Books I'm Loving
Very Good Copy
by Eddie Shleyner
I love books that focus on how to hone my copywriting skills.
My office bookshelves are FULL of them.
And I recently added another — Very Good Copy: 207 Microlessons on Thinking and Writing Like a Copywriter by Eddie Shleyner.
I’ve been getting Eddie’s “Very Good Copy” newsletter for several years and always enjoy it. So, when he mentioned that he was writing a book about copywriting, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!
It did not disappoint. In a very short amount of time, it has become one of my all-time FAVES.
Here are a few of the MANY things I’m loving about this book:
Bite-Sized Lessons That Don’t Skimp on Substance
The lessons throughout Very Good Copy are legitimately short. In fact, Shleyner includes the word count for each of them right under the lesson’s title.
One of the longer lessons is 1,709 words and one of the shorter ones is 44 words. But the majority tend to be between 200 to 400 words.
Each lesson is hyperfocused on a specific topic. There are way too many to list here, but topics include writing immersive stories, finding the hook, dealing with imposter syndrome, the creative process, the need for simplicity, so many others!
A Bright Light on the Thinking Part of Writing
Shleyner has divided Very Good Copy into two distinct sections. The first is “On Thinking” and the second is “On Writing.”
This is fantastic! To be a great writer, you need to also be a great thinker. If you don’t understand what you’re writing about and/or who you’re writing it for, the chance of success is almost non-existent.
By addressing the need for thinking before writing, Shleyner brings much needed attention to the fact that content creation for business MUST have a strategy in place before any creative work is done. It might not be the “fun” part — but it’s the “gotta have it” part.
A Big Dose of How-To and a Hefty Dash of Inspiration, All Flavored by the Secret Sauce of Storytelling
Every lesson in Very Good Copy is introduced by a story.
These stories provide context for the topic being covered. And they also inspire. Some focus on success and others on failure. Some incorporate history and others look forward to the future.
Shleyner does a masterful job at blending storytelling with practical how-to advice. Instead of bogging the lessons down with fluff, the stories he tells are an integral part of the teaching that’s going on in the book. And I love them.
I bought the printed version of Very Good Copy because that’s the format I like best for non-fiction books. But it’s also available for Kindle.
Check it out and see what you think. In my opinion, it’s a definite keeper!
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