Top Copywriting Books... Ever

[netwiseprofits]

Just thought I would add to the list

Here is a great book called

Words That Sell by Richard Bayan it has more the 60,000 words and phrases to promote your ideas, services and products.

It's a great book for creating headlines

To Your Success
Leo

[SuzanneR]

I have to add my vote to Joe Sugarman's Adweek Copywriting Handbook.

I have a number of copywriting books on my shelf...and that's been the one where I've gotten the most applicable tips that have stayed in my memory.

One well known copywriting coach gave his students some advice about studying methods and books that I thought was particularly good: Study and absorb one teacher at a time-- and stick with the principles until you know them...instead of trying to cram your head with every copywriting philosophy out there.

[Gallardo]

Wow this is indeed a very useful thread especially for people like me who is learning the rope! Just wondering why no one mention about Yanik's Instant Sales Letters?

[Ledward Kooper]

I'm new here and want thank everyone for such excellent copywriting resources! I'll chime in and add a suggestion. It's an "oldie" that I've found useful: Maxwell Sackheim's Billion Dollar Marketing. This book is part instruction, part history, and full of old swipes. I'm not sure you can still get it but it's published by Towers Club-aka Jerry Buchanan.

All the best,

Ledward

[Intrepreneur]

I've just finished reading a short and concise copywriting book that was very easy to understand and will certainly help you to start a good pitch from scratch. This coupled with also reading Getting Everything You Want Out Of All You've Got by Jay Abraham. (AWESOME Book).

Was A Super Learning Experience.

I think for a person with copywriting struggles trying this reading formula will help you a lot.

Jay Abraham: Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You've Got
Andy Maslen: Write To Sell

A great little formula to read one after the other.

Of course it's not the end of the line because there is lots to learn but in my opinion purchasing then reading these 2 books is a huge confidence builder for you.

Enjoy.

[Agnes Lyle]

A top marketer (can't remember which one for the moment) said that Robert D. Boduch's "Great Headlines Instantly" is in any serious marketer's copywriting library. I think it's well worth reading.

[PowerRay]

The Elements of Style
by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White

Not a copy writing book per say but one of my most value resources for writing.

For under $10 it is an invaluable resource I view as the holy grail of writing.

[Dainis]

This isn't a book, but John Carlton's SWS coaching program is really opening my eyes. I find it empowering and functional. By that, I mean, 3 weeks into the program, my sales are starting to go up, and I'm just barely starting to implement the skills I've learned.

[Nathan Alexander]

Does anyone else skip around with who their "current" favorite is? I always have one or two, then I read this thread and go home and change my mind because I get all excited again about those resources.

Definitely Joe Sugarman's stuff. His book "Triggers" I think it's called is also somewhat contained (if not almost entirely) in the Adweek book.

I going through Robert Collier's book slowly. That seems to be something you have to stay with to keep "in it" or I get lost.

Great stuff though.

[STKING]

My fav was mentioned at the beginning, "Tested Advertising" by Caples. This book will give you many ideas on headlines and how to write about anything to make it appealing. I've used it several times for articles and press releases. I hate to write, but you gotta in this biz.
In fact, I need to read it again b/c I get something new each time.
Happy writing.

[dwilk12]

I've read alot of great books but this one comes close to the best. Presented in an easy to read format and chapters that unlock the next as you read.


"The Lazy Man's Way to Riches"

-by Joe Karbo

[igorhelpsyousucceed]

I highly recommend "Ogilvy on Advertising" by David Ogilvy

and also "The Ultimate Sales Letter: 3rd Edition" by Dan Kennedy

Great and affordable. Tons of Value

Igor

[TrinitydelaCruz]

Haha, what a boat load of book recomendations.

I know Gary Halbert speaks so highly of fictional books to improve copywriting skill. And there was this one series that he read pretty much religiously. Can anybody help me remember it pls? Thx!

[Kym Mulcahy]

Hi Everyone

Wow. What a great list of reading material! I am a great believer in life-long learning and this thread alone gives us enough resources to keep us busy for years.

