50: My summer re-reading list - the top 5 business and copywriting books
Looking to add books that will help you grow your business to your summer reading list?
In this episode of ill communication, you're going to get a list of the most influential books I've read that have helped me grow my business and write amazing copy for myself and for my clients. Some of them even sit on my desk because I refer to them daily.
I'm calling this episode my summer re-reading list because these are books I keep coming back to read year after year after year.
So if you're looking for a little summer reading or rereading, this episode is for you! Open up your notes app or grab a paper and pen to jot down these books so you can add them to your summer reading list too.
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
My favorite read if you’re looking for more ease in your business while still growing and making money
The book to read in order to break free from your limiting beliefs and find more success
My favorite reference book for marketing and copywriting terminology
A great book for accessible copywriting tips
One of my favorites to help you infuse voice and storytelling into your copy
Be sure to tune in to find out the top books on my summer reading list! When I was prepping for this episode, I had a lot of trouble narrowing it down. I wanted to make things easy for you which is why I created a complete list of books that I love and I think you’ll enjoy too. Grab the list at www.kimkiel.com/resources.
What's on your summer reading or rereading list? Please reach out to me on social media and share your favorite books with me. I'd love to connect with you and hear what fiction or nonfiction books you recommend so I can add them to my reading list!
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[00:00:03] Welcome to Ill Communication, Copywriting, Tips and sales strategies for small Business. I'm your host, Kim Keel. I'm a copy coach, sales strategist and direct response copywriter. It's my mission to help women leaders and change makers amplify their voices through copy. It's why I'm dishing out all the juicy tips, writing prompts and sales formulas to help you generate more leads, book more calls, and get more high value clients on repeat. Sounds pretty good. It's time to ditch the overwhelm you might be feeling and find confidence in your copywriting so you can get your message out there and attract more soulmate clients. Let's get started. Hello. Hello, my sweet friend. In today's episode, you're going to get a list of the most influential books I've [00:01:00] read that have helped me grow my business and write amazing copy for myself and for my clients. And I'm calling this episode my summer rereading list, because these are books I keep coming back to read year after year after year. And some of them even sit on my desk because I refer to them daily. So if you're looking for a little summer reading or rereading, this episode is for you now, maybe you want to open up your notes app or grab a paper and pen to jot down these books so you can add them to your summer reading list. And you'll also find a link to the reading list in my show notes. All right. Number one on my summer rereading list is Chill and Prosper by Denise Duffield Thomas. This book used to be called Chill Preneur, and I loved it the first time I read it.
[00:01:55] And every time since then, Chill and Prosper helps you create simple solutions [00:02:00] in your business and your life to make things a little easier, more chill. She talks a lot about money, mindset and abundance, and it's grounded in simple steps you can take to create action without hustling and grinding. And, you know, I'm all about doing things the lazy way. This book is so down to earth and delightfully written. It is the perfect beach read. I have it on Kindle and I've reread it every year. If you want a little more ease in your business while still growing and making money, go out and get Denise Duffield Thomas's book, Chill and Prosper. Book number two on my summer rereading list is a classic for unlocking the power of your mind and your subconscious to create the results you want in your life or your business. Of course, I'm talking about breaking the habit of being yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza. This book gives you step by step science backed [00:03:00] tools to break free from your limiting beliefs and blocks so you can unlock success in the results you want in your life. Now, as a former environmental scientist and nerd, I love and appreciate how everything in this book is deeply grounded in science and research. I read this book when I first launched my business about five years ago, and I know I achieved some pretty fast success and results because I studied and followed the practices in this book.
