10 characteristics of brilliant business books
One of the things that I enjoy about writing this blog is that it reminds me how many brilliant books there are out there (and sitting on my bookshelf). That has got me thinking about what makes a brilliant business book. So, here’s my list of 10 characteristics, in no particular order:
1. Pleasure to read
The book has got to be enjoyable, not a chore to read. I don’t want to have to force myself to open it up every evening in order to get through it. Instead, it must hold my attention and be written in a style that encourages me to keep reading, to the point that I don’t want to put it down. Yes, that is possible with a business book, trust me.
2. Inspiring
I want to be inspired by the book. Inspired to start trying out its advice straight away. I want to get a feeling of ‘yes, I can do it and I will!’. There’s nothing better than a book that leaves you feeling upbeat and ready for anything.
3. Easy to understand
I want to be able to understand the concepts in the book without resorting to a dictionary or having to re-read sections over and over again. I don’t mind if the concepts are challenging, if I’m learning something new then I do expect to have to make a bit of an effort, but I don’t want to be faced with a load of jargon and acronyms which aren’t explained.
4. Applicable to my business
It’s important to me that I can apply the advice/concepts in the book directly to my business. Of course, if I’m reading ‘Brilliant Book of Business Advice for Emily’ then I would expect it to apply to me, but it’s not that easy. I once did a marketing course designed for creative businesses but the course tutor had entirely based it on ‘creative business’ meaning ‘artist’. As a result he was constantly saying “this won’t apply to you, Emily”. Lovely. So I guess it’s important for the book to be clear from the start about who the intended audience is and then make sure that audience is catered for.
5. Practical application
Not only do I want to be able to understand the book in the context of my own business but I also want to be able to go away and apply the concepts in a practical fashion. Theory is great but I also want to be able to see how I can apply it in a practical way. Give me some exercises to do or talk me through putting together an action plan. Or, give some examples (see no. 6 below). I’m not going to fully understand it if I can’t see how I can use it.
6. Examples
Examples are great. They can be real-life examples or made up, doesn’t matter. Examples help you understand how the theory can be applied. They can also be inspiring (especially if they’re real-life examples) – a description of how somebody took a certain action and the positive affect it had on them or their business.
7. Knowledgeable author
It’s important that the author knows their stuff. If you think that they’ve got something wrong it makes you doubt the validity of the rest of their advice. So, they need to write in a knowledgeable way that gives you confidence in them, but also back up their claims with supporting resources. A few statistics don’t go astray, but don’t overload us with them
8. Up-to-date website
A lot of books these days have accompanying websites with downloads and other supporting materials. It’s clear from some books that the author has great plans for developing a fantastic resource. However, if you’re reading the book a couple of years down the road you may not find exactly what they’re promising. It’s amazing how many obviously abandoned websites I’ve come across. So, if you are directing readers to downloadable resources, put them there and keep them at the address that you’ve given. If you’re not going to actively work on the website for years to come, then provide everything that’s needed for the book and leave it at that. There’s nothing more offputting than news that is 3 years out of date, or promises of downloads which you can’t find however hard you try.
9. Clearly laid out
I like to see a list of contents which makes it clear what the topic of each chapter is. Attractively laid out pages with sub-headings and boxouts. Clear print – I don’t want teeny tiny crammed in print which I need a magnifying glass to read (yes, my eyesight isn’t the best), instead a good size print, nicely spaced out. It’s amazing how much this can affect your enjoyment of a book.
10. References to other brilliant books
And finally, I want the book to point me in the direction of other brilliant books. If I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read then I want to keep reading.
Books, books and more books
I’m getting a bit over-excited because I’m trying out Safari Books Online which describes itself as ‘the e-reference library for programmers and IT professionals’. For around £15 a month I get access to ten ebooks which I can swap once they’ve been on my shelf for ten days – ample to keep me amused I should think.
The main reason for my looking at it is for access to web design books to keep my skills up to scratch. I want to move forward with my knowledge of JavaScript but have come to the conclusion that most of the books on my shelf are our of date – I want to learn current techniques! So instead of buying more books that will rapidly become out-dated I’m giving the ebook thing a whirl.
Although the focus is on computer-related books I was thrilled to find that it also gives me access to some more general business books. Yay! But how will I find time to read them all?
BBB mentioned on podcast
I was having a listen to the latest SmallBizPod podcast today and was thrilled to hear Brilliant Business Books mentioned. Thanks Alex!
I was also interested to hear the first book review sent in by a reader. It was a brilliant review of The New Philanthropists
How to Be a Complete and Utter Failure
It doesn’t have such a structured approach as How To Be Brilliant, however you could easily note down the various steps and devise your own plan from it. What I really like about it is that it makes you look at things differently and pushes you to try things that you might have dismissed otherwise – I have to own up to being a bit too comfortable in my comfort zone at times, but this book reminds me that I need to push past it.
