I thought you might enjoy this article that was in an ezine I read this moring, which I really liked from Catriona Welsby at http://www.myWOBA.com.

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Devouring books??  No, I don’t have a crazy craving for books or paper, although I do hear that some women have some very odd cravings for ‘food’ such as coal!  What I mean by ‘devouring books’ is that I’m spending every spare moment educating myself and increasing my business development, brand awareness and internet marketing knowledge.

You’ll see me waiting for my son’s swimming lesson to finish with a book in my hand.  I’ll be waiting for school to finish with a book in my hand.  I’ll be waiting to see the midwife with a book in my hand.  Basically, any time which is normally wasted is being used far more effectively by using the time to read and devour!

You would think that with so many books out there it would be easy to find something that is genuinely worth reading.  Unfortunately the opposite is true.  There are so many books out there that it is a nightmare sorting the good from the bad.  And with the days of self-publishing well and truly with us, the marketplace has even more of the ‘rubbish’ than ever before.

I don’t mean to say that all self-published books are a waste of ink, many of them are genuinely good, solid books.  But unfortunately without a publisher rejecting the rubbish, there are a lot people who go down the self-published route just to say they’re a published author and to build credibility.  The problem is, that makes it really hard for you and me to find the gems!

The way I find good books relating to business development, brand building and marketing is by paying attention to books recommended by other authors who I know and respect.  That has currently led me to read Mark Joyner’s “The Irresistible Offer”.  As it happens, I already knew a lot of the content, but there’s nothing like being reminded of something to spur you into action.

If a book inspires you and you find you can’t control the new ideas popping into your head, then it’s a great book!  I know a book is good if I scribble on almost every page, if my list of things to do grows at an alarming rate, and if I feel motivated and enthusiastic to carry out some of the ideas.  And it’s not just ideas given in the book that make a book worthwhile, often a book can mention something or give an example of something, and it’ll trigger different ideas or avenues to visit.

There is no way I can actually implement all the ideas I get from books before baby is due but I can prioritise them and delegate those that can be done by one of my assistants.  And some of them I can plan to have completed before baby is due, whilst others I can schedule for after the baby is due and put some ‘first steps’ in place.

Just because things will be quiet business-wise when the baby is born, doesn’t mean I’m halting all ideas, developments and long term planning.  In fact, that would be madness.  Just think how much can be done while I have my baby, with my assistants working on those ideas, tasks and plans that I’ve formulated for them!

Whatever the subject matter, I love to read.  Give me a transcript of a teleseminar and I’ll read an hours worth of audio in about 10 minutes along with scribbled notes and ideas.  I just don’t have the time to sit through a teleseminar that I can ‘read’ in a fraction of the time.

But others are different and hate to read, and learn better by listening.  Isn’t it great how so many options are available?   That’s why I almost always release a transcript of our teleseminars as well as the audio itself, in order to cater for both types of people.

So over the coming weeks I’ll let you know what I’m reading and whether or not I recommend it.  I certainly DO recommend Mark Joyner’s “The Irresistible Offer” whether you are new to internet marketing or whether you are well established.

It’s written in that ‘easy to read’ manner where you can (almost) switch off while reading!  And despite my years of internet marketing experience and my success, there’s still so much to learn, ideas to be re-discovered, and general overall business building to be done.

Time now for me to go and pick my son up from school.  I have to get there 15 minutes early to find somewhere to park, but I’ll be using those 15 minutes of waiting to speed-read yet another book….

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Catriona Welsby publishes her Women’s Online Business Academy (WOBA) newsletter for women who want to gain 100% control over their working and home lives, by achieving online business success on their own terms. If you want to create or expand a successful, flexible, income-generating online business, then get your free tools, tips, and advice now at: http://www.myWOBA.com