The 10 Best Books on Writing

To help you improve your content marketing here are ten of the best books on writing. No matter what stage you are at in your career, there’s always something you can learn to help develop your skills further and make you that bit closer to becoming an expert.

One area I know I need to develop is my writing skills. However, whilst I’m not a big writer of words, I am a big fan of reading them, so I decided to turn my hobby into a way to develop my writing skills because let’s be honest there’s only so much Grammarly can help with.

So without further ado here are 10 books which can help you improve your writing skills. Disclaimer, I haven’t read all of these books, because not every book will be beneficial to every reader, so I’ve also shared a short synopsis of each book, to help you identify the one for you! Also, if you still don’t feel like any of the books are for you, we have a team of in-house writers who would be more than happy to share their advice or assist with your contact strategies.

10 Books on Writing That You Need to Add to Your Wishlist

1.First you write a sentence: The Elements of Reading, Writing… and Life by Joe Moran

One of the best books to begin with, as it takes the simple practice of writing a basic sentence and how you can adapt that simple sentence into one which is powerful and compelling that your audience wants to read. Moran doesn’t want to call the book a style guide but wishes to spur the reader into doing exactly what this blog is all about, writing better. Some have said the book is more like a love letter to the simple sentence, with instructions to love verbs, go easy with nouns and alternate the length of sentences.

2. 100 ways to improve your writing by Gary Provost

Reviewed by a Google user as ‘This is the one guide that anyone who writes–whether student, business person, or professional writer–should put on the desk beside pencil, pen, typewriter, or word processor’, it couldn’t not be included in the list. Each chapter breaks down several things you can do to combat bigger challenges that could be affecting your writing. For example, chapter one breaks down nine things that can improve your writing, when you’re not writing. That might sound daft, but think things such as getting reference books, research and reading, which by viewing this blog you’re already doing!

3. Write for Life: A toolkit for writers by Julia Cameron

This is a recommendation for those who want to be a better writer but perhaps don’t have enough time to dedicate to their goal. This is because this book offers advice that is shaped into a six-week program to inspire writers of all levels. Due to the quick style of the book, it’s ideal for those who have a big writing project coming up, for example, a university student doing a dissertation or perhaps a marketing executive writing an annual report. Cameron has created a reputation for producing helpful step-by-step guides for creative people, even publishing ‘The Artist’s Way’ which many Amazon reviewers have said pairs up with this book.

4. The Five Minute Writer: Exercise and inspiration in creative writing in five minutes a day by Margret Geraghty

Another one is for those who might not be able to commit to long periods of time. The Five Minute Writer aims to inspire all types of writers, even those who can only spare a few minutes. The chapters focus on a range of disciplines including psychology and advertising, before finishing with a five-minute exercise to put your learnings into practice.

5. Copywriting Third Edition: Successful writing for design, advertising and marketing by Gyles Lingwood and Mark Shaw

I was given the first edition of this book when I began working in marketing eight years ago and I definitely recommend it to other marketers today.  The third edition includes more up-to-date interviews and case studies, however, the principles are still the same. As you make your way through the pages you’ll see a range of exercises that are designed to teach writers how to create imaginative copy for digital media, branding, advertising, social media and further marketing channels.

6. How to Blog for Profit: Without Selling Your Soul by Ruth Soukup

Blogs are very powerful tools. For individuals, they’re a great way to share and learn information, whilst for businesses they can be a vital part of a link-building strategy to increase your online visibility or even generate revenue from a post itself. In Soukup’s book, she shares practical tips and advice on how you can create a blog that is authentic to you and your brand and can even make you a profit

7. Stop Overthinking: 23 techniques to relieve stress, stop negative spirals, declutter your mind and focus on the present by Nick Trenton

Now you might say this isn’t anything to do with writing, but if you’re like me, when it comes to writing one of the main things you do is overthink, should I say it like this, should there be a comma here or a comma there? When a lot of the time those things only matter once you’ve actually written something for people to read. That’s why this book is on this list, it helps you focus on the important task at hand by stopping obsessing over things in the future or procrastinating. It might even help you reassess your writing topic or structure

8. The Creative Writing Coursebook: Forty-Four Authors Share Advice and Exercises for Fiction and Poetry by Julia Bell and Paul Magrs

Who better to learn to write from than published authors themselves? This book focuses on three stages of writing practice:

• Gathering – starting at the beginning of how to start writing, keeping notes and taking observations.
• Shaping – analysing and creating a structure whilst also focusing on point of view and character creation.
• Finishing – being your own best critic to reflect on your writing and even how to find publishers to showcase your work.

9. Read Me: 10 lessons for Writing Great Copy by Roger Horberry and Gyles Lingwood

Another one for those who work in advertising or marketing, forget the days when you’re spending time trying to craft a powerful message that resonates with your audience, and instead learn the trade secrets from experts who have already done just that. The book details 10 lessons that can improve your writing whilst also including real examples from digital brands, packaging copy and even how to tell a brand story.

10. Copywrong to Copywriter: a practical guide to copywriting for small businesses, small organisations, sole traders, and lone rangers by Tait Ischia

This is a great book for beginners or even those who’ve been writing for a while but perhaps had their confidence knocked or are struggling with a new challenge. The author Tait Ischia is an Australian copywriter with 15 years of experience and in the book, he shares his experience on creating your tone of voice, grammar advice and how to phrase your content without second guessing yourself.

Read Those 10 Books and Watch Your Writing Improve

So there are 10 great books to add to your Amazon basket that will help you become a better writer. As we mentioned not all of the books will be suitable for everyone so we do recommend you carry out your own research into what will align with your goals and ability. We also realise that there are many books out there, so if you think we’re missing some important titles we’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Or, if you feel like writing just isn’t for you, but would still like to know how your business can be using content to increase your online visibility and revenue then get in touch with our team of content writers who’d be more than happy to discuss how our strategies can support your goals.