Suzza Silver
A stack of books on table with sticky notes marking pages and glasses sitting on top of the stack

Reading These Books Improve Your Writing Leading to Your Blogging Success

Category: motivation

TL;DR

  • This is a list of book recommendations for writing better blog posts.
  • They provide insight into how to author articles for an online medium.
  • Blogging allows us to pass on our knowledge through writing.

Reading the books on this list has led to my blogging success. My skills improved because they taught me how to write for an online medium. Some skills are specific to writing in general. While other skills are critical for writing for the internet. It is important to differentiate between the two for a full view of what it takes to author good blog posts.

** All links to books in this post are Amazon affiliate links. There is no additional cost if you make a purchase. But if you do, I will earn a small comission that goes to supporting this website. I own all these books and can vouch for their worthiness.

Top 10 Books for Blogging Success

  1. Content Everywhere: Strategy and Structure for Future-Ready Content by Sara Wachter-Boettcher (affiliate)

This first edition of this book was first published in 2012 and at that time was prophetic. Sara explains how content on the internet is not tied to one location. It can travel anywhere. At that time, her message was to prepare for the future. That future is here. If you want to understand what it means to write for an online medium this is your book.

  1. Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug (affiliate)

    This book provides a simple truth when writing online content clarity matters. Don’t make things more complicated so it seems more sophisticated. If you want someone to take action, tell them in plain language. Web developers are this book’s audience but it is important for all people creating for the internet. The foundation of the work is research about how people interact with websites.

  2. The Simplicity Survival Handbook: 32 Ways To Do Less And Accomplish More by William Jensen (affiliate)

As a freelancer, this book has been vital for my sanity. This book is useful for anyone in a professional environment. Writing takes time and effort and it would be great to have fewer distractions. The most important lesson for me was learning to say no. I appreciate not having the pressure to take every opportunity. This has allowed me to narrow them down to the ones that make sense to me.

  1. Tales of the Revolution: True Stories of People who are Poking the Box and Making a Difference by Seth Godin (affiliate)

This is a brief book that is a supplement to Seth’s “Poke the Box.” (affiliate) This is a must-read if you are starting a blog. These are true stories of people who dared to do something new and how it worked out for them. It is a book that is inspiring to all content creators who want to make a difference. The point is to encourage people to do the things they want to do. Even if it is their first time. You don’t need permission from anyone! The worst mistake you can make is not starting.

  1. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss (affiliate)

This is a humorous look at grammar. The title is a reference to the importance of punctuation. Depending on where you place commas the meaning of the sentence changes. With a comma, it implies that a panda eats, shoots a gun, and leaves. But read as intended without a comma it refers to pandas who eat shoots and leaves. Makes a big difference and that is what this book is all about. Clarity is important for people reading your blog posts.

  1. Likeable Leadership: A Collection of 65+ Inspirational Stories on Marketing, Your Career, Social Media & More by Dave Kerpen (affiliate)

I am showing my age but here is the thing, Dave Kerpen was the founder of Likeable Media. One of the first agencies to embrace social media marketing with success. He has a lot of wisdom on how to create campaigns that engage people. This is what you need to understand if you are blogging and want to attract an audience.

  1. The Digital Crown: Winning at Content on the Web by Ahava Leibtag (affiliate)

This book is the blueprint for creating an effective content strategy. It is older but still has some solid advice on what it takes to write online content. This work’s audience are people working in corporate. Some parts will not be relevant to individuals working alone or writing for fun. It does feature all the fundamentals of what makes content work. Ignore what you don’t need.

  1. Grammar Girl’s Punctuation 911: Your Guide to Writing it Right (Quick & Dirty Tips) by Mignon Fogarty (affiliate)

Grammar Girl is the go-to expert on grammar for the internet. It is a popular blog and podcast. So you can find some of this information for free if you search her website. I find it handy to have this guide when I’m editing my blog posts. I also use tools like Grammarly and the Hemmingway Editor for more help.

  1. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (affiliate)

As a child, my family would visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. That is the location of Cannery Row which Steinbeck made well-known with this book. I’m including it here because of his ability to write characters. There is a lot to learn from that as a writer. This book is exemplary in that regard.

  1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (affiliate)

Les Miserables is my favorite book. I re-read it every year, getting something new from it each time. A new lesson that reflects my personal growth. The most important thing this book will teach you is empathy. Which is important for a writer in general. You want your content to be relatable and you need to put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Understand where they’ve been and help them get where they are going. It is a classic for a reason. Well worth your time to read.

Here is a quite short abridged version if you prefer. (affiliate)

Conclusion

You may not know how to start writing. These book recommendations will give you the advantages you need for blogging success. Some people learn best from reading. That is why it is important to share our wisdom and knowledge to help others through our blogs.

Have you written your first blog post yet? Link to one of yours in the comments.