In his first year in the ad business, he won more One Show Pencils than anyone else at his level. Ever. The was the youngest CD to ever sit on Ogilvy's creative council. And now he's Executive Creative Director of the innovative Droga5. But Ted Royer can't possibly be that busy. I mean, how does he find time to be such a prolific reader? While we recently chatted with Ted about his career, we asked him what books he likes to read when he should be making ads or something.

I read a lot. I always did.

How can you write if you don't read? If you don't love words? If you don't love stories?

I like writers more than books. If you've got one good one in you, why not another?

If I like an author, I'll read more. Not always. Not Ayn Rand. But sometimes.

I live in Brooklyn in a neighborhood that used to be full of writers. Capote wrote In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's up the block. W.H. Auden lived here. So did Arthur Miller. Richard Wright. Norman Mailer lived around the corner.

I read on planes. On subways. I know I'm traveling too much when I've read every novel in the rack. Reading on planes is better than eating on them.
I like to see what people are reading on the A train. It's a place to hide – just you and those words on the page to protect you.

That said...

Written by Laurence Minksy with a contributor list that reads like a who's who of advertising past and present, "How to succeed in advertising when all you have is talent" is an easy to read book great for someone just starting out or who has been in the business for years.

Each chapter focuses on one well known advertising pro like Alex Bogusky, Stan Richards, Steve hayden, Tom McElligot, Mike Hughes, Ed McCabe, Tom Burrell, etc. etc. etc. and tells their story while relating it back to the chapter theme, such as "The Basic Ingredients of Success" or "Building Your Career".

Each section is then topped off with a selection from each contributors portfolio and short lesson ie. "Layoffs and Your Life" by Nancy Rice, "A Designers Take on the Ugliness of Advertising" by Rich Silverstein and "Getting Clients to Buy into Creative Work" by Lee Clow.

And if that wasn't enough the forward was penned by Maxine Paetro and the introduction by Luke Sullivan.
Review by: Brendan Watson
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