Author Guide · Nonfiction

Books Written by Will Storr

Will Storr wanted to know why intelligent people believe things in spite of the evidence. So he went to meet them: ghost hunters, creationists, Holocaust deniers, people convinced they had lived past lives. He found that the human brain is built to tell stories, and that our beliefs are part of that story. His later books explain the self, storytelling and status, the hidden game that he argues drives everyone. This guide covers all seven of his books in order, and where to start.

By Lisanne Swart · 7 books · Nonfiction · 2006–2025 · Updated October 2026


Quick answer

Will Storr has published seven books: Will Storr vs. the Supernatural (2006); The Heretics (2013), on irrational belief; a novel, The Hunger and the Howling of Killian Lone (2014); Selfie (2017); The Science of Storytelling (2019); The Status Game (2021); and A Story Is a Deal (2025).

Where to Start with Will Storr

If you want the immersion
→ The Heretics (2013).

If you want the famous one
→ The Status Game (2021).

If you write
→ The Science of Storytelling (2019).

All 7 Will Storr Books, in Order

01
Reportage · Debut

Will Storr vs. the Supernatural

Will Storr · 2006

A sceptical journalist spends time with ghost hunters and believers in the supernatural.

02
ReportageStart here

The Heretics: Adventures with the Enemies of Science

Will Storr · 2013

Storr meets people who hold beliefs that contradict science, from creationists to Holocaust deniers, and asks why intelligent people believe what they do. Published in the US as The Unpersuadables.

03
Novel

The Hunger and the Howling of Killian Lone

Will Storr · 2014

A novel set in the kitchen of a famous restaurant.

04
Nonfiction

Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing to Us

Will Storr · 2017

The history and psychology of the self, from ancient Greece to Silicon Valley.

05
Nonfiction

The Science of Storytelling

Will Storr · 2019

How stories work, explained through psychology and neuroscience. A Sunday Times bestseller.

06
Nonfiction

The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It

Will Storr · 2021

Storr's argument that the pursuit of status shapes human behaviour, from individual lives to politics.

07
Nonfiction

A Story Is a Deal: How to Use the Science of Storytelling to Lead, Motivate and Persuade

Will Storr · 2025

A follow-up to The Science of Storytelling on using stories in business and leadership.

How Many Books Did Will Storr Write?

Seven books between 2006 and 2025, one of them a novel.

In What Order to Read Will Storr

His books are not a series, but The Heretics, Selfie and The Status Game build on one another.

A reading path
1. The Heretics (2013)
2. The Status Game (2021)
3. Selfie (2017)

Quick facts about Will Storr

Nationality
British
Career
Journalist for The Guardian, The Times Magazine and others; ghostwriter
Books
7, from 2006 to 2025

How Will Storr Writes: Meeting the Believers

Storr begins with immersion, spending time with people whose beliefs he does not share and trying to understand them.

He then turns to psychology and neuroscience to explain what he found, and turns that research into accessible arguments.

Frequently asked questions about Will Storr's books

How many books has Will Storr written?

Will Storr has published seven books, from Will Storr vs. the Supernatural (2006) to A Story Is a Deal (2025).

What is The Heretics about?

The Heretics (2013) explores why intelligent people hold beliefs that go against the evidence.

Footnotes

  1. Will Storr — Wikipedia

Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.

This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.

Lisanne x

Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.

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