Best Copywriting Books Ever Written!

Books are perhaps the best way to expand your knowledge and your business. But what books should you read? Discover the best marketing books here.

"The Best Books Ever Written On Copywriting and Marketing."

The best marketing books ever written were chosen by Ted Nicholas, one of the highest paid speakers and writers in the world.

This is what he has to say about the list of the "The 13 Best marketing Books Ever Written":

"Every super successful marketer I know is constantly working to improve skills. Why? You must be a perpetual student to become a master in any field.

Those who never achieve their potential in life simply do not exercise their innate capacity to learn and grow.

Continuing education through books is perhaps the best way known to expand your knowledge. But what books should you read?

I have selected 13 marketing books considered the best ever written. Every serious marketer should study and refer to them over and over, as I do. Here are the 'Best 13' which are musts for every marketer:"

Book #1: Confessions Of An Advertising Man, by David Ogilvy

Ted Nicholas says: "Ogilvy understands direct marketing! And he communicates his wisdom clearly and effectively. In this book you will learn how to:

- Prepare better headlines
- Enhance the graphics of your space ads and direct mail
- Use photography in ways that increase the pulling power of your promotions
- Select typefaces that help sell your product
- Use reverse type selectivity
- Improve your creativity
- Find good copywriters

You'll find the ads written by Ogilvy himself to be especially useful in studying powerful copy techniques."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON:

"A Classic from One of the Masters - "Highly recommended for anyone involved in advertising, particularly copywriters. Ogilvy was a copywriter and he clearly has a special admiration for those who write copy for a living. He also has great advice to share for anyone in advertising."

"Lessons from a Master - Ogilvy might have made his mark starting over 40 years ago, but his approach is timeless. It is often helpful to harken back to the sage advise of the kings of business from an earlier and more genteel time to try to identify the things we have forgotten -- and are worse for having done so.

Ogilvy reflects class, an ethos of hard work, and an appreciation for what it takes to be competitive. This book is not about advertising per se -- it's about how to start and run a business that will capture and hold clients for decades, and at the same time make the founder proud of his or her achievements. You'll be proud to place it next to your Benjamin Graham tomes on your bookshelf."

He changed my life - I first read "Confessions" in 1967 when I was a law student who had figured out he didn't want to be a lawyer. After reading it, I decided that I belonged on Madison Avenue... and that I HAD to work at Ogilvy & Mather. I somehow talked my way into a job there... as a mailboy... and by the time I left a decade and a half later, I was one of the agency's top creative people. I recently retired... after a 38-year career in advertising at five different agencies.

"Confessions" remains the best guide ever about how to run an agency, and how to hire one. And David Ogilvy was, without a doubt, the best boss I ever had.

Book #2: The Robert Collier Letter Book, by Robert Collier

Ted Nicholas says: "This Book, first published in 1931, is a classic. It clearly shows why Collier was considered the best copywriter in the world during the first half of this century. Virtually all the techniques he used then are just as powerful now. Perhaps even more so. The wisdom in this book shows you how to:

- Improve the pulling power of your sales letter
- Use word pictures that make people want your product
- Put a hook into your letters
- Get news interest into your letters
- Discover motives that make people buy
- Six essentials in any offer
- Take the guess out of advertising
- Raise money be mail

Collier's book is filled with useful tips on every page, an indispensable guide for any great marketer. It is one of my top selections."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON:

"Amazing!! This is a true direct marketing classic - Robert Collier is one of the absolute greatest copywriters of all time. This book is simply a tremendous bargain since it hasn't been re-published in many years. I have 2 copies
of the original 5th edition on my bookshelf because I never wanted to lose one. If you study Collier's work you can crank out winning sales letters that bring in the cash anytime you like."

"A top shelf class finally back in print - I'm surprised this book hasn't been reviewed yet. Collier's classic is THE guide to direct response copywriting. Right now as I write this, there's a used copy online for $1,009.95 One friend who's paid five figures to write sales letters says he wouldn't let his copy go for $10,000 if he couldn't get another."

Book #3: My Life In Advertising, by Claude Hopkins

Ted Nicholas says: "Hopkins' book is used like a bible in marketing circles. First written in 1923, its lessons are just as relevant today. Hopkins will help you improve your results from advertising investments through his unique approach. You'll discover how to:

- Tell your full story
- Use art in advertising
- Develop marketing strategies
- Offer samples effectively
- Get distribution
- Test campaign
- Lean on dealers

Hopkins' copywriting style will keep you glued to the page as you discover all the gems he offers."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON:

"Advertising is salesmanship; Hopkins is formula for success - If you're a copywriter in the profession of marketing or advertising, or if you're a student wishing to gain the best education possible, Claude Hopkins' Scientific Advertising should be in your hands daily. Underline it. Quote it. Memorize it. Pledge allegiance to it. Defend it at all costs.

