Here is one book I found very helpful when I was getting started: Gene Trowbridge, " It's a whole new business." 

@Matthew SwisshelmI cheat and use the RS Means cost estimate book! I

I wrote about this house in the Bigger Pockets Book "Real Estate Rewind" (there were 11 co-authors and the book is FREE here at BP and no other place!)

A friend who is a bookie and gambler once told me lessons aren't cheap. 

His book included 12 hours of "bonus video content" that was basically Pace telling stories that corresponded to each chapter of his book. I

and found a ton of very valuable information from this book. I

Not acceptable in my book. I

Ryan PritchardI know this is an older thread, but in case you don't know about this book, I highly recommend it. 

The book is Choose Yourself, by James Altucher.  

To save you some time: if you are interested in putting the information into a spreadsheet, wait until the very end of the book because it is already formatted into one in the back of the book. I