If you’ve ever thought, “what are the best books on copywriting?” You’re in the right place.
I’m only sharing the top copywriting books that’ve made me and my clients thousands in sales, helped us write high-converting copy, and master persuasion, psychology, and direct response marketing.
Sounds like a lot right?
Don’t worry, you won’t be stuck reading a single word of fluff, useless theory or whatever else random people put in their so-called “best free copywriting PDF.”
To be clear:
This list covers the best copywriting books of all time going over everything from classic direct response books, persuasion psychology, and timeless advertising principles used by the world’s most famous, respected, and, of course, highest-paid copywriters.
Here are the picks:
- Cashvertising By Drew Eric Whitman
- The Boron Letters By Gary Halbert
- Scientific Advertising By Claude C. Hopkins
- The Copywriting Handbook By Bob Bly
- Pre-Suasion By Robert Cialdini
And a little something you won’t want to miss, but for now let’s move on to…
1. Cashvertising By Drew Eric Whitman
Author: Drew Eric Whitman
Originally Published: 2008
Best For: Copywriters who want persuasion fundamentals & advanced psychology
Cashvertising is definitely one of my all time favorites if you ask me “”what are the best books on copywriting?”
But that’s not why I put it first. The reason this book is undoubtedly the best is because all of the copywriting books on this list (and any others you’ll read) have the same principles as in Cashvertising.
Not to mention copywriting masters like:
- Claude Hopkins – invented modern advertising, turned Schmitz Beer from unknown to #1 in America (in months), and created a/b testing
- Eugene Schwartz – Wrote ads that brought in $1+ Billion, paid $300k to write one ad, and created ads that ran for 30+ years
- Gary Halbert – Wrote 2nd most mailed ad in history, sent over 200 million ads, and wrote a $60 million sales letter
All use, live by, and teach the same exact things Cashvertising teaches.
So, who wrote it and what does it teach?
Drew Eric Widman is the genius behind this direct response copywriting book.
(and for anyone who doesn’t know, he’s worked with multi-billion dollar brands like Yale, Texaco, and The Philadelphia 76ers to help generate billions in revenue)
He goes over psychological needs that humans were born with – and cannot escape. Then he applies that into advertising with simple formulas, principles, and strategies. Everything is easy to read, might make you laugh, and almost forces your brain to take notes.
Unlike other books, Witman shows examples of everything he teaches so you know how to use them yourself.
Here’s a quote sums up everything:
“People buy because of emotion and justify with logic,”
– Drew Eric Whitman, Cashvertising
2. The Boron Letters By Gary Halbert
Author: Gary Halbert
Originally Published: 1999 (compiled letters)
Best For: Real-world copywriting, mindset, discipline, and direct response fundamentals
I have copied this entire book by hand and I can say without a doubt, this is one of the best books on copywriting you will ever read.
And it’s not even a book!
It’s a bunch of letters sent from Gary Halbert to his son teaching him the art of copywriting.
(If you don’t know Gary is widely considered one of best copywriters to have ever lived and has generated hundreds of millions of dollars)
Not to mention, Gary’s son, Bond Halbert, went on to use those lessons taught in The Boron Letters to generate more than millions in sales for clients.
And he’s not the only one who’s seen results with this:
- Ben Settle says this book is his foundation for writing and he’s been considered the #1 email copywriter for the last decade
- Craig Clemens has said The Boron Letters taught him simplicity, storytelling, and much more. (He’s written ads that have generated more than a billion in sales, and co founded billion dollar companies)
- Dan Kennedy constantly references Gary as the best copywriter who ever lived and tells everyone to study his work & book. He has driven billions in revenue and is widely known as a main character in modern copywriting.
So what’s all the hype around this book? Why is it so good?
Why is this one of the books every copywriter should read?
Well, Gary writes to you like an old friend would and just using that conversational tone like him alone is enough to make your copywriting shine.
But another thing is when he wrote those letters, he was trying to teach his son vital lessons so that he could use them for the rest of his life. And so as you can imagine he put as much effort into this book as possible. He was also in prison at the time (he explains why, it’s a crazy story) and his whole day was spent perfecting these letters.
On top of everything, Gary is a really good copywriter. He doesn’t mess around with BS and he KNOWS what works and what’s fluff.
And hey, you don’t get sales letters generating $300,000 a day without knowing something about copywriting… right?
Here’s my favorite quote from the book:
You Must Always Find A Market First… And Then Concentrate On A Product!”
– Gary Halbert, The Boron Letters
Find The Boron Letters here. (physical here)
Incase you’re wondering, this is what the boron letters looks like in person:
3. Scientific Advertising By Claude C. Hopkins
Author: Claude C. Hopkins
Originally Published: 1923
Best For: Understanding timeless advertising principles, testing, and sales-driven copy
Before I tell you why this is one of the best books on copywriting, let me give you some back story.
Everyone used to think advertising in general was basically just gambling.
But after scientific advertising came out, Claude Hopkins turned that whole notion on its head.
He said that advertising actually wasn’t gambling or luck, and then backed up that claim with tests, psychology, and measurements. Nowadays everyone is obsessed with pretty design or funny scripts, but Claude says none of that matters if you’re not persuading someone to buy your product.
This might sound simple now, but it was the first ever document to teach persuasion in advertising. (and arguably one of the best)
The underlying theme of the book is: don’t just create ads, sell people on why they need you.
And Claude does an amazing job of teaching that theme because everything he reveals will always work and has always worked in advertising.
But don’t take it from me, take it from…
- The #1 Copywriting Coach in the world, David Garfinkel – who’s coached tons of employees from companies like Microsoft, $100 million business, fortune 500 companies, etc. and said he’s read this book 15 times!
