Customer Reviews

The Copywriter's Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you want to improve your writing skills for print or the web, this is the book that you need to own. This book is all steak with the fat trimmed off, powerful tips and techniques with absolutely no fluff.

While some of the techniques included in the book aren't unique to copywriting guides, Bly offers his own effective spin on them. In the first 60 pages alone, you're treated to a goldmine of tips on writing effective headlines and crafting easy-to-read copy. Bly tackles copywriting methods for direct mail, catalogs, brochures, websites, and even press releases. Unlike most books on copy, Bly provides great advice on writing for TV commercials and radio spots.

As a Search Engine Optimization guru, I found Bly's take on writing web copy to be extremely refreshing, even if it wasn't new information to me personally. I loved that this was probably the only copywriting book that actually stresses finding the balance between writing copy that sells, and copy that is search engine friendly. Most web design books don't discuss copywriting, and most copywriting authors have no knowledge of writing for search engines. Bly certainly did his homework.

This is an excellent guide for writing copy, especially if you're writing for websites. This book is probably the best investment that you will ever make.

You will read this book and feel empowered by the information given to you in Robert Bly's familiar, easy to understand prose. As one of the most successful copywriters in existence, I suppose it's hard not to be swept up by his promises of success and instant tips for improving your business writing. But knowing full well that I am at the disposal of a writer who makes a living winning people over, I still allowed myself to be won over by this book.

I am certain that it will continue to serve me well throughout my career and I urge anyone interested in strategic writing to pick up a copy.

Before I started my own copywriting business years ago, this one was my first books on the subject. And I still refer back to it periodically. Bob Bly is a copywriting legend who is well-known for making the fundamentals of writing great copy easy to understand. Whether you're thinking about a writing career, or just need to make your marketing materials more effective, this is the perfect primer for anyone who wants to learn how to write to sell!

As someone who has done a good bit of commercial writing, but is just now venturing into the "freelance" aspect of the business, I found this book indispensable. Robert Bly is widely recognized as a giant in the business and THE COPYWRITER'S HANDBOOK is a good indicator as to why. Readers will enjoy his straightforward approach to writing copy that sells.

I suppose an aspiring copywriter could make it in the business without this book, but why would you want to try? This is nearly 400 pages of advice from Bly's years of experience. The book is well written, well organized, and loaded with helpful information.

Just a few of the key things I learned here were such things as rating headlines using the 4 U's, the effective use of bullets in your copy, include headlines in sales brochures where there is often nothing more than a logo, and even the most effective fonts to use. The structure of the book contains valuable information on many aspects of copywriting. Certainly not all-inclusive, but covering a lot of ground and answering a lot of questions along the way.

The appendix section guides the reader to further study and other valuable resources. I highly recommend this book.

If you're a practicing copywriter and don't know what a brochure is -- ummmmm...I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but perhaps you should consider another career. Yes, this book actually defines what a brochure is. I am shocked to see that experienced copywriters found it useful. The advice is rudimentary at best. I gave it three stars because a) basic information has its place and b) I didn't want to tarnish the rating. It was my mistake to buy it. If you're looking for a book to inspire award-winning creative, get Creative Advertising by Mario Pricken. After devouring it in one sitting, I wrote copy all night long. For fun. On a weekend. And, no, I'm not a sweltering geek. The Kickstart Catalogue is an amazing tool for bringing out your natural talent. It teaches you from the inside out (you'll understand what I mean when you read it).

From the opening line: "A copywriter is a salesperson behind a typewriter." Mr. Bly shows how sales, marketing and copy are related in a fast-paced and fun-to-read book that deserves to become dog-eared and highlighted and kept close by.

This book, the Copywriter's Handbook by Bob Bly, is one of the best books ever written on the subject of Writing Copy that Sells. He covers the range of sales materials from headlines and advertisements, to brochures, to public relations statements and he gives examples at each turn.

My favorite part of the book starts on page 79, and is titled "Getting Ready to Write". You can improve the effectiveness of your sales writing by 1000% if you will just take the information in this short twenty page chapter to heart and do the simple things that Mr. Bly recommends.

This is a classic and deserves every one of the 5 stars I have given it.

Highest recommendation!

I'm a copy writer for a small company serving businesses across the country. I learned the ad writing business "on the fly via Bly" after miraculously landing a copywriting job when a very brave Pacific Northwest employer decided to take a chance and hire me -- even though I didn't have a single day's worth of "in the trenches" experience beforehand!

My resume documented that I had written four books and dozens of articles for magazines and newspapers, but writing advertising copy is a whole 'nuther animal!

Because of Bly's excellent books (he has several -- none of them will steer you wrong) and a few others by Joe Vitale, I was able to jump into the new job and truly wow diverse clients from the get-go. The information and insights in The Copywriter's Handbook saved my bacon!

Kristine M Smith, Author

DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories : My Life and Times With a Remarkable Gentleman Actor

Bob Bly is the master of showing beginning copywriters how to write compelling copy. He also knows all there is to know about the copywriting business.

If you're just starting out in this business, you must buy this book and any time Bob updates it, buy the new one.

He helps you know what to charge. He guides you in the rules of the road in a way you'll understand. Reading this book could be the ticket to a great career for you. So pick up your ticket and enter the world of copywriting.

Highly recommended --- especially for beginning copywriters or those who need a handy everyday reference to refer to when they have a question.

Robert Bly doesn't steer you wrong in The Copywriter's Handbook. I'm always working to improve my writing and this book has been a useful tool for me. It has something for everyone, from the fresh beginner to the seasoned pro. Devoid of fluff, this book is loaded with good information that will help you improve your copy writing skills. You simply can't go wrong with this purchase.

If you make a living as a copywriter, and you haven't obtained a copy of Robert W Bly's definitive handbook on the subject, it would behoove you to make the purchase now. Every critical piece of information necessary to become a professional copywriter is contained inside the pages of this book. Follow the instructions carefully, and you too could become a professional; chances are, a very good one.

Bly takes you inside the copywriter's business and gives you examples of how to write the most effective ads---from print, direct mail, and catalogues to public relations copy, tradeshow articles and newsletters. He even covers the best approaches to delivering great speeches, and mentions why some television commercials may "entertain", but not necessarily "sell".

In essence, the business is about sales. It's not an artistic endeavor; it's about taking a pragmatic approach to swaying a consumer's loyalty from brand X to brand Y. No frills included.

To say that Robert W Bly is the Guru of Copywriting, is like saying Rembrandt could paint a bit. What are you waiting for? Hurry; get this book now. You can thank the author later.