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Rating: 
Summary: ...Heard About It From A Pro
Review: A few years ago, as a college student, I had the opportunity of hearing a speaker who got his start as a copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather. While speaking, and in private group sessions, he disclosed that before going into advertising, he had just gotten his degree in Political Science, a subject totally unrelated to the fast-paced, crazy-creative, lucrative world of advertising. He bought this book, followed it to a T, built his portfolio, and was able to bluff his way into his first job in NYC. He impressed me so much, that I've been looking for this book ever since. I'm so glad that I was able to find it, (still in print, thank goodness) and am anxiously waiting for its delivery. As of December 2000, I have my degree in advertising, but I wasn't prepared for the angst of breaking into the business, and I was given so little guidance in preparing a 'book'. I think this book is really going to help.
Rating: 
Summary: Not everything in this book is true...
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Not everything in this book is true...
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: This is the book to get.
Review: Many people ask me which book they should read to help them get a job as a copywriter. My usual answer? Get Maxine's book. It is absolutely "must" reading and the first and last word on the subject!
Rating:
Summary: I cannot tell a lie!
Review: This is one of those books that even the laziest of readers will finish in one sitting. Alright, maybe two, but I'm pioneering a higher kind of lazy.
Rating:
Summary: Advertising Student
Review: 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.
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