Best Books for Creative Entrepreneurs

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Hey there!
I’m Courtney Fanning the copywriting and brand strategy brains behind Big Picture. I use my literal master’s in selling stories to help 1:1 clients and DIY students write purpose-driven copy that sells and scales. 

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Written by Courtney
Copywriting & brand strategy brains behind Big Picture.

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I have a confession to make.

Until two years ago, I could count on one hand the number of non-fiction books I actually read cover to cover.

The proselytizing. The unimaginative narrative. The predictable formula. The Googleable information. The corporate cover designs and dude-centric perspectives.

I just…can’t.

That all changed when I jumped on the bandwagon and read the highly problematic book, Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook fame.

While there were a thousand reasons why that book missed the mark, it was the first time I read a book by someone who could actually name the problems I was dealing with in my then-corporate publishing job.

My life didn’t change and I didn’t become a business book reader overnight, but it made me less wary of future book recommendations when I announced to the world that I was starting my own brand strategy and copywriting business.

Friends I didn’t even realize were interested in entrepreneurship started coming to me with “have you read this?” and “if you’re starting a business you HAVE to read this one.”

So I started listening and placing a lot of holds at my local library. Turns out some of these books were pretty popular and had lengthy waitlist times, so I turned to a new organization called Bookshop.org to grab my top picks.

📚 Bookshop.org is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores.

Having seen how the publishing sausage gets made, Indie bookshops are extremely important to our communities but on the brink of extinction. (I won’t get into it, but every book you buy from a certain online retailer goes straight to a pseudo-astronaut fund rather than back into your community or local education programs. )

When you buy from Bookshop.org they will source your purchase from your nearest indie shop or the shop of your choosing so that store AND the authors retain the bulk of the profits.

So back to the books…⤵️

I’ve spent two years curating the Best Books for Creative Entrepreneurs on my very own Bookshop.org “Bookshelves”.

I’m sharing these because they aren’t a Google search dumping ground — I’ve read and given the BP stamp of approval to every one of these books. (And remember, I’m a tough critic who needs to be entertained to stay awake.)

 

Here are my favorite books every creative entrepreneur should read.

 

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