11 Best Damn Blogging eBooks That Cost You Nothing!
Before I start any new activity, I love to read up on it. My shelves are filled with books on tennis, coin collecting and moth breeding. Blogging was no different for me. But when I dropped by my local bookstore, I found a real shortage of books on the topic of blogging. Actually, there were two and one was a book about bloggers, not how to blog (although it was still a great read).
So, when you can’t find what you need in the book store, what do you do? GOOGLE IT! So I did and look what I found. I have downloaded and read more than 40 eBooks on blogging, Internet marketing and running a website. And there are more. I actually got a 4″ binder to place the better eBooks in for reading and taking notes. Here is a list of the books in my Blogging eBooks binder.
Blog Traffic Made Easy – A 22 page guide to bringing hundreds of targeted visitors to your blog each day. And for you tightwads, don’t worry about money. None of the steps will cost you a dime. BTW, don’t call it an eBook…author John Robinson is not a fan of the word.
Blog Profits Blueprint – The first blogging eBook I read was Yaro Starak’s Blog Profits Blueprint. The book is about making money through blogging, but there are sections about increasing traffic and writing pillar articles that benefit all bloggers. You will have to give Yaro your secret, private, level-5 email address to get the eBook, but don’t worry…I get an email from Yaro only every week or two and the information is usually worth reading. Besides, he always includes an opt-out link at the bottom of the email.
Who’s There? Seth Godin’s Incomplete Guide to Blogs and the New Web – Okay, if you’re asking, who the hell is Seth Godin? Then you really need to read this eBook. Don’t look for step-by-step directions for making a beautiful blog. Seth is a thinker. He understands the web and blogs better than most of us (I’m tryin’ to catch up). In this eBook Seth explains how the web is changing and the role of blogs in the new web. Even though the eBook is already two years old, it will really help you to start looking at your blog differently.
Killer Flagship Content – We have a saying here at Blogging Startup. Well, I have a saying…but if there were others, it would be we. Oh yeah, the saying is…CONTENT IS KING! And if content is king, then Chrig Garrett is the guy that wrote a great eBook about the king. So, if you want to write really great content for your blog, check out Chris’ eBook. You will need to subscribe to his blog or newsletter to get the link, but it’s worth it. If your subscription feed only gives you links to blog posts (like Google’s Homepage) then you won’t get the links, so click here.
How to Develop Money-Making Niche Sites with WordPress – If you are just starting your first blog with the intent to make money, check out this eBook. Caroline give step-by-step instructions with screen shots, so you know exactly what to do. If you’ve been blogging for a while, this guide may be a bit basic. But if you are just getting started, this is a must-read.
Authority Black Book, Version 2.0 for 2008 – There seems to be some correlation between giving up your email address and getting a great eBook in return. Drop by Jack Humphrey’s website to sign up for your free copy of the lengthy, detailed, and extremely informative PDF about generating traffic and winning customers. Don’t worry too much about winning customers, if that’s not your thing. You will find plenty of great tips and resources for getting traffic to your blog.
50 Easy Ways to PROMOTE Your Website – This is a list of 50 promotional strategies for websites and blogs, some easy, some more involved. I strongly recommend downloading a copy of this eBook and finding a few of the promotional ideas that you can apply today. By the way, the website for this Book uses just about every marketing strategy you can think of…including the irritating pop-up window. But the page I’ve linked to has no popup…yet. Email address required.
The Art and Science of Blogger Relations – This may be the oddest addition to my list, because the book is not really about how to blog, but about public relations and blogging. Brian Solis’s detailed and knowledgeable explanation of blogging, public relations, readers and social media is very insightful. I’ve read this one twice and will read it again before the year is over. It give you a look at blogging from another perspective, that of a PR pitchman. To grab a copy of this free 53 page document, visit thinkfreedocs.com by clicking the title link.
Bigshot Blogging – You can always count on Bryan Clark to put out some of the best blogging information on the Internet, and his eBook is no exception. Packed with tons of great blogging advice from getting your blog up and running to promoting it through social media. As an extra bonus, this is probably one of the most attractive eBooks you will find. Bryan did a top notch job and it shows. Email required.
UPDATE (8-5-2009) The original link is now invalid, as Bryan is no longer operating his original website. Therefore, I’ve changed to link to the ebook file I found online after a bit of searching. The author is not the same on the cover of the book (no idea why), but it is the same book that Bryan had on his original website.
How to Start a Business Blog – When it comes to teaching others how to find blogging success, Michael Martine is head of the class. This eBook is a unique guide to blogging (really, not just business blogs will benefit) that is organized as a workbook. That’s right. You don’t just read this book, you actually use it to plan, set-up and create a successful blog. All of this for just the cost of subscribing to Remarkablogger, one of my 7 Must Read Blogs for New Bloggers.
WordPress SEO for Beginners – If you like Jai Nischal Verma’s WordPress themes, you’re gonna love his eBook too. This short, but guide to search engine optimization for WordPress bloggers is a great guide to finding more search engine traffic. Learn to tweak your blog for maximum recognition by the search engine crawlers. One afternoon with this eBook, your computer and a cup ‘o joe will provide some great results.
There you have it, hundreds of pages of great information about blogging, web traffic and the new social media. And an advantage about eBook is that the authors can easily update and republish them at little cost. So, make your own blogging notebook by printing out the PDFs, three hole punch them, and place them in a binder. Use tabs to separate the books and carry it with you everywhere you go. I suggest pulling it out during boring meeting, on train rides and when waiting for your circus audition. These are all great reads and well worth your time.
