Books you need to read first!
October 16th, 2008
My top recommendations from my book list:
Understanding the world we live in:
- Stumbling on Happiness - by Daniel Gilbert
- Not at all new-agey, as the title might suggest. Harvard professor of psychology has studied happiness for years, and shares factual findings that will change the way you look at the world.
- The Wisdom of Crowds - by James Surowiecki
- Mind-blowing examples of how groups of diverse people acting independently are smarter than any one person in the group. Has huge implications for management, markets, decision-making, and more.
- The Paradox of Choice - Why More is Less - by Barry Schwartz
- Faced with many options or decisions in your life? This will change the way you look at them. We feel worse when we have too many options.
Marketing
- Small is the New Big - by Seth Godin
- My favorite author, by far. I’m a massive fan and disciple. A collection of his short insightful posts from his blog, all thought-provoking and inspiring for anybody marketing anything, even music. (Seth was a CD Baby client and fan.)
- Made to Stick - by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
- Actually analyzing what makes certain ideas or stories more memorable than others! Fascinating. Apply this wisdom to your songs, bio/story, communication with fans, etc.
Getting your life under control
- The 4-Hour Work Week - by Timothy Ferriss
- Brilliant reversal of all of the “how to manage all your crap” books. This one tells you how to say “no” to the crap, set expectations on your terms, and be just as effective in a fraction of the time. This is perfect for musicians with other responsibilities (day jobs) that need more free time to actually make music!
Own your own business?
- E-Myth Revisited - by Michael Gerber
- Everything needs to be a system. Think of your business as a franchise prototype. You should be able to hand the “how-to” manual to just anyone, to do it as good as you.
- The Ultimate Sales Machine - by Chet Holmes
- After reading E-Myth Revisited, this is the best book I’ve seen on how to turn it into real results, step-by-step. Not ambiguous. Very “do it like this”.
- The Art of Profitability - by Adrian Slywotzky
- 25 different models of profitability presented in examples you can relate to your own business, making you realize profit-sources you’d never thought of before.
Dealing with people
- What Got You Here Won’t Get You There - by Marshall Goldsmith
- Stinging counter-intuitive insights into how most of us are dealing with co-workers completely wrong. Great specific suggestions for how to do it better.
- You, Inc - The Art of Selling Yourself - by Harry Beckwith
- One of my favorite authors, and a massive inspiration for my e-book. This is his newest, but read anything he’s done. It’s all top-notch insights on making life easier by being more considerate, whether you call that marketing or just life.
I’m getting them all! Except for 4HWW, of which I’ve been a fan ever since it came out. It was cool meeting Tim in Madrid a few weeks ago, BTW.
Ever planning on visiting Spain, Derek?
Awesome, thanks for breaking your previous list down like this for us folks with ADD who can’t process a list of more than 10 things!
Thank you so much for this tremendous list *and* your notes! Wow, what a lot of effort you’ve put into this. Your generosity is much appreciated, Derek.
Wishing you peace.
Thanks Derek! I’m off to library now. They all look like relevant titles.
Derek - Thanks for breaking it down and, as Ari mentioned, I’m off to the library shortly. One other to perhaps add to your list on happiness is, “Happiness Is” by Shawn Christopher Shea. It hasn’t yet caught on outside of academia, but well worth the read.
Thanks for sharing Derek.
I never told you but you are the one who turned me on to 4HWW from your initial post and I’ll be ever grateful for that. I only checked it out cuz of my respect for you via CDBaby and reading that book has significantly focused the direction of my music career.
So I look forward to reading these other recommendations of yours. I’ve already read E-Myth Revisited. Great book with profound insights.
Thanks again.
I loved the book “Small is the New Big” - by Seth Godin
my fave read lately is “Now Is Gone” by Geoff Livingston. subtitle is A Primar on New Media for Executives and Entretprneours’
All time marketing (sort of) book is the classic Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking, by David Bayles and Ted Orland.AMAZING Book.
Derek,
The 4HWW struck a chord with me. Thanks for the breakdown on all the books. To the library I go for the rest. AWESOME and STIMULATING info.
Gwen Laster
Thanks for the info.
I have made a copy of the list of books. This time of year I get busy. I will take time to read them.
Wow! Just the right time. Thanks for compiling this list. Really need to read them all!
THE MOUNTAIN OF INFO THAT YOU HAVE AT YOUR DISPOSAL HAS BEEN BOON TO MY CAREER. THANX
Hi Derek, you know that they sell books in other places besides airports? Somebody get the man a copy of “the red pony” before he guruizes!
I’m teasing. Your appetite for management theory makes sense as a rising maven within the world.
