Think I left something off the list? I’d love to know your recommendations, because I’m always looking for my next great read. Please leave them in the comments below.

Creativity

1. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is a must-read for anyone with a creative job or passion. It will make you feel more brave and free when it comes to creating and we could all use a bit of that magic fairy dust, amiright?

Three topics it covers:

• Courage and creativity
• Dealing with failure
• Giving yourself permission to make whatever it is you want to make

Favorite quote:

“You want to write a book? Make a song? Direct a movie? Decorate pottery? Learn a dance? Explore a new land? You want to draw a penis on your wall? Do it. Who cares? It’s your birthright as a human being, so do it with a cheerful heart.”

Yes…I partly picked that quote because it made me giggle when I read the word penis. But I also really like it!

2. Poke the Box by Seth Godin

This book is all about creating your own roadmap instead of looking for one, creating something scarce and valuable.

Three things it covers:

• Getting into the habit of starting
• Why you must set a work schedule and stick to it
• Why you have to be willing to fail

Favorite quote:

[clickToTweet tweet=”“Go to work on a regular basis.”” quote=”“Go to work on a regular basis.””]

3. The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry

I’m not sure I’ve ever highlighted and tagged as many places in a book as I did with this one. It’s filled with tips, tricks and solid advice. I flew through this book in just a couple sittings, because I didn’t want to put it down. It’s a must for every single creative entrepreneur.

Three topics it covers:

• The effects of constant distraction
• Why you need to avoid busywork
• How to find your own creative rhythm

Favorite quote:

“No one lies on his deathbed wishing he’d had the time to reply to one more email, but a great many people express regrets about not having treated life with more purpose.”

4. The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp

I was so motivated and enthralled by this book that when I finished it, I hunted for any other books like it. I wanted more, more, more. I couldn’t find any. This book is such a unique book for creatives who want to make their passions their life’s work.

Three topics it covers:

• Why you should have rituals of preparation
• How to harness your memory
• Why you have to start with the box before thinking outside of it

Favorite quote:

“No one starts a creative endeavor without a certain amount of fear; the key is to learn how to keep free-floating fears from paralyzing you before you’ve begun.”

5. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

I struggled with whether to classify this under ‘creativity’ or ‘productivity’ but glancing through it reminded me that this book is the book you should read if you’re creatively blocked. You can thank me later (I like chai tea lattes with coconut milk and pretty notebooks).

Three topics it covers:

• What resistance is and how to deal with it
• How to be a professional
• How to invoke your muse

Favorite quote:

“Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is.”

Marketing

6. Brainfluence by Roger Dooley

This book will help you apply neuroscience and psychological research to marketing. It’ll help you understand why you need to consider your target market’s subconscious with all of your marketing.

Three topics it covers:

• What your prices say about your brand
• How to use all of your senses in your marketing
• How to build loyalty and trust

Favorite quote:

“To engage potential customers, write a vivid story involving your product or brand. Include action, motion, dialogue, and other aspects that will activate different parts of your customers’ brains.”

7. Difference by Bernadette Jiwa

This tiny book packs a huge punch. I feel like most people would receive this book or see it in a bookstore and be disappointed by how small it is. That would be a mistake. It’s filled with the kind of wisdom you want to plaster on sticky notes around your computer screen so that you don’t forget it.

Three topics it covers:

• The ten characteristics of difference thinkers
• The secret of disruptive innovations
• Why the businesses that succeed tell a better story

Favorite quote:

“The truth is that the masses don’t want to feel like the masses. They want to discern. To choose. To be seen. To matter. Your customers don’t want to be just anyone, they want to be someone.”

8. Fascinate by Sally Hogshead

Oh my gosh this book is mind blowing. If you feel like you’re having a hard time standing out from the crowded marketplace, you need this book in your life.

Three topics it covers:

• What makes a message fascinating
• How to figure out how fascinating your current brand is
• How to up your fascination

Favorite quote:

“Fascinating people and companies don’t just talk at us. They get under our skin and into our conversations. They challenge and move us. They’re unafraid to ask questions, and along the way, change the way we think.”

9. Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath

Feel like none of your ideas stick or catch on? Maybe you write a blog post and publish it, thinking that it’s going to go viral but instead you hear crickets? If you want to know why some ideas thrive while others quickly fade, you should pick up this book. It will absolutely help you market your business better.

Three topics it covers:

• Why simple is always the better option
• The three principles of making strategies stick
• How to teach in a way that the content sticks with your students

Favorite quote:

“Surprise makes us want to find an answer–to resolve the question of why we were surprised–and big surprises call for big answers. If we want to motivate people to pay attention, we should seize the power of big surprises.”

10. Start with Why by Simon Sinek

If you can’t get to this book right away, watch Simon’s TED talk. Spoiler: It’s gonna make you want to buy his book.