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Comments
[...] over at Blogging Startup has a roundup of the best free blogging eBooks available online. There are quite a few that I didn’t know about. What makes this list much [...]
)[...] If you would rather have your blogging information in the form of an e-book, at Blogging StartUp, Jim lists “11 Best Damn Blogging ebooks That Cost You Nothing”. [...]
Hello Jim
Looks like quite a list, if you have read them all then I expect your blogging skills are pretty well polished, but tell me have you made any money out of it, or are you just an out and out blogger and do it for the love of it. As many of us bloggers know it’s either got to be a passion of a moneymaker, keeping a string of blogs constantly updated is dam hard work.
Happy blogging, Dave Brett Rankyourwebsites
Thanks much for the list, this is way helpful. Now I’m going to have to lock myself in a room for about six months…
[...] from Blogging Startup has shared with us 11 Best Damn Blogging eBooks That Cost You Nothing! Well over hundreds of pages of great information about blogging, web traffic and the new social [...]
I just read “How to develop money making niche sites using wordpress ” by Caroline Middlebrook. I really enjoyed it and learned some things about blogging that I was able to use right away. You can read my review on it, and download it for free by visiting my blog link above.
Thanks for the links to the blogging ebooks. I am just getting into being a blogger, so I really appreciate good info that I can put into practice.
Jim – thanks for the great info. I downloaded several of the e-books you mentioned, but was not able to download 50 Easy Ways to Promote Your Website. I have already found something in Carolines book that I have been trying to do. She does a step by step walk thru that I will work on tomorrow.
Thank you for the amazing list and summary of blogging eBooks. I am like you. I like to read and become knowledgeable before investing time into a new activity. The only thing better than finding a bunch of free resources on a topic like blogging is finding a list of free resources reviewed in an article like yours. Thanks!
this a superb ilst of information, because it well written and concise. I caanot thank you enough for providing tihs resource.
Thanks for the list and you can included this ebook which teaches on blogger tricks:
http://www.bloggerbuster.com/2008/01/your-free-ebook-cheats-guide-to.html
Oh boy do I have a lot to learn. This seems very overwhelming. I’ll start with one ebook and work my way down. Maybe I should just keep blogging for the fun of it though and not worry too much about traffic.
This is a great list of books to check out. I am always looking to learn. Most of the stuff I end up looking at is review, but some of it is new.
For instance, yesterday I learned that you can increase your AdSense CTR by deleting all borders. I guess this is nothing new, but I didn’t know.
Anyway, this is a great list of free books and I will definitely have to check them out. Thanks for the information! You have a great blog going for you.
God Bless,
Taylor Thompson
Great list of ebooks, i am trying to learn all about blogging, just starting out so ill take a closer look.
Ps. Great blog.
It is a great list of ebooks for the most part. I’ve never been a fan of the books for dumbies series. They just don’t seem informative enough.
Jim, you’ve out done yourself with this list of resources priced to clear!
Problem is i’m finding information in these books that arent in books i’ve wasted alot of money on! If only i’d found this post earlier 
Thanks again,
Andrew
Few years ago I didn’t even familiar with this word but now this is my lifeline. I have nothing to ddo else than blogging all the day and this is my earning, joy and happiness. I just started my site 3 years ago and I have more than 10 domain, 9 of them are blogs. Thanks for sharing cool links. They are worth reading.
[...] Blogging Startup – The 11 best damn blogging ebooks that cost you nothing Teaching you how to start up a successful blog [...]
Thanks for the visit and the Stumble, Katy. These ebooks were my prep school for blogging and have a wealth of information. Glad you like the list.
Wow, what an excellent list! Hope you don’t mind if I blog about your post, you have collected a great bunch of resources here… Love reading Seth Godin’s stuff, what a great writer.
I disagree with most of this. I don’t think any of the eBooks are actually good. I think they are mostly a waste of someone’s money since they can’t actually get you the intended amount of money, usually. Nice Article!
Riccur, I am sorry to say but I am not agreed with you. I own 10 blogs and I learned all my profession from ebooks. I have no technical or professional education so these were only resource to learn. Even I learned Photoshop and Illustration from ebooks. If you have the determination then these books can be the most useful resource for you.
Perhaps it is the must read book for newbies before they would start blogging. I started blogging accidentally but I have to read a lot of stuff after that.
Interesting post. I have made a twitter post about this. Hope others find it as interesting as I did.
but i am not the admin? 
this is good job!It was a very nice idea! Just wanna say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. I will be your loyal reader. Thanks again.
Thats quite a collection of books you have compiled a list of. Shows how serious blogging has become.
hey admin, I found your blog from bing and read a few of your other posts.They are just awesome. Please keep it up. best regards, Jackson
Insurance…the menace…these big corporation don’t hunger for you to know things…their sinistral design…how they loot you in the big name of Insurance. Pop in machine insurance claims and find out concerning urself
Each day in every way I learn something new on the net. You have given me 11 more reasons to learn from those books.
Once we brush up on the theory part, by reading books, blogging becomes easier in practise. Reading these books gives us the power of knowledge.
For a serious blogger these books will give him a fine tuned understanding, for the neo-blogger they will serve as a guide.
Great list, Jim. I an the founder of a website design and development company and WordPress integration along with Joomla and Magento are our core programs. And although we are experts in designing and programming we aren’t actual bloggers. I recently created my personal blog, http://www.amessydesk.com, and I am excited to read your blogs as well as the ebooks that you listed here. Bravo, Jim.
Larry Rinish
If one wants to make any headway in earning from a blogging endeavor, these books are essential reading.
Thanks for the mention. I’m glad you enjoyed the book!