Direct Mail Copy That Sells!

by Herschell Gordon Lewis

Book Overview

Here are the secrets of writing copy that sells, revealed by the best known and most highly respected direct mail writer of our time. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0132147505
• ISBN13: 9780132147507
• Release Date: May 1984
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

For the Writer who Wants Precision...and Results

I've bought and read close to 50 books about direct response writing. Many of the books are vomituously self-promotional. Some are very cheerleader-ish, which is fine. But this one is for the serious writer who wants and needs close, very close, attention to detail. One or two poorly chosen words can change everything in DR and this book is for the writer who really wants to pay close attention to every phrase, every sentence, and every word. It's sort of like the teacher you had at school who seemed really fussy at the time but, later on, turned out to be absolutely right about everything. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while the other other books are written to get everyone fired up about the potential results of great direct response marketing, this book, despite its laconic title, tells you why you should not use words like laconic. Instead, it provides words that a DR writer should use--to produce results. Written over two decades ago, I feel that everything here remains salient: people are still wary of crazy claims and I think that copy that sounds too good to be true is just that--just as HGL says. We're still living in the age of skepticism and we probably will be for years to come. The person who is curious about DR will like this but this book scores big points, even with the Chinese judge, when it comes to word-by-word precision. The writing is really, really good. It's machine gun style so be prepared to take cover. HGL does not take any prisoners.

Easy to Read

Great tips on marketing for business people in general. Awesome advice if you're in direct marketing. Easy to read.

A DEFINITE MUST-HAVE FOR A SUCCESSFUL COPYWRITER!

I've been writing copy for 15 years and this is one of the books I used to get started. It is one that I keep referring to over and over. Between this book and Dan Kennedy's "Ultimate Sales Letter," you'll have everything you need in order to create multi-million dollar sales letters. I've made approximately $10 million in the last 5 years from my sales pieces. I don't give these two books all the credit but they were absolutely invaluable in my beginning as a novice copywriter years ago. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Exceptionally well-explained copywriting training

Mr Lewis has again written a classic - this book, especially starting with Ch 4 "How to Be a First-Rank Wordsmith", reveals the craft of writing compelling copy with remarkable clarity. I underestimated this book at first; wish I'd read it a couple of years ago ... along w/Schwartz' "Breakthrough Advertising" and Lewis' other copywriting books, this is an absolute must-get. It really does dig deep into comparing the difference between credible, compelling copy and lukewarm copy that doesn't sell. A must-get for everyone who write ads, including site salesletters - it's a scorcher!

The Master of This Craft

Lewis is the undisputed master of his craft, and this small book does an excellent job of distilling and presenting the basics. As a writing teacher, I recommend it to all of my classes.