Books about Copy Writing

Pls recommend some good books ...

[gopi]

Please recommend some good books about copy writing (especially for web) to this newbie :)

[Imagicor]

Tested Advertising Methods - John Caples
The Online Copywriter's Handbook - Robert Bly
Sales Letters That Sizzle - Herschell Gordon Lewis

[Dante_Maure]

The only book I can recommend that is specifically geared towards online copywriting is Make Your Words Sell by Ken Evoy.

That said, good copywriting is good copywriting, whatever the medium. The best online copywriters in the world all learned from the offline masters.

Caples, Bly, and Lewis have already been mentioned... others worth checking into:

Clyde Bedell - "How to Write Advertising that Sells"
David Ogilvy - "Ogilvy on Advertising"
Joseph Sugarman (of BluBlocker fame) - "Triggers" and "Advertising Secrets of The Written Word"

[gopi]

If i have time and money for only one book which one will you guys most recommend :)

[Dante_Maure]

Personally, I'd go with Evoy's... it's accessible, devoted to online specific copywriting, expensive, but worth every penny imo.

Please note that of the above, I haven't read Bly's book about online copywriting, but have enjoyed other works of his.

Check your local library system as well... I found a number of the titles mentioned above, along with Dan Kennedy's "The Ultimate Sales Letter", and you can't beat the price. ;)

[Ivana]

gopi, in case you haven't bought a book yet:

I got Nick Osbornes 'Networds' for christmas. I haven't read it yet, but it was recommended to me by several experienced copywriters (all webmasterworld members).

[gopi]

Ivana , thanks for the recomandation...

I researched a bit and decided to go with Networds , just placed an order in amazon....

Thanks all of you Guys for your kind suggestions , I really appreciate it

[skibum]

Good choice in "NetWords", it's excellent. It's a little on the philisophical side and can help to develop a perspective and mindset or "voice" for online copywriting. There is also "Persuasive Online Copywriting" which is a little more hands on. Just ordered "Web Word Wizardry A Net-Savvy Writing Guide" which had some good reviews but never heard of the author before.

[thaedge]

I went lookin for Networds and wasnt able to find it in google, except for this thread of course. Any ideas?

[tedster]

Try two separate words - Net Words

And the author is Nick Usborne

[Terrier]

That is a great book Tedster, But I like the one you recomended to me at pubcon "On the Art of Writing Copy" Herschell Gordon Lewis.

[Ivana]

Actually, Tedster was one of many who recommmended Net Words to me at Pubcon. I have now read it and it was excellent, thanks for the recommendation, Tedster!

I am much more aware of how copy works now, when I see others and of course when I write my own.

I shall read "On the Art of Writing Copy" next, seeing that both Terrier and Tedster recommend it.

Ivana

[Tor]

Try two separate words - Net Words

Thank`s tedster. I have already ordered it. :)

[cwebb]

I also like Net Words, although it seems to be quite repetitive and could offer more and more indepth advice.

[gopi]

Guys , its been two months i bought the book but still its unopened , little busy with some new projects....i wish i get some time to read :)

I think i have to cut my WW time :) :)

[canadaeh]

If you're looking for books on search engine copywriting and Web copywriting, you might try,

{url snip} the Guide to Search Engine Writing

or

{url snip}Search Engine Visibility.

[edited by: paynt at 10:39 am (utc) on Feb. 22, 2003]
[edit reason] snipping url's [/edit]

[ChickyBones]

Hi,

Anything by Bob Bly is fantastic. "The Copywriter's Handbook" is a great read, and something that I still check out from time to time.

Nick's Net Words is also awesome.

Another book that's good (although it's not a copywriting book, per se) is Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini.

Hope this helps!

[Farhan Kamal]

The Nitty-gritty of Writing for the Search Engines
A Special Report by Jill Whalen, is also a perfect start if you already know how to write and just want to make your copy help you improve your rankings. I haven't read it yet, but will buy it for sure.

<snip>

[edited by: engine at 8:29 am (utc) on Feb. 25, 2003]
[edit reason] No url's, thanks. [/edit]

[gopi]

Ok , I just finished Net Words ... Ya its a good Book but not as good as i thought.... almost 70% of the book talks about the importance of copywriter in web development , but hey i already know it (thats why i bought a copywritng book!) :) ...

Ok i now ordered "Persuasive Online Copywriting " (along with "Google Hacks" ) . Let me see how it is!

[cwebb]

Google Hacks sounds like an off-line version of everything that was ever talked about in WebmasterWorlds Forum "Google News"

[gopi]

I beleive "Google Hacks" have more programming examples to play with Google API . I think the only SEO type chapter it have is Brett's 12 month post

[Raja Hireker]

Hi

I've just signed up to the forum.

I've been speaking with a few guys about this very subject over the last 4-months or so.

Unquestionably, the books that came up on top, were as follows.

Scientific Advertising - Claude Hopkins
How To Write A Good Advertisement - Victor Schwab
Tested Ad methods( 4th edition or older) - John Caples
How To Make Maximum Money In Minimum Time - Gary Halbert
Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of A Marketing Rebel - John Carlton
The Ultimate Sales Letter - Dan Kennedy

I've read them all. Atleast twice each. They all build on eachother. The information is invaluable.

Reading the wrong books can set your life on a path to nowhere...FAST!

Whatever you want, you can do it by mastering the greatest skill in the world. Writing sales messages that cause people to respond. These books'll do it for you.

Happiness

Raja

[engine]

Raja Hireker,

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Glad you could join us.