Books Reviews of an Avid Reader - Books on Marketing, Business, and Leadership - "Art of War," Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, How to Write a Business Plan -- I READ THEM ALL --

The Art of War

by: Sun Tzu

This is my favorite book! The book is primarily composed of statements, teachings, and philosophies on the key aspects of war. For example, Strategic Assesment, Formation, and the Use of Spies. The words of wisdom in this book can be applied to your career, the sports you play, or everyday life. The Introduction and appedices are a great addition to the book. This is a book that can be read straight through or over the course of time. There are other versions of the Art of War, but you will not regret this purchase, especially at the price offered!

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 12/26/2009)

Think and Grow Rich

by: Napoleon Hill

This book is filled with principles and lessons to follow to live a successful life. It uses quotes, stories, and in-depth information to exlain the primary components to being rich and successful. Even if these are principles you understand or seem basic, the point of view they give sparks ideas that make you get more out of the book than you might think. There are great chapters on Desire, Autosuggestion, Organized Planning, and Persistence just to name a few. (350+ other people at Amazon agree!)

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective w/ Premium Content Card

by: George Belch, Michael Belch

I was required to buy this book for my Integrated Marketing Communications class at San Diego State University. This was a class I chose to take as part of my Business Administration degree with a Marketing emphasis. One of the 2 authors of this book, who happen to be brothers, was my professor, Dr. Michael A. Belch. This is one of the only books I chose not to sell back at the end of the semester because of the valuable information inside. It is a textbook so it is easy to read and filled with great examples, graphs, and charts. Also, Professor Belch was one of the Top 2 professors I had at SDSU, out of about 30+. His class discussions were informative, filled with interesting stories, and fun to listen to because he was a confident speaker who was obviously an expert in the field of marketing. If I remember correctly, I believe he started the Integrated Marketing Communications emphasis as part of the Business Administration degree at SDSU. I still use this book today to help me plan projects and read about marketing terms I am unfamiliar with. This book is great for all aspects of marketing. You can probably find this book USED for about half the price.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

The Monster in the Cave

by: Steven Jay Lynn

This book had a positive affect on me. What I got most out of this book is the mental exercises. For example, these exercises help me control my anxious thoughts before they happen and can soften them while they are happening. The book is also helpful with understanding how the mind works and the process it uses to analyze thoughts and situations. If you understand the how, it makes it easier to control the process. If you get a little shy before public speaking or related situations, then this book will make all those situations easier!

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

Success Secrets of the Online Marketing Superstars

by: Mitch Meyerson

This is a great book that is easy to follow and a fun read. The information in this book is worth it mainly because it offers advice and opinions of proven specialists in the field. It offers steps and advice on how to properly market a website. I would suggest this book to anyone looking to increase traffic to their website. My favorite part of the book explains what essential components are necessary to have a website that generates multiple streams of cashflow. An example I can give you from this book is how important "involving" the a visitor/customer to a website can lead that individual to making a purchase more efficiently than a website with little to no involvement. After advice like this, it further gives examples of what the author has done to make this theory work for him.

Amazon Price: $15.61 (as of 12/26/2009)

Affiliate Millions: Make a Fortune using Search Marketing on Google and Beyond

by: Anthony Borelli, Greg Holden

This is the first book I bought when I decided to take affiliate marketing serious. I purchased this book at the end of May and haven't put it down since. The book has easy to follow steps about where to begin when becoming an affiliate marketer. It also suggest what networks to signup with and what background information you need to know. This book explains the basic very well, and gives me confidence that I can make money online.

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 12/26/2009)

Sun Tzu Strategies for Winning the Marketing War: 12 Essential Principles for Winning the War for Customers

by: Gerald Michaelson, Steven Michaelson, Gerald Michaelson, Steven Michaelson

Did you read earlier when I mentioned I had 2 professors at SDSU that stood out from the rest? Well, scroll up and read it, or just finish this description. This book was required for me to read during my final semester in college by a professor I have a lot of respect for. This book is full of principles you should follow to form good habits in the world of marketing. Those good habits include, "Honor the Customer," "Secure a Position," and "Concentration of Resources" just to name 3 of the 12 principles. The book follows the theme of Sun Tzu's masterful teachings. This is book flows well and is easy-to-read and hard-to-put-down!

