Books On Copywriting...

[jen.nifer]

I'm about to check my local bookstore for books on copywriting, but figured I'd see what peoples' recommended books on this subject are...

Btw, saw this one and became curious:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805011943/ref=pd_sim_b_5/002-8117368-1627242?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance

[jen.nifer]

Well, I decided to ignore the overwhelming response (hehe) and I went out and bought The Well-Fed Writer. Went for a nice overview, rather than copywriting specifically. I hope it was a good choice.

[Good Word]

Hi Jen,

I have a little experience with copywriting, a lot more with technical. What kind of info were you looking for? More about motivational--getting in the door, new clients, etc. or more about craft?

[jen.nifer]

More about motivational--getting in the door, new clients, etc. or more about craft?

Hi there!

Yes, that is basically the kind of info I was after.

I'd realised I had 3 copywriting jobs to my credit (woohoo!) and thought maybe I should do something with that..

I still want to write the great novel (my WIP is still alive) but I can't escape from having a day job. Etc. I'm doing IT Helpdesk work which makes me feel like this guy - :guns: - pretty much every day hehe.

[cannae216]

Bly's a good ref. to have. He spends more time on the nuts and bolts-- types of mailers, clients, marketing tactics, measuring response, etc. I'm new to the game, too, and those books are great. Also, I have learned a tremendous amount (for free) from www.copywritersboard.com.

And be sure you allow a lot of time for this to happen, depending on your life situation. Bowerman did this in a few months from scratch, but he has a background in sales/mkting, no kids and quit his job to jump in full-time. I have two kids, teach college writing courses (thus, lots of outside grading), and no background in sales-- mine is in writing. So it's taking a while to get it all going. But practice, practice, practice. Call non-profits, etc. to get pro bono work for some solid testimonials, start a website, and refer ppl to it. Also, think about a specialty- health care, fitness, industrial thingymajingies, etc. Knowing a particular market really well seems to be the way to go but isn't required.

A good place to start (at least for me) is businesses I already know well and have belonged to as a customer. For example, I just wrote a full-page mag ad for a kickboxing instructor I've known 7 years and whose gym I belong to. I know his problems, know the market (more than other markets, anyway), and it's great experience. Day cares, gyms, clubs, volunteer groups... work the existing connections and branch from there. Of course, this is one of a million ways to start. If it's working now, keep it as is.

Hope this helps,
Alex Stiner

[jen.nifer]

Sorry Alex, I didn't see this until now!

Thanks for your reply - some good points there.

Bowerman's great marketing style is evident in the book - and that's the part of the business that scares the hell out of me!

I did write to the author to praise him and I got a reply so I'm definitely a fan :)

[luvn2kids]

Bowerman is great at responding to e-mails. And he has a wonderful (free) newsletter too. You should sign up for it. (I think there's info on that in the book. If not, feel free to PM me.)

Bly is good too. But I prefer Bowerman. Well, for going out there with no guidance, you done good!

[theengel]

Every experienced Copywriter I've asked agreed that the number one book that every copywriter should read is

"Breakthrough Avertising" by Eugene Schwartz

[jen.nifer]

I ended up buying Bly's book too, though I haven't had a chance to read it yet.