Apologies to those who missed the June reading list. Due to me travelling so much last month, I wasn’t able to put one together.
But I’ve taken this opportunity to slightly change the angle of my reading lists. Whereas before I was telling you what I’ll be reading over the next month, from now on I’ll reveal the three best books I’ve read recently.
This way, you can be sure that each of my recommendations is worth picking up and investigating.
So, without further ado, let’s look at my choices for July…
The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa
I was originally recommended this by my partner as she thought it was excellent. I have to agree.
I’ve read a few of Vargas Llosa’s novels – which usually fall into the fictionalised history kind of bracket – and enjoyed them. But this is a lot more direct. It follows the story of a young man who yearns through the years after an elusive woman – the ‘bad girl’ of the book’s title.
From a copywriting point of view, I recommend reading this for its insight into the human psyche. It explores why we continue to strive after things even when we know they aren’t particularly good for us. Tapping into that idea as a copywriter – and giving your reader permission to pursue some coveted treasure – can be key in the success of a sales promotion.
Buy The Bad Girl from Amazon here.
Disgrace by J M Coetzee
It’s been a month of me catching up on other people’s recommendations and I’m happy to say this is another I can pass on to you.
Indeed, a great book here, which has been in my radar for a while. A fellow copywriter recommended it and I finally got around to reading it after I read the correspondence between Paul Auster and JM Coetzee, which made me want to find out more.
Sparse, economical writing makes this a good book to read in the same way I so often recommend Hemingway. The story turns a little dark in the middle and the subject matter will be challenging for some, but wholly worth reading. It deserves the praise it so often gets.
Buy Disgrace from Amazon here.
Buy This Now by Glenn Fisher
Ah, come on. How can I not include my own little kindle book that I published this month?
For fans of my writing, here I’ve pulled together ten of my most popular pieces of advice as rules to follow when it comes to writing direct response copy. From understanding the importance of a varied vocabulary to learning how to swallow your creative pride, Buy This Now will give you the perfect stepping stone to a long and successful career as a direct response copywriter.
With a striking cover designed by my partner Lin (@rhinett), it’ll look nice on your Kindle shelf too.
And it’s obscenely cheap at just $1 (or 77p).
Buy Buy This Now at Amazon here.
That’s all for this month.
I hope you enjoy my recommendations and don’t forget to comment below if you’ve read one of these yourself. I’d love to know what you thought of them too.
Best,
Glenn