PSA Speechwriting School and World Conference: A reading list

An eager registrant for the Professional Speechwriters Association's Speechwriting School and World Conference in Washington D.C. (Oct. 6-8) requested a reading list—books by authors who will speak at the conference. We sent her these four—and then thought we'd publish them here, too.

10 Steps to Writing a Vital Speech: The Definitive Guide to Speechwriting, Fletcher Dean

A practical guide to writing speeches by one of the best corporate speechwriters in the business.

The Political Speechwriter's Companion: A Guide for Writers and Speakers, Robert Lehrman

An equally practical guide to speechwriting, by a leading political speechwriter and fine speechwriting teacher.

Speechwriting for Leaders, by Charles Crawford

A former diplomat and brilliant British speechwriter analyzes what works in speeches, and what doesn't.

White House Ghosts, by Robert Schlesinger

Less practical but richer than any of the above, this tells the story of the how White House speechwriting (the main default model of all speechwriting) evolved from a secret practice to an accepted necessity.