WordPress is the CMS of choice for millions of users across the globe, so it’s easy to understand why so many books about the subject have been published. Ranging from introductory guides to memoirs, there’s something out there for every bookworm who wants to learn a little more about the online powerhouse.
We’ve chosen nine of our favourite titles and, to keep things simple, have split them into three different reading lists: Educational, for the WordPress beginner; Aspirational, for the user who wants to take their knowledge to the next level; and Inspirational, for the entrepreneur who wants to read their way to business success.
So let’s get to the books, shall we?
Educational:
Digging into WordPress – Chris Coyier and Jeff Starr [Link]
There is much to learn about the World s most popular publishing platform. From your first steps of learning about WordPress all the way through maintaining a site throughout the years, this book is packed with truly practical information.
We go into depth about the anatomy of a WordPress theme. How they work, and how to write the code you need to do the things you want. This means real code that you can sink your teeth into, as well as copy and paste. Beyond theme building, we introduce many tricks your functions.php file can pull off and show you ways to increase performance and security through htaccess.
WordPress All-in-One for Dummies – Lisa Sabin-Wilson [Link]
This updated new edition comprises one of the largest collections of practical intermediate to advanced information on WordPress. Fully updated for the latest WordPress release, this in-depth book covers it all, from setting up your software to publishing your site, using SEO and social media, developing and using plug-ins, running multiple sites with WordPress, and more. Veteran author Lisa Sabin-Wilson is a top authority on WordPress, and she and her co-authors pack this book with essential and easy-to-follow tips, techniques, and advice.
WordPress: The Missing Manual – Matthew MacDonald [Link]
Whether you’re a budding blogger or seasoned Web designer, WordPress is a brilliant tool for creating websites, once you know how to tap its impressive features. The latest edition of this jargon-free Missing Manual shows you how to use WordPress 3.9’s themes, widgets, plug-ins, and souped-up editing and multimedia tools to build just about any kind of site.
Aspirational:
Professional WordPress (2015) – Brad Williams, David Damstra and Hal Stern [Link]
The highest rated WordPress development and design book on the market is back with an all new third edition. Professional WordPress is the only WordPress book targeted to developers, with advanced content that exploits the full functionality of the most popular CMS in the world.
Fully updated to align with WordPress 4.1, this edition has updated examples with all new screenshots, and full exploration of additional tasks made possible by the latest tools and features. You will gain insight into real projects that currently use WordPress as an application framework, as well as the basic usage and functionality of the system from a developer’s perspective.
The book’s key features include detailed information and real-world examples that illustrate the concepts and techniques at work, plus code downloads and examples accessible through the companion website.
Smashing WordPress – Thord Daniel Hedengren [Link]
WordPress guru Thord Daniel Hedengren takes you beyond the blog to give you the tools and know-how needed to build just about anything in WordPress. You’ll discover how to use WordPress as a CMS to power fully-fledged websites, photo galleries, forums, eCommerce sites, and much more. You get step-by step instructions on developing model sites from the ground up and how to utilize and build plugins that let you take WordPress to the next level.
WordPress SEO Success – Jacob Aull [Link]
WordPress gives you amazingly powerful SEO tools: this hands-on guide will help you make the most of them! Written specifically for WordPress users, this guide covers all you need: built-in WordPress capabilities, third-party plugins, well-integrated web resources, and more.
Whether you manage a large-scale site or a personal blog, Jacob Aull will help you integrate SEO into all you do, from strategy through optimization of existing content. New to SEO? Already do it for a living? Either way, WordPress SEO Success will help you drive the traffic you want–and the value you need!
Inspirational:
The Year Without Pants – Scott Berkun [Link]
A behind-the-scenes look at the firm behind WordPress.com and the unique work culture that contributes to its phenomenal success
50 million websites, or twenty percent of the entire web, use WordPress software.
The force behind WordPress.com is a convention-defying company called Automattic, Inc., whose 120 employees work from anywhere in the world they wish, barely use email, and launch improvements to their products dozens of times a day.
With a fraction of the resources of Google, Amazon, or Facebook, they have a similar impact on the future of the Internet. How is this possible? What’s different about how they work, and what can other companies learn from their methods?
The Startup Playbook – David Kidder [Link]
According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, more than 565,000 new businesses were created in 2010 in the United States alone—each one of them hoping to strike gold. The Startup Playbook will help them succeed.
Going insider to insider with unprecedented access, New York Times bestselling author and Clickable CEO, David Kidder, shares the hard-hitting experiences of some of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs and CEOs, revealing their most closely held advice. Face-to-face interviews with 40 founders give readers key insights into what it took to build PayPal, LinkedIn, AOL, TED, Flickr, and many others into household names. Special sections include topics ranging from how to select the right idea to pursue to finding funding and overcoming inevitable obstacles.
In an economy demanding change, The Startup Playbook is the go-to for entrepreneurs big and small.
The 24-Hour Customer – Adrian C. Ott [Link]
In The 24-Hour Customer, Adrian C. Ott, CEO of a successful Silicon Valley consultancy, argues that companies need to strategically harness the ebbs and flows of customer time and attention in order to win in today’s competitive landscape. She explores the economics of time and attention, including why customers will devote hours addicted to social networks, yet will say “I have no time!” to other offerings. Based on extensive research and real-world results with market-leading companies, this book provides tools, such as Time-Value Tradeoffs and Time-ographics, that pinpoint opportunities to increase revenue and gain market traction.
Filled with fascinating case studies from companies like Johnson & Johnson, Amazon, and iPhone app start-ups, The 24-Hour Customer offers fresh ideas for capitalizing on the elements of time, attention, and value to innovate never-before-considered products, services, and programs for today’s Über-connected, multitasking customer.
