Your Photo Promo

I believe books are probably one of the most under-utilized tools/resources that ANY photographer can use to get their business to the next level.  This is especially true when we consider YOU.

Yes…I’m talking to you Mr./Mrs./Ms. photographer who is bouncing all around the web looking for content to read and ponder.

Yes this is a blog.  Yes we talk about social media and the internet and all information can be found online…but books…books, I think, are still special for a number of reasons.

• Sitting down with a book offers more undivided attention to what it is you are actually reading.  Not being attached to your computer is a good thing.  This means you’re most likely to actually absorb what the author has written and not get distracted by the pinging of your email.
• Books can take you from the beginning to the end of a subject matter in a more cohesive and concise manner.  Blogs and websites (including every single one I own and run) tend to jump around due to topic changes and newness of subject or topical shifts in niche.
• Reading books will increase your own vocabulary and make you a better writer.  News Flash: Being a social media photographer will require you to write more than ever before as you add content to your blog/forum/facebook/twitter etc.
• Reading multiple books by varying authors on the same subject will help you gain a better grasp of the knowledge in that niche.  This is true because every writer has his/her own style and every reader learns in different ways.

Here’s the part where I suggest some books for you to read and why.  I believe that every single one of these books will help you, in one way or another, become more successful in your photography business online as well as off-line.

Think and Grow Rich – If I were to give you just one book to read ever…it would be this one. It’s the foundation of every self help, success, business, leadership, etc book that has come out since 1937. Napoleon Hill, with an introductory letter from Andrew Carnegie, set out to interview over five hundred successful people including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, John D. Rockefeller, George Eastman, William Wrigley Jr. and Charles M. Schwab.  Two decades of interviews reveal several commonalities amongst all of these people.  You’ll have to pick up the book to find out what they are and how you can implement them.

Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion – From social media guru Gary Vaynerchuck it’s a quick read with tons of insight sure to get you off your butt and back on the computer or behind your camera. It’s current, it’s quick, and it will specifically deal with what a photographer, in today’s marketing online world, can do to increase exposure and broaden your brand.

Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable – It was really hard to pick just one Seth Godin book. I’ve read almost every one of his books and could easily recommend them all but I’m going with Purple Cow because Seth really delves into the whys of being remarkable and how that can really set you apart. In the online world where noise is only getting louder we need to do our best to set ourselves apart form the herd.

Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur – Those of you not familiar with Sir Richard Branson may not know that Virgin is actually a group of small businesses. Photographers would do well to know how one of the most, if not THE most successful “small businessman” in the world, thinks about business, life, and everything else.

Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity – Hugh MacLeod is an artist living in West Texas who’s been killing it online since blogging was a baby. His success and ideas are brash, concise, and will make you think about who you are as an artist. Hugh’s blog gets over 1.5 million views a month and Seth Godin gives him 5 stars while stating “Hugh will change you (for the better)”. I can honestly say that Seth is 100% correct.

Sometimes we have to reach outside our own realms to get fresh ideas.  None of these books are about photography yet I would argue that every photographer would do well to read them all.

What are your favorite books on success, business, marketing, leadership, etc?

Your Photo Promo recommends
"I'd Rather Be in the Studio"
by Alyson Stanfeild
as one of the most comprehensive
self-promotion books for artists
of any genre.