Guide to Resources for Freelancers and Business Owners

By Bogdan Horbal, Curator, Slavic and East European Collections
April 15, 2015
Thomas Yoseloff Business Center

[Updated December, 2017]

You may be setting out on your own as a freelancer or small business owner, but you don't have to do it alone. You have the world-class resources of The New York Public Library to help you every step of the way, from the planning stages all the way through to retirement. The Science, Industry and Business Library offers a wide range of classes and programs in addition to resources listed below. Subscription databases are available for finding articles on business topics. For online video courses from lynda.com, please log in first through our website with your library card number.

Jump to…Comprehensive Business Guides Negotiating and PitchingLawMarketing and BrandingNetworkingMoneyTaxesRetirement

Comprehensive Business Guides

Books

lynda.com Online Courses

  • Become a Small Business Owner 
  • Entrepreneurship Fundamentals / Whitney Johnson
  • Freelancing Foundations / Tom Geller
  • Managing Your Small Business / Naomi Simson
  • Small Business Secrets / Dave Crenshaw

Negotiating and Pitching

Books

Elizabeth Suárez, 2017

  • Art Of Startup Fundraising: Pitching Investors, Negotiating The Deal, And Everything Else Entrepreneurs Need To Know / Alejandro Cremades, 2016, e-book 
  • Negotiating 101: From Planning Your Strategy To Finding A Common Ground, An Essential Guide To The Art Of Negotiating / Peter Sander, 2017
  • Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It / Chris Voss, 2017,  e-book,  e-audio book
  • The Only Negotiating Guide You'll Ever Need / Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew, 2017, e-bookaudio book 
  • lynda.com Online Course

    • Pitching Projects and Products To Executives / Dane Howard and Richard Koci Hernandez

    Law 

    Books

    . Laurence, J.D. & Anthony Mancuso, 2016

  • The Complete Guide To Selling A Business / Fred S. Steingold, 2017
  • Form A Partnership: The Complete Legal Guide / Denis Clifford and Ralph Warner, J.D., 2017
  • Getting Permission: Using & Licensing Copyright-protected Materials Online & Off /  Richard Stim, 2016
  • Legal Forms For Starting & Running A Small Business / Fred S. Steingold, 2016
  • LLC or Corporation?: Choose The Right Form For Your Business / Anthony Mancuso, 2016
  • The Small Business Start-up Kit: A Step-By-Step Legal Guide /  Peri Pakroo, 2016
  • The Women's Small Business Start-up Kit: A Step-By-Step Legal Guide / Peri Pakroo, 2016
  • lynda.com Online Course

    • Protecting Your Intellectual Property / Whitney Johnson
    • Setting Up Your Small Business As A Legal Entity / Dana Robinson

    The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) can connect you to free one-on-one legal services for small business owners. 

    Marketing and Branding

    Books

    Westergaard, 2016, e-book

  • How To Protect (Or Destroy) Your Reputation Online: The Essential Guide To Avoid Digital Damage, Lock Down Your Brand, And Defend Your Business/ John P. David, 2017
  • Introduction To Search Engine Marketing And AdWords: A Guide For Absolute Beginners / Todd Kelsey, 2017
  • Momentum: How To Propel Your Marketing And Transform Your Brand In The Digital Age / Shama Hyder, 2016, e-book
  • Online Or Flatline: The Small Business Owner's Guide To Digital Marketing / Nick Choat, 2017
  • Social Media Marketing For Dummies / Shiv Singh and Stephanie Diamond, various editions, e-book
  • The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sells (And How To Do It Right) / Jeetendr Sehdev, 2017, e-book
  • lynda.com Online Courses

    • Advanced Branding  / Brad Batesole
    • Instagram For Business / Anson Alexander
    • Online Marketing Fundamentals / Brad Batesole
    • Social Media Marketing for Small Business  / Martin Waxman
    • Social Media Marketing With Facebook and Twitter / Brad Batesole
    • Twitter For Business / Brad Batesole

    Networking/Collaborating

    Books

    Business Funding For Dummies / by Helene Panzarino, 2016, e-book

  • The Crowdfunding Handbook : Raise Money For Your Small Business Or Start-up With Equity Funding Portals / Cliff Ennico, 2016
  • The Crowdsourceress: Get Smart, Get Funded, And Kickstart Your Next Big Idea / Alex Daly, 2017, e-book, e-audio
  • Raise Capital On Your Own Terms: How To Fund Your Business Without Selling Yoursoul / Jenny Kassan, 2017, audiobook
  • lynda.com Online Courses

    • Entrepreneurship: Raising Startup Capital / Rudolf Rosenberg
    • Finance Essentials For Small Business / Jim Stice and Kay Stice
    • Running a Profitable Business: Understanding Cash Flow / Jim Stice and Kay Stice

    Articles About "Freelance Isn't Free Act" (New York City, 2017)

    Taxes

    Books

    475 Tax Deductions

    lynda.com Online Course

    • Tax Issues For a Small Business / Jim Stice and Kay Stice

    Website

    Retirement

    Books