{"id":29168,"date":"2023-01-11T01:52:21","date_gmt":"2023-01-11T01:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/11\/7-books-for-b2b-writers-editors-and-readers\/"},"modified":"2023-01-11T01:52:21","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T01:52:21","slug":"7-books-for-b2b-writers-editors-and-readers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/11\/7-books-for-b2b-writers-editors-and-readers\/","title":{"rendered":"7 books for B2B writers, editors and readers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Some of my favourite writing is writing about writing.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s because writing about the process of writing tends to approach it as a craft\u2014something that can be learned and practiced and taught and honed. That writers, over the course of our careers, can collect and sharpen a set of tools.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it\u2019s that the writers who write about writing care<\/em> about it and want to share what they\u2019ve learned. That usually means they\u2019re taking a humble stance, admitting they\u2019re also on the infinite learning curve and respect how steep it is.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it\u2019s because good writing about writing doesn\u2019t just give us a clear explanation; it also gives us a living demonstration<\/em> of the craft it\u2019s exploring.<\/p>\n

As a copywriter, I\u2019ve learned a lot from other copywriters. But I\u2019ve also learned an enormous amount from writers who wouldn\u2019t recognise a marketing funnel if they were in one. <\/p>\n

Here are some great books from both categories: marketers and non-marketers. Hope you discover something new.<\/p>\n

Books about writing by and for marketers <\/h2>\n
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Everybody Writes<\/a><\/strong>:
Your New and Improved Go-to Guide for Creating Ridiculously Good Content
by Ann Handley<\/strong> <\/h3>\n

You guys already know Ann\u2019s terrific book but did you know there\u2019s a new edition out?<\/p>\n

I love this one because it really is for everybody. We all write in our jobs and many of us review and edit other writers too. This is a clear, comprehensive and fun<\/em> guide that breaks down what makes good writing good. Full of practical tips and advice, told in Ann\u2019s smart, funny, charming voice. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s also the first How to Write book for the age of content marketing, something Ann knows better than anybody (I think she was the world\u2019s first Chief Content Officer\u2014and Marketing Profs was pretty much built on her mojo and talent). <\/p>\n

Six sections: How To Write Better; Grammar and Usage; Voice Rules; Publishing Rules; 20 Things Marketers Write; and Content Tools <\/p>\n

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How To Write Clearly<\/a>
Write with purpose, reach your reader and make your meaning crystal clear
by Tom Albrighton<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tom is a super-talented freelance copywriter. We\u2019ve turned to him more than a few times over the years and he\u2019s never let us down\u2014one of those rare professionals who just bring their A game every single time.<\/p>\n

Tom\u2019s book really does deliver on its title. It\u2019s clear, compelling and concise writing about the specific craft of copywriting. I love his advice. Oh, and I wrote the Foreword.<\/p>\n

Even the Table of Contents is clear and concise:<\/p>\n

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Write Like a Thought Leader: <\/a><\/strong>
How to find a constant stream of story ideas to position yourself as the go-to-expert in your niche<\/strong>
by Rhea Wessel<\/h3>\n

I met Rhea at the Marketing Profs B2B Forum this year. When she told me what she does\u2014helping subject matter experts capture their expertise and become thought leaders\u2014I slapped my ample forehead. What a great niche! Rhea spotted a real gap in the market and has executed brilliantly to fill it\u2014founding the Institute for Thought Leadership<\/a>, writing the book, speaking and consulting.<\/p>\n

The book goes beyond writing advice to include things like Finding Your Niche, Becoming an Ideas Machine and Finding Your Stories. It\u2019s a really strong program for any expert who wants to get their ideas out there. Chapter 6 summarizes her Story Framing System\u2014\u201da process for reducing an idea to a headline to make the story easily understandable for others and yourself\u201d. Great stuff.<\/p>\n

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Books about writing by great writers who aren\u2019t marketers<\/h2>\n
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The Art of Voice: Poetic Principles and Practice<\/a>
by Tony Hoagland<\/strong> with Kay Cosgrove<\/h3>\n

Tony Hoagland is one of my favourite poets\u2014funny, moving, startling, true\u2026 and always written in a warm, approachable, intimate voice. (When he died, in 2018, we lost a priceless thing).<\/p>\n

This super-slim volume is about voice in poetry but its wonderful insights apply to all writing. As writing about writing, it\u2019s up there with the very best, full of sentences you want to scribble down and memorize, like:<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen we hear a distinctive voice in a poem, our full attention is aroused and engaged, because we suspect that here, now, at last, we may learn how someone else does it\u2014that is, how they live, breathe, think, feel, and talk.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Each short chapter looks at a different aspect of voice, with examples from some great poets and the kind of effortless analysis that makes you go, \u201cYeah. That.\u201d At the end, Hoagland and Cosgrove give exercises to prompt you to try the techniques yourself. I really enjoy doing them. Fun and freeing.<\/p>\n

