45 Recommended Copywriting and Marketing Books

Why a list of recommended copywriting books mixed with marketing ones together?

If you’ve noticed, the pro direct response copywriters like Drayton Bird, Robert W. Bly, Herschel Gordon Lewis and Steve Slaunwhite, just to name a few, are all expert marketers.

When I was researching which titles to buy, I found that advertising, copywriting and marketing all went hand-in-hand. There simply was no avoiding copywriting + marketing, or advertising + copywriting.

After studying the first few books I got, it was logical that copywriting and marketing went hand-in-hand. And your client’s sales processes also play a huge part in working well with the people that your good ad brings in.

Imagine if you had a successful ad that brought people to your client, but those folks received poor service, due to some fault in your client’s sales and marketing processes.

The customers will tell their friends, and their bad experience with your client will spread like wildfire.

Your successful ad, through no fault of its own, just had an opposite effect on their business. It brought more people in to shop with your client, and more people received a bad experience, and therefore, more give a bad review.

But that happens only because their marketing and sales process wasn’t looked into first. Sometimes, what your client needs first isn’t copywriting, but a good look at their marketing.

This is why you find that most, if not all, direct response copywriters also provide marketing and consultant services. It all goes hand in hand to make your client’s business more successful.

You will find common titles listed here in other lists that you’ve Googled. These are the books that I’ve bought myself too, and quite a number of them are only mentioned in some of the books themselves. It took me quite a bit of time and research to go for titles which gave the most bang for your buck.

Without further ado… The list!

I’ve decided to list new and upcoming titles up here first, as of today, 26 September 2016:

1. The Advertising Solution, by Craig Simpson and Brian Kurtz
2. Sell With a Story, by Paul Smith

The main list, in no particular order:

1. My Life in Advertising/Scientific Advertising, by Claude Hopkins
2. How To Make Your Advertising Make Money, by John Caples
3. Breakthrough Advertising, by Eugene M Schwartz
4. Ogilvy on Advertising, by David Ogilvy
5. Confessions of an Advertising Man, by David Ogilvy
6. Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing, by Drayton Bird
7. How To Write Sales Letters That Sell, by Drayton Bird
8. The Robert Collier Letter Book, by Robert Collier
9. How To Write a Good Advertisement, by Vic Schwab
10. Reality in Advertising, by Rosser Reeves
11. The 100 Greatest Advertisements, by Julian L Watkins
12. Write Everything Right!, by Denny Hatch
13. Million Dollar Mailings, by Denny Hatch
14. Secrets of a Freelance Writer, by Robert W. Bly (This link to Bob Bly is an affiliate one)
15. The Copywriter’s Handbook, by Robert W. Bly
16. The Marketing Plan Handbook, by Robert W. Bly
17. On The Art of Writing Copy, by Herschel Gordon Lewis
18. Marketing Mayhem, by Herschel Gordon Lewis
19. The Ultimate Sales Letter, by Dan Kennedy
20. No B.S. Direct Marketing, by Dan Kennedy
21. Direct Marketing, by Ed Nash
22. The Boron Letters, by Gary Halbert
23. The Halbert Copywriting Method Part III, by Bond Halbert
24. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook, by Joseph Sugarman
25. Ca$hvertising: 100 Secrets of Ad-Agency Psychology, by Drew Whitman
26. Write To Sell, by Andy Maslen
27. 100 Great Copywriting Ideas, by Andy Maslen
28. Persuasive Copywriting, by Andy Maslen
29. How To Write Copy That Sells, by Ray Edwards
30. 80/20 Sales and Marketing, by Perry Marshall
31. Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords, by Perry Marshall
32. Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising, by Perry Marshall
33. Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, by Luke Sullivan and Edward Boches
34. Words That Sell, by Bayan
35. More Words That Sell, by Bayan
36. Start and Run a Copywriting Business, by Steve Slaunwhite
37. The Everything Guide to Writing Copy, by Steve Slaunwhite

Further reading:

1. Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got, by Jay Abraham
2. In For a Penny, by Peter Hargreaves
3. The Economist Style Guide
4. Writing That Works, by Roman and Raphaelson
5. 1 Page Marketing Plan, by Allan Dib
6. The Elements of Style, by Strunk

P.S. This list might grow over 45 recommended copywriting titles as I discover titles that will be helpful to you. You can buy most of them off Amazon.