Useful reading material for copywriters

A copywriter cannot function without a good dictionary and thesaurus. Get the best and largest you can afford, as these will be useful companions for years to come. Alternatively, use thesaurus.com or a similar website.

A book of idioms is also an extremely useful tool, particularly when you’re in search of ideas.

Having a good grammar book on your book shelf is also a good idea as sometimes you’ll need to check your grammar. Just because we’re copywriters doesn’t mean we know every grammatical point, so having a book to hand to check things will make sure you don’t make mistakes.

If you’re going to be writing a lot of press releases then you will need to purchase or have access to a good media directory. Brad is a very commonly used directory and is available in larger libraries if you cannot afford to buy it.

Keep magazine and newspaper articles on subjects that interest you. If you like a particular style ask yourself why and what it does for you as the reader. This will help you with ideas in your own writing.

Keep junk mail, flyers, leaflets and brochures that come through your front door. Even if they’re bad, they’re good examples of copywriting, and it’s always useful to keep an eye on the competition.