Three topics it covers:

• Why you should start with why
• How to inspire others
• Why inspiration is better than manipulation

Favorite quote:

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

11. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

There are a few things I really like about this book: there are case studies throughout, it gets pretty specific (which doesn’t always seem to happen with business books), it gives you exercises to do along the way.

Three topics it covers:

• Whether or not you should follow your passion
• A one-page business plan
• The step-by-step guide to creating a great offer

Favorite quote:

“Value means helping people. If you’re trying to build a microbusiness and you begin your efforts by helping people, you’re on the right track. When you get stuck, ask yourself: How can I give more value? Or more simply: How can I help my customers more?”

12. Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini

Have you ever seen a marketing tactic and wondered if it really worked or not? This book delves into so many psychological studies, giving you all the insider information. It’s a goldmine for anyone wanting to improve her marketing skills.

Three topics it covers:

• How inconveniencing your audience can increase your persuasiveness
• When persuasion might backfire
• When giving too many options makes something less desirable

Favorite quote:

“An ounce of personalized extra effort is worth a pound of persuasion.”

Productivity, Motivation and Willpower

13. 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam

This book helps you realize how much time you actually DO have, how to seize control of your life and how you’re spending your time, and how to be happier and more productive on a day-to-day basis.

Three topics it covers:

• The myth of the time crunch
• Controlling your calendar
• The hard work of having it all

Favorite quote:

“The majority of people who claim to be overworked work less than they think they do, and many of the ways people work are extraordinarily inefficient. Calling something “work” does not make it important or necessary.”

Amen Laura!

14. Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin

This book will help you figure out how to create habits for yourself that you’ll stick with. What I love about this book is that Gretchen doesn’t assume that what works for one person will work for another and she helps you determine how to tweak things so they’ll work for you.

Three topics it covers:

• The four tendencies
• How monitoring, scheduling and accountability affect habits
• The best time to change a habit

Favorite quote:

“It’s simple to change habits, but it’s not easy.”

15. Daily Rituals by Mason Currey

I don’t know about you, but I’m so curious about the daily routines of successful people, especially creatives. It intrigues me and gives me motivation to work harder and smarter. While reading this book in bed in the evenings, I found myself so excited to start the next day. It also helped me come up with rituals surrounding my own creative projects.

This book is simply an inside look into how other artists work or worked on a daily basis. If you’re not into that kind of thing, then you can skip this one.

Three topics it covers:

• The daily rituals of Pablo Picasso
• The daily rituals of Toni Morrison
• The daily rituals of Ayn Rand

Favorite quote:

“Routine, in an intelligent man, is a sign of ambition.” -W.H. Auden

16. Do the Work by Steven Pressfield

This is the type of book that you’ll devour in an hour or two but that you’ll want to re-read on a regular basis. It’s inspiring and motivating and a good kick in the butt.

Three topics it covers:

• How to deal with resistance
• Why you should start before you’re ready
• Why you should try to get your working drafts done as soon as possible

Favorite quote:

“When we ship, we’re exposed. That’s why we’re so afraid of it.”

17. Grit by Angela Duckworth

I wish I had the power to make everyone read this book. It’s packed with information on why you should find something you love and then work incredibly hard to build your life around it. If you’ve been feeling kinda ‘meh’ lately and are looking for a shot of motivation, this is the book you need to read.

Three topics it covers:

• How grit can be learned
• How lifelong interest is triggered
• Why you need to build in deliberate practice into your day-to-day life

Favorite quote:

“At various points, in big ways and small, we get knocked down. If we stay down, grit loses. If we get up, grit prevails.”

18. Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

There’s a quote on the front of the book by Chip and Dan Heath (who also made this list) that says that everyone should own this book. I agree. It’s an influential book about motivation that we should all read and think about.

Three topics it covers:

• The two types of mindset
• How your mindset changes the meaning of failure and effort
• Whether or not artistic ability is a gift

Favorite quote:

“In one world, failure is about having a setback. Getting a bad grade. Losing a tournament. Getting fired. Getting rejected. It means you’re not smart or talented. In the other world, failure is about not growing. Not reaching for the things you value. It means you’re not fulfilling your potential.”

19. Switch by Chip and Dan Heath

The Heath men write some engaging, influential books. Give me more, gents, give me more! In this book, they help you figure out how to change something that is really hard to change.

Three topics it covers:

• Three surprises about change
• How to build habits
• What an elephant and rider have to do with change

Favorite quote:

“For individuals’ behavior to change, you’ve got to influence not only their environment but their hearts and minds. The problem is this: Often the heart and mind disagree. Fervently.”

20. The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte

Danielle’s writing has this engrossing, gripping nature that’s also lyrical and beautiful. It almost feels like you’re reading poetry but it’s a self-help book. She has become an auto-buy author for me. I will always buy her books and devour them when I need a pick-me-up. If you’re a creative entrepreneur, I bet you will love this one.

Three topics it covers:

• How to choose what to focus on
• Dealing with fear and failure
• Money, money, money (the good and the bad)

Favorite quote:

“The gratitude you receive from others is a reflection of your genius.”

