10 books I highly recommend

As the year wraps up, many of us are in reflective moods.

So I decided to spend this month reporting back from the investigations of my inner landscape.

One thing I’ve done more of this year is read books.

I tell my writing students who are working on developing their copywriting skills: “read everything.” The shampoo bottle. Ads on the side of the city bus. Articles in magazines that aren’t meant for you. Everything.

This develops your faculty to notice what pulls you in… and what turns you off.

But, being human, I have a hunger for stories.

And for more complex ideas than marketing and advertising are capable of providing.

So, here are 10 books I’ve read, that I recommend:

Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte. Awhile ago, I was obsessed by how persuasive writing takes readers on a “hero’s journey” – the story arc that Joseph Campbell noticed was shared by in myths, religious stories and movies. I couldn’t stop thinking about it – and then I happened across Duarte’s TED talk, where she describes this same phenomenon. She explains it in detail in her book (including mapping out MLK’s “I have a dream” speech and Steve Jobs’ rollout of the iPhone). (Business)

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott. A lot of business books are lame and written poorly. There, I said it. Scott’s isn’t one of those. What I love is her passion for her work, helping leaders have hard conversations with their team. (Business)

No B.S. Marketing to the Affluent by Dan Kennedy. This book unzipped my head and lit up my brain. As a former public school teacher and social service type, I really had to rewire my attitudes about money (and people who have it). This book helped me understand why I wanted to position my business as a premium service that costs more. Plus, Dan Kennedy is a kick in the pants. (Business)

Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm by Verne Harnish. This one is for you if you’ve been in business awhile and are feeling the increased complexity and growing pains. As someone who started a business without a business background, this book came at the perfect time. I used it to create a strategic plan, and think more strategically about what we do best (and what we need to stop doing). I didn’t need to read this until year 5 in business – it would have been too much. But I’m so glad I found it when I did. (Business)

The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks, PhD. THIS is the book I recommend to people in their second or third year in business. Because once you have evidence that, hey, your business can actually work and people want to pay you money, then the terror hits. And the weird somatic illnesses and accidents hit you. This book helped me realize that facing my fear is a task I cannot delegate to anyone else – and it’s a necessary part of growth. (Business)

The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch. I tire of stories that are too easily wrapped up with ‘happily ever after’ – and sometimes after a day full of hope and writing upbeat copy, I want something gritty and real. This rough-around-the-edges memoir fits the bill. A gift from sister writer Gio Marcus over at the Ruby Scribe, I couldn’t put this one down. (Memoir)

Quiet by Susan Cain. As an introvert, I need to watch how much “people time” I put in my days. It also takes me weeks to recover from public appearances and speaking events. This book was a helpful meditation on folks like me, who enjoy people, but recharge our energy alone (and for me, in nature). (Psychology)

Mr. Money Mustache (blog) – Written by a former engineer who lived on 25% of his income so he could stop working at 30, it’s a nice antidote to the “more more more” ideology that one can get swept up in, sometimes. (Personal Finance)

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. A friendly story of witches past and present, with a mostly-sensible explanation of what witches actually were and are (women who understand and practice directing their power)… at least until the blue orbs of energy appear, somewhat gratuitously. A fun read, recommended by both my parents. (Fiction)

The Art of Asking: How I learned to stop worrying and let people help by Amanda Palmer. Ever since I saw Amanda Palmer’s TED talk, I’ve been taken by her humanity, presence, and character (Not to mention her marriage to Neil Gaiman). I’m reading this now – with foreword from Brene Brown – about her 7 years as an 8 foot bride statue, busking in Harvard Square.

Mighty thanks to ginnerobot flickr photostream for the book stack photo.

Stella Orange is a copywriter who helps people put their work into words. For eight years, she wrote email campaigns that resulted in more than a million dollars in sales for her clients. In that time, Stella also taught popular marketing writing workshops to business owners on both sides of the Atlantic -- and a few in Australia and New Zealand. In 2017, Stella cofounded a creative and consulting shop offering a complete and slightly unorthodox line of business advising and marketing services. She continues to write copy and advise clients on customer delight, how to resonate with more sophisticated, discerning clientele in your marketing, and just who, exactly, your ideal clients are. Stella is the founder of Show Up And Write, a weekly writing group and writes a letter every two weeks or so (here’s the sign-up). She lives with the Philosopher and their two kiddos in Buffalo, New York, a fifteen-minute bike ride to the Canadian border.

6 Comments


  1. Jo Ilfeld

    I just saw Nancy Duarte speak recently. I really enjoyed it and her ideas. I made visual notes from her talk if you’re interested in them, let me know!

    Overall great recs!

  2. Jane Antonovich

    Just bought the Katherine Howe book! LOVE!!!

  3. Judy Chiger

    Loved Katherine Howe’s book and learned a lot from The Big Leap. Resonate and The Art of Asking were already on my “to read” list. (I also was quite taken with Amanda Palmer’s TEDx talk.) Will have to check out the rest of your list. Thanks for the recommendations.

  4. Ann Reynolds

    thanks for sharing Stella! I’m regularly on the lookout for more book suggestions! Will go right after this to amazon and put onto my wishlist.
    I must say though I’m surprised to hear you refer to yourself as an introvert- really? And hey- keep up the good work!

  5. Eunice

    Thank you for sharing Stella! I love your descriptions and how generous you are with the why behind each of these picks.

  6. Kathy Magnusson

    Thanks Stella for a great list of resources. I placed many of them on my Good Reads list of “want to read.” Look forward to reading them and watching a couple TED Talks.

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