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

by Herschell Gordon Lewis (Author) "This book is jam-packed with rules, laws, commandments, concepts, precepts, principles, and savage opinions..." (more)
Key Phrases: five great motivators, news release writing, excitement incentives, Age of Skepticism, Unassailable Loser Statute, Lillian Vernon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The essential guide to copywriting--jam-packed with rules, tips, easy "how-to" nuggets, and commandments.

Great promotional copy grabs you by the throat and demands your attention. Great copy promises you things you want (or maybe a better word is "crave"). But how do copywriters know what to promise...and how to promise it? In this book, Herschell Gordon Lewis, one of the great copywriting artists of our day, supplies actual rules anyone can implement to create powerful, effective copy.

With more than 100 simple, time-tested rules that copy professionals use to captivate and convince readers, the book explains: 1. General writing rules for how to be concise, take control, motivate readers, "warm up" copy, write a guarantee, and adapt copy for each medium, including the Internet. 2. Specific rules for direct mail letters, television, radio, on-line, fund-raising, special-interest

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM; 2 Ed edition (March 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814470319
• ISBN-13: 978-0814470312
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,335,257 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps Readers Improve Their Writing Skills!, January 18, 2001

By	Jim Moran (Chicago) - See all my reviews

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!

5 of 6 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

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.

11 of 16 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)

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.