Amazon Price: $9.31 (as of 12/26/2009)

Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective w/ Premium Content Card

by: George Belch, Michael Belch

(See my description of this book in "My Favorites" category toward the top of this page.)

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

The Anatomy of Buzz: How to Create Word of Mouth Marketing

by: Emanuel Rosen

This book is great because it gave me so many idea on who to create word-of-mouth marketing. If you have a business idea or run a company with a small budget, then there are systems and tactics that will help you achieve your marketing goals at little to no cost.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

The Successful Business Plan, 4th Edition: Secrets and Strategies (Successful Business Plan Secrets and Strategies)

by: Rhonda Abrams

If you are interested in entrepreneurship or looking to take your business to the next level then this book will definitely help you. While at SDSU I enrolled a junior college as well to take a class called "Starting Your Own Business." The class was based on filling out the forms and providing information in the questionairres throughout the book. This made it easy to translate that information into a professional business plan. I would describe this book as a workbook that will expand your mind to think about EVERY aspect of the business you are creating. This book is complete and I do not feel like I need to buy any more books on putting a business plan together, because I am confident that this book will do the job.

Amazon Price: $16.48 (as of 12/26/2009)

Small Business Start-up Kit for California

by: Peri Pakroo, Barbara Kate Repa

This book is full of complete and informative steps about how to start a business in California. However, most of the information in this book did not apply to what I was trying to accomplish. The first several chapters were very helpful and informative. They are "Working for Yourself," "Choosing a Legal Structure," and "Picking a WInning Business Name." In that last chapter mentioned is where I gathered the most valuable information from this book. I learned what steps I need to take in order to trademark a name or design. This is a helpful book, but check to make sure you are not buying more book than you need.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

Legal Guide For Starting & Running A Small Business (8th Edition)

by: Fred S. Steingold, Ilona M. Bray

Do not buy this book until you are definitely going to start a business. I bought this book a little while ago and read about half of the chapters. The book is quite interesting and there is very valuable information in it. However, with this book and the one I mentioned above, make sure you are ready to commit to investing money in your business idea before you buy this book.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

Sun Tzu Strategies for Selling: How to Use The Art of War to Build Lifelong Customer Relationships

by: Gerald Michaelson, Steven Michaelson, Gerald Michaelson, Steven Michaelson

This book is different, but quite similar to the "Marketing Strategies" themed book mentioned toward the top of the page. This book breaks down important principles of selling that can be applied to everyday life. This book is broken down into 5 parts. They are Personal Stregnth Wisdom, Planning Wisdom, Wisdom for Initiating Action, Wisdom for Structuring the Sale, and Wisdom of Practical Experience. I learned a lot in a little amount of time reading this book. Its a great book to flip through every-so-often to keep the valuable principles fresh in my mind.

Amazon Price: $9.31 (as of 12/26/2009)

Think and Grow Rich

by: Napoleon Hill

(See description in My Favorites toward the top of the page)

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 12/26/2009)

The Art of War

by: Sun Tzu

Scroll towards the top for a description of this book in "My Favorites" section

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 12/26/2009)

Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and Off the Court

by: John Wooden

John Wooden is the most successful college basketball coach of all time. He had great values and a brilliant mind. He was a great leader while winning consecutive championships at UCLA. This book is great bathroom material. It provides comments, theories, and philosophies on life and basketball. This is a fun read and the best John Wooden related book I have read.

