The best books on copywriting?

A Gloucestershire freelance copywriter's recommended reading list

As for many specialised skills, elements of the copywriting craft can undoubtedly be learned from books or web content. But there’s more to a specialist skill than theory or technique alone. Innate ability, personal motivation, passion, hard work, practical experience and commitment for the profession come into the equation too.

Over nearly 20 years in professional marketing, PR, technical and copy writing, I’ve accumulated a sizeable library of ‘copywriting books’. Bearing in mind all the time that power lies, not just in having the information, but in what you do with it, here are a few favourites: from ‘how to write for a website’ to the word 'zythum', in my opinion they’re some of the best books on copywriting, and for copywriters.

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary

Originally in its weighty hardback form, more recently in electronic form on my hard drive, the SOED represents serious, heavyweight, industrial-grade word power at its best – a copywriter’s equivalent of having a Trident submarine fleet in your harbour. Nuff said!

The Oxford Guide to Style (R.M.Ritter)

Everything you could want to know about a book and its content. From the parts of a book, through the details of good writing style to referencing, it’s all in this superb collection of valuable information (a revised and enlarged edition of the classic Hart’s Rules.

New Hart's Rules (R.M.Ritter)

The Oxford Guide to Style – lite. As the book's preface says, '...a return to the Hart's Rules name and small 'handbook' format that have been renowned for more than a hundred years.'

Letting go of the Words – Writing Web Content that Works by Janice (Ginny) Redish

From its many positive reviews alone, this is clearly one of the best books on copywriting for the internet, a truly great volume about how to write for websites, with a strongly practical orientation and lots of real-world before-and-after examples. As well as being an enjoyable cover-to-cover read for anyone set on writing good web content, this is also an easy book to dip into for reference – on anything from writing a headline to the interaction between effective copy and other website elements.

Use your Head (Tony Buzan)

Although not a book on copywriting, this is the book that originally got me into Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping techniques – a powerful technique that’s invaluable for copywriters when they are brainstorming work or organising information. Whether you use a favourite pen and paper, or software such as Freemind, this and Tony’s other books are inspirational from first word to last.

Making Money from Copywriting (Jason Deign)

I read Jason's book from cover to cover when I was setting up my business. Now, nearly five years into my freelance copywriter career I still use it as a reference source from time to time. Definitely one of the copywriting books you should read if you are planning a copywriting career or starting to make a living from marketing copy.

Getting Through! – How to make words work for you (Godfrey Howard)

I first read this book in the late 1970s and its lessons (despite not a word about how to write for websites!) have helped me in many business and personal writing situations over the years. From ‘getting attention first’, though 'how to come to a good end' and psycho-linguistics, this book, like a good friend, has stood the test of time.

Word 2000 In a Nutshell – A Power User’s Quick Reference (Walter Glenn)

Effective copy, whether you are writing a brochure or writing web pages, takes more than just word processor skills! Even so, mastery of your tools undoubtedly saves time and enables you to focus better on the writing itself. This is one of the well-known O’Reilly computer books and a useful practical guide to using MS Word; it still has lots to offer users of later versions of Microsoft’s ubiquitous word processor. More than just an instruction book, this volume is packed with clearly-explained practical tips and power-user techniques from author Walter Glenn’s personal experience with Word.

The Elements of Copywriting (Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly)

This isn’t a long book, and it covers a very wide range of copywriting applications. That said, it is packed with very useful advice on creating ‘copy that gets the results you want’. For anyone who knows anything about copywriting, the name Bob Bly speaks volumes. As a quick introduction to the techniques that put Bly into the pantheon of modern copywriting gods, it certainly hits the spot.

Technical Editing: The Practical Guide for Editors and Writers (Judith A. Tarutz)

This book may be nearly 20 years old but the practical advice and common sense are timeless. A gem for anyone needing to develop their skills in technical editing or improve their understanding of the technical editing function.

So there you go, with a selection of my favourites; the dog-eared, well-thumbed stalwarts of my office library for anything from SEO for blogs to scientific writing style or writing copyright issues. These are, in my humble opinion, some of the best copywriting books you can invest in. If they aren’t in your library, why not check out Amazon or AbeBooks and buy a new or used copy today.