Despite the fact that your neighbor, aunt, accountant, and possibly even your spouse have no idea what a copywriter is, there have been dozens of books written about the topic. Today, I’m rounding up some of my favorite marketing and copywriting books that have helped me sharpen my skills throughout my career.
Best Books At A Glance
Best Old-School Marketing Book
Best Book For Writing Headlines
Best Book On Psychology
Best Direct Mail Copywriting Book
Best Book For Writing Sales Letters
by Eugene Schwartz
by E. Haldeman Julius
by Robert B. Cialdini
by Gary C. Halbert
by Dan S. Kennedy
Best Practical Book On Copywriting
Best Book From College Curriculums
Best Book On Storytelling
Best Book On Mindset
Best Copywriting “Bootcamp” Book
by John Carlton
by David Ogilvy
by Blake Snyder
by Napoleon Hill
by Scott Haines
Best Book On Branding
Best Book On Content Marketing
Best Book On Digital Marketing
Best Book On Email Marketing
Best Book On SEO Copywriting
Building A StoryBrand
by Donald Miller
Content Inc.
by Joe Pulizzi
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
by Gary Vaynerchuk
Email Is Not Dead
by Karly McFarland
Everybody Writes
by Ann Handley
Skip Ahead:
Best Practical Book On Copywriting
This is far and away my favorite book on direct response copywriting, written by an absolute legend in the industry: John Carlton. This is a man who is touted as “the most ripped-off copywriter in the world,” and for good reason.
Chances are, you’ve seen a great deal of Mr. Carlton’s ads out in the wild, even if you never realized it. But even beyond that, if you’ve ever looked at common marketing practices in your life and thought they just don’t make much sense, John Carlton will validate many of your beliefs.
This is a book that I continue to read periodically — for two reasons. First, I believe it’s the single best copywriting book out there to keep your skills sharp…
Second, I often run into nonsensical marketing ideas in the corporate world, many of which make me want to pull my hair out. Unfortunately, I don’t have any hair to pull out, so I read Mr. Carlton’s words as a sort of therapy.
Seriously though, this book is the reason I was able to persist in the marketing world. The lessons that are taught in this book — from how to create a hook to how to create your own offer — are absolute gold. It’s the type of stuff that you won’t be able to unsee once you see it.
Every ad, landing page, email, or direct-mail letter you ever look at in your life will likely be tainted with Mr. Carlton’s words — and that’s a VERY good thing.
Of course, you won’t see a book like this in any Barnes & Noble or on Amazon’s digital bookshelves. I’m not sure if that’s by design, but I don’t really care. Let the world’s loss be your gain, and pick up a copy of this book as soon as you possibly can.
To my knowledge, you can currently only get the book in PDF form directly from MarketingRebel.com. If you’re the type that prefers a physical page in your hand, just spend a few extra bucks and get a copy printed at your local print shop. Trust me; it’s money well spent.
Best Copywriting “Bootcamp” Book
How does the prospect of hand-writing 300 headlines by hand on index cards sound? What about transcribing sales letters that are thousands of words long? Excruciating? If so, you might just want to skip this one.
For those of you who are not intimidated by the idea of putting in a little bit of elbow grease and who want to learn the ropes of direct response copywriting as quickly as possible, this is the book for you.
Scott ‘Mongo’ Haines tragically passed away in 2017. Gary Halbert said that one should study Shortcut Copywriting Secrets before studying any other book, and as soon as you pick up a copy, you understand why.
If I had to choose, this would be second on my list of favorite copywriting books, but that’s only because Mr. Haines forced me to do so much damn writing! (I’m completely joking — you should be thankful the author decided to share such killer exercises in the first place).
If you were to just read the words and not commit to doing the exercises in the book, you’d probably finish this thing in 4 to 5 hours. The same can be said of Kickass Copywriting Secrets listed above. That means that if you’re willing to devote ten or so hours of your life to reading these two books, you’ll have basically all the tools you need to jumpstart your copywriting career.
This is another book that you won’t find on store shelves or in the Kindle stores. They won’t teach you about it in college marketing courses, and I’ve yet to see an online marketing “guru” even mention it. Again, it doesn’t matter. There is more copywriting wisdom in these pages than you can even imagine, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t pick up a copy (along with some index cards) and start learning the material.
Best Old-School Marketing Book
Eugene Schwartz’s famous book is on this list for a few reasons. First off, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another marketing book out there that doesn’t reference the principles outlined in this book in some way, shape, or form. Second, spending 300-plus dollars to get your hands on a physical copy is almost a right of passage among modern-day marketers.
But beyond that, it’s packed with timeless strategies that are just as applicable today as they were when it was published back in 1966. And don’t let the publication date fool you — everything in here works just as well in the digital realms today as it did in the print era.
Schwartz dissects human behavior and consumer psychology, providing readers with an in-depth understanding of what drives individuals to take action. The book explores the art and science of copywriting, blending creative elements with firsthand insights.
“Breakthrough Advertising” serves as both a comprehensive guide for beginners and a valuable resource for seasoned professionals. Its intricate exploration of market dynamics, audience segmentation, and value proposition development provides a solid framework for creating influential and impactful marketing campaigns.
And as I said, you just sort of need to have this book if you’re serious about becoming a copywriter. There’s a long-standing joke in literary circles that every aspiring writer has an unread copy of David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest sitting on their bookshelves, and I often feel the same rule applies to Breakthrough Advertising. No, it isn’t the most fun book on this list, but if you can force yourself to go through the entire thing, it will be time well spent.
