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Review of The Copywriters Handbook By Bob Bly, 2nd edition
Bob Bly is a veteran direct marketer, copywriter, and author of over 50 books. This book was recommended to me as being “must reading” for any aspiring copywriter. It was written during the mid-1980s, before the Internet became a factor. Let’s see what I found after giving this book an in-depth read.
What I Liked:
This book could be loosely divided into two parts. The first part is on learning how to write effective sales copy, including direct mail and advertisements. The second part is on working professionally as a copywriter. I’ll review each section separately.
Let’s talk about learning how to write copy first. In the chapter on creating a sales letter, I really liked how Mr. Bly breaks down each part of a sales letter. Then, he explains what needs to be included in each section in order to make it powerful and compelling. It literally creates a template for the novice to follow and create a sales letter in the correct order – like stacking blocks on top of each other.
The chapter on headlines was also quite information packed. I particularly enjoyed how Bob explained when he would recommend using different types of headlines.
Personally, my favorite chapter was actually in the second part of the book. That chapter was on working as a copywriter professionally on your own. Mr. Bly goes into great detail about how to set up a fee schedule, what usual fees are (at the time of the book being published), what you need to start your own copywriting business, and more. The “get realistic” moment comes when you read about both the good points – and the bad points – of being a self-employed copywriter.
What I Didn’t Like:
Originally written in 1985, The Copywriters Handbook was published before the Internet became a worldwide trend. So there is no mention of writing copy for the online world or the importance of your own website as a professional copywriter.
Hopefully, Mr. Bly will decide to update this book sometime in the future.
The Bottom Line:
It’s a bit dated in spots, but the content is top-notch. The Copywriters Handbook will give you a lot of great information in reaching your goal of writing great sales copy.
Ray L. Edwards is a Florida-based copywriter who has involved with internet based businesses and copywriting since the mid 1990s. While Mr. Edwards is often confused with another copywriter named Ray Edwards (Washington state based), they are two completely different people.
Mr. Edwards has an extensive background in teaching and pastoral counseling. This background, combined with his expertise, should mean that Ray is effective at teaching the critical skills of professional copywriting. Learncopy.com was launched in September 2006, and I had the opportunity to be one of the first people to review it. Here’s what I discovered.
What I Liked:
Mr. Edwards’ teaching and pastoral background definitely shows in his teaching style. Ray is extremely patient and takes the time to explain the nuances of professional copywriting. Some of the teaching techniques are extremely detailed and help explains professional techniques in a powerful, yet easy to understand fashion.
In the video that I reviewed, Ray spends several hours discussing and sharing the behind the scenes secrets for one of his websites that produces a consistent 10% conversion rate. Considering the average conversion rate for the entire internet is about 1-2%, the website reviewed is definitely a cash producing powerhouse.
At several points in the video, Mr. Edwards breaks the camera away from looking at his website and focuses on a document that lists some of the key points which he is currently sharing. These key points are extremely power-packed and I really liked seeing that variety injected into his video training. Frankly, I wish more internet marketers combined this teaching method with their streaming videos, instead of just showing endless minutes of staring at the same website.
Ray offers a number of downloadable books, templates, and a members only forum where you can ask Ray more detailed copywriting questions. Despite the website only being a couple weeks old, the forum appeared to busy with great interaction between members and Mr. Edwards.
What I Didn’t Like:
Let me first say that this review was done when LearnCopy.com was just 2 weeks old. Like any membership website, there are additional materials that will be offered to its members that just haven’t been created or finished yet. As an information product marketer, I will admit that creating ebooks and training videos can be extremely time-consuming. Take videos, which are currently a hot product throughout the Internet. Having started editing home video footage I shot of my baby daughter, I will tell you that it is extremely time-consuming.
When I compare LearnCopy.com to similarly priced copywriting membership websites, it did not have a comparable amount of content. For some people, they want to see high quantity of content in a membership website. Others want quality content, even if it means fewer books, videos, etc.
So people who want a lot of content when they join LearnCopy.com, might be disappointed. After all, the site is quite new as of this writing. Having spoken with Mr. Edwards by email, he has shared with me that he has a number of new materials planned to be added to this site.
People who want high quality content and are less concerned with sheer volume of ebooks, videos, etc. will love Learncopy.com There is no doubt in my mind that Ray Edwards is one of the best modern-day teachers of copywriting that I’ve discovered to date.
The Bottom Line:
For quality of content, I give Learncopy.com an “A”. For quantity of content, I give it an incomplete, because of how new the site is at this writing.
Aspiring copywriters should love the skill and clarity that Ray Edwards delivers in his copywriting teaching.