Rating: 
Summary: I'm amazed! I'm amazed!
Review: I am not a copy writer and I had NO idea how to write ads. I have a couple books on copywriting, but frankly, they were boring. I'd flipped through them trying to find some magical text that would teach me what I wanted to know without wasting my valuable time. Then I found this page and read these reader reviews. I decided to give the book a try.The writing style is so engaging, I'm finding myself reading every word -- and I tend to be a "skimmer." Mr. Sugarman has such an easy style, it's almost as if he's sitting in front of you, telling you how to write advertising. What worried me most about spending my hard-earned money on a hard-back book like this was that it would assume too much about me as a copy writer and I would be lost. Not at all! The author explains stuff so extraordinarily well that I couldn't wait to get started using the techniques. My second concern was that he would be too general. Other marketing courses and articles I'd looked at said stuff like "list the benefit." Well, duh! What they didn't tell me was how I should WORD it such that my readers won't get bored before I can finish telling them about it. Mr. Sugarman does a superb job of explaining why this wording didn't work and why this one did. He walks you through how to discover a talent inside you that you never even knew you had! The book seems to be geared mostly toward mail order (I'm not done reading it though), but I'm finding that I can apply the same principles and lessons to my web site. Of course, it's easier to change a web site when you find that what you're doing isn't working :o), so I'll be looking forward to trying out new approaches... In summary, if you're looking for a book that will explain in a captivating way, using tons of examples (he even uses his techniques in the text of the book, which is lots of fun to see), get this one! You will not be sorry!
Rating:
Summary: WOW - Perhaps the Best Book EVER Written on Copy!
Review: I just finished reading "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word" for the second time! ...And now I'm about to go back and begin studying it with a highlighter. After being completely disgusted with a few other books on copy writing, I was so pleased to find this jewel. In this day and age, with so many books being simply manufactured or compiled by people with no experience or real knowledge (you know, they send a hundred letters to people in an industry and then compile the responses into a book), this book is actually written by a true master who not only knows what he's taking about, and has truly lived it - but more importantly he know how to teach it. Honestly, if you only buy ONE book on copy... make sure it's this one!
Rating:
Summary: One of the top 20 books on Advertising Copy.
Review: I own $4,200 worth of Books and courses on Advertising and this book is on my list of top 20 must read. A lot of valuable insights not covered by others! Helps you avoid some of the biggest and most common mistakes in writing ads and sales letters that almost guarantee a Bomb. Covers emotions and reasons why people buy and don't buy. This book is worth $250.00 or more. It's a virtual course. Sugarman has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products and knows what he is talking about. Sugarman makes almost nothing off teaching others what he knows. I think he teaches because he enjoys it and not to make money. His money has come through selling products in space ads and television, and not from teaching others how to sell through space ads or television. A lot of so called experts make there money teaching others how to make money teaching others how to make money. Sugarman made his millions selling products to the public! Get this book! Its fun to read and its Great!
Rating:
Summary: An Advertising Bible for the Ages
Review: If you are writing ads for magazine and newspaper placement, this is a superb Bible. As I travel the world I see ads written based on Sugarman's philosophy and each time I return, I see the same ads running again and again. The sign of success. I've always found Joe Sugarman's work to be remarkably effective in helping our direct marketing programs. Sugarman has truly got decades of experience to back up his marketing directives. What I found most useful in this book were the many sample full page advertisements which are replete with crisp and powerful writing. At kevinhogan.com we utilize Sugarman's approach and continue to be profitable year after year. This book is a heck of a good read and should be read in conjunction with the marketing book in the same series.
Kevin Hogan
Author of The Psychology of Persuasion
and
Talk Your Way to the Top
Rating:
Summary: Great book, great value, buy it today!
