Hi everyone,
We probably all have read more or less the majority of investment classics, but although they’re classics, they don’t necessarily have the most appealing writing style. anyone here have recommendations on books to read that are novel or not, fiction or not, to gain exposure on multiple writing styles and built a repertoire from there ?
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If you're looking for pure writing skill, definitely wouldn't go with anything finance related (Michael Lewis isn't bad though) - Quarterly letters may be a bit better, obviously Buffett's but Howard Marks & Bezos have really good ones too
Some authors I think are really great writers:
Most writers say that the best way they improved their wring was by reading a shit ton. To do this you need to buy books that you're actually interested in - not just books that you think will help you out
Yeah definitely agree on the interest part of things. For someone more interested in non fiction or maybe crime, what author would you advise to look into?
Check out Erik Larson
Good topic, as finance people are not usually the best writers. A slow reading of the NY Times should help. While you are reading, pay attention to style and sentence structure. Then, practice a lot.
I think Going for Broke by John Rothchild is what you're looking for. His writing is so clean and concise (features you would like to have in this field) and the story is absolutely wild. It's about Robert Campeau, who was the Donald Trump of department stores in the 1980s before he imploded and went bankrupt. The story is essentially a bunch of business meetings, but it's one of the best books I've ever read, fiction or non fiction.
If your goal is to get exposed to different writing styles, read books that you never thought you'd read. I did this by going down a Goodreads rabbit hole -- I started by clicking on random books by an author I already enjoy (Gore Vidal, in my case, but you can do this for topics you like, or start with a book you recently read). Each book on Goodreads then has a list of books that "readers also enjoyed," so I'd read summaries there and would click through to whatever sounded interesting; rinse and repeat for books that follow. Then, I'd read the reviews for the books I selected, see which authors were praised for their writing, and added things to my list from there.
Not only is this a great way to find absolutely sublime, obscure writers but you'll gain a different perspective on common issues (work, love, quarter-life crisis, etc) than you would from reading the latest NYT bestseller. Here are a few books that I read through the rabbit hole method:
For context, I typically read political books or biographies; none of the books above were anything I'd typically rush to get at the library. Yet here we are. Perhaps in a few months, you'll have your own list of random books that helped you improve your writing.
Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain
One of my favorite books from a genre that I typically never would have picked up.
Reading is important - lots of good recommendations here.
If you want to really get good at writing? Start writing. Pick a topic and try and express your views on it. Have others read it, critique it, etc. Forcing yourself to translate your thoughts to written word is extremely important. Writing, like anything, is like a muscle and the more you exercise it the better you get at it. The important part of this is finding your own voice and style - having reference points is very helpful, but candidly most of the best writers have that.
I also cannot stress this enough - befriend someone who is really good at writing, or at least editing, and have them look over EVERYTHING they are willing to. Hell - pay them if you have to. It's worth it.
right?!
reading to get good at writing is like watching porn to get better at sex. sure you might learn a technique or two, but it's purposeful practice that gets the job done.
write, write, and write some more. read jack carr's story about becoming an author
Pyramid Principle, Barbara Minto. I'm about to finish reading it and its amazing how practical it is. And if you're working you get to apply the principles in emails and instructions during the week.
going to go a slightly different direction with it. get Elements of Style by Strunk. it’s not a fiction novel or anything like that but it’s hands down the best handbook for developing a concise and efficient writing style
+1 for Elements of Style. It's an authority source on effective writing. I'll also recommend "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser.
Second both of the above. Would recommend some active practice vs picking it up solely by reading well-written books.
Subscribe to The Economist, The New Yorker, and Foreign Policy.
Fantastic writing, plus you'll become educated about the world.
To improve overall writing skills may want to check out "A Writer's Reference" by Diane Hacker
Read The Economist frequently.
First, the WSJ / NYT. Yes, obvious, but the articles are succinct (good business writing) and if you look closely they also have a lot of sentence structure variation which I think is an important trait of good writers. Pay attention to the editorial sections too as that will give you a flavor of different writing styles on a daily basis.
Second, as someone interested in public markets investing (personally + as my full time job) I really enjoyed the book "Capital Returns". It's an edited compilation of short investment write ups from the early 00's through early '10s written by a dozen different investment analysts from Marathon Asset Management. Aside from it laying out a phenomenal framework for thinking about investing in cyclical industries, it provides examples of investment professionals writing clear, concise but also engaging memos.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Stephen King
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156…
All books from Robert A. Caro, amazing stuff (maybe not the book on how he himself researches his subjects, he is an historian).
Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Steven Pressfield is fantastic and you will finish it in an afternoon.
Steinbeck Faulkner Shakespeare Tolstoy
Vidal Woodward Christie WSJ/NYT Autobiographies
Nabakov is famous to have beautiful prose so I recommend checking out his writing
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