Frank Kern says Charles Bukowski's novels helped him become a good e-mail copywriter because they showed him how to convey empathy and craft “sucker punch” sentences. He also says he's only read one copywriting book; instead he has read the novels of Harold Robbins to learn about storytelling.

That makes sense, seeing as how copywriting is ultimately about people. I'm drawn to novels and books about psychology for that reason.

Flannery O'Connor is the Bukowski equivalent for me. I also like reading poetry because there are some similarities between poetry and e-mail copy. Music lyrics are good in this regard too (I'm partial to U2's). Also, there's something refreshing about reading books that are collections of letters that aren't sales letters but were written by authors/historical figures/etc.

What are the books that are NOT about copywriting that help you with your copywriting?

--Anita

That's not true.

I'm reading "20 Master Plots" right now for copywriting help. I like it.

I suppose, even though you say "copywriting", you exclude marketing books too? I won't name the classic psychology books like "Influence" then.

I like short stories to teach you the storytelling aspect. I've read all of O'Henry. I just read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. "A Modest Proposal" by Swift is a good one.

To me, short stories are more relevant to copywriting because they have to develop the story quickly, just like we do.

The other thing I do, though it's not a book, is to critique every bit of advertising I see; billboards, magazine ads, TV ads. I also watch infomercials and try to name all the elements I see as they use them.

Lastly, I've read a lot of books about creative thinking. Look for stuff by Edward DeBono. I enjoyed "A Whack on the Side of the Head", "Pop! How to Stand Out In Any Crowd", etc.

I have one more secret weapon but I'm not saying it publicly. I'll PM you if you promise to keep it to yourself.

Can't really beat Hemingway for packing short sentences full of punch. I'll second the Bukowski factor. Also, Bukowski's favorite writer, John Fante was a master storyteller... "Ask The Dust" is still my favorite book.

On the journalism tip, the great feature writers are great examples of how to weave a tale and cliffhang storylines. Look for Gay Talese, Thomas French, Tom Wolfe, Rick Bragg to name a few.

Sure, feel free to mention those. I like psychology books. I'm reading Therapeutic Metaphors right now. It's minds-on but worth the effort. I'm also reading Freakonomics - not a psychology book but I like his unique way of analyzing things.

About Frank reading only one copywriting book, I got that from a transcript of his talk at a Jeff Walker conference a few years ago where he said he's only read Carlton's course. I suppose he's read more since then.

I liked Whacked on the Side of the Head too.

--Anita

Sorry to yell out your punchline, Mr. Subtle.

And thanks for the new desktop. That's a beauty!

Lawrence Block and other writers like him are great.


Steve

Another great book by an A level copywriter - Richard Armstrong.

"God Doesn't Shoot Craps"

A really fun read - and you'll see loads of brilliant copywriting techniques - weaved perfectly into a thriller.

Well worth getting a copy.

Steve

I second that. Funny, clever, and downright interesting. And if you like novels by copywriters, try Coldc ocked (leave out the space) by Denny Hatch. It's not been published, but I think you can still request a copy in electronic form from his website.

To be honest, I hadn't thought of a connection between fiction reading and writing copy before.

I read fiction as a mental break from all of the non-fiction and research I do every week for my business and copywriting projects.

The one author I can think of who might be helpful is mystery/suspense writer James Patterson. His early books in the Alex Cross series like Kiss The Girls or Along Came A Spider do a great job of fast story telling and using words to create a mental image for the reader. Not every fiction writer pulls it off... the best ones write so the reader gets pulled into the story.

Story-telling style copy has a lot of the same elements in my opinion.

First book of Patterson's that I ever read was Kiss The Girls. Sat down at 8 p.m. to read it and wound up staying up until sunrise to finish it. Went the bookstore and bought Along Came A Spider the next day... stayed up all night reading that one too.

A few years ago, they made both of those books into movies and did a complete hatchet job of the great books. Skip the movies and read the books instead.

Mike