5 Books Every Blogger Needs to Read

Blogging is hard work. Any experienced blogger will tell you that. If you’re new to blogging, and you need to learn how to start a blog, OR if you are experienced, but still looking to increase your traffic and take your blog to the next level, then there are 5 books that you should read. Each of these books can help you propel your blog to the next level.

1. How I Made $40k My First Year of Blogging

by Chelsea Lords

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is just starting out blogging. Chelsea walks you through her personal experiences during her first year of blogging, and how she was able to make $40k that first year. This book is wildly popular and for good reason — it helps new bloggers know what to expect. You can learn about blogging (the good, the bad, and the ugly) by reading this book. You will also learn practical tips about how to make money blogging. So, if you want your blog to be profitable and you’re new to blogging, then this book is for you.

2.How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul

by Ruth Soukup

This book was a game changer for me. It taught me how to think of my blog as a business and gave me practical tips on how to improve the quality of my blog. This book gives you actionable steps, like showing you how to use Pinterest, that will help you take your blog to the next level. I took my blog’s pageviews from 125/day to 1,120/day after implementing the strategies in this book. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

3.Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It

Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It

by Dori Clark

This book is a really good book to read to see the bigger picture of what you’re doing with your blog. It will help you “see the forest through the trees”. You’ll hear from the pros about what they did to become successful and what you can do to take your blog to the next level. This book isn’t just applicable to blogging; it’s applicable to business and success in general. But if you’re not sure where your blog fits in the overall market or how to really become successful, then this book is for you.

4. Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

by Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt is the guru of online entrepreneurship and leadership. In this book, Michael explains how you need to market yourself and provide excellent content so that you stand out. It’s not enough just to write good blog posts — you have to market and brand yourself, too. Michael explains how you can go from no followers to thousands — just like he did. His advice is really practical and useful because he used his tips, himself. He also has a very successful podcast that I love to listen to!

5. ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income

by Darren Rowse

ProBlogger is sort of the holy grail of blog books. It is the book that Ruth Soukup talks about in her book How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul (number 2 above). Darren Rowse explains how to build your blog so that it’s a successful business — from the ground up. Darren walks you through everything from how to write a successful blog post, to how to monetize, to how to build your audience. This book is a classic and has sold thousands.