I am currently reading Joe Vitale's Hypnotic Writing (been around forever, but is constantly revised and up to date), and can thoroughly recommend it. Joe encourages you to write from a positive perspective and also teaches you how to tap into your 'inner' writing talents. As many creative writers are aware - this is the secret to harnessing your natural abilities and enabling your words and story to flow easily.

Another good resource I refer to is John Carlton's blog (marketingrebel.com) He gives away plenty of free information such as mini tutorials and extra bonuses to his subscribers. Well worth checking out.

Happy Reading Guys!

[vinild]

What do you guys think about Marlon Sander's program on salescopy at salescopy.com?

Never heard of anyone mention him on this forum.

[jasondinner]

Originally Posted by dwilk12

I've read alot of great books but this one comes close to the best. Presented in an easy to read format and chapters that unlock the next as you read.

"The Lazy Man's Way to Riches"

-by Joe Karbo

The Lazy Man's Way To Riches really works. Especially when you couple
it with its companion, The Roadmap To Riches Workbook.

Talk about great copy.

"Only 23 Steps To Success" lol

Makes it sound so easy.

Plus, it's right in line with "the all time must read once a year for the rest of your life" book,

"Think AND Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill

If you have never read that, get it now on amazon.

If you've read it, read it again.

The audio book of the revised edition is great too.

- Jason

[Tsarina]

Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

Joe Sugarman's books have a more modern feel to them
than many of the classics mentioned here - even though
he wrote them in the days before the internet he
was dealing with technological innovations. One
year he was selling calculators for $200 a pop and
the next year better calculators were $40 - kinda
like the Internet Marketing phenomenon where information
that sells for $1000 today is given away next year.

Loren, are you refereeing to Sugarman's "The Adweek Copywriting Handbook" or "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word"?

[Loren Woirhaye]

Originally Posted by debukur

Loren, are you refereeing to Sugarman's "The Adweek Copywriting Handbook" or "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word"?

They are the same book. I've read that the Adweek handbook has some
newer content, but it's only available in paperback. "Advertising Secrets"
is one of the nicest bound books I have - it's really a pleasure to own
and handle and read over and over. If you are just after the information
and don't take much pleasure in nice books, get the "Adweek" paperback.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I recently read Drayton Bird's "How To Write Letters That Sell" -
it's quite good for letters - not space ads, not the sort of thing
here you have to scream for attention. Very old-school in many
ways, but very insightful too. A good companion to Robert
Collier's "Letter Book"

Recommended, but it doesn't focus much on headlines like
a lot of copywriting books that are more applicable to space
ads (like Sugarman's and Schwab's).

The line between letters and space-ad methods is somewhat
blurred on the internet. You should really learn about both
styles IMO.

[frankgotgame818]

One book that has helped me is more about direct mail but with enough copywriting tips that made it worthwhile for me. Secrets of Successful Direct Mail by Richard V Benson, available via bottomlinesecrets.com

Recently in a used book store I found an old book by Marcia Yudkin called Persuading on Paper. The book is slightly over 10 years old but still has enough copywriting ideas & concepts that I have found useful and helpful.

[TPL001]

Another recommendation is Wunderman, Lester: "Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay". he calls himself Mr Direct Marketing. This is a business autobiography, similar to Claude Hopkin's "My Life in Advertising". And it is full of great gems. It is just that the lessons are not systematically laid out like any of the above mentioned books on copywriting.

[Maximillion_Z]

Does anyone recommend Bob Bly's ebooks that he markets to his list?

Some of them look good - but I do worry they may be ghostwritten considering how many he cranks out... Sometimes he'll come out with a new info product each week!

[Andrew Gould]

Originally Posted by Leedir

There are so many books listed here. Where would a novice start? (I love this emoticon )

Dan Kennedy's "Ultimate Sales Letter" is probably the easiest to start with. It doesn't go too in-depth but provides a good overview of the entire copywriting process.

After that you'll have no problem with any of the other recommended books.

