Here are the secrets of writing copy that sells, revealed by the best known and most highly respected direct mail writer of our time.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For the Writer who Wants Precision...and Results,
By
This review is from: Direct Mail Copy That Sells (Paperback)
I've bought and read close to 50 books about direct response writing. Many of the books are vomituously self-promotional. Some are very cheerleader-ish, which is fine. But this one is for the serious writer who wants and needs close, very close, attention to detail.
One or two poorly chosen words can change everything in DR and this book is for the writer who really wants to pay close attention to every phrase, every sentence, and every word. It's sort of like the teacher you had at school who seemed really fussy at the time but, later on, turned out to be absolutely right about everything. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while the other other books are written to get everyone fired up about the potential results of great direct response marketing, this book, despite its laconic title, tells you why you should not use words like laconic. Instead, it provides words that a DR writer should use--to produce results. Written over two decades ago, I feel that everything here remains salient: people are still wary of crazy claims and I think that copy that sounds too good to be true is just that--just as HGL says. We're still living in the age of skepticism and we probably will be for years to come. The person who is curious about DR will like this but this book scores big points, even with the Chinese judge, when it comes to word-by-word precision. The writing is really, really good. It's machine gun style so be prepared to take cover. HGL does not take any prisoners.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptionally well-explained copywriting training,
By Kenneth Calhoun "StockTradingSuccess.com" (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Direct Mail Copy That Sells (Paperback)
Mr Lewis has again written a classic - this book, especially starting with Ch 4 "How to Be a First-Rank Wordsmith", reveals the craft of writing compelling copy with remarkable clarity.
I underestimated this book at first; wish I'd read it a couple of years ago ... along w/Schwartz' "Breakthrough Advertising" and Lewis' other copywriting books, this is an absolute must-get. It really does dig deep into comparing the difference between credible, compelling copy and lukewarm copy that doesn't sell. A must-get for everyone who write ads, including site salesletters - it's a scorcher!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well-written book about writing to sell products,
By Loren Woirhaye "Direct Response copywriting ... (Easthampton, Massachusetts - Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Direct Mail Copy That Sells (Paperback)
Herschell Gordon Lewis is a highly seasoned writer
and he gives very specific guidelines for how to not write bad copy. You'll probably love his stuff or you'll take the "rebellious" line of Gary Halbert and despise him. HGL doesn't say you have to create works of art or that you should not write with a conversational tone. He locates areas of written expression where errs are common these days. It's not that he is offended by conversational copy. He IS bothered by copy that doesn't get the message across. The books I have read by him emphasize this more than I have seen it stressed in copywriting books by other authors. Yeah, he lays out rules for writing copy. If, like me, you had a father who taught college English and you got a B.A. in English Literature you might have a lot of "Duh" moments... but if your people didn't read much and didn't speak decent English you may have some real disadvantages in writing good selling copy. For copywriting students who were indifferent students of English there may be remedial work to be done. This book is a good guide to that - no replacement for Strunk & White though. Lewis rants about split-infinitives and double-negatives not because he sees their use in conversation as criminal, but because he is right in assessing that grammatical and structural errors of expression lead to prose that doesn't communicate. It's all about clear communication. If your reader doesn't understand your message or your offer because you cannot write clearly you lose the sale in direct mail. This is a good book. If you have good writing habits it will help you to refine them - if you lack habits that make your writing clear this book will make you aware of them.
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