Best Headline Book
Haldeman-Julius recounts his journey of selling over 100 million copies of Little Blue Books, each title undergoing meticulous testing to maximize its appeal to potential readers. And no, this is not a traditional copywriting handbook, but it is just as useful for understanding the core principles of creating compelling headlines and titles.
It’s another example of how timeless books on selling really are. This book was written in 1927, and yes, the book — particularly the verbosity of it — betrays its age, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t practical knowledge in these pages.
When it comes to marketing and copywriting, “The First Hundred Million” by E. Haldeman-Julius is a book that is often overlooked, primarily because it isn’t explicitly a book about copywriting. Instead, it offers readers a glimpse into the world of book publishing and title creation, providing insights into the art of crafting headlines that sell.
If you read Kickass Copywriting Secrets by John Carlton or Shortcut Copywriting Secrets by Scott Haines (those titles alone are proof of the power of having a good swipe file), you’ll see that both authors list copywriting books that inspired them. First Hundred Million (along with several other books on this list) is one of the many books recommended by Mr. Haines.
Best Book On Psychology
A few books on this list are absolute must-reads for any marketer. This book, along with Breakthrough Advertising, is one of them. And even if you’re not a marketer, the psychological principles presented in this book aren’t just useful in the marketing world — they’re useful in life in general.
If you’ve ever found yourself saying “yes” to something only to find yourself wondering what possessed you to do so, this book will give you your answer. (It turns out there is a very good reason why the Salvation Army guy standing outside your local supermarket gives out those little paper roses.)
Robert Cialdini is a professor of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University who devoted a great deal of his career to understanding the mechanisms that influence and persuade all of us. This is just one of his many books, and while they’re all spectacular reads, Influence is the must-have.
He presents the six principles of persuasion that influence all aspects of our decision-making process: reciprocity, likeability, social proof, authority, scarcity, and commitment and consistency. Even a brand-new copywriter or marketer will instantly recognize these devices at play in nearly every piece of ad copy on the face of the planet.
It’s not the most fun read (admittedly, many of the books on this list aren’t exactly page-turners), but it is far and away one of the most densely packed books out there. Just pick up a copy today and do everything you can to cement the principles in your mind as quickly as possible.
Best Direct Mail Copywriting Book
If you’re looking for the “least boring” marketing book on this list, you may have found it. The Boron Letters is comprised of a series of letters written by famed copywriter Gary Halbert to his son Bond while he was in prison. (The premise alone sets this book apart.)
There’s a lot of marketing wisdom in this book, but there’s also a lot of general life guidance, and what’s offered here may be a little too abstract for some. It’s a great book — don’t get me wrong — but I’m not sure it’s the best marketing book to read on its own.
In other words, if you have a foundational understanding of the industry, this book will serve you well; if you’re a complete beginner, you may want to start with one of the other options. That said, this is one of the most readable books on this list.
Halbert emphasizes things like physical fitness, planning, self-reliance, and confidence. All great stuff, to be sure, but if you decide to commit one part of this book to memory, let it be the part about having a starving crowd at your hamburger restaurant…
Best Book For Writing Sales Letters
What I enjoyed most about this book is that Dan Kennedy makes it a point to emphasize that anyone can learn the art of copywriting. This is an interesting concept for me because before entering the world of marketing, I was very much committed to being a novelist.
Creative writers will tell you that creative writing can’t be taught and that you either “Have it or don’t have it.” Copywriters, on the other hand, often have a different philosophy, and Kennedy is one of the most prominent examples of this.
True to the title’s name, you get a detailed 29-step process for writing the perfect sales letter. This includes understanding your market, the offer, the flaws, creating urgency, and preemptively answering your prospect’s questions.
It’s also one of the few copywriting books to discuss effective ways to use graphics to boost engagement. In a world where clients are increasingly looking for all-in-one marketing solutions when hiring a freelancer, I believe it pays to know everything you can about the design end of things. You’re not going to be able to draft email designs in Adobe just by reading this book, but it is a start.
Again, it’s a short little book that you can read in just a few hours and one that I think you should reread periodically. You really have no excuse not to add this one to your collection.
Best Book On Storytelling
Lots of copywriters get into the field only after learning that writing copy pays a hell of a lot more than writing screenplays or novels. At the same time, many marketing types wind up writing long-form sales pages without ever writing anything longer than a college essay.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with reading a book from the Save The Cat! series. While the one listed above focuses on screenplays, there are actually nine books in the series that cover everything from children’s books to blogs.
I suggest picking up a copy that corresponds with whichever medium you consume the most. If you read a lot of books, pick up the version on novel writing. If you’re more into visual storytelling, stick with the original listed above.
But when it comes to direct-response copywriting, all the seasoned pros will tell you that crafting a story that keeps the reader hooked is half the battle. As it turns out, there are certain common story arcs that pervade many (and by “many,” I mean practically all) stories throughout human history. This is true whether you’re talking about Jurassic Park or John Caple’s famous “They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano” ad.
Save The Cat! will provide you with a solid, formulaic framework to craft a cohesive and engaging story — even if you’ve written a creative word in your life. At the very least, it’s worth reading for the sake of understanding the formulaic arcs so many blockbuster movies follow.