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Buy “How to be a Complete and Utter Failure in Life, Work and Everything” from Amazon >
Five Star Service, One Star Budget
Some of the advice may seem like it’s common sense in a ‘I already knew that’ kind of way, but as the author points out – it’s not the knowing, it’s the doing that counts. If nothing else the book acts as a reminder of what you should be doing. You can use it to dip into when you feel your business needs a boost, or as a manual for transforming your customer service if you work through it a chapter at a time. Well worth a read.
A truly brilliant business book.
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Buy “Five Star Service” from Amazon >
Project Management for Dummies
Part of the problem is that it’s obviously aimed at someone working in a large organisation but I’m not lacking in imagination so much that I can’t apply the examples to our small-scale setup. For example, I can easily substitute ‘go and see a solicitor’ for ‘consult the legal department’. However, I’m still don’t feel like I’ve been getting much benefit from it. It annoyingly combines a considerable amount of detail with very little in the way of practical examples, so half the time I don’t have a clue what the author is going on about.
Do I sound too harsh or just incredibly whingey? Either way the book will be winging it’s way back to the library tomorrow and I’ll be on to something (hopefully) more enjoyable.
Anyone know any good project management books?? Suggestions gratefully received, especially if they take into account that not everyone works in a large multi-department organisation. Even projects run by a two-man band such as us need some form of management.
Rating: 
Buy “Project Management for Dummies” from Amazon >
Google Advertising Tools
Firstly, it doesn’t seem to know who exactly it is aimed at. It is split into four sections:
1. Making money with your site, which contains just the sort of information that I was looking for. It’s ideal for someone looking to set up a website that aims to make money through advertising. There is a small amount of technical information but I would say it’s still suitable for someone who is new to websites.
2. Getting the most from AdSense, which follows the first section well. It provides a good overview of using AdSense, including information on setting up an account. Again seems to be aimed pretty much at the beginner.
3. Then we come to Working with AdWords, which is about using Google AdWords to advertise your website. A bit of a departure from making money from a site as this involves spending money on advertising yourself. However, it’s still relevant as to make money from a site you need to attract visitors and this is one way to do so. The level is very much the same as the first two sections, giving you practical advice about setting up your AdWords campaigns.
4. Using the AdWords APIs. Now this is where I start to have a real problem. The previous sections appear to be ideal for somebody setting up a money-making website for the first time. However, it then leaps into APIs which is full-on programmer territory and useful for someone managing a large number of AdWords accounts. Eh? If sections 1-3 are for you then you’d find yourself lost in section 4, but if you are a web marketing professional looking to utilise AdWords APIs in managing your accounts then sections 1-3 would be way too basic for you. I’m somewhere between the two – I have experience of web marketing and therefore am familiar with quite a lot of the concepts in the beginning of the book but am new to using advertising on a website so found that information invaluable, however I’m not a programmer as such so found it difficult to follow section 4 (in fact I have to admit to giving up on it).
So who exactly is the target audience of this book?
Secondly (sorry, it’s a long time since the ‘firstly’), as someone with an in depth knowledge of how websites are put together and experience of web marketing, I had issues with some of the information given in the search engine optimisation (SEO) bits of the book. Some of it I would say is wrong or at the very least not the best approach.
To sum up I would say that the book is worth a read but do consider what you want to get out of it first, and do take care about which SEO techniques you apply – if you’re unsure read up on them elsewhere first.
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Buy “Google Advertising Tools” from Amazon >
The Right Way to Write
The thing that has stayed with me since finishing it is the importance of writing as clearly as possible. Don’t use big words for the sake of it or make your sentences too complicated – otherwise you may come across as pompous (got a feeling I may have been guilty of that at times) and the intended audience may have trouble understanding what you mean. Keep it simple and clear so you won’t be misunderstood. However, what I do need to be careful about is not being so direct that I come across as abrupt – I think in some cases writing does need ‘fluffing up’ up bit to ensure that you get the right tone.
Overall definitely worth a read. It gets you thinking about your writing style and some of the habits you may have got into, and can be used as a practical guide to every-day business writing.
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How To Be Brilliant
Actually this isn’t strictly speaking a business book as it can equally be applied to your personal life. But I think it deserves the title of a ‘Brilliant Business Book’ on the basis that if I’m brilliant then my business will be brilliant too.
I have to admit I haven’t achieved brilliance yet but I’m following the advice of the book and striving for that brilliant moment. I feel positive that it will come if I work hard at it!
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Buy “How to be Brilliant” from Amazon >
Start Your Business Week by Week
How does a book that takes you step by step through the process of setting up a business sound? How about an active online community to offer support along the way sound? Pretty good, eh?
Start Your Business Week by Week
Can you tell that this is one of my favourite business startup books?
What I really like about this book is the way it’s split into weeks, giving you specific tasks to do each week. By following the book you work through the process of setting up your business and writing the all-important business plan. It’s a very easy read and includes quotes from successful entrepreneurs along the way to keep you inspired.
The companion website, Flying Startups, is a great place to hang out. You can keep a log (Pilot’s Log) of your progress and ask for advice on the forums. If you need a bit of boost this is just the place to come – keeping track of what everyone else is up to can work wonders for your motivation.
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Buy “Start Your Business: Week by Week” from Amazon >
