Book Reviews
A few of my favorite things; a look back at 2017
Here’s a few of my favorite things from 2017. After all, there’s more to life than white papers. One of the habits of highly effective people is to “sharpen the saw.” That means taking time off to refresh and renew yourself. [Tweet “Take time off to refresh and renew; you can start with some of…
Read MoreThat White Paper Guy’s list of recommended books on writing white papers (and everything else)
Writers buy a lot of books. That makes sense, right? My favorite books on copywriting, content marketing, and B2B marketing have taught me a lot. They’re a quick reference while I work. And they give me a shot of inspiration when I need one. I keep all the titles listed below on my bookshelves within easy reach. And I do reach for…
Read MoreThe Elements of Style book review
The earliest edition of The Elements of Style was set down 100 years ago in 1919. But it’s far from outdated. In fact, The Elements of Style remains the most brief and practical guide to English writing that’s ever appeared. By far. Whether you write B2B, B2C, mysteries, or even the text on cereal boxes,…
Read More7 habits of highly effective white paper writers
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is an acknowledged self-help masterpiece. Written by Stephen Covey and published in 1989, this book has sold an estimated 25 million copies. And it’s been translated into 38 (?!) languages. These seven habits make a lot of sense to me. And I’ve been thinking about how well Covey’s…
Read More7 habits of highly effective white paper marketers
One of my favorite self-help books is 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. First published in 1989, it has sold an estimated 25 million copies in 38 languages. I still try to follow its guidelines in my own life. With apologies, I’ve applied the 7 habits to the act of marketing with highly…
Read MoreYahoo! Style Guide book review
No matter what you think of Yahoo! it’s been around a long time. Founded in 1995, the site remains one of the most popular destinations on the web. In 2015, Alexa rated Yahoo! #5 in the world, calling it “a major internet portal.” It also features many services and a ton of content. Clearly the company’s writers and…
Read MoreWriting White Papers book review
Ten years ago, Michael Stelzner was one of the world’s leading authorities on white papers. Based in San Diego, he wrote well over 100 white papers for firms such as HP, Microsoft and SAP. He also founded the WhitePaperSource, the biggest online forum ever devoted to white papers. He did some groundbreaking work, including the biggest-ever survey…
Read MoreThe White Paper Marketing Handbook book review
White papers drive billions of dollars worth of technology sales every year. Yet few people can say for sure what a white paper really is. That’s why any new book devoted to building more understanding about white papers is welcome. In The White Paper Marketing Handbook, renowned copywriter Bob Bly covers a lot of territory. In fact,…
Read MoreNo Time Marketing book review
Have you ever tried making a marketing plan, without much success? Maybe you’ve checked out some of the planning tools on the market? These range from simple templates in Word to massive spreadsheets and questionnaires. But who has time? Now there’s a great little guide that makes planning your marketing quick and painless… even if you’ve never…
Read MoreCrafting White Paper 2.0 book review
Let’s face it, we all have more to read than we can manage, right? So how can we expect time-starved execs in our target firms to read a 10-page white paper? Well, we can’t. “Executives know that white papers provide them with valuable information,” writes white paper expert Jonathan Kantor in his book Crafting White Paper…
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