One of the best things about being part of the freelance and small business community is the enormous generosity of knowledge provided by them. Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience under your belt, there’s always something new to learn and often the best advice can be found in a book.
So here are four reads that have helped me (a lot) as a freelancer, copywriter, and small business owner. Some are practical guides. Others are beautifully crafted inspiration. All are worth a place on your desk or bookshelf.
I’ve included the blurb for each book below with a link to get your hands on a copy for yourself.
Copy Cats by Alice Hollis
Copy Cats distils a library’s worth of books and years’ worth of training into a gorgeous coffee table book. Contained within its pages are 101 copywriting tips, tricks and techniques, which I’ve tested within my own business to check they work! Copy Cats is inspired by “The Napkin Art of Tim Burton”.
Each page features a hand-crafted post-it note with advice that you can take back to your desk and use in your content today. Consider it a crash course in structure, persuasion and behavioural science! …or just sit and admire its beauty!!
Survival Skills for Freelancers by Sarah Townsend
With 20 years of real-life experience – plus advice from over 120 freelancers – in 200 unputdownable pages, Survival Skills for Freelancers is your secret weapon to help you ace self-employment.
Whether you’re new to freelance life, thinking of taking the leap or an experienced freelancer, you’ll learn to:
- Set better boundaries and create a work–life balance that works for you
- Value your worth and know how – and what – to charge
- Stay focused and productive when working from home
- Tackle the isolation that comes with self-employment
- Grow your network and find new clients
- Trust your instinct – and say no to the wrong work
- Deal with comparisonitis and negative self-talk
- Grasp opportunities that’ll build your confidence
- Ditch self-doubt and imposter syndrome
The bestselling guide to freelance life has helped thousands of freelancers in more than 26 countries to get more enjoyment from self-employment. Join them and give YOUR freelance business the edge.
Buy Survival Skills for Freelancers here.
SEO Myths Debunked by Nikki Pilkington
The Brutally Honest Guide You Actually Need.
Is your website being held hostage by SEO nonsense?
Some guru telling you to blog every single week or your site will vanish from Google?
Panicking because someone said all your content needs rewriting for AI search?
Obsessing over meaningless metrics while your actual customers can’t find you?
This guide is for all you business website owners out there who are sick of being bombarded with scaremongering, hype, and utter nonsense. I’m going to take you through the most common SEO myths out there and show you why they’re not worth the social media platform they’re written on. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly which bits of SEO advice to ignore and which bits to actually pay attention to. No jargon, no bullshit, just plain English and practical tips you can use right away.
The Little Book of Confusables 2 by Sarah Townsend
The Little Book of Confusables 2: taking the mystery out of more misused words
The sequel to the much-loved, multi-award-winning The Little Book of Confusables is here – with indispensable help for 500+ confusing words.
If you’ve ever hesitated over a word or found yourself in a ‘BARE with me’ moment (yikes!) this book is for you.
Building on the popularity of the original, The Little Book of Confusables 2 goes deeper into the quirks of the English language, helping you avoid embarrassing mistakes and write with confidence.
Whether you’re a language pro or just getting started, The Little Book of Confusables 2 helps you tackle tricky words and swerve spelling slip-ups.
Packed with memorable tips, fun examples and crystal-clear explanations, this book makes learning fun.
Perfect for trivia lovers, crossword doers, language professionals, students, writers, business owners… and anyone who loves to laugh while they learn.
