The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America's Top Copywriters

As I began to read this book, I realized something very significant.. I already had the book on my shelf collecting dust. This read however grabbed me like no copywriting book has in a very long time. I was never a joe Sugarman fan, but I must admit I have been converted. If you buy this book and you don't like it, you are either already a genius copywriter that couldn't learn anything OR you are so new that the content is to advanced to absord. I believe the first time I tried to read it I was one of the ladder of the two. I read it twice the second time I bought it and it really changed how I write. Definately one of thebest books on writing a solid sales piece.

First of all, Sugarman is not a good writer. His prose is clunky and, at times, non-grammatical. The way the book is written does not inspire confidence in Sugarman's advice.

Sugarman makes one serious mistake in this book: he assumes that it is ads that sell product. In some cases this is true, but in others, ads only get people to consider a product. His first example - the "Laser Beam Digital Watch" - shows this naivete. Sugarman thinks that his choice of name made a difference in the watch's sales; there might be a minor difference, but it is more likely that the watch sold itself. Sugarman is convinced that he is the god of advertising, and nothing will change that conviction; this leads to a book that suggests that products don't count, only ad copy. Anyone who writes copy for a living knows that this is not the case - well, other than for, say, bottled water. Products sell, and ad copy helps nudge consumers to first learn about, then consider, and, finally, decide which product they are going to buy.

This book focuses too much on "direct marketing" ads: those ads with 2,000 words of text, testimonials, repeated sales arguments, and a couple of pictures. Ads with little graphic content, which mostly depend on words. Not only do few copywriters work with this type of ad, but they are something that dates back to the 1970s. (It's sad to see that many of the examples in this book are so old and out-of-date for today's copywriters.)

After I got to around page 35, I flipped through the rest of the book, and, seeing nothing more than 2,000-word ads from the 70s, I gave up and returned it. It's fair to say that the description of this book is deceptive, but I guess it just shows that copywriting can work.

I was very disappointed in this book as I was expecting more from it. Though it has good information in it, it is a very primary book on copywriting, plus the author spends a little too much time talking about himself. Robert Bly's Copywriter's Handbook is a much much better buy

There were such great reviews about this book that while I was purchasing Words That Sell, Phrases That Sell, and Letting Go of the Words...I just couldn't resist The AdWeek Copywriting Handbook. Hey, can't have too many books on writing copy that sells.

When you buy this book, you are following in the footsteps of a legendary copywriter and ad man, Joseph Sugarman while he is teaching at seminars and creating his clients' ads. He provides insight into what he was trying to accomplish with a specific audience. Very informative, motivating and at the same time humorous. One couldn't go wrong studying Sugarman's methods.

This is a great book if you write ad copy for a website selling products. sometimes it's very hard to break a mental block while trying to describe a product to a customer you have never seen. Crack this book open at times like that and your block will be resolved!

I've seen a 100% improvement in response to adcopy we have written with the assistance of this book.