They say (you know, the infamous They) that readers make the best writers. Theoretically, readers who read about writing should be the best writers of all, right? (Realize that, as a truly exceptional writer and a compulsive reader, I am merely one data point.) There are a lot of ways to read about writing, though, and in the interest of writing-reading inspiration, I’m doing something scary: I’m baring my bookshelves for your perusal.
This is serious, y’all. Book preferences are subjective, sources of inspiration come in assorted levels of groundbreakingness and obscurity, and some of my nonfiction tastes are essentially the Ugg boots and pumpkin spice lattes of the literary world. I’m pouring out my soul here, for your benefit, to produce my list, in no particular order, of Nine Vaguely Advertising-Adjacent Books to Read This Summer. So be gentle.
(First, I have to mention Ogilvy on Advertising, by David Ogilvy, he of Ogilvy & Mather. I have to mention it because it’s a statutory requirement for ad people writing posts about ad books. There are, like, fines and jail time involved. But I think the book written by the man who’s literally called the Father of Advertising is kind of a gimme, so this is also my list of Nine Non-Ogilvy Books to Read This Summer.)
Advertising Campaign Planning, Jim Avery
Kidding-not-kidding. This was one of my first-ever textbooks when I started studying advertising at the University of Georgia (yes, it’s an honest-to-dog college major), and I’ve held onto it ever since. It might be a leeeeetle outdated, being that it was published [hrumph]teen years ago, but I like having it around.
The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
Yeah, I know, Malcolm Gladwell, sooooo turn-of-the-century. But y’all, this book remains legit. With me being a person whose job it is to communicate with people and get them to do stuff, this book is basically the psychology of what I do for a living. Targeting, memorable messaging, the importance of context — it’s all there, and after two decades, it mostly holds up. (I mean, it basically foretold the rise of the social media influencer, which might be the kind of witchcraft the world doesn’t need right now, but still.)
The Creative Process Illustrated, Glenn Griffin and Deborah Morrison
Shameful confession: Among all the tasks and activities I handle as a creative, coming up with Big Ideas is the one that challenges me the most. (I KNOW RIGHT?) (Y’all, I’m baring my freaking soul here.) This book, if nothing else, is comforting in providing the knowledge that some of the biggest big names in advertising are, from time to time, just as lost as I am. But it also provides inspiration from those same big names to actually redirect, refocus, relax, and come up with the goods, rather than just putting my head down on my desk and bemoaning the fact that I’ll never be as clever as [FAMOUS ADVERTISING PERSON WHO’S HONESTLY PROBABLY COME UP WITH JUST AS MANY SHITTY IDEAS AS I HAVE OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR CAREER]. And the drawings are fun.
A Light in the Attic, Shel Silverstein
I feel like I’m going to end up with a number of kid-oriented books on this list, but the fact is, I started writing when I was a kid — like, literally, I wrote my first ad when I was six (and I got in trouble for it, because that wasn’t what we were supposed to be doing) — and that started with all the great writers who showed me what could be done with words. That’s one reason I keep this one (and many of its siblings) around well into my adulthood — Shel Silverstein is just a master at using words. Imagery, word choice, rhythm, all the mechanics, it’s all there, the perfect gateway drug for writing.
Building a StoryBrand, Donald Miller
Caveat: I generally hesitate to recommend books that are accompanied by super-expensive workshops, but I’ll make an exception here because I still got value out of the $9.99 Kindle version. I’ll further caveat that there isn’t anything in it that I didn’t already know and that it’s specifically aimed at people who aren’t in the ad industry, and… I don’t know, it was still helpful. As it articulates that knowledge about storytelling, and about focusing your messaging on your customer rather than your brand, it also collects and arranges it in a way that made me say, “Oh.” So yeah, if you’re looking for an easy read with 101-level advertising knowledge and an “Oh,” this one is worth the time.
Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek
Not actually a book about creativity, strategy, or anything else directly pertinent to my career development, but it’s still a book that I recommend to people in a lot of circumstances, whether or not you’re in a formal position of leadership. I know the whole idea of “servant leadership” has gotten tossed around recently to the point of losing all meaning, but this book puts it back together. As creatives, we work in teams, and even though they might not always be traditional teams with designated leaders, you don’t have to be The Actual Boss to create an environment in which people can feel inspired, trust the people they’re with, and enjoy the work they do.
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube, Blair Braverman
I got this book because of the title (of course), and I finished it because Blair Braverman is an entrancing storyteller. She’s a writer who simultaneously makes me want to write and makes me want to give up writing — she’s just that evocative. I think the fact that this is a memoir, and that the stories are (ostensibly) true, makes it that much more effective as inspiration for other ways to tell true stories. (She’s also a dogsledder with a kennel of adorable huskies and the kind of hilarious Twitter feed the world needs right now, so be sure to check that out.)
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
I warned you that there would be a few throwbacks on this list, and this was one of my favorite books in my tween years. And, hell, my thirtysomething years. It’s an escapist romp, a celebration of all things punny (which is essentially my second language), and a book where possibly the most boring kid in the world ends up the hero who saves the Lands Beyond. It’s an extremely smart book that trusts its young readers to be able to understand what’s going on, and clearly it works (or at least it did for this reader, when she was young). It’s a cleverness party, but it has heart, and if I were forced to choose a single book to recommend to people for the rest of my life, The Phantom Tollbooth is it.
Harold and the Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson
You think a book for ten-year-olds is a push? Try one meant for five-year-olds. I don’t even care. It’s about a kid (Harold) with a crayon (that’s purple) and the worlds he creates and the adventures he has and the trouble he gets into with one purple line, and I don’t know why it hits me in the feels, but it does. When asked to think about a book on creativity, it’s the one that comes to mind every time. I’m sure I sound like a crazy person.
Lands Beyond
So there’s my list of writing and creativity essentials — a literary to-do list or a cautionary tale, depending, I suppose, on what you think about me. Have you read any of these books? Do you have any of your own that get your creativity flowing? Tell me about it in comments. And if you don’t — or if you’re finding yourself creatively tapped out and stuck in the social-distancing doldrums with no end in sight — allow me to recommend Tollbooth.
There was once a boy named Milo who didn’t know what to do with himself — not just sometimes, but always. When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. On the way he thought about coming home, and coming home he thought about going. Wherever he was he wished he were somewhere else, and when he got there he wondered why he’d bothered. Nothing really interested him — least of all the things that should have.
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
Girl, same.