How to Write Clearly: Write with purpose, reach your reader and make your meaning crystal clear

by Tom Albrighton, Doug Kessler (Foreword)

Whatever you're writing, you have to make it clear.

You could be writing a website, a brochure or a client presentation. You could be preparing a job application, an email or a classified ad. Or you might be writing an article or a book.

Whatever it is, the clearer you make it, the better your results will be.

How to Write Clearly will help. It's an authoritative yet easy-to-read guide that will make your non-fiction writing more colourful, expressive and precise.

Writing is more than just words on a page. It's a process of communication.

That's why How to Write Clearly draws on cutting-edge ideas from psychology, education and linguistics to look deep inside the reader's mind and explore the 'why' as well as the 'how' of writing technique.

It's ideal for marketers, businesspeople, journalists, educators and anyone who needs to communicate with the written word.

You'll to understand your reader and tune into what they needHow to use plain language to make your writing accessible, readable and relatableTen treacherous traps you must avoidProven techniques for explaining new ideasHow to captivate your reader with storytelling, humour, intrigue, perspective and moreWhat really changes readers' mindsHow to craft clear sentences and paragraphsUsing empathy and pacing to put the reader at their easeHow to choose the right structure, length and titlePages of pro tips for drafting, editing and using feedback.Fully illustrated and referenced, with a wealth of examples throughout, How to Write Clearly is the definitive guide to non-fiction writing today.

Expert writers say…‘I’ve been a writer for almost 40 years and this book gave me new insight into what writing is all about.’Doug Kessler, Co-founder, Velocity Partners and board member, CLEAR Global (from his foreword)‘This is the book I don’t want my clients to read. Because, if they do, they won’t need me to write copy for them anymore.’Jackie Barrie, copywriter and writing trainer‘Being able to write clearly is an invaluable skill, and this book tells you exactly how to do it. It's comprehensive, practical and really easy to read. Highly recommended.’Sharon Tanton and Sonja Nisson, The School of Valuable Content

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business, Productivity, Design, Self Help

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2021

About the author

Tom Albrighton is a copywriter and author of 'One for Joy', 'How to Write Clearly', ‘Copywriting Made Simple’, ‘The Freelance Introvert’ and 'The Freelancer's Business Brain’.

Tom has been a freelance copywriter for over 12 years. In that time, he’s written about everything from cupcakes and cameras to spectacles and solar panels.

Tom was an original co-founder of ProCopywriters, the UK alliance of commercial writers.

In a 2015 DMA survey, he was ranked the #7 ‘Copywriter rated by copywriters’.

Reviews

[P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely awesome.

I gave this review because this book was funny, intellectual, and provided information on exactly how to be clear with the written word. "Weasel" words cracked me up. :D Actually, this book nearly made me cry, simply because I have always wanted to read material by an author, who takes the printed word as seriously as I do. I felt this book entertained, educated, and validated. My thanks to the author for this valuable piece. I will keep it in my library always.

[Karen Ireland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this book does exactly what it says.

The title of this book does exactly what it says. In addition it is laid out in a logical clear way and its many useful points will be veru helpful for me and anyone who wants to improve the clarity and purpose of their writing

[mort reini · Rating 4 out of 5]

love when an author follows their own advice to the last detail. I also appreciate that examples go beyond abstract cats and databases and touch on past and current social and political issues.
and it's just a pure pleasure to read such a clearly written book.

[Ben Butterworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is, above all else, useful. If you came to me asking for tangible writing advice that sticks with you, this is the book I'd shove into your arms. Not my copy, though, I've utterly defaced it with notes and highlights; get your own!

It's impossible to deny the credentials of a writer who has made a book so clear, easy to read and as thoughtfully designed as this. This book was written by someone who knows their stuff, and that is demonstrated on every page; Albrighton writes clearly.

You can tell the book was printed on demand and self-published. Albrighton has included several pages in the back of the book for marketing plugs for his other books and an obligatory "please review" page. Now, normally I've got no problem with this (it's your book, why not advertise in it) but you've gotta put those BEFORE your index, not after it! It makes using the index harder >:|

I wish the sections on the writing process itself (§21-23) were more developed. They felt like a rehash of boilerplate advice you could get anywhere - write when you have energy, don't focus on quality in the first draft, you can't edit a blank page, etc. It's totally unlike the rest of the book, which is so original and helpful. It's such a small proportion of the content, though, it's not even worth considering as a drawback.

And to be honest, that's the sign of a good book; wishing the parts you enjoyed the least were longer, because you thought the author had more to say. Highly recommended.

[Sharon Chidra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book practised what it preached, and that's what I really loved about the book. I'm trying to improve my writing and a creator online recommended this book, and I decided to try it out and I am so impressed. Every single thing Tom says in this book, you can actually see it in his writing. You can literally see that he put so much effort to make sure that you understand the book, and I did.

Also, the book does not only teach you how to write, it also shows you how to think— and that's like the beautiful cherry on top. I can't say I have fully improved (I think I need more than one book and constant practice for that) however, I can see changes in how I write and what I pay attention to. I'm a social media manager, Linkedin creator and brand marketer, so I do a lot of writing and thinking. I try to implement the teachings from this book at every opportunity.

If you want to be a better writer, get your hands on this book ASAP!

[Binati Sheth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't want to read the book but surprisingly enjoyed it.
I am a freelance writer and it was good to see how I unintentionally ended up doing a lot of what the book mentions.

I docked a star because of an opinion: I think this book teaches you to overedit.

[ERI · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this advice!❤️

[Kylie Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

had to read in comp but actually gave really good tips 🙌🙌

[Louise Verkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good advice overall. Not a book to read cover-to-cover; think of it more as a compilation, where you pick and choose what to read based on your own weaknesses.

If I could take one thing from the book: the concept of topic sentences. A topic sentence is the opening sentence of a paragraph that summarises what the paragraph is about, so your reader has a conceptual ramp to hold onto while you bring out examples and adds details to your thesis. Using topic sentences has improved my writing significantly - both nonfiction and fiction!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚📚📚📚/5

🇬🇧: I first saw this book here, on Instagram. A girl was talking about it, often quoting it in her work as a copywriter. I trusted her and read it. More than reading it, I tried to study it.
At one point, I was highlighting entire paragraphs because I was completely captivated by what the writer was saying. Lots and lots of tricks to grab the reader’s attention, capture it and no. Make it go away.
An essay that made me think a lot about how we communicate and how companies capture our attention to get us to buy something.
I will often go back and reread certain parts, certain tips, because this short tome contains everything you need to learn how to write and communicate in the right way.

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🇮🇹: Questo libro l’ho visto prima qui, su instagram. Ne parlava una ragazza, citandolo spesso nel suo lavoro di copyrighter. Mi sono fidata e l’ho letto. Più che leggerlo ho cercato di studiarlo.
Ad un certo punto stavo evidenziando paragrafi interi, perché ero completamente rapita da quello che lo scrittore diceva. Tanti, tantissimi trucchi per cogliere l’attenzione del lettore, catturarla e no. Farla più andare via.
Un saggio che mi ha fatto molto riflettere sul modo di comunicare e sul modo in cui le aziende catturano la nostra attenzione per farci comprare qualche cosa.
Tornerò spesso a rileggere alcune parti, alcuni consigli, perché in questo breve tomo c’è tutto quello che serve se vuoi imparare a scrivere e comunicare nel mod giusto.