Herschell Gordon Lewis on the Art of Writing Copy [Hardcover]

Herschell Gordon Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1988

This guide to copy-writing presents and explains simple, time-tested rules that cover two main areas: general writing rules for how to motivate readers and adapt copy for the Internet; and specific rules for direct mail letters, television, card decks, and fund raising, for example. This text also provides a "short course" in grammar and usage, and illustrations of actual advertisements to aid the reader.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Herschell Gordon Lewis (Plantation, FL) is chairman of Communicomp, a direct marketing agency. He is also president of Lewis Enterprises, writing copy for and consulting with clients throughout the world. He is one of the best-known copywriters and consultants in the U.S. and has written Copywriting Secrets and Tactics, Selling on the Net, Sales Letters that Sizzle, and dozens more. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 424 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Trade (January 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0133873099
• ISBN-13: 978-0133873092
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,590,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps Readers Improve Their Writing Skills!, January 17, 2001

By 

Jim Moran - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Art of Writing Copy: The Best of * Print * Broadcast * Internet * Direct Mail (Paperback)

Herschell Gordon Lewis, the author of many writing books, including Cybertalk That Sells, has updated his book, On the Art of Writing Copy. This book offers a fresh approach to learning the in's and out's copy writing. By gleaning from the many actual printed ads and rules provided in the book, every reader will begin producing better copy.

Lewis provides bold and creative solutions to creating copy for any occasion - including traditional and online advertising campaigns, corporate usage, news reporting, fund-raising, and general correspondence. Throughout the book, Lewis presents actual printed magazine advertisements that demonstrate various methods of communicating - his insightful critiques of them will help readers to structure, clarify, and polish up their own work.

Lewis has mastered the art of writing and so will his readers who apply the contents of this book. Specific instruction includes choosing and using words, exercising care in selecting words, manufacturing words for impact, creating effective sentence structure, producing motivational copy, writing guarantees, and targeting specific audiences. His short course on grammar and usage will help readers improve their writing skills. They will see immediate results.

This book will cater to the writing needs of many, including Web developers and online businesses. They will find this book particularly useful for creating professional-grade Website copy, e-marketing newsletters, and e-mail correspondence. This book would make a great writing class instructional guide. This book is essential reading!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth rereading - and reading once again, April 28, 2001

By 

Experienced seminar leader (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Art of Writing Copy: The Best of * Print * Broadcast * Internet * Direct Mail (Paperback)

I took this book off my shelf to write a blurb for a bibliography and in flipping through it, realized just how much I learned from Herschell Gordon Lewis about the subtle nuances of writing copy. He understands the power of words like few other marketing experts I know. I highly recommend this and all of his other books on writing copy.

12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars On the Art of Blowing Your Own Horn, August 1, 2000

By 

M. Bianco (Sandpoint, ID United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Art of Writing Copy: The Best of * Print * Broadcast * Internet * Direct Mail (Paperback)

Instead of offering copywriters solid suggestions or advice based on experience, Lewis instead gambles that he will reach similarly jaded, sarcastic and negative readers who are eager to ride alongside him on his high horse.The author seems more interested in listening to his own embittered critique of others' work than in instructing readers with real information.

I disagree strongly with most every advertisement he holds up as an example of ineffective copy writing and/or visual communication.It is almost as if Lewis belives his zealous slashing of others' work can replace helpful examples. It is unfortunate that a book like this gets published with such a promising title. Lewis doesn't even come close to providing any sort of tangible help for copywriters who want to increase their repertoire or get another professional perspective.