The Mary Roach Approach

Mary Roach writes books about the science of being human.

The titles are one word and each offers a hint of humor.

Early in her career, she was a copywriter and then worked in PR for the San Francisco Zoo. As a freelance writer, Mary found the stories about science were always interesting.  For the books she writes, she looks for a combination of science, history and humor. She also says she had no idea she’d have a career writing about science.

What can we learn?

  • The titles are crystal clear and memorable.
  • Each topic of each book is universally human and a little surprising.
  • The utility the reader gets is entertainment for the curious mind.
  • The books she writes are uniquely her. Do same in your books.

Bonus: Mary visits with AV Club and talks about one syllable book titles.

 

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