[RickDuris]

When I work my mentors, one thing I notice is what they read. They would ANALYZE every page, every paragraph and every word of Denny Hatch's Million Dollar Mailings.

They would have three or four copies of the book hanging around, one in every room of their office.

By the the time the yellow highlighter, paper clips, post it notes and loose leaf pages were inserted, it was one ugly, beaten up, twice as thick, book.

This one book is not to be underestimated. Denny who founded WHO'S MAILING WHAT! Archive is a relentless researcher and gifted copywriter in his own right.

What he created was brilliant. - Rick Duris

[Ross Bowring]

Originally Posted by Kym Mulcahy

I am currently reading Joe Vitale's Hypnotic Writing (been around forever, but is constantly revised and up to date), and can thoroughly recommend it.

Kym, I found Joe's "Buyer's Trance" book very useful. He discusses nestled loops. Gives a few good examples too. However, as anyone who has read a Vitale book knows, his never-ending cross-promotion of his own products gets tiresome quick.

[musomax]

Hi Maximillion,
Thanks for the time you invested in collecting the list from the thread. For a person like me who has set a goal to master copy writing before the end of 2010, this is very helpful.

Yes, I don't have to go through the whole list. You've saved me time and may the universe pay you back a hundredfold. Of course many thanks to all those who contributed to the list. A glorious 2010 to you!

[Megas]

Joe Vitale's Hypnotic Writing helped me out alot.
Definitely the first book I would get as it helps you get started with the basics.
I should say the book hypnotizes you on how to be hypnotic...

[Rickmci]

Originally Posted by Matt Jutras

Just picked up a nice hefty hardcover book called "The Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters of all Time " by Richard Hodgson. Fantastic! Almost an entire course stuffed in there.

Dan Kennedy calls it his "secret weapon", and after reading it...I know why.

Hum. Did you buy it online or at a bookstore? I can not find it online...

[Matt Jutras]

Originally Posted by Rickmci

Hum. Did you buy it online or at a bookstore? I can not find it online...

The Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters of All Time

[mhdeaton]

cashvertising is about the best book Ive read in a long time. And I have 20% of this list. I liked it so much that I outlioned it and basically memorized this freaking little gem and Ive never even heard of the guy that wrote it. Im sure Ill hear of him in the future however.

[RebeccaLongster]

Someone's probably already mentioned this, but:
"Magic Words That Bring You Bitches - Ted Nicholas" ? hrmmm . . . .

You've got The Lazy Man's Way to Riches down twice (It's amazing how I keep tripping over titles I recognize from years ago. Cool to see they're still out there.)

Love seeing SKs On Writing on the list ~ great book. Along the same lines, I'd recommend Anne LaMott's _Bird by Bird_

Thanks for this list ~ quite cool!

Rebecca

[awhitaker]

Back in 1998 when I got my first advertising copywriter job, I read "Hey Whipple Squeeze This" by Luke Sullivan. I highly recommend this book for any aspiring copywriter. It's entertaining, it's easy to read and it will hopefully spark some creative thinking in your own copywriting endeavors.

[lightcam]

Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer.

This is more about sales and customer service, but a great book... plus sales is closely related to copywriting.

[Justin Quick]

Does anyone else see in the list at the top Ted N.'s book "Magic Words That Bring You Bitches"

Riches, maybe?

lol

[Kym Mulcahy]

Originally Posted by Ross Bowring

Kym, I found Joe's "Buyer's Trance" book very useful. He discusses nestled loops. Gives a few good examples too. However, as anyone who has read a Vitale book knows, his never-ending cross-promotion of his own products gets tiresome quick.

Can't disagree with you there Ross. He is a salesman after all!

[chonji36]

Hi, here are a few books that I found extremely usefull in helping me understand the process of good copywriting: Claude Hopkins Scientific Advertising, Joe Sugarman The Adweek Copywriting Handbook, Ted Nicholas, How To Turn Words Into Money And Magic Words That Bring You Riches!

