My Summer Reading List

My Summer Reading List

Yes, I know summer is more than half over, but as I look ahead to my upcoming vacation, I’ve set aside a few books to read or finish during my getaway that I’m excited about. In case you’re looking for ideas for books to read during your spare time, I thought I’d share my pile.

These books are not specifically for ghostwriters, or even freelance writers, but will probably be most useful for people who run their own businesses.

We Should All Be Millionaires

This debut book by my coach Rachel Rodgers at Hello Seven is an important read for anyone who feels like their income has stagnated. I’ve actually already listened to this book through Audible a couple of months ago, when it first came out, but I want to go back through it to savor the key points when I’m able to slow down.

One of Rodgers’ biggest points is differentiating between Million-Dollar Decisions and Broke Ass Decisions. Meaning, there are decisions we’re making that are holding us back from earning what we could be. She’s right, and reading this has helped me start to identify things I do that take too much of my time unnecessarily.

Doesn’t Hurt to Ask

My friends have undoubtedly heard me talk about the power of questions, and how I’m working on a book on the topic. Granted, I’ve been “working on” it for years, so no surprise that someone else beat me to the punch. Anyway, I had to pick up this title to see what the author has to say about questions.

The two things I believe have helped me the most in life and in business have been my love of reading and my willingness to ask questions. I’ll ask questions to improve my comprehension of something, to explore a potential solution to a problem, or to inquire about new opportunities. In many cases, I don’t think we recognize opportunities to ask questions, and we end up not obtaining the best possible resolution or situation.

I’m excited to pick up some new question-related skills.

Built to Sell

One of the challenges that professional writers have is that since their income is based on their personal skills, it can be hard to build a sellable business—an asset. In most cases, they can’t separate themselves from the business without a negative impact. Those types of companies are considered “lifestyle businesses” and they aren’t worth much.

Establishing a writing business that can sustain itself without the founding writer is the challenge, and I’m curious to learn if it’s possible to do that without setting up an editorial agency.

Maybe this book has the answer?

Art for Money: Up Your Freelance Game and Get Paid What You’re Worth

Once of the most popular topics among members of the Association of Ghostwriters is figuring out what to charge. What’s a fair rate? What’s the market rate? What are clients expecting to pay? These are all discussions we’ve had many, many times.

What to charge comes up so frequently because there’s really no right or wrong answer. Each ghostwriter has to consider for themselves what their time is worth. However, I frequently see that writers are charging less than they could.

So I’m intrigued to see what the author advises about improving business practices and charging what you’re worth. First, I want to know how to assess that.

The Practice: Shipping Creative Work

If you’re like me, you’re a Seth Godin fan. His books are always thought-provoking and easy to read, often because they’re short and consist of tips. I think this book is likely to follow in that same pattern and won’t take much time to finish.

I’m frequently asked about my creative process as a ghostwriter, so I was drawn to this title in the hopes of learning how to tap into my creativity more easily when my clients need it most.

In addition to these books, I also have a couple of works of fiction, including Kate White’s The Fiancée and TJ Newman’s Falling.

I’d love to hear what you’re reading and which books I should add to my Fall reading pile.