
Writing for Busy Readers
Communicate More Effectively in the Real World
Dutton (Publisher)
Published on 2. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-593-18750-0 (ISBN)
Description
Writing well is for school. Writing effectively is for life.
Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink offer the most valuable practical writing advice today. Building on their own research in behavioral science, they outline cognitive facts about how people actually read and distill them into six principles that will transform the power of your writing:
When the influential guides to writing prose were written, the internet hadn’t been invented. Now, the average American adult is inundated with digital messages each day. With all this correspondence, capturing a busy reader’s attention is more challenging than ever. This is how to do it.
Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink offer the most valuable practical writing advice today. Building on their own research in behavioral science, they outline cognitive facts about how people actually read and distill them into six principles that will transform the power of your writing:
- Less is more
- Make reading easy
- Design for easy navigation
- Use enough formatting, but no more
- Tell readers why they should care
- Make responding easy
When the influential guides to writing prose were written, the internet hadn’t been invented. Now, the average American adult is inundated with digital messages each day. With all this correspondence, capturing a busy reader’s attention is more challenging than ever. This is how to do it.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 227 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
380 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-593-18750-0 (9780593187500)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Todd Rogers | Jessica Lasky-Fink
Writing for Busy Readers
Communicate More Effectively in the Real World
E-Book
09/2023
Dutton
€15.99
Available for download
Persons
Todd Rogers is a Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, where he has won teaching awards for the past six consecutive years. He is a behavioral scientist and the co-founder of the Analyst Institute and Everyday Labs. His opinion pieces have appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Politico, among others. Jessica Lasky-Fink is the Research Director at The People Lab, based at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her research focuses on improving the delivery of government programs and services.