I am not an entrepreneur, in fact, having spent the last seven years pretty much failing to make any money at my art, I’m kind of the opposite of an entrepreneur! Yet I loved Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk.

I’ll say upfront that I’m a fan of Vaynerchuk – I find his enthusiasm completely infectious – and I liked this book. He is someone who tends to divide opinion but even if you normally find him a bit ‘over the top’, I’d recommend giving this book a go because his natural exuberance is somewhat restrained in print format. You could also read this without having a clue who he is and still get lots from it because it’s a punchy, concise, funny and inspiring book that’s packed full of great stuff.

Basically the book is about how he used social media to successfully build a huge business. He briefly tells his own story and then explains how he did it and how you could use the same methods. I liked that he’s very upfront about the need for you to take your own journey, rather than trying to slavishly follow him. He explains several times that this is just what worked for him and that you could decide to follow a different route and still be successful. He’s also very clear that his method a) won’t suit everyone and b) is dependant on vast amounts of sheer hard work.

There’s also a strong moral core to the book that I found very admirable – this isn’t a book about marketing sleaze and manipulation; his central message is one of caring about others and doing what you love with integrity and passion.

I found this an inspiring book that left me hugely excited about the vast potential of the internet to revolutionise many aspects of our lives, including our businesses. That said, I struggled to see how some of the ‘monetizing’ methods mentioned in Chapter 11 could be applied to the art world because the economy of the arts is so deeply weird. Normal business rules often don’t apply in the arts – in particular, open ‘monetizing’ is hugely frowned on in many art circles, so artists may need to approach things like accepting external advertising with extreme caution. However, artists could certainly use his techniques to help build their online profiles, which I believe is vital for artists to do.

This is a book that could be read by someone at any level of internet experience. I’ve been online since Usenet and dial-up modems, so I’m very comfortable with the net and its culture. Yet I still got masses of ideas from this book. I’ve read the book through twice (it’s short!) and both times I made tons of notes, many of which I’ve already acted upon. However, I’m sure an internet newbie could also read this book and wind up with a coherent understanding of how to successfully market themselves online. Even if you’re not running your own business and have no desire to do so, it’s still a useful read because he delves into the way the world is changing and talks about things like how the traditional resume is becoming increasingly irrelevant to a lot of businesses.

This book won’t be for everyone – no book ever is – but if you’re interested in the business side of art or you’re ready to learn more about the power of social media, then I’d strongly recommend it. Even if you think you know it all, I think this book will spark new ideas or expose an angle that you hadn’t considered before.

If you want to find out more about it, the book has a FAQ. If you’re in the UK, Amazon.co.uk doesn’t have it yet but The Book Depository seem to have it in stock.

And now for something completely new. Following Vaynerchuk’s example, I decided to give video blogging a go and bought a Flip Cam. I’ve have been having a blast taping stuff, including this short review of the book, which is worth watching just for the last few seconds!

Disclaimer: I got this book as a free review copy after I rather cheekily emailed Gary and asked him for one! Gary Vaynerchuk and HarperCollins had no influence on the contents of this review, all opinions are my own.

I’ve got one free copy of this e-book to give away – scroll down to the bottom of the review to find out more!

Creating A Blog Audience is the newest e-book by Diane Gilleland, familiar to many of us as Sister Diane from Craftypod.

Very reasonably priced at $13.50, this 62 page booklet and accompanying 8 page worksheet is aimed at craft bloggers wishing to develop their blog audience through ‘engagement marketing’. Although the guide is targeted specifically at craft bloggers, don’t let this put you off: while there are a couple of parts that specifically mention craft resources, most of the information in this book is applicable to any kind of blogging.

Diane is well aware that many creative people run screaming at the thought of traditional marketing and her solution is to stay well away from old-fashioned aggressive techniques and ‘marketing speak’ like ‘Unique Selling Points’. Instead she offers a more gentle, organic and community-based way to build up a fan base. This is marketing without marketing – what Seth Goldin calls ‘permission marketing’. In essence, the idea is that instead of talking AT people, you talk WITH them. But of course there’s more to it than that and Diane guides you through the ins and outs with humour and skill.

If you’re au fait with Web 2.0 then much of this will be familiar but even an old hand like myself learnt some new tips and tricks. I found Chapter 4: Putting It All Together to be the most useful in this regard but I also had little ‘ah-ha’ moments throughout the whole book.

Where this e-book really stands out though, is in how useful it would be for beginners. If you’ve just started your blog or your visitor numbers are languishing and you don’t know why, then I think you’ll find this an excellent resource. A lot of people come to my blog looking for advice on blogging – my articles on that subject are perennially popular – I would absolutely recommend this book to them and the next time I update my recommended resources list, I’ll be adding this book to it.

The book is well written, in a relaxed, accessible style that will appeal to even the most intimidated new blogger. Diane is a confident writer who explains the issues with ease and the book is split into easily digested sections with occasional diagrams and photographs to break things up a little. There are also clickable links to useful resources, including a dedicated page on her blog. Frankly, I enjoyed the writing so much that even though I’ve been blogging successfully for years, as soon as I’d finished this book, I was immediately seized with a desire to read her earlier guide, Making a Great Blog.

If you’d like to know more, visit the book’s webpage or read these reviews from PlanetJune and Dude Craft.

To conclude: if you’re new to blogging or not quite on board with Web 2.0, then this book is an absolute must-have but even if you’re more experienced, you’ll probably find it valuable.

Diane has very kindly agreed to do a giveaway. In proof that her techniques work, I simply emailed her to say I was doing a review and asked if she’d consider giving away a copy and she kindly said yes. So I have one free, personalised e-book available (I’m dying to know how you personalise an e-book btw!)

If you’d like a chance at winning the book, please leave a comment on this post telling me what you hate about marketing, either doing it or being on the receiving end of it. If you’ve not commented here before, your comment will be held in moderation but I’ll approve it as soon as I can.

I’ll do a blind draw on Tuesday 15th September and announce the winner next Wednesday.

Standard disclaimer: I consider Diane to be an online friend – we comment on each other’s blogs & tweets and she interviewed me for Craftypod – however, I bought my copy of her e-book and she hasn’t influenced this review in any way.