This book will help you write more clearly, sell more powerfully and make more money for your clients than ever before."

"The Source of Modern Successful Advertising - All the modern giants of advertising still swear by this book. Ogilvy even claimed it changed his life (in advertising anyway, but who knows, advertising was Ogilvy's life). Despite the fact that Hopkins wrote with a focus on what we now consider to be direct marketing, his principles are applicable to all forms of advertising. Hopkins essentially invented many of the concepts that so many advertisers take for granted today, yet oddly, many advertisers fail to follow his advice.

Whether you are a copywriter or involved in advertising in some other way, you must read this book if you want to be a success."

Book #4: Making Ads Pay, by John Caples

Ted Nicholas says: "This list contains another book by Caples that is also very valuable. Included is information which shows you:

- Seven steps to succeed advertising
- Which appeals succeed? ... which fail?
- How to think up ideas
- Ten ways to write the first paragraph
- Ten ways to make ads believable
- Six ways to prove it's a bargain
- Nine ways to make it easy to buy
- Six ways to make people buy now

Caples has such an engaging writing style as he compellingly presents all his strategies."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON:

A must have! - Caples analyzes the hundreds of successful ads quoted in this book, and the many side-by-side comparisons between two similar but not equally successful ads. In analyzing these examples, he isolates the essential appeal of the ad that made it a success. These analyses yield principles, procedures, tips and practical suggestions--each tested with 31 years' experience--that you can immediately apply to any copy assignment in any media and style.

All copywriters, from cub to chief, should find a spot within easy reach for this useful, practical text. For anyone who works with copywriters, or wants to know more about advertising, this is the best book around for describing clearly and factually what the copywriter is trying to do, what his problems are, and how he goes about solving them."

Book #5: How To Make Your Advertising Make Money, by John Caples

Ted Nicholas says: "This book is jam-packed with wisdom and usable strategies. In this book Caples presents proven techniques that include:

- Twelve ways to find advertising ideas
- How to write small ads that make money
- 303 words and phrases that sell
- How to write sentences that sell
- How to write sales letters that make money
- Sales appeals that last forever
- How direct response can help general advertisers make money
- Tips on copywriting:
A) 12 ways to get started
B) 11 ways to get going
C) 14 ways to improve copy

You'll find the ads written by Ogilvy himself to be especially useful in studying powerful copy techniques."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON:

A classic on advertising and copywriting - This book and Tested Advertising Methods were my first contacts with direct marketing and copywriting and what you have to consider. I consider them both classics.

A must at least for every copywriter and also everyone who has to work in this area. In my job I often get suggestion for ads which are funny and creative. But funny doesn't necessarily sell. This book - based on so-called scientific advertising - shows you what works and what to look for in an ads or a copy.

"A bigger and fuller book by Caples. This book is full of proven methods of making cost-effective advertising. A bit outdated but still very valid and central to advertising thinking.

Simple to read and well-organized. Examples of chapter names include; "303 words and phrases that sell", "12 ways to find advertising ideas" et cetera.

An important reference book to anyone involved with selling in general and copywriting in particular."

Book #6: The First Hundred Million, by E. Haldeman-Julius

Ted Nicholas says: "The best book ever written on the relationship between the name or title of a product, and the resulting sales. While this book covers the sale of books, the lessons derived apply equally to selling any product. Therefore, no seller of anything, especially an information product, can afford to be without this book!

It is fascinating to see proof from numerous tests that human nature does not change. The same appeals that worked in 1928 work equally well today. The book covers topics including:

- What America wants to read can lead you to saleable products of all kinds.
- Are Americans afraid of sex?
- The quest for self improvement is eternal
- People want fun fun and laughter and how to create products to meet their wants.

The enormous value of this book, more that any other ever written before, is that Haldeman-Julius reveals the statistical impact and results from all his advertising. He shows you the actual sales totals of books before and after title changes. Get this book. You will be thrilled and delighted."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON:

"Unbelievable detail! A must have for authors & booksellers. This is impossible to find in hard copy but a new digital publisher has made it available in PDF.

