Reviews

Below, you’ll find a selection of books, ebooks, products and services that I’ve used and loved: they’ve added to my life in all sorts of different ways, from the ebooks which gave me a bunch of new ideas to the software that’s saved me time and hassle…

Note: in most cases, links within the review are affiliate links – the extra dollars I get from reviewing on this way helps me to keep writing here on Aliventures. You can read my review and recommendations policy here.

Just click on the title of a product/service, or on the “click here for full review” text to read more about it.

For Entrepreneurs…

Marketing School ($49 ebook) by Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz

If you’re selling anything (and if you’re in business, you’d probably better be!) then get hold of this. It’s not a huge dry academic tome on Marketing – it’s a simple but very effective set of concepts and actions, from the queen of small biz marketing. Click here for full review.

The 4-Hour Workweek (around $15 depending on edition) – book by Timothy Ferriss

I don’t agree with all of what Tim Ferriss says, but this is a great book packed with information, ideas and enthusiasm. It’s caused big waves in the blogosphere, and in my opinion, it lives up to the hype. There’s an updated new edition out – this review refers to the first version. Click here for full review.

Career Renegade (around $11) – book by Jonathan Fields

A great little book which makes an interesting companion to Tim Ferriss’. If you’re looking for a way to make your passion pay, grab this. Jonathan includes some great advice on how to explain to your family that you’re quitting your nice safe day job to follow your heart. Click here for full review.

Becoming an Early Riser ($47) – audio program by Dave Navarro

I do my best work in the mornings, so the more morning I have, the better I work. (Makes sense, right?) There are a ton of blog posts about the benefits of getting up early, but this program from Dave Navarro is immediately actionable and easy to use. I don’t usually like audio, so this had to be pretty special to get me listening and enjoying. Click here for full review.

Email Triage ($10) – audio program and ebook by Charlie Gilkey

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or not, email can be a problem – but if you’ve got your own business, you really need to keep on top of it. An empty inbox might sound nice (so does a sparkling clean house) – but it’s an unrealistic ideal for most of us. Charlie takes a calm, collected and easy-to-implement approach to get you on top of things. Click here for full review.

The Dojo ($67) – ebook and audio program by Charlie Gilkey and Jonathan Mead

This is a a high-level, very beauutiful ebook with a set of concise audio files that get right to the heart of seven tenets of doing more real, meaningful work. There’s no cult-of-productivity stuff here and no files or folders or inbox systems – just really good advice and thought-provoking ideas from two great coaches. Click here for full review.

Creating Products That Sell ($197) – workshop from Dave “The Launch Coach” Navarro

This is a very comprehensive workshop covering every stage of creating and selling information products online – ebooks, audios, teleseminars, etc. Dave gets right into the nuts and bolts of exactly how to make good quality pdfs, MP3s, etc, and this is suitable for total beginners or for those who’ve already had a go at making and selling their own products. Click here for full review. (New Review!)

For Online Businesses and Bloggers…

Dreamhost ($5.95+/month) – web hosting

I use Dreamhost for Aliventures, and for a bunch of my other sites (including a few for clients). They’re ideal for small businesses and bloggers, particularly with their “one click install” of Wordpress, phpbb, and other software. Their support team is great and very responsive. Click here for full review.

SEO School ($39) – ebook by Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz

I spent ages trying to get my head round SEO (search engine optimisation) when I started out online. This is an easy-to-digest book written in Naomi’s characteristically wonderful and chatty style. A must-have if you’ve got a website and want more traffic (isn’t that all of us?) Click here for full review.

Thesis ($87/$164) – Wordpress theme from DIYThemes

I use Thesis not just on Aliventures but also on blogs and websites I’ve made for family members. I’ve been impressed with how versatile it is, and with the amount of support and help available. Frequent updates have added in even more awesome new features. Thesis has saved me a huge amount of time of clutzing around customising Wordpress themes. Click here for full review.