21. The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

I have a question for you: do you end the day feeling exhausted, like you have absolutely nothing left? Maybe you get done with work and don’t feel like you’ve got any energy left for your family or spouse? Maybe you hit a slump in the afternoon and pretty much push the mouse around the screen for the rest of the day? If so, you need to read this book.

Three topics it covers:

• Why you should be managing your energy–not time
• How to live a more engaged life
• How to balance stress and recovery

Favorite quote:

“Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance.”

22. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Have you ever sat down and made a list of all of your habits? It can be illuminating–it shows you that the reason you haven’t written that novel is because you spend three hours a day watching television or the reason you can’t manage to lose weight is because you drink half a bottle of wine at night and then down unhealthy snacks.

Our habits say a lot about us. They make up who we are and if you want to change your habits, you’ve got to put in a lot of work. This book will absolutely help you.

Three topics it covers:

• The gold rule of habit change
• The habits of successful organizations
• The neurology of free will

Favorite quote:

“When a habit emerges, the brain stops fully participating in decision making. It stops working so hard, or diverts focus to other tasks. So unless you deliberately fight a habit–unless you find new routines–the pattern will unfold automatically.”

23. The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone

When I read the first few chapters, I almost gave up on this book. It felt super cheesy to me, and I was not connecting with the author. I pushed through and started to feel more and more inspired while reading it. I’m glad that I didn’t put this book away, because it’s been one of the most motivating books I’ve ever read.

Three topics it covers:

• Why you should assume control of everything
• How to 10X your goals
• Why average is a failing formula

Favorite quote:

“Never set realistic goals; you can get a realistic life without setting goals for it.”

24. Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

This book will change the way that look at and do business. It’ll change the way you work and create. It’s magical in the way a really good book can be.

Three topics it covers:

• The importance of turning pro
• The difference between an amateur and a pro
• What happens when you turn pro

Favorite quote:

“Turning pro is free, but it’s not easy. You don’t need to take a course or buy a product. All you have to do is change your mind.”

25. The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal

If you find yourself constantly pushing things to tomorrow, not finishing your to-do lists and feeling spent at the end of the day, please please please do yourself a favor and pick up this book. One of the things I love most about The Willpower Instinct is that each chapter is accompanied by exercises you can do to improve your willpower. My husband and I read this at the same time and couldn’t wait to tell each other what we did at the end of the day to improve our willpower. This book can be life-changing if you do the work.

Three topics it covers:

• Why self-control is like a muscle
• How being good gives us permission to be bad
• Why we mistake wanting for happiness

Favorite quote:

“For change to stick, we need to identify with the goal itself, not the halo glow we get from being good.”

26. Drive by Daniel H. Pink

This book breaks down how human beings are motivated and how to use that to help yourself and with your employees.

Three topics that it covers:

• Why we need to focus on the “why” instead of the “how”
• Reasons why carrots and sticks don’t work
• Why autonomy, mastery and purpose are the three elements of true motivation

Favorite quote:

“As wonderful as flow is, the path to mastery–becoming ever better at something you care about–is not lined with daisies and spanned by a rainbow. If it were, more of us would make the trip. Mastery hurts.”

Writing and Copywriting

27. Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman

If you look at the cover of this book, you’re probably going to think, “Super cheesy. No way.” But, there are some great hidden gems inside of it. In this instance, don’t judge the book by it’s cover. If you’re trying to improve your copywriting (and even if you need a refresher), I highly recommend picking this up.

Three topics that it covers:

• The psychological principles you should consider when writing copy
• Proven techniques for selling anything to anyone
• Headline starters

Favorite quote:

“It’s critical that your headline do two things: 1) grab their attention, and 2) motivate them to keep reading. If it doesn’t do both, you could be giving away free gold bars, and most people wouldn’t notice.”

28. Persuasive Copywriting by Andy Maslen

This book delves into writing copy that attracts the right people. It talks about how people make decisions–based on emotion first and then rationalization. Andy knows how to write to sell and he teaches you how in this book. If you struggle writing product descriptions, sales pages, and sales emails, you need to pick this book up.

Three topics it covers:

• Harnessing the power of emotional copywriting
• Three things you should use before benefits
• How to make your writing more enjoyable and compelling

Favorite quote:

“Emotion drives action. Information drives analysis. We want our reader to act.”

29. Still Writing by Dani Shapiro

This book is part memoir and part writing advice. Dani opens her life and writing process. It’s one of those books that you fly through and then wish you hadn’t, because you want to savor every minute of it. If you’re a writer or you want to improve your writing, you should read this.

Three topics it covers:

• The importance of consuming good books to become a better writer
• How to improve your writing
• What to do when you’re having “bad” days

Favorite quote:

“Fill your ears with the music of good sentences, and when you finally approach the page yourself, that music will carry you.”

What else should be on this list? I’m always looking for more recommendations. Leave them in the comments below!