I saw this at a local library and couldn't believe the amount of sales detail and general publishing insider information. EHJ tells everything about his business.

This author was basically a mail order, direct marketing book seller who sold hundreds of millions of books. It's an incredible story and most of what he offers in this book is still relevant today. I use it as my primary tool for brainstorming book and article titles.

It's like a title workshop. Highly recommended for writers, book authors, ebook sellers."

MORE REVIEWS:

"More than 60 years ago, a man named E. Haldeman-Julius conducted the most fascinating and large-scale market research program I've ever heard about.

Indeed, The First Hundred Million is a book that contains a precise and valid statistical measurement of America's inner most needs and greeds." - The Gary Halbert Letter

Book #7: How to make money with your direct mail, by Edward N. Mayer, Jr.

Ted Nicholas says: "Former president of James Gray, Inc. and the Direct Mail Advertising Association, Mayer reveals secrets of how to:

- Add a personal touch to increase direct mail results
- Improve the looks of your mailings
- Seven cardinal rules of direct mail success
- Twenty kinds of direct mail letters
- Keep your list from getting stale
- Get your full money's worth at the post office
- Get action from your prospects
- Use color to increase results
- Interpret what testing tells about eighteen direct mail problems

Mayer is considered by many of the professionals in direct marketing today to be one of the most brilliant practioners ever in this field. And I wholeheartedly agree."

Book #8: The mirror Makers, by Stephen Fox

Ted Nicholas says: "This well written but little known book is the best history of American advertising and its creators that I've ever read. It's both fascinating and instructive to study the early beginnings of advertising.

Samples of early ads are the best reflection of the thinking and how it evolved up through today. The lives and impacts of the early pioneers in American advertising are discussed. This book will help make you a smarter marketer by better understanding the history of your craft."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON:

"Advertising must read - Anybody who ever worked, or ever want to work a day in the advertising business must read this book.

Media, account and creative people will enjoy it equally.

You will gain tremendous insight and respect for our industry -- understanding where we've come from -- and appreciation of where we are today. Extremely entertaining. Full of wisdom and fascinating stories about the advertising forefathers and legends. Rightfully the most quoted book on advertising". Robert Fleege

"A crash course about the dynamic history of advertising!, - This book is a must-have resource for anybody in or thinking of dabbling in advertising. It's a veritable who's who of the movers and shakers in the industry.

Starting at advertising's humble beginnings, it covers most of the major successes and pitfalls, and sheds some light on how it modernized into the institution we love and hate today.

Nobody affiliated with the industry should be without this wonderful resource!"

Book #9: The Greatest Direct Sales mail letter of all times, by richard s. hodgson

Ted Nicholas says: "This book is really an encyclopedia of sales letters. It will help you better understand:

- How winning sales letters are created
- Why sales letters succeed
- How to create your own great sales letter
- Consumer mail order letter
- Circulation and book promotion letters
- Fund raising letters
- Business to business direct mail
- Inquiry and lead direct mail
- Retail and services letters
- Personalized letters
- How to start a letter
- How to close a letter
- Tips from the experts

This book is so instructive to see many examples of great sales letters from some of America's creative geniuses. You'll learn to write better copy by modeling these letters."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON:

"One of the best book I've ever read on this subject - This book answered all of the questions that I had. It includes formulas from the greatest writers of all time, reviews of their work, and analyses of what they did and how they did it. The best."

"Don't waste a moment more. Order this book while they last. - At last. In one place. With examples. With clear guidelines. The Book. This is the best of it's kind. A book to explain and inspire great direct mail composition. If you could only buy one book, buy this one.

There are several very fine books on direct mail. Hershell Gordon Lewis has written several of them. Hodgson has a book which is easier to read and see how to apply the principles than any other single book. Short sentences - with snap, crackle and pop --- profusely illustrated with classic examples. No ponderous hair splitting and cutting down to the finest points.

Here are the basics, the beginnings, the endings, the Post Scripts, the greetings ( salutations for the intellectuals) and the rest of it. You can see the pieces apart, and in the letters see how somebody put them together. No extra verbiage. Good solid hard biting skills build from reading and rereading and appreciating the creative spirits of the best."

Book #10: The 100 Greatest Advertisements, by julian lewis watkins

Ted Nicholas says: "There is much to glean from the great ads which pulled profitable results for long periods of time.

These full-page space ads, run for years in newspapers and magazines throughout the U.S., show you how you can sell virtually anything in a space ad.