Yeah I’m a little obsessed with helping musicians, and business books offer me the best advice on how to do that, right now.
Great list, and good notes. Thanks Derek!
As for marketing, two articles of mine were recently published in Subscription Marketing. The first is on copywriting and the second is on design; here are links in case you might want to have a peek:
Article 1: This is the BEST Article, Written JUST FOR YOU, Read it TODAY!
Link to article:
http://www.toddlerneradvertising.com/press/sm_novdec07.pdf
Article 2: Show Some Game and Get the Girl — How to be a Typographic Player
Link to article:
http://www.toddlerneradvertising.com/press/sm_janfeb08.pdf
Best,
-Todd Lerner
Derek–These recommendations are really great. I’ve already read most of Stumbling on Happiness. It’s neat to see a breakdown of books in the self-help/business category by an intelligent, articulate person.
Derek…you are now..and have always been an asset to my career….that is why I stayed with CDbaby…thanks for caring for us..’unsigned’ artists. I chose to go independant…had offers…but they were not sound..and I like the freedom of creative control…your company helped me do that. Thanks-TinGle
Thanks for shortening the list, Derek. (when I master the having more time thing I’ll add some additional resources from the master list.)
Thanks Derek! I’ve read a handful of these, but I’m going for the rest… 4HWW changed my life.
Hope to see you again soon,
Mason
Derek,
I love the book selection. I’m a crazy reader and this was very interesting.
Thank you!
Al
You are my hero! As if I didn’t already have a stack of “must reads” to get through. At least four of these books supersede the existing stack. Thanks Derek!
Rock on!!!
GReat …
Jean Paul
Thanks I’ll check those out.
Derek,
Just read the synopsis (almost all of it) of “Small is the New Big.” I echo Seth Godin’s beliefs in “work that pushes us.” It gave me a lot of validation for something that I have been thinking about for quite sometime. In Quantum Mechanics, it “takes energy” for an electron to ‘jump’ to a higher frequency. The reality that we have to consume energy in order to make change in our levels of expanded energy and vibrational frequency. Often, I find that it is this energy forged in the fire of new experience and challenge…that allows the leap. Will ask for a Amazon Gift Card for the Holidays!!!
Great suggestions! I need to pick up the Beckwith book! I agree about Seth Godin, great writer, relevant issues and so straight to the point. I read his blog, always good stuff!
Fantastic!!!
Thank you Derek!
Oscar
Hi Derek,
This is a fantastic list of books you have recommended!!! I will certainly check them out.
Cheers!!
Atasi
You are truly a person of helpful insights. Thanks so much for all you’ve done and continue do for us independents Derek. Discovering CDbaby was truly an asset to my music career. The idea of being globally connected is awesome. Though I must admit, the idea of you no longer being there is truly a void, I can only pray that the quality of services and timely disbursements can sustain itself.
Best wishes always.
Marilyn
Thanks for giving us bread crumbs that help us out. I think you are successful because you put others first. Very rare these days for sure.
Hello Derek!
This is really a treat from you and thank you for been and inspiration for many.
Andres
Thanks for paring this list down. I appreciate it. I will try to get as many of these as audio books and listen while I sit in Chicago rush hour traffic on the way to gigs - my university on wheels!!
Thank you for this, Derek. 4HWW is excellent! May I also add what I believe to be the perfect companion to 4HWW, “Getting Things Done” by Allen.
Derek, thanks for this. I recently saw a subscription service in an airline magazine offering monthly “Executive Summaries” of the best new business & marketing books. I loved the idea, and love that you’re offering the same concept to independent musicians. My only request would be for a downloadable PDF version that I could read more easily on my iPhone. Cheers!
I seen some books I was interested in. THANKS!
Hm, I thought when I first saw your list of books, you had your personal notes displayed on each book’s page. If I remember right, it wasn’t just a short paragraph but a longer version.
I had bookmarked it planning to read your notes to see if you had any insights on books I had also read. Am I mistaken, or did you remove those from public view?
I keep my own list of books I’ve read with personal notes on each one, though it’s often just a summary of the book itself. I find it’s a good way to quickly refresh my memory on old topics or spark new ideas by skimming them. This is my list:
http://www.blueaudio.com/reading/list/blahdio
If anyone else is interested, there are sites that do this for you. I hit this page from my cell phone when I’m at the library or bookstore since I can’t always remember if I read a book already.
Just got “You, Inc.” Great list, thanks!
Making this note for my future self:
http://personalmba.com/best-business-books/
I’ll read all of those some day, too.
You’re a great musicians friend.Thank you for caring