[00:03:29] To be honest, it's been a long time since I've read it, so I'm definitely pulling this up on my Kindle to reread this summer. If you haven't read this book before, please go find Dr. Joe Dispenza's book, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One. It will transform you. Summer Reread number three is one of the books that sits on my desk because I refer to it almost daily. It's a genius little book called Words [00:04:00] That Sell by Richard Bahan. It's kind of like a powerful advertising thesaurus. It gives you common phrases you can weave into your marketing to position you as an authority or to make your offer a total no brainer. It gives you lists of juicy power, words and compelling phrases to replace some of the bland and boring ones we tend to use a little too often in our copy. At the beginning of the book, there's a little crash course in copywriter ING and a glossary of different copywriting and advertising terminology. It reminds you of the different elements you can include in your marketing and sales copywriting, and then it gives you lists of power words to include in your copy. It's a great reference book to have by your desk, so go get Richard Barnes words that sell and definitely get it in hard copy. Another copywriting book I love and recommend is the Copywriters Handbook A step by step guide to writing copy [00:05:00] that sells by Robert Bly.
[00:05:02] Of course, there are so many terrific direct response and sales copy books out there, but unless you're actually wanting to become a copywriting expert, they tend to be very highly detailed and so high level. So I love how accessible the copywriters handbook is. It kind of summarizes all those other advertising and copywriting Bibles out there. This book covers everything from basic copywriting, best practices to writing direct mail or advertisements or even radio commercials, and it includes online marketing. It's all grounded in timeless marketing principles. So no matter what changes with the algorithm or if a new platform pops up, you'll have a great reference manual to fall back on. I have this book in hard copy on my shelf next to my desk because I refer to it all the time. So go ahead and add Robert Bly's Copywriters handbook to your cart. [00:06:00] And book number five is a book I reread different sections of all the time because it's such a great example of voice. It's a book with different chapters written by different authors in their own distinct style and voice. So you really get to see and feel the power of infusing your copy with a unique voice. And as a brand voice expert, you know, I'm going to nerd out on this stuff. Plus, this book is about the greatest band of all time, the Beastie Boys. If you haven't read the Beastie Boys book by Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz, run, Do Not Walk to Get it. Not only is it a great example of how to infuse voice in your copy, it's a great example of how to infuse storytelling.
[00:06:49] There's an entire chapter by Ad-Rock about how he used to painstakingly make cassette tapes. And if you are from this era, you know what it's like. It's about how to carefully [00:07:00] select songs, how you'd wait for a song to end, to press play and record at the precise moment. So you would stop or start how to carefully pull the cassette tape out when your player ate it up and how to use the pencil to whined and whined and whined and whined the tape back into the cassette. If you're a child of the 70s and 80s, you will love the nostalgia and storytelling in this book. If you're a music lover, you will love this book too, because it's a great history of the evolution of hip hop and music. And for everyone else, read it anyway, because you're going to enjoy the great storytelling and you'll see how to infuse voice into your copy. So number five on my summer rereading list is the Beastie Boys book. And if you haven't watched their documentary on Apple TV, you could go ahead and do that, too. So, my friend, those are the top five books on my summer rereading list. Once again, they are Chill and Prosper by Denise Duffield Thomas. [00:08:00] Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza. The Copywriter's Handbook by Robert Bly. Words That Sell by Richard. And the Beastie Boys book by Mike D and Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys.
[00:08:16] You know, when I was preparing this episode about my favorite books, I had a really hard time paring it down. There were so many more books I wanted to share with you because they helped transform my business or helped me write better copy for my clients. And some of them just are plain fun and delightful and make me laugh. So I've created a resource page for you on my website that gives you my ultimate business copywriting and life book list to make it easy peasy for you. Everything is hyperlinked so you can find and grab the book or several books for yourself to get the complete list, visit Khimki NHL.com Slash Resources. Now I'd love to hear from you. What's on your summer [00:09:00] reading or rereading list? Please reach out to me on social media and share your favorite books with me. I'd love to connect with you and hear what fiction or nonfiction books you recommend. Now since we've been talking about it, I think I'm going to go set up the hammock in the backyard. Pull out a book and start reading. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'll catch you next week. Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Ill Communication. Hey, if you enjoy these snack sized strategies and tips, you'll want to join my VIP Copy and Cocktails club. It's my email newsletter where I share more copy tips, sales strategies and the occasional recipe for my favorite beverage or appetizer du jour. To subscribe, visit Khimki NHL.com Slash Newsletter. Thanks for tuning in.
Resources Mentioned
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