Top Copywriting books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Copywriting books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Copywriting

Understanding the concepts of Copywriting starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Confessions of an Advertising Man

Managing an advertising agency is like managing any other creative business. Ogilvy articulates the ten anchors that underpinned the corporate culture of his agency’s 497 employees in 1963: they work hard, combine intelligence with intellectual honesty, put passion in what they do, do not suck up to their bosses, are self-confident, do not hire their spouses but future successors who they buil…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

On Writing Well

On Writing Well by William Zinsser is a guide to improve writing style, emphasizing on clarity, simplicity, and humanity. It offers practical tips, examples, and exercises to connect with readers on an emotional level.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Boron Letters

Boron Letters is FILLED with nuggets of wisdom for email marketing, sales copy, and life. Not everything translates to the modern world, but much of it does. It was interesting to read because it is all letters written from prison, and I felt like that kept my attention much better than a lot of dry marketing books.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Fortune Cookie Principle: The 20 Keys to a Great Brand Story and Why Your Business Needs One Bernadette Jiwa

The Fortune Cookie Principle by Bernadette Jiwa is a marketing book that emphasizes that brand success is about creating a unique, inspiring story. It guides readers on crafting a strong brand message that resonates with audiences and builds a loyal customer base.

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The Well-fed Writer: Financial Self-sufficiency as a Freelance Writer in Six Months Or Less Peter Bowerman

Businesses Need Writers, and Will Pay Handsomely For Them... Attention: Aspiring writers, career-changers, at-home Moms, journalists, staff writers, recent college grads, 55+ or anyone else who loves to write, knows they're good at it, and wants to make a GOOD living at it. Here's your roadmap to hourly rates of $50-125+ and a writing lifestyle most can only dream of in the lucrative field of …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads

The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads. Short Summary: The nuts and bolts of the ad creation process from ideation to execution and the art of client servicing. An inside view of how the advertising world functions with great examples of advertising peppered throughout the book.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional Copywriting Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Copywriting, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

The Idea Writers: Copywriting in a New Media and Marketing Era Teressa Iezzi

The Idea Writers guides both new and experienced copywriters through the process of creating compelling messages that sell. It shows readers what it's like to work in the fast-paced world of an agency while providing practical adviceplusdetails oncreatingaward-winning multimedia ad campaigns.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-by-step Guide to Writing Copy that Sells Robert Bly

This thoroughly revised third edition includes all new essential information for mastering copywriting in the Internet era, including advice on Web- and e-mail-based copywriting, multimedia presentations, and Internet research and source documentation, as well as updated resources.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Tested advertising methods

Tested Advertising Methods stresses on the importance of testing and how it is the best possible solution to clearly identify which type of appeal, advertisement, offer, and headlines work and which don't.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Thinking, Fast and Slow is a 2011 popular science book by psychologist Daniel Kahneman. The book's main thesis is a differentiation between two modes of thought: "System 1" is fast, instinctive and emotional; "System 2" is slower, more deliberative, and more logical.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

A Memoir of the Craft is a memoir by American author Stephen King that describes his experiences as a writer and his advice for aspiring writers. Originally published in 2000 by Charles Scribner's Sons, it was King's first book after he was involved in a car accident a year earlier.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence

This guide reveals how writers can utilize cognitive storytelling strategies to craft stories that ignite readers' brains and captivate them through each plot element. Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps readers transfixed.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

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