7 Dog Eared Copy Books I Keep On Hand

A friend asked me what books I recommend for learning how to write better copy.

And being a confessed book addict, with books strewn around my room, nightstand, office, and heck even my car. They knew I could probably help.

Now before we get deep into the weeds here... 

A disclaimer:There are tons of great books on writing copy. Most of the copywriters who ever make it in this business, and heck even a bunch who never really do, will eventually write a book on writing copy. (Expect mine sometime in the next decade….) But not all of them live up to the hype.

And I’ve read plenty of great copy books in the years since I found this crazy art. Some good, some great, some middling, and some a waste of time.

These 7 books I return to again and again. 

They’re the resources I keep on hand whenever I’m writing a sales promotion. Wanting inspiration. Needing to see how a master would have attacked a problem I’m struggling with. Deserving of a kick in the pants when I start getting too big for my britches. Or just brushing up on the fundamentals. 

And they’re well on their way to being beaten to a pulp, dog eared, underlined, and written all over. 

I highly recommend all of them. So now in no particular order...

(I’ve linked to all of them in case you want to buy them. But at this point I have not set up affiliate links. So no worries, Bezos isn’t paying me a dime for this… even if you buy all 7. Which, again, I highly recommend.)

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White

This book isn’t exactly about writing copy. And you probably remember it from some writing class you took in middle school or college. Maybe even somewhere in between. 

It is a book about writing style. It’s short, to the point. And always a good reminder that “good writing is rewriting.”

It also gives a lot of practical advice on how to make your writing sing. 

Like “Write with nouns and verbs.” Let the nouns and verbs take care of the work of writing. Adjectives and adverbs are for lazy, lily-livered, loquacious losers.  

Great Leads by Michael Masterson & John Forde

The opening of your pitch will make or break your chances of success. At least that’s what Masterson and Forde say. Two titans of the Direct Response Copy world. 

This book takes a thorough look at the 6 different types of leads you can use to open a sales pitch. And why each one should be used. The secret that it comes down to is how aware is your prospect about your solution, their problems, and what they can do about it.

Their analysis of customer awareness is worth the price of admission alone.

The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert

I blame this book for many a sleepless night. (And hand cramps...I once wrote it all out by hand...that was dumb.)

This is the granddaddy of copy writing books as far as I’m concerned. A series of letters from Gary Halbert, the self assured “Prince of Print” and “Best Copywriter Alive,” to his young son Bond while he was spending time at Boron Penitentiary. 

A collection of direct response tactics. Some of the most thoughtful advice from a father to a son. And just a great primer in how to make it in any business not just Direct Response.

Every copywriter should read this once. (Maybe even hand write it like me…)

The Entrepreneurs Guide To Getting Your Shit Together Volume One by John Carlton

John Carlton was Gary Halbert’s partner at the peak of Halbert’s dominance of the copywriting world. And they made quite a pair. (Or so the legend goes…)

Now, John Carlton is one of the best copywriters alive. He’s taught more A-list copywriters the ropes than anyone you can name. And been responsible for more sales than most of us could ever dream of.

His no-nonsense book on entrepreneurship doesn’t just live dog-eared on my desk. But on hundreds of other desks of copywriters and entrepreneurs.

His writing is to the point. Straight from the real world, and crammed to the gills with useful lessons. If the title throws you off. Good. This book isn’t for you. And that’s an important lesson in an of itself.

Buy this book.

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman

Joseph Sugarman is a genius. An incredibly generous, thought-provoking and genuine Grade-A copywriter.

And The Adweek Copywriting Handbook is the most complete education on copywriting available in book form. This book will walk you through the process of writing great copy. From research to the close.

The most impactful lesson from this masterclass in writing. 

The Greased Slide... 

Which means that when your prospect reads the first line of your promotion. They should immediately not want but need to read the next line. And so forth down the page. Picking up speed and momentum all the way down.

If your prospect isn’t smoking a cigarette, wondering why they just took their credit card out, with a stupid grin on their face, after buying your product from an ad. Go back and rewrite it.

Breakthrough Copywriting by David Garfinkel

Another masterclass in writing direct response copy. With step by step instructions for how to write different sections of your ads. David Garfinkel is one of the best copywriting coaches on the planet.

His goal is to teach you “How to generate quick cash with the written word.” And this book delivers on it’s promise. He shows you not only how he thinks about writing copy. But how you can apply it to your own problems today. 

I especially like his section on stories. And the different types of stories to use for different purposes. In 6 pages, Garfinkel distills the most intoxicating 6 words in the english language. 

After reading them you’ll never be the same.

Influence by Robert Cialdini

Alright, I am closing out this list the same way I opened it. With a non-copywriting book. But that doesn’t mean Influence can’t teach you about writing better copy. 

Robert Cialdini is the academic authority on persuasion. But his books are never boring and dry like most academic writers. Nope. Influence is a blockbuster book. In it Cialdini breaks down the 6 main levers of influence. Levers he has discovered, and tested with rigorous scientific study.

He shows you why these levers work on humans of all shapes, creeds, colors, and codes. Because humanity is more similar than we care to admit to ourselves. We all want to be consistent. We all like to reciprocate. We can’t help but follow the crowd. We like those who like us. We pay attention to authority. And we all want scarce resources.

If you want defenses against those who would use your natural instincts against you. Buy this book and join thousands of others who learned the truth, before it’s too late.

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So that’s it. That’s my list.

I highly recommend you check out any of them that cross your fancy. You won’t be disappointed in any of them. 

Each and every one of them has taught me more about life, about writing, and about business than I deserve. Maybe they can do the same for you.