Elements of Copywriting: The Essential Guide to Creating Copy That Gets the Res

I don't normally leave book reviews, but I was forced into reading this for my journalism class and it was an utter waste of my time. If you know anything about writing and advertising - that is, if you have ever read a magazine or seen an ad on the side of a bus - you should already know the things that are written in this book. It is mostly all just common sense. And every single point made in the book was said at least 162 times over and over and over and over - and not even in a new and interesting way! It was so frustrating, my blood pressure rises just thinking about it. Do yourself a favor and avoid this book, get the cliff notes if you can - the points they make are relevant, just way too obvious, and they are SO OFTEN repeated that someone out there must have caught on and compacted the main points down to something with more readability to it.... Sorry for the negativity, but I hate when my time is wasted.

If you want a comprehensive guide to copywriting, then I would recommend that you buy Robert Bly's Copywriting Handbook. There is nothing better to teach you copywriting or reinforce what you already know about copywriting than that book.

However, if you want a nice little reference to keep on your desk that will help you find information about copywriting quickly, then I would recommend this book. Unlike the other, this particular book is more about providing you tips on copywriting. It is not meant to be an exhaustive reference on copywriting.

This book is also written by Robert Bly, but unlike his comprehensive copywriting guide, this book is more of a quick reference.

The beauty of copywriting is that most of the main principles that worked yesterday will work today. The principles outlined in this book are timeless and always effective. That's what makes it such a valuable desk reference.

However, if you want information on writing copy for the internet, I would recommend you look elsewhere. The information here is dated, and it goes back to when the internet was young and not as graphical as it is today. Still, this is a nice book to have on your desk when you want to know something quickly about copywriting or you need inspiration.

There's still a lot of valuable information in this book though, so you definitely want to read it. The truth is, even now the internet is still deeply influenced by direct response copywriting, so you still want to learn these principles.

The bottom line is that this book is a good crash course in copywriting.

I read the book in 2 days and immediately found ideas that improved my current writing and editing projects. This is not a cutting edge, radically innovative book. It is a short, well organized, basic copywriting text. I'm glad I bought it.

With this book, Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly have written a well-organized and concise guide to copywriting. While not nearly as comprehensive as Bly's "The Copywriter's Handbook,"(which you also get if you are buying this book), "The Elements of Copywriting" is a great introduction to copywriting for most people. It covers a number of areas of copywriting: display advertising, direct mail, brochures, catalogs, press releases, press kits, audiovisual promotions, Web-site material, and more.

It quickly and deftly outlines the differences between copywriting and other writing, e.g., it's perfectly acceptable to use "And" to begin sentences in advertising copy. Blake and Bly address each type of copywriting task mentioned above individually, as well as providing more broad-based rules for copywriting: use a conversational, friendly tone; use simple words and short sentences;focus on the customer, not the product; and close with a "call to action."

This is a very concise guide to copywriting that is an excellent starting point for those wanting to learn the craft.

Gary Blake and Robert Bly do a great job of bringing the core of copywriting. I find this book more a reference than something I am going to read cover to cover. Great coverage of Direct Mail and writing for the web, all around very useful book in helping my customers become more profitable - plus improve my own sales and marketing materials.

Only caveat, the paragraphs could use a bit more space between them and some other font for headlines would make it easier to read. Outside of that the content is superb!