Customer Reviews

The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells

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All the nuts and bolts you need to start writing like an expert copywriter. Without a doubt, The Copywriter's Handbook is the Bible of the copywriting industry -- and has been for quite some time.When I began my career as a freelance copywriter back in the '80s, I called several gurus and asked for advice. They all referred me to Bob Bly's material. When it comes to teaching the trade and explaining how to break into it, they said, he is king. And I agree.In this single guide, Bly takes you by the hand. He starts with the basics, explaining the purpose of advertising and copywriting in its many forms. He shows how to write winning headlines and body copy for ads, brochures, letters. He gives practical tips on writing for magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, commercial and non-profit groups. He includes tips for designing sales/promotional literature and offers good advice on using art. He gives numerous check lists for improving your copy. He also uses great examples from different industries to illustrate his points.The book is so rich and relevant in content I refer to it all the time. In fact, I have worned out several copies and often buy extras to give to colleagues and clients.One thing readers will appreciate about Bly and his work is his honesty. He's very objective and fair in his assessment of the copywriting business. He offers no hype. And his work is not filled with self-promotional rubbish. Instead, he comes across as a true professional, a real expert and simply a sincere man who actually cares about his readers. No wonder the book keeps getting raved reviews. It was also praised by the lengendary David Ogilvy and other great advertising giants.Another thing readers should note about Bly is that he writes from experience as well as research. Unlike many so-called experts who make their millions from seminars --with little or no experience in actually doing what they teach -- Bly is a working writer. In addition to being a prolific author (with over 50 books published), he makes his living writing winning copy for the top businesses in the country.If you want to learn and master the fundamentals of copywriting, don't waste your money on a $2,000 seminar/program given by a self-proclaimed guru. Instead, spend a few pennies and get this book. It's all you'll need.

Robert Bly is almost universally accepted as the master copywriter, particularly in the area of freelancing. For anyone starting out, and even for professionals, this book is a necessity andmay save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on needless seminars.

It is filled with no-nonsense advice and instruction on the craft of copywriting. It probably truly is the Bible for copywriting. If you are starting out on a path to a career in copywriting, just ask nearly any seasoned pro and they will refer you to Bly's work.

In this volume, Bly explains advertising and copywriting and the many forms they take shape in. He explains how copywriting applies to all manner of promotions and advertising, e.g., headlines and body copy for ads, brochures, letters, article writing, TV, radio, and both commercial and non-profit promotional materials. It is both a definitive how-to and an idea book.

Whether you are starting from scratch and completely clueless or a professional seeking new ideas and approaches, this is a must have book.

Independent writing consultant Robert Bly cuts through all the hype surrounding promotional copywriting and `creativity', with a no-nonsense guide that covers everything.

I too am a copywriter and, for the first time, empathised almost entirely with what a fellow writer was saying.

You see, the subject matter is steeped in misunderstanding. What the aspiring writer needs to know is that almost all copywriting is about selling.

Robert Bly understands this, and communicates it well. He knows it's not about clever headlines; it's not about puns; it's not about abstract concepts. Yes, the copywriter is a salesperson - one who is paid by his clients to sell their products.

This book recognises this with a relish. It urges us to identify the USP (that which makes a product different and saleable) and to put it right up-front, to deliver simple messages that everyone can understand, and to write precisely for the intended audience.

Bly's comprehensive guide covers pr! ints ads, brochures, radio and TV commercials, direct mail and PR material. There are also chapters on getting a great job in an agency, and going freelance.

The only element with which I would take issue is Bly's somewhat dismissive attitude towards graphic design. I can think of many designers and art directors who would be hopping mad over Bly's comments about `fancy visuals' that don't add to the selling process, and about the limited value of white space. Surely someone who has worked so much with designers knows about their contribution to the `pickupability' of advertising material? A minor quibble, but a valid one.

The Copywriter's Handbook is for you whether you prepare your own marketing materials or just want to write a more persuasive proposal or report. I credit a great deal of my success as an author and freelance writer over the past fifteen years to the lessons I've learned from this book. The latest edition is the best yet. The Copywriter's Handbook combines ideas from advertising's top writers with numerous lists, tips, techniques and idea-generators that Bob Bly has developed during his long and successful career. In clear, simple and friendly way, Bob shows you how to plan your message, choose the right approach and fine-tune the building blocks (i.e. headline, lead paragraph, body copy, caption, etc.) of effective ads, brochures, direct-mail, newsletters or radio/TV copy.