Products depicted include cars, correspondence courses, soft drinks, toothpaste, shaving cream, soap, diamonds, insurance and, of course books.

You'll get lots of ideas from the advertisements included here."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON

"Learn From Some of the Greatest Copywriters - While some of the ads in "The 100 Greatest Advertisements" may seem outdated - there are many others that one can learn from. Copywriters such as - Claude Hopkins, John Caples, Raymond Rubicam, David Ogilvy, and many others - have shown that most of the great ads were written back then.

Some people may believe that today's advertisements are better then they were back then. Not so. Direct response copywriters know that yesterday's copywriters are the one's to learn from. As a former ad agency owner and master copywriter - I keep these ads as part of my "swipe file." So can you."

"Very Very outdated - This book is very outdated; it does however contain the best ads of that period. Could be valuable for researchers or for students, but of no integral value to a practitioner. As soon as I saw the book I felt that I had wasted some money."

Book #11: million dollar mailing, by denison hatch

Ted Nicholas says: "This new publication contains 71 fully illustrated mailings of today. To qualify for inclusion, the mailing has to be a "control" for over 3 years or longer.

60 direct marketing superstars reveal their thinking behind mailings which have been the most powerful during the last decade. Discover how to:

- Apply 26 design tips to lift response
- Interrupting 0 the key to successful advertising
- Use double post cards profitably
- Use direct mail profitably, and why it is the second largest medium with $25.6 billion spent on it.

These ad creations are all winners of an "Axel" award, named in honour of Axel Andersson. Every part of the mail offer is included in the book, including order card, envelope, brochure, and lift letters."

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REVIEWS ON AMAZON:

"Imitation--the sincerest form of flattery, and success! - Denison Hatch has gathered together proven winners in direct mail marketing.

For those of us whose job it is to write sales letters and direct mail, we know that reading the works of others, studying what works and what doesn't is one of the quickest ways to be successful as a direct mail/sales letter writer.

By perusing this book and studying the way these direct mail packages were put together and the techniques that were used is a veritable classroom between to covers for those wanting to know more. And if you are in direct marketing, you are always learning something new!"

" PRICELESS INFORMATION FOR DIRECT MARKETERS - This is as close as one gets to being a kid is a direct marketing candy store. Although, the examples are increasingly dated, they are no less brilliant examples of dos and don'ts. A great starting point or swipe file. Add it to your library today."

"Holy swipe file batman - this thing is like 20 pounds! - When I ordered this book I had no idea how absolutely H-U-G-E this thing is. I got this massive and heavy package from Amazon and couldn't think of what it was. As I split through the brown paper I was happily surprised to find Million Dollar Mailings.

If you write copy you must own this book. It's a veritable swipe file in a book. Everything is organized for you!

Just imagine how much this book would be worth to you if you could take just one idea from it and increase your response rate by say 1%. And think about time savings when you can have this thing right next to you you while you're writing your copy."

"A Must! - Do you own a copy of the Bible?"

The last two books on the list are written by the great master, Ted Nicholas, himself. You might ask why Ted Nicholas has included his own books in his list. Here is what he says:

"I debated on whether to include any of my books on the list. At first I was not going to. But Some close friends in direct marketing felt the "greatest marketing books" would not be fully represented unless I did. Since I would be the last person to argue this point and for the benefit of subscribers who do not have them yet, I've included two of my books, below.

Book #12: The Golden Mailbox - how to get rich in direct marketing, by ted nicholas

Ted Nicholas says: "This book approaches direct marketing from both the creative and business aspects. Of course, unless these two elements are in sync. you cannot succeed. The ideas apply to marketing any product or service. The books shows you:

- The steps to a successful ad
- Which ad will work
- If it works, don't fix it.
- Make choices not guesses
- Write copy that sells
- How to effectively test
- Develop consumer products
- Create your own future
- Thinking small for big success
- Markets ripe for picking
- Ads versus direct mail

This book is also the most autobiographical to date."

Book #13: How i Sold $200 million dollars worth of products and services, by ted nicholas

Ted Nicholas says: "This 644 page book contains every successful ad, brochure, sales letter, and card deck I've ever written.

Each offer is graded from one to five stars for performance. One star is at least break even. Five star is a home run, a highly profitable ad. There are sections in the book on:

- Print ads in magazines and newspapers
- Sales letters
- Card decks
- Brochures

Many of the world's best marketers have written me indicating they use the '$200 Million' book as a starter when writing copy.

You surely are aware how difficult it can be to begin an ad when staring at a blank sheet of paper."