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/26/2009)

Beyond Success - The 15 Secrets to Effective Leadership and Life Based on Legendary Coach John Wooden's Pyramid of Success

by: Brian D. Biro

This book is based on John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. Also, this book is similar to "Think and Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill; a book listed in "My Favorites." What is great about books like this is that it offers great principles to follow for a successful life. They are easy to read chapters with a definite focus in each one. This is a great book to read, especially if you are a UCLA or college basketball fan. I also like this book because mine is autographed by John Wooden.

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 12/26/2009)

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun

by: Wess Roberts

This book is an easy to follow read about the leadership secrets of a great leader in history. It is important if you are going to read a book about leadership that it is written by someone you view as an accomplished leader. Specifically, this book is more elementary than the other books on leadership, however this book will definitely inspire you to read other books on leadership.

Amazon Price: $10.55 (as of 12/26/2009)

Power. Die 48 Gesetze der Macht. Ein Joost- Elffers- Buch.

by: Robert Greene

If you click on this link you can see that over 400 people have read and reviewed this book. Each "Law of Power" is filled with so much information. Some of my favorites include: "Conceal your Intentions," "Crush your enemy totally," and "Play to people's fantasies."

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

Entrepreneur

This is my favorite magazine I receive on a monthly basis. There are always great articles on small business, marketing, and sales. Also, I enjoy the advertisements in this magazine because it always informs me of new businesses on the Internet.

Amazon Price: $11.97 (as of 12/26/2009)

Selling Power

This is a great magazine to subscribe to as well. Earlier today I re-read an informative article about buzz marketing from a previous month. I enjoy the articles and advertisements that offer innovative ways to increase sales and marketing performance. The experience of the individuals featured in the stories is very valuable and great people to learn from.

Amazon Price: $27.00 (as of 12/26/2009)

Forbes

First, let me start by saying that I do not subscribe to this magazine. However, my dad does and I feel if he leaves it on the coffee table then I can take it. If you want to stay current on money, stocks, and financial information then this is an informative periodical. To be honest with you a lot of this information is over my head. However, I can always find at least one valuable article to read monthly and I have bought stocks that I had never heard of until I read about them in Forbes Magazine.

Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 12/26/2009)

Maxim (1-year)

A great magazine to add to any collection. I have been a subscriber for over 2 years now and I don't plan on discontinuing it anytime soon. Who needs wallpaper when you have Maxim Magazine to cover you walls!

Amazon Price: $10.00 (as of 12/26/2009)

Secrets of the Young & Successful : How to Get Everything You Want Without Waiting a Lifetime

by: Jennifer Kushell

This book is great for the young entrepeneur. If you are looking for your FIRST business-related book then its a great one to start with. It provides good lessons and good principles to follow.

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)

Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

by: Howard Schultz, Dori Jones Yang

Whether you are an entrepeneur, a manager, or enjoy Starbucks then this book will entertain you. It is written by Howard Schultz, the chairman and CEO of Starbucks. This book has stories of how Starbucks became popular and how it maintains its spot as the most popular coffee brand. The book's main point is to show that following your passion and putting your heart into it can go a long way. What I got most from this book is how to treat customers and care about what they think.

Amazon Price: $15.95 (as of 12/26/2009)

In Our Defense

by: C Kennedy

Are you a political science buff? Maybe you are into history? Well this book records the accounts of interesting Superior Court Cases throughout history.

Amazon Price: $11.86 (as of 12/26/2009)

A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present (P.S.)

by: Howard Zinn

A MUST READ! Even if you are not a big history buff, then that is even more of a reason to read this book. The point of view of the author, Professor Howard Zinn is unique. He discusses true historical events and offers information that a regular history book does not offer. Most, US History high school and college classes will require this book as a must read!

Amazon Price: $11.07 (as of 12/26/2009)

Real Estate Loopholes: Secrets of Successful Real Estate Investing

by: Diane Kennedy, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Garrett Sutton

Are you interested in investing in Real Estate? Whether the market is hot or cold, this book will help you make correct decisions to protect your investment, getting the most out of filing your taxes, and how to most efficiently use your profits towards your next investment!

Amazon Price: (as of 12/26/2009)