Cloud Living ($37) – ebook (with extras) by Glen Allsopp of PluginID / ViperChill

Great ebook for bloggers or niche website folks. Glen makes an extremely good living online, and he’s been working in the web marketing and social media industry since he was fifteen. This ebook shares his secrets in an easy to implement, actionable way. Comes with extras like videos and a mini-website template, too. Click here for full review.

eCover Software Pro ($27) – software that lets even me make great looking ebook covers…

I found this incredibly easy and intuitive to use. It lets you take a flat image and turn it into one of those cool book-like pics you see on ebook sales pages. There are loads of templates and options to choose from (e.g. workbook or CD style images) so you can customise yours to look exactly how you want. Click here for full review.

The Sticky eBook Formula ($27) – ebook by the ebook expert Kelly Kingman of Sticky eBooks

A great, encouraging, succinct and straightforward guide to writing ebooks. An absolute must for anyone who’s working on an ebook – whether you’re just thinking about writing your first, or whether you’ve got several under your belt. Click here for full review.

How to Launch the **** Out of Your Ebook ($97) – ebook by Naomi Dunford and Dave Navarro

A very comprehensive, practical guide to the whole ebook process (not just the launch itself). Packed with advice, and particularly good if you’ve had a go at an ebook and want to learn more. This is the go-to resource for ebook writesr. Click here for full review. (New Review!)

Beyond Networking: How to Get the A-Listers on Speed Dial ($67) - self-study course by Jade Craven

A great set of PDF MiniGuides covering four key areas for online networking: guest posting on blogs, commenting on blogs, affiliate marketing and promotions, and using Twitter. If you’ve got an online business – particularly one focused around a blog – then you need to check this out. Click here for full review. (New Review!)

For Freelancers…

How to be a Rockstar Freelancer ($29 ebook / $35 paperback) by Cyan and Collis Ta’eed of Freelance Switch, Envato, the Tuts network of sites and more

This was the first book about freelancing I bought, and it gave me a lot more confidence, set me on the right path, and prevented me from making any rookie mistakes. It’s a comprehensive and encouraging read. If you’re even thinking about giving freelancing a go, you’ll want to check this out. Click here for full review.

The Unlimited Freelancer ($19 ebook) by Mason Hipp and James Chartrand from Freelance Folder and Men With Pens, respectively

This is a great and in my opinion underpriced ebook. It has a few points in common with How to be a Rockstar Freelancer, but is more focused on helping existing freelancers to go further – particularly with partnerships and passive income opportunities. I picked up some great tips from this one, and wouldn’t be without it. Click here for full review.

The Blog Business Funnel ($29) by Skellie of Skelliewag.org

If you’re a blogger (or even if you’re just interested in being a blogger), this is a brilliant introduction to freelancing and using your blog to get clients. Skellie’s one of my favourite bloggers-about-blogging of all time, and this ebook is fantastic and very action focused and practical. Click here for full review.

For Life in General…

How to be Rich and Happy ($25) – book by Tim Brownson and John P Strelecky

Feel that you could be getting more from life, but can’t afford life coaching? This ebook from acclaimed coach Tim Brownson and best-selling author John P Strelecky is an in-depth guide to figuring out your values, finding out what you want from life, and becoming rich and happy. Don’t be put off by the title – there’s nothing spammy here, just quality advice in a beautifully designed, fun-to-read package. Tim and John are also using profits to give away copies of the books to the people who need them most. Click here for full review.

Secrets of Lasting Weight Loss Revealed ($37) – ebook by Kat Eden

Another dodgy-sounding title – but a quality ebook packed with expert information and concrete advice, as well as tons of motivational tips. If you’ve been struggling with weight loss for a while (join the club!) then you’ll want to take a look at this. Click here for full review.

For Writers…

I’ve got some short reviews of books for freelancer writers (they don’t assume any prior experience or knowledge), and of course there’s my own Staff Blogging Course if you’re interested in finding paid blogging jobs. (I’ve quoted from and linked to other people’s reviews there.)

If you’re creatively inclined, I’ve reviewed some books for fiction writers: take a look!