[AlanCarr]

Guess I should be plugging my own:

Amazon.com: Carr's Copywriting Checklist: Checks,...
It's a very fast read - each page may be only a paragraph or two - but some seriously powerful tips and checks.





AC

[kjimeno]

You can never go wrong with Dan Kennedy....my vote goes for a Kennedy

[TheFlash]

but even more than reading books, seminars that teach you copywriting... where can we find?

[DigiCypher]

That's.... alot of books lol. I'll be sure to grab a few. Thanks Maximillion!

Cheers!

[DigiCypher]

Btw, since you asked us to let you know of duplicates etc. you do have a duplicate of "Million Dollar Mailings" by Danny Hatch right at the bottom. I'd send a PM, but I haven't hit the required 50 posts yet =P

[smak]

The 2 John Caples books are gems for me:

Tested advertising methods
AND Advertising that makes money (this one is not as popular as the famous 'Tested advertising methods' but nevertheless I found it more powerful, hence under-rated.

Others that I always get inspired when browsing through them are:
Joe Sugarman's Adweek Copywriting Handbood
Clayton makepeace's Total package and UDCC
Robert Colliers book.

[bobgabon]

Hi All,

I just started reading Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso and she write simple easy to absorb book. I finish quarter of her book and update once i finish reading

[samuraiwriting]

Wow! This is a lot to read for copywriting. I was hoping for an a,b,c method. I had been perusing courses but haven't bitten yet. I did buy the Robert Bly book and started to read it. He mentions the AIWA affiliation throughout it but that's a really expensive course for not much information on what I would actually be learning.

[lightanjoy]

Phew! Talk about overwhelm! Just shows what an important topic copywriting is! You could spend years and years on this alone. My all time favorites are Sugarman (after meeting up with him at a seminar), Cialdini and Breakthrough Advertising by Gene Schwartz. I have stuff by Dan Kennedy but haven't read it yet .... but this list is certainly a great resource ... manyb thanks to all contributors

[downhomebruce]

Maximillion, I might add John E. Kennedy's Reason Why Advertising to your great list.
It's one of those "ancient classics" and even though Hopkins does come out of
that tradition with Scientific Advertising , it's still well worth a read for any marketer. And best of all, it's in the public domain. Easy to grab a copy off the Web.

[theemperor]

How can a book on selling help with copywriting?

I just downloaded and read "How I Raised Myself from a Failure to Success in Selling" by Frank Bettger. (PDF format was $10)

It is a absolutely superb read. Not only does it have all the top tips for becoming a better salesman, they style of writing inspires curiosity and makes you want to read on more, it's like a huge catchy sales letter!

The only bad thing is the overuse of baseball analogies ... if you know nothing about baseball it can be offputting and get a bit boring "oh not another baseball story!!!" but this can be understood as he was a professional baseball player.

I am going to use some of the sales techniques in doing any copywriting, and of course study the style of Bettger himself to see how he makes the chapter so compelling and interesting that I have to punch myself to stop reading and get to work!

[Roxanne McHenry]

Originally Posted by travlinguy

Even though it's not a copywriting guide get Seven Kings' "On Writing." This is one of his few non-fiction books with a slight autobiographical slant. Excellent stuff.

I agree that Steven King's book is excellent. It's not a how-to in the traditional sense, but he shares the nitty-gritty to get the job done. Great for writing and copywriting!

I actually saw Steve King in person years ago in New England at a movie showing of one of his stories, and he's still a writing icon. He was very unassuming, and if you didn't know who he was, he looked like he could've been a teacher or professor.

[Hesaidblissfully]

This was on Clayton Makepeace's website. It's not a book, but it has links to ads written by direct mail copywriters like Dan Rosenthal, David Deutsch, Gary Halbert, and has direct mail advertisements from The Economist and Prevention magazine. Plus it has interviews with Gary Bencivenga and others.

FREE Swipe File | The Total Package

[Ken Strong]

To keep this thread somewhat manageable for people to read, let's eliminate the "thank you" and "I agree" posts, and only post about books that haven't already been mentioned in the thread... and there can't be a lot of those at this point.