Advertising Secrets of the Written Word: The Ultimate Resource on How to Write Powerful Advertising Copy from One of America's Top Copywriters and Mail Order Entrepreneurs

Great copy looks so easy -- so simple, so effortless, so "ordinary." There are those who can take the process of writing it and make that process look complicated. And then there's Joe Sugarman. This is one of the two books I recommend for further study in my home-study "Money-Making Copywriting Course." Why? Because Joe cuts through all of the needless and cumbersome detail so many teachers of copywriting instill in their lessons. He makes the information accessible and entertaining to learn. And he's a super-successful real-world practioner, as well as a very skilled and effective teacher. A novice might think that because this book does not refer to Internet marketing or the latest trends in print and direct mail advertising, it is out of date. That is a well-intentioned but misguided criticism. Of course very few people know how to market effectively (and close sales) on the Internet. Since I have done this successfully (I've created Web sites that made lots of money, by themselves) and since I spent a year as the editor of a newsletter tracking who was successful marketing online and who wasn't (almost everyone wasn't), I can say with some authority that there are very few people who can market effectively online. But know this about Joe Sugarman. If he ever chose to do online marketing, he would make a fortune -- just as he has done before in other ventures. Why? Because there are certain principles of human nature, and of selling with the written word, that have not yet changed. And he is a world-class expert in conveying those principles to novices and experts alike. The technological and situational landscape may make it look like we live in a very different world, but trust me -- as someone who got a 2% response with direct mail at the height of the anthrax scare in the fall of 2001 -- the world we live in now is pretty much the same as the world we have always lived in. At least as it pertains to writing effective advertising copy. I can't recommend this book highly enough. You'll learn tons, and -- best of all -- you'll be able to make some very good money with what you learned.

I was lucky to get it for the price I found. It's worth a whole lot more if you're an entrepreneur or someone who wants to persuade people. It reads like lifestyle advice at times, which is understandable considering Miles Beckler often mentions it along with other books like "The Science of Getting Rich". It has a somewhat metaphysical bent, but it's practical first and foremost. I recommend it, assuming you don't mind getting gouged out the wazzu for a copy.

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 knows how to teach it. Honestly, if you only buy ONE book on copy... make sure it's this one!

And that is what makes this book so good. Sugarman never did much writing for other people. He wrote to cover his payroll and build his own business - risking Millions of dollars a year, OF HIS OWN MONEY, to test his ideas. He confesses he lost more often than he won but when he wrote a winner he sometimes won big. Along the way he learned harsh truths about business. He's not only a gifted and original copywriter, he's a shrewd business strategist - Sugarman promoted electronic gimmicks and gadgets that would get severely devalued as new technology came along, sometimes in a matter of months - so he's particularly relevant to writers and marketers in the "internet marketing" niches today, where the novel and hypey often carries the day. I read Sugraman's ads when I was a kid and also Drew Kaplan's (when will that Masked Man write a book?) and was transfixed. Still later in I discovered J. Peterman's catalogs. I got started writing copy for my woodworking business before I lost interest in the long hours and physical grind of production. Writing copy later became the keystone to my success online - and Sugarman was the first copywriting "bible" I acquired. I wouldn't actually recommend this book as the first one you read - it's about marketing and the mail order business as much as it is about psychology and copywriting... so it doesn't cover salesletter structure in a way that will be useful to everybody just starting out... unless you sell gadgets like Sugarman did. I'm not saying he is not a master because he clearly is - just that there are other books you might want to read first like Victor Schwab's excellent book.

I bought this after reading somewhere else that ANOTHER one of Sugarman's staples was all wrapped up into this book anyway. I haven't even finished the whole thing but sheesh… studying the psychological triggers alone will give you so much freaking insight into ALL advertising!! You will be a nerd and lose 80% of your friends with how annoyingly observant you'll be. The book is also chock full of REAL examples. I'd say my favorite thing about Mr. Sugarman's writing is his really humble personality that comes through. He shares his experiences. He just tell you (so you can learn) where he went wrong in the past—where his ideas and campaigns made him "lose his shirt." I've learned a ton from this book. Add it to your copywriting library.

This book was actually a pleasure to read. I was in awe just how well written it was. Rarely is a book on writing interesting or easy to read--this one was. Full of very clear and actionable writing strategies and great examples. If you're learning to write copy, this must be in your collection of learning tools.

One of the most helpful books out there for writing more effective copy. I do political campaigning, but much of this "selling of products" need to be retooled a bit, but the basics of drawing people in and getting them to read what you have written are essential in both areas.

If you want to become a master at marketing this is one of the books that you must have in your collection. Its very easy to understand because Joseph Sugarman tells you how to do it and gives you an example to make sure you understand. This book can be applied to marketing any type of business online and offline. He covers all areas in advertising from small businesses to big businesses.

Covers all the basics, the mindset and advanced strategies. I was recommended to read this my a top copywriter, and I suggest you read it too

Learned some of the foundations of marketing and getting people's interest in general here!

This book has transformed my writing - absolutely no nonsense, well written and entertaining. I recommened this book if you are a writer of any form.

It's a good book. But the newer Adweek Copywriting Handbook is much cheaper for the EXACT SAME information.