- The father of modern advertising David Ogilvy – who said “nobody should be allowed to have anything to with advertising until he has read this book seven times” (built Ogilvy & Mather and wrote multi-million campaigns for brands like Rolls-Royce)
- Agora Financial has many of its writers declare this very book is the foundation for everything they do (and they’ve generated billions in revenue and dozens of $100m+ sales letters)
If you’re still not convinced, look at this quote that sums up the classic copywriting book perfectly:
“Remember the people you address are selfish, as we all are. They care nothing about your interests or profit. They seek service for themselves. Ignoring this fact is a common mistake and a costly mistake in advertising”
– Claude C. Hopkins, Scientific Advertising
Find Scientific Advertising here.
4. The Copywriting Handbook By Bob Bly
Author: Bob Bly
Originally Published: 1985 (updated editions later)
Best For: Practical copywriting formulas, rules, and step-by-step execution
This is one of the best books on copywriting because it’s like a nice, clean, slap right in the face.
What do I mean?
Well everytime I come back to this book, I see I’m doing something wrong.
With over 335 pages, you could reread Bob Bly’s Copywriting Handbook 100 times and still find something new each read. (which makes it one of the best copywriting books for beginners)
The book definitely earns its title – it’s almost like a cookbook for writing copy.
Except it reads like a chat with someone at the pub (minus the cussing and football). Flip to any page in the book and you’ll find a practical, real word, piece of advice you can implement right after you read it.
Not to mention, Bob is practically allergic to fluff and BS, because he only sticks to…
- Formulas he’s used to generate millions of dollars
- Rules he swears up and down by (you should too)
- Phases you can put straight into you copy and see results
- Step-by-step instructions that make everything clear
- Examples of real ads that have already generated millions
- And principles older than him, but still work today
In case you don’t know, Bob Bly is one of the greatest working copywriters, he’s got over 40 years in the game, worked with more than 100 large clients, and the bestselling copywriting textbook of all time.
And the best copywriters know this, because they’ve read his book. People like…
- Joe Sugarman – Legendary copywriter, generated $100M+ with one campaign, and one of the most profitable mail order advertisers in history
- Mark Ford – billion of dollars in sales with copywriting, grew agora to one of the largest marking companies world-wide, trained more copywriters than hairs on your head
- Brian Kurtz – Helped grow Boardroom inc. to $150M+ in sales, mailed over 1 billion pieces of copy, has worked with some of the best copywriters in the world
All worship this book because they know how powerful it is.
If you can’t understand why, look at this quote that reveals everything:
“To sell, your copy must get attention . . . hook the reader’s interest . . . create a desire for the product . . . prove the product’s superiority . . . and ask for action.”
– Robert W. Bly, The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells
Find The Copywriter’s Handbook here.
5. Pre-Suasion By Robert Cialdini
Author: Robert Cialdini
Originally Published: 2016
Best For: Learning the psychology that makes persuasion work before the pitch (important)
For the last on my list of the best books on copywriting, Pre-Suasion has earned its spot.
You might know about Robert’s other book influence (sense everyone can’t stop talking about that one) which is also a brilliant book that I suggest you read.
But in my opinion, Pre-Suasion is an underrated winner.
If you don’t know, Robert is the world’s leading expert on persuasion psychology (40+ years of scientific research), so that means he’s not a marketer, copywriter or salesman… he’s a scientist.
This might throw some of you off, but he’s actually better at copywriting than most copywriters.
The book shows his findings over 40+ years of research including…
- Him going undercover in car dealerships, charities, marketing operations, do-to-door sales teams, and much more (showing what he saw and what worked)
- Why people buy, why people trust, why people believe something’s valuable along with the extremely important science behind it (No it’s not boring, the science opens your eyes)
- And principles of marketing, sales, and copywriting used by the biggest brands on earth
Don’t believe me?
Here’s some of the people/companies who use this book daily:
- The FBI & CIA
- Charlie Munger (Berkshire Hathaway)
- Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway)
- Jeff Bezos (and Amazon)
- Coca-cola
- Microsoft
- Stanford
- Hundreds of fortune 500 companies
If the combined entire net worth of those people and companies isn’t enough alone to force your eyes onto the page of Cialdini’s book, take a look at this quote:
“What we present first changes the way people experience what we present to them next.”
– Robert B. Cialdini, Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade
H2: Close:
Great! We got through all the best books on copywriting.
Before I explain a little something at the bottom, let me why these are the five best copywriting books ever written for anyone who wants to write copy that actually sells:
- Cashvertising – Has foundational principles that are taught in all copywriting spaces. Everything’s easy to read and understand. (might make you laugh)
- The Boron Letters – Vital lessons from copywriting master to his son. No BS just the stuff that will get pounds in your pocket.
- Scientific Advertising – Exactly like the name suggests. First to dish out tactics, principles, and strategies everyone should be using. (and explains how to use them better than almost everyone)
- Copywriting Handbook – Almost like a cookbook for writing copy without the boring tone. Every page is packed with practical, real, advice.
- Pre-suasion – 40+ years of research from the leading scientist on persuasion. Shows the science most people should know, but never get to hear. Endorsed by Multi Trillion Conglomerates
Now, I’d recommend you my book if I’d written one, but I’ve got the next best thing.
An article that will show you the secrets behind increasing your sales with copywriting and marketing.
And this isn’t just some fluff blog put out by some who has no idea what he’s doing…
No, these 5 techniques, some of which are 4,000 years old, have been responsible for millions of sales with hundreds of businesses around the globe.
If you want to increase your sales, give this a quick read.
Best,
The Legacy Team
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