There are a shit-load of these lists, but hopefully, my list will give you a holistic view of customer experience, not just focus on one (albeit the most important) discipline. And help you build a career where you're earning the big bucks.
British born (I don't why rags always add in this detail) journalist, Harold Evans, has had an illustrious and enviable career. He founded Conde Naste Traveler and worked for The Sunday Times, Atlantic and Reuters, to name a few. As a result, he has a few strong opinions about how people should write, which are more than relevant for copywriters.
He vehemently talks about how Donald Trump talks in meaningless nonsense and how this is a strength, however, he's not the only one...
The general perception of copywriter falls into two categories; writing words that adhere to traditional spelling and grammar rules. It stops your business dropping embarrassing clangers that get shared on the internet, like a school misspelling the word curriculum or coming up with those snappy slogans in sexy ads.
The truth is very different and this is a must-read for any copywriter looking to get ahead. Writing copy, especially for digital, is a mixture of strategy and psychology. You need to use the dark arts and this book talks about the different brain systems. This is then used to write influencer copy - after all, what's the point in what we do if it isn't to influence the reader to buy, stay or have a good opinion of you.
Copy and design go together like hand in glove, horse and carriage, J and Edward... These days, UX is added to the mix as we live in a digitally dominated world. The design god that all them lumberjack shirt wearing designers drool over is Don Norman.
This bible talks about solution design and actually, sometimes it is style over usability and how it can make you happy. If you want to succeed in a cross-functional profession, getting under the skin of the people you're working closely with a huge plus point.
This isn't just essential reading for women in business, but for everyone. I know several men in senior management teams who have, quite rightly, read this.
Author, Sheryl Sandberg, is COO of Facebook and is an impressive leader, gender aside. But her observations are around why women are hugely outnumbered in the boardroom. The reasons she cites are more complicated than blatant sexism, lack of ambition or babies. Sometimes, after centuries of subjugation, women don't have proverbial balls to win in a male battleground... Not anymore.
I wanted to avoid books about how to write, because, like musicality or art, I don't believe it can be taught. You either have a natural talent for it or you don't. Just like the aforementioned, everyone thinks they can have a fair crack of whip.
If you want to be a copywriter, learn the basics with New Hart's Rules and Butcher's Copyediting, then forget all of it - as these are tools in your belt, not your actual superpower. But as Superman had to learn to fly, you can sharpen your gift with this little beauty.
Not only is Dave Trott's Twitter feed a delight and his blog posts enlightening, but his books are also pretty good. Another Brit (I know, I know), Dave started as a copywriter, working on some iconic campaigns, such as Courage's Gercha (see below), Toshiba's Hello Tosh-gotta Toshiba and Ariston's And On And On. These slogans were staples in my childhood and I can still quote them today.
We're so often bogged down in strategy, KPIs and process that we forget how to think creatively. I guess that's why everything has become so homogenised and business-driven - hence why I can still recall these gems with pinpoint clarity, yet struggle to remember the ad I saw a minute ago. And why we salivate when we're greeted with something genuinely creative and people focussed.