Review: If you have even a little bit of interest in writing or editing or working in any kind of advertising, even if it is just a simple flyer for your business or nonprofit fund raiser this book will easily pay for itself. I've read and reviewed a few books on writing, from Stephen King's nonfiction work on writing fiction to books on writing nonfiction. This work stands up there with the best of them, and I'd recommend this work to writers of all types. Joseph Sugarman explains the purpose of the headline. It's to get the second line read. The purpose of the second line, well, that's to get the third line read. If fiction writers followed this formula, they'd sell more books. I can't count how many books, both nonfiction and fiction, I put down after a short time because I just find no reason to go on. But this book isn't about writing fiction or nonfiction, it's about writing great copy. The reason I bring up other types of writing is that they all have the same strengths or weaknesses' going for them that get them read or ignored. A copy writer has a short time to get the reader to either send money or request more information or act in some way. The fiction writer has to grab the readers attention and I mean now. See my review for Noah Lukeman's "The First Five Pages", basically he's got the same advice for fiction writers, you better grab the readers attention, and you better be flawless, because you have about the first five pages to win or lose the game. Often less. In copy writing you have the first five words. Often less. Same idea. I highly recommend this work to writers of all types. If you're in advertising, even if just for your own small business, you'd be foolish to pass on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Great Stuff!
Review: Joe Sugarman's books are an extraordinary read! I've been writing copy professionally for years, so I'm no slouch. With the information Joe shared, I've been forced to rethink my entire approach to copywriting! Discover how Joe thinks, as he takes you by the hand on a tour through his most successful ads from his now legendary, JS & A catalogue. His amazing stories will make you laugh. They'll make you cry. You'll be touched at the deepest level and it will be an experience you won't soon forget. Get these books... now!
Rating:
Summary: If You Could Have Only One Book on Copywriting, This is it!
Review: On a scale of 1 to 10, this book is a 20. Truly the ultimate course on copywriting. My library is filled with books on how to write advertising copy. My shelves brim with books by Gary Halbert, Jay Abraham, John Carlton, John Caples, Brian Keith Voiles, Michael Masterson, and many other outstanding, top-notch copywriters. Joe Sugarman's Advertising Secrets of the Written Word is my all-time favorite. The absolute best book on the subject, period.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Primer on Creating Effective Ad Copy!
Review: This book can be described as WOW! As a copywriter I implemented many of Joseph Sugarman's strategies in this excellent manual. It's not just another advertising book - it's a book on persuading on paper. He gives some great examples from his own ads too. Though I have many of his ads in my swipe file - this resource explains the psychological points that went into creating those ads. He takes you by the hand and guides you to creating ads that really works - that is to get the reader to read and to take action. This book is one of my top ten books on business - especially advertising.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Primer on Creating Effective Ad Copy!
Review: This book can be described as WOW! As a copywriter I implemented many of Joseph Sugarman's strategies in this excellent manual. It's not just another advertising book - it's a book on persuading on paper. He gives some great examples from his own ads too. Though I have many of his ads in my swipe file - this resource explains the psychological points that went into creating those ads. He takes you by the hand and guides you to creating ads that really works - that is to get the reader to read and to take action. This book is one of my top ten books on business - especially advertising.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best copywriting books ever written
Review: This book is in my opinion one of the best copywriting books ever written. Joe Sugarman's methods may not flatter all the "professional" copywriters and marketers who adhere to Image Marketing and a "professional corporate image". But what makes Joe Sugarman's book stand out is his combination of showing his readers 1) what actually work in real life, and 2) how anyone with just a decent ability to write can use the same methods to skyrocket his or her profits and marketing results. Instead of just giving a few "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word" isolated tips on copywriting, Joe Sugarman gives you a complete system for writing money-making copy. He shows you how to understand and apply the PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES behind successful copywriting. That Joe Sugarman's system actually works has been proven again and again. And it's continually proven by the many marketers who've learnt to write orderpulling copy through these methods. Personally I've learnt a great deal about writing copy through this book. I have numerous books about copywriting, but this book is absolutely one of the very best.
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