How to Put Your Book Together and Get a Job in Advertising [Paperback]

Maxine Paetro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1990

In print for over thirty years, the advertising industry bible and ultimate insider’s guide to getting in and getting noticed.

Praised as the “essential,” “award-winning advertising career classic,” here is the industry standard that all aspiring creatives turn to for brutally honest—and often droll—career advice, now fully updated to reflect what most impresses today’s top firms. This is the unequivocal go-to source for anyone looking to break into the business. Originally published under the title The Copy Workshop.

Contributors include: David Baldwin, Tom Cuniff, Greg DiNoto, Jim Durfee, Doreen Dvorin, Heidi Ehlers, Jeffrey Epstein, George Felton, Jack Foster, Cliff Freeman, Roz Goldfarb, Jeff Goodby, Dean Hacohen, Charles Hall, Jhames Holley, Lee Kovel, Leora Mechanic, Deborah Morrison, Jim Mountjoy, James Patterson, Robin Raj, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Helen Klein Ross, Ron Seichrist, Susan Spiegel Solovay, Helayne Spivak, Luke Sullivan, Eric Weber.

From the Introduction:

Although media are changing at the speed of light, the basics of advertising, speculative ads, and the job-getting process haven't changed. The information in this spanking-new revision concerns first-year issues.

* In Part I, I define concepts and campaigns for those who have just begun to ask what this portfolio thing is all about. And there are new questions and answers that I hope will help those about to graduate, those who are about to enter or have already entered the tougher-than-ever entry-level job competition....

* Part II addresses all aspects of getting a job, from resumes, cover letters, and business cards to interview etiquette and follow-up.

* As I've done since the first edition of this book, I've invited creative heads of some of the top agencies around, headhunters, creative managers, and junior creative people to write essays and supplement the text of this book with their comments, their stories, and examples from their portfolios. The contributions of these generous people are of enormous value and make up Part III, "A Little Help from Some Friends."

50 illustrations

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Maxine’s book was my bible and helped me land my first job in advertising. I owe where I am in large part to her. (Jim Hord, Creative Director at R/GA )

Maxine's book was the only one I read back in the day that inspired me to become a copywriter. For if not for her book, if not for becoming a copywriter, I would have never started this magazine as well (CMYK). (Curtis Clarkson, Founder/Editor of CMYK Magazine )

I recommend the book to every young creative person (and some old ones) who I talk to. I tell them read the book, get a copy of the Communication Arts Annual, and if they still think it’s something they want to do, I’ll help them in any way I can. I have probably sold a couple of hundred copies over the years and given away dozens. (Mike Malone, Creative Director at The Richards Group )

Max has always had a way with words, and with this revision to her timeless ‘how to’ guide, she hasn’t lost her touch. This book is a great example of news you can use. It is also an example of common sense that, unfortunately, is not always common practice. Write on, Max! (Michael Donahue, Executive Vice President, American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) )

If you are trying to break into the ad business, read this book. It’s like having a really smart guardian angel whisper all the right things to you. Things that will not only make your book better, but your interview better, your search better, you better. (Luke Sullivan, author of Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide To Creating Great Advertising )

Want to put your book together? Max's ‘how to’ is still the bible. What makes a great ad hasn't changed a whit, but the industry has changed dramatically; and this new edition is the pitch-perfect guide for breaking into today's ad world. (Flinn Dallis, coach and consultant, and former SVP Director of Creative Operations, Leo Burnett Company, USA )

Buy this book. The latest edition of Maxine Paetro’s up-to-the-minute go-to source remains a classic, and still the only book that dares to tell the whole gory truth about how to get into advertising. (James Patterson, Former Chairman, JWT North America Worldwide Creative Business Director, and best-selling author ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Maxine Paetro is a former advertising executive and the author of nine #1 bestsellers with James Patterson. She lives in New York City. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 165 pages
• Publisher: Copy Workshop; Rev edition (June 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962141518
• ISBN-13: 978-0962141515
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,340,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not everything in this book is true..., November 9, 2001

By 

J. P Snedeker (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Put Your Book Together and Get a Job in Advertising (Paperback)

I bought this book in the mid-80s when I was a fledgling copywriter in New York City.

It was helpful in focusing on what was important in putting my book together. But not everything in this book is a hard-and-fast fact. For example, in the author's opinion, it is okay to simply have stick figures for your visuals. But every ad person I talked with said this thinking was completely wrong. The truth is, you need to have as professional-looking a book as possible, which means you need to hire, at the very least, a professional art director to draw your visual for you. Better yet, get some photos for your ad if that is what is meant to be there.

Competition for jobs is just so fierce, you need to do whatever you can to package yourself ahead of the next guy. Great ideas are not enough anymore; they need to look great, too.

In the end, I was always given the "great book, no jobs" refrain. After three years of pounding the streets of NYC, I never got a job. There was even an ringing endorsement from a New York creative director on the back cover which read "I will give anyone who follows this book's advice an automatic interview!" I never even got a return phone call from the guy.

I would recommend this book to a beginner, but with the caveat that the ideas inside are just one person's opinion, and should not be considered gospel.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Advertising Student, March 6, 2000

By 

ZAK (Truth or Consequences, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Put Your Book Together and Get a Job in Advertising (Paperback)

Who better to give advice on getting a job in advertising than someone who's been doing the hiring for some of the world's finest agencies in New York? But this book is more than a bible to those looking to join the game, it's the Cliff's notes to your future in advertising. Even better, it's simply a fun book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the twenty bucks!, June 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Put Your Book Together and Get a Job in Advertising (Paperback)

This book was well worth it! I was pleasantly surprised and read it from cover to cover. If you are serious about getting into a career as a creative, this will help you. The title delivers exactly what it says. Good advice, plain and simple.