The best books on copywriting

Why am I passionate about this?

I started my adult life as a bouncer and a school teacher. A few years later, I was running one of the most well-known email marketing agencies in the industry. The reason this happened is because I dedicated my life to becoming a master copywriter. Learning how to write copy was the key that unlocked a level of freedom I didn’t know existed, both personal and financial. It’s also allowed me to write two bestselling books on email marketing, work with 250+ brands, and coach 2,200+ students around the world. I hope this list helps you take your writing skills up a notch.


I wrote...

Make it Rain: The Secret to Generating Massive Paydays from Your Email List

By Chris Orzechowski,

Book cover of Make it Rain: The Secret to Generating Massive Paydays from Your Email List

What is my book about?

People who master copywriting have the rare ability to turn words into money. If you do business on the internet, this is one skill you need to have in your toolbox. I wrote this book to teach people the basics of copywriting, specifically when it comes to short-form advertising mediums like email. After you read this book, every piece of copy you write will convert better. Your emails, social posts, and landing pages will light people up. Your sales will skyrocket. And you’ll finally be getting the attention, fame, and notoriety your brand deserves.

Ready to take your writing chops to the next level fast? Click the link and make it rain!

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Is There Any Hope For Advertising?

Chris Orzechowski Why did I love this book?

Howard Gossage was not your typical ad man. He was cut from a different cloth. His love/hate relationship with the profession led to some innovative ad campaigns. He once ran an ad that ended mid-sentence (people were dying to know what happened next). He advertised Finna Gas by offering free balloons - filled with PINK air. He was part troll, part genius. And his style and flair are things I try to emulate with my own work.

You’ll eventually get to a point in your copy career where you feel jaded. Where you’re tired of selling your soul one sentence at a time. When you reach that point, this book will bring you back to life. That’s what it did for me.

By Howard Gossage,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Is There Any Hope For Advertising? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Gathers Gossage's essays on important issues in advertising as well as a selection of copy from some of his unconventional campaigns


Book cover of The 60-Second Sales Hook: How to Stand Out and Sell More Using the Power of Your Story

Chris Orzechowski Why did I love this book?

In a world of ever-shortening attention spans, you’ve got a minute (maybe even less) to grab your reader’s attention and hook them. How exactly do you do that? Kevin Rogers lays out a simple four-step framework you can use to sell any product in any market with ease. This book has come in handy time and time again. It always helps me get to the essence of the sales argument I’m trying to construct. I use this framework for this book on my websites, in my sales letters, and even in some of my emails. It’s a timeless formula you’ll lean on for years to come. 

By Kevin Rogers,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The 60-Second Sales Hook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How a nightclub comedian turned a simple joke formula into a million dollar sales hook... and how you can use the same easy 4-sentence formula to stand out from the crowd and connect more deeply with your best customers and prospects.


Book cover of Breakthrough Advertising

Chris Orzechowski Why did I love this book?

This book is dense, like a textbook. It’s one you’ll have to read 3-4x before it really sinks in. But once you understand the principles in this book, you’ll become dangerous behind a keyboard. The chapters on "Market Awareness" and "Market Sophistication" will help you never write a losing ad again. You’ll finally understand why some ads fall flat, why messaging mismatches happen, and how to channel desire so writing copy becomes effortless. This book gave me the insights I needed to write a $5,200,000 launch campaign back in 2016. I’d say it’s worth a read.

By Eugene M. Schwartz,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Breakthrough Advertising as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

paperback version


Book cover of Flip the Script: Getting People to Think Your Idea Is Their Idea

Chris Orzechowski Why did I love this book?

This book was a roller coaster ride. Although I don’t think the word “copywriting” is mentioned a single time throughout, I think it’s one of the best copywriting books ever written. Oren is a master of pitching, usually through presentations. I love the system he lays out in this book and I use it every single day at my email marketing agency. The biggest win I ever got was understanding his concept of the “Flash Roll.” I probably owe at least $500,000 in client work from understanding this 30-second script.

By Oren Klaff,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Flip the Script as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book will change the way you think about persuasion, and have you closing deals in no time.

These days, it's just not enough to make a great pitch. Over decades of being marketed, pitched, sold (and lied) to, we've grown resistant to sales persuasion. The moment we feel pressured to buy, we pull away. And if we're told what to think, our defences go up.

That's why Oren Klaff, bestselling author of Pitch Anything, has devised a new approach to persuasion based on a simple insight: everyone trusts their own ideas. Instead of pushing your idea on your buyer,…


Book cover of My Life in Advertising

Chris Orzechowski Why did I love this book?

A lot of writers get all hot and bothered over Claude’s other book, Scientific Advertising. But I think it’s somewhat boring and too theoretical. My Life In Advertising is the story of how an unknown copywriter transformed the world of advertising forever and became the most powerful man in print.

Claude wasn’t a conqueror like Alexander, Caesar, or Napoleon. But when you read this book, it awakens that same spirit. This man turned himself into a legend. His story-arc is something I became cognizant of, especially as I started to build my business and get my name out there.

This one will teach you about ad writing, sure. But the more important lessons will come from how Claude became somebody in this industry.

By Claude Hopkins,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My Life in Advertising as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“My Life in Advertising” is an autobiography detailing the life of advertising genius Claude C. Hopkins (author of the business classic “Scientific Advertising”). This book is not written as a personal history, but as a business story. The chief object behind every chapter is to offer helpful suggestions to those who will follow his advice. As practical as it is interesting, “My Life in Advertising” is a must-read book for anyone wanting to understand the secrets of how to sell. Many of his strategies and techniques still apply today, even for internet marketing.


You might also like...

Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration

By Mark Doherty,

Book cover of Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration

Mark Doherty Author Of Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a highly experienced outdoorsman, musician, songwriter, and backcountry guide who chose teaching as a day job. As a writer, however, I am a promoter of creative and literary nonfiction, especially nonfiction that features a thematic thread, whether it be philosophical, conservation, historical, or even unique experiential. The thread I used for thirty years of teaching high school and honors English was the thread of Conservation, as exemplified by authors like Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Edward O. Wilson, Al Gore, Henry David Thoreau, as well as many other more contemporary authors.

Mark's book list on creative nonfiction books that entertain and teach through threaded essays and stories

What is my book about?

I have woven numerous delightful and descriptive true life stories, many from my adventures as an outdoorsman and singer songwriter, into my life as a high school English teacher. I think you'll find this work both entertaining as well as informative, and I hope you enjoy the often lighthearted repartee and dialogue that enhances the stories and experiences.

When I started teaching in the early 1990s, I brought into the classroom with me my passions for nature, folk music, and creativity. This book holds something new and engaging with every chapter and can be enjoyed by all sorts of readers, particularly those who enjoy nonfiction that employs wit, wisdom, humor, and even some down-to-earth philosophy.

Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration

By Mark Doherty,

What is this book about?

Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration follows the evolution of a high school English teacher as he develops a creative and innovative teaching style despite being juxtaposed against a public education system bent on didactic, normalizing regulations and political demands. Doherty crafts an engaging nonfiction story that utilizes memoir, anecdote, poetry, and dialogue to explore how mixing creativity and pedagogy can change the way budding students visualize creative writing: A chunk of firewood plunked on a classroom table becomes part of a sawmill, a mine timber, an Anasazi artifact...it also becomes a poem, a song, an essay, and a memoir. The…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in copywriting, advertising, and persuasion?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about copywriting, advertising, and persuasion.

Copywriting Explore 18 books about copywriting
Advertising Explore 48 books about advertising
Persuasion Explore 21 books about persuasion