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A Swim in a Pond in the Rain:<\/a>
(In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading and Life)
by George Saunders<\/h3>\n

This is the best writing about writing ever written. A delightful, intelligent, generous exploration of short story writing by a lifelong teacher (30 years at the Syracuse University writing program\u2014they get a thousand applications for, like, six places.), Booker Prize winner (for his only novel, Lincoln in the Bardo<\/a>, a masterpiece) and leader of a thriving (and fun-as-heck) Substack community called Story Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In this book, Saunders dissects and analyzes seven great short stories by four Russian masters: Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy and Gogol. Reading it, I felt like I\u2019d won some kind of lottery\u2014a great writer and gifted teacher shares his experience and insights from decades of teaching these magical stories.<\/p>\n

The approach is simple: \u201cRead the story, then turn your mind to the experience you\u2019ve just had.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an absolute gem for both writers and readers.<\/p>\n

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The Art of Memoir<\/a>
by Mary Karr<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I love Mary Karr so much. She\u2019s a truly great memoirist (The Liars Club<\/a> put her on everyone\u2019s map but they\u2019re all great) and a terrific poet too. (She also teaches at Syracuse. Imagine having both Karr and Saunders for teachers. Spoiled little bastards.)<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to want to write a memoir to love The Art of Memoir<\/em>. It\u2019s smart, frank, funny, sweary, voicey and vacuum-packed with the kind of advice that makes you wonder how you never noticed this stuff before.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quote for flavour:<\/p>\n

\u201cAt unexpected points in life, everyone gets waylaid by the colossal force of recollection. One minute you\u2019re a grown-ass woman, then a whiff of cumin conjures your dad\u2019s curry, and a whole door to the past blows open.\u201d [ed: I\u2019m<\/em> not gonna mention Proust, you<\/em> mention Proust].<\/p>\n

If you love reading or writing, please discover Mary Karr. This book is a great place to start. I think you\u2019ll thank me.<\/p>\n

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Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process<\/a>
by John McFee<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I read this along time ago and liked it so much I gave a copy to each of the Velocity writers. McPhee has written 32 books and is a staff writer at The New Yorker<\/em>, which only hires great writers (I defy you to find a badly-written piece in any issue, ever). He also taught writing at Princeton for decades.<\/p>\n

The guy makes geology<\/em> the most interesting subject in the world. (I know: rocks<\/em>?\u2026Check out Basin and Range<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Draft No. 4 is derived from eight essays on writing and every one is a jewel. He\u2019s obsessive about structure and illustrates his ideas with a bunch of crazy-looking-but-geeky-cool drawings like these:<\/p>\n

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Austin Kleon calls these \u201cInscrutable little blueprints\u201d.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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No, these last four books are not about copywriting or marketing. <\/p>\n

But I\u2019ve learned as much from them as from the more \u2018on-the-nose\u2019 manuals.<\/p>\n

Even better, they\u2019re all delightful.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a writer, they\u2019ll make you more thoughtful about your writing. If you\u2019re a reader, they\u2019ll open up your reading. <\/p>\n

(Why isn\u2019t Stephen King\u2019s On Writing<\/em> on this list? Only because I haven\u2019t read it yet. But it\u2019s on my gift list so I will correct that.)<\/p>\n

Bonus: a few books about writing by academics<\/h2>\n

I really enjoyed The Sense of Style<\/a> by Steven Pinker. He\u2019s a great science writer so it\u2019s not surprising he focuses on non-fiction, \u201cparticularly genres that put a premium on clarity and coherence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian Boyd, the Nabokov scholar wrote a dense, quirky, brilliant book called On The Origins of Story<\/a> which I really liked but sank like a stone and is now out of print. It\u2019s more about the adaptive power of story than about the writing process but it\u2019s a geek\u2019s paradise. <\/p>\n

And two classic style manuals<\/h2>\n

Can\u2019t do a post like this without mentioning The Elements of Style<\/a> by Strunk & White (White of Charlotte\u2019s Web<\/em> fame). A classic for a reason. (Little-known fact: Ann Handley almost bought E.B. White\u2019s house in Maine.)<\/p>\n

And for tongue-in-cheek pedantry raised to high art, Kingsley Amis\u2019s The King\u2019s English<\/a> is hard to beat. A taste: \u201cIt is natural and harmless in English to use a preposition to end a sentence with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grab one of these and enjoy raising your game!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n