Let me start off by saying that this book is very well organised and comprehensive. But my big gripe is that it is quite out of touch with advertising today. Robert Bly seems to almost completely dismiss the power of creativity in advertising, instead referring back to the "old school" of "how to..." "why...", etc. headlines. This stuff is okay, but if you follow his advice you will end up with a pedestrian portfolio. And if everyone followed it, we wouldn't have Nike as a brand, we wouldn't have Tango in the UK, we wouldn't have wonderful campaigns from Timberland, we wouldn't have "Perception. Reality." from Fallon McElligott. This book will get you to first base, and at least make sure your ads are on strategy and straightforward, which is a good start, but it won't go much further than that. The author has an engineering background, and it shows. His one concession to creativity in advertising is a lame pun between dye and die in a headline. If you're an aspiring copywriter in the advertising industry, I would recommend "Hey Whipple", the "Cutting Edge" series by Jim Aitchison, the Bruce Bendinger book on Copy, or even a gem that seems quite hard to get hold of called "Advertising: Concept and Copy" by George Felton. Also, Bly's claim that it's "information not entertainment" that sells is quite contentious, and is an age-old debate. If you've ever loved the Little Caesar's ads, you may be interested to know the slogan of the agency that produced them: Entertainment sells.

As Bob explains, the goal of advertising is to make sales, not to entertain. Bob exposes this common error and offers many other copywriting techniques and tips in the book. He also gives some helpful information about freelancing.

I'm a technical writer (not a copywriter), but felt that this book had good things to offer. I think it also helped define my own style of writing.

If you are into freelancing and consulting, I'd also highly recommend his 'Six Figure Consultant' book. He gives a lot of good practical advice and seems to have a lot of experience.

After looking for a decent book on copywriting on Amazon (where else?), I decided to buy this one, based on the positive reviews it got from other readers. And, I must say, they were right. This is an excellent book if you want to learn the basics of copywriting and start off as a freelancer!

Can you picture a Christian without a Bible? No. In the same way, you cannot afford to write copy without "The Copywriter's Handbook". Robert W. Bly's "Copywriter's Handbook" has become such a standard among copywriters that in its almost 20 years of existence it hasn't undergone much transformation. Yet its message is as useful and powerful today as it was back in 1985.

Broken into three great parts, the book allows readers (or writers, for the matter) to focus on what's relevant to them. Part I touches on how to write copy that sells, dealing with headlines, tips on how to better write to sell and the preparation process for writing. Part II deals with the tasks of the Copywriter. From writing copy for print ads and direct mail, all the way to writing commercials, the only thing that is missing in it is how to address an online crowd. But books like "Persuasive Online Copywriting" take care of this full well, lifting the pressure off of this guide. Finally, part III talks in detail about the copy writing waters from a business point of view.

Quite simply, if you are into copy writing in any function, this book is a must.

As several other reviewers have mentioned, this IS a great back-to-basics handbook for anyone getting into or going back to the business. Among the more helpful items for me are that 1) It's just an ad (don't get bent out of shape if it doesn't come); 2) Write like people speak, and 3) Pen the most common, front-of-mind words in a list and compile them to craft a headline. Good stuff. Inspirational. But some of this common sense doesn't cut muster in the cut-throat-and cut-some-more (copy) world of advertising that I know.
As a writer for a Fortune 50 company, I've sought many sources (including Bly's) to draw upon. While his is most competent, I must admit I feel his "bible" does not find the Promised Land. Where does the writer go beyond the basic? Intuitive? Academic? Bly does not say. Instead, he offers advice on lines that would get kicked out any initial creative review in an agressive corporation.
If you are looking for a solid starting point to copywriting, this may be it. It offers sage fundamentals to the craft. Where to find words. How to stay grounded. But (sorry, fellow ad wizards out there) this tome deserves a Part 2 if is to direct the serious writer toward a higher level in their career.

I originally borrowed this book from my local library. After having the due date extended twice, I went to Amazon and bought the book! It's a must read for any serious copywriter or would be copywriter and it is now a permanent fixture in my library "tool box." In fact, it's sitting on my desk right now, because it doesn't really belong on the shelf. It's like having a dictionary and thesaurus at your fingertips. If you are a writer, it's for daily use as perhaps one of the most powerful reference books out there.

Bob Bly takes the mystery and romantic illusion out of being a "writer" and shows step by step exactly how to work at the craft with true practical application and precision. I first meet Bob Bly at a copywriters bootcamp and he definitely is the real deal. This book is not some academic theory stuff from someone who's never really worked in the business. These pages are written by a working copywriter who has practically done it all in a variety of industries, styles, and settings.

I highly recommend this masterpiece by Robert Bly and actually anything else Mr. Bly has written because you will definitely find a wealth of detailed information on the craft of copywriting, and when properly applied will give you a wealth of new clients and a fatter bank account.