Copywriting Book Reviews From 5 Stars Down to 1 Star

The full title of this book by Melanie Saladino is

Why People Buy: How to Answer the 9 Questions People Ask Themselves Before They Make Any Buying Decision

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars, meaning Worthwhile.

This is a book about copywriting

This book is about copywriting rather than the topic implied by the title, buyer psychology. These are linked but the emphasis of the book might be different from what you expect. In my opinion, the book doesn’t answer the “Why People Buy” of the title.

In fact, it doesn’t have the substance to be called a book and it refers to itself as a report. I suspect its origins were as a lead magnet to get email addresses.

This means that it all feels very rushed. There are some interesting ideas introduced in the book but I didn’t think there was enough substance to give you the confidence to put any of the ideas into action.

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The full title of this book by Grayson Bryan is

Call To Action: The Art Of Sales Copy Psychology

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book Three Stars, which means Worthwhile.

Here is my book review.

I thought this was a book focused on one part of copywriting

I thought this was a book focused on one part of copywriting, the call to action. Unfortunately, it’s not.

What we actually have is a short summary of the entire copywriting process. It’s done well but if you want to learn about copywriting, you need much more guidance than is offered here.

This might whet your appetite for a more extensive book.

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In my review of the book,

How To Create Effective Calls To Action

posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Two Stars, which means Disappointing.

Here is my book review.

Transcript of a webinar

This isn’t a book as such but a transcript of a webinar. This means that it feels padded and a bit unstructured.
Some of the slides from the webinar are included but they are unreadable on my device.
The webinar dates back to 2011 and much of it is focused on getting calls to action from a blog including social media connections.

I don’t feel it really gets to grips with the format of an effective call to action. Is it just a short instruction or is it a longer statement reconfirming the benefit of taking action?

It has some value and I was weighing up between 2 or 3 stars. In the end I decided on 2 because it doesn’t give enough, I’d have preferred a proper report and it just feels dated.

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The full title of this book by Sachin Kumar is

Conversion Rate Optimization Secret TIPS: Boost Website Sales Fast, Generate More Leads Without Increasing Traffic, Make More Money

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it One Star.

Here is my review.

A guide for copywriting on websites

I don’t understand what’s written in this book before chapter 1 because it seems to be promoting another book.

It’s a disconcerting start and one that won’t impress people who try the kindle sample.

Unfortunately it’s a true reflection of the book which is about copywriting for the Internet. The writing is terrible and it’s hard to believe the author has read through it once, let alone edited it carefully himself and then passed it to someone else to read and give feedback.

I gave up at the 37% mark. I was struggling to find coherent sentences let alone a paragraph where a series of well structured sentences flowed one after another.

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The full title of this book by Robert Bly is

“The Perfect Sales Pitch: A Complete Do-it-Yourself Guide to Creating Brochures, Catalogs, Fliers and Pamphlets“.

In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I consider it to be good to very good.

Here is my book review.

Quaint but still helpful and relevant

This book was published in 1994. A great deal has changed in the twenty odd years since then in terms of the Internet, PCs, digital photographs and developments in the printing industry.

Some of it is quaint but there is plenty in here that is still relevant and useful. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Seth Czerepak is

The Sexy Sales Letter Formula: How To Use “Value Mechanics” To Craft Smoking Hot, Seductive Sales Letters.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Four Stars rating. This means I consider it to be good to very good.

Here is my review.

An interesting look at the issues involved with copywriting for different buyer stages and personalities.

I read this book because I thought the author’s first book, The 24 Hour Marketing Miracle was excellent.

That book introduced the ideas of value mechanics based on axiology and as this had the same topic in the subtitle, I thought it would be the main focus of the book. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Seth Czerepak is

“The 24 Hour Marketing Miracle: The FIRST Marketing Book EVER to Be Backed Up By a 500% Money Back Guarantee“.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a FIVE STARS rating. I don;t give the five stars away easily and this means that I think it is EXCELLENT.

Here is my review.

A direct response marketing book so good you don’t want your competitors to read it

This book isn’t for everybody. The writing style is quite abrasive at the start and the author doesn’t pull any punches over what he thinks is right or wrong.

The book looks at direct response marketing and copywriting. While you may not want to do it yourself, I believe business owners need to know and understand the process. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Joe Sugarman is

“The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters“.

I my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book a rating of FIVE STARS. This means I think it is excellent.

Here is my book review.

A true marketing classic and packed with charm

Some copywriters work for clients and charge a fixed fee. Others charge a fee and ask for a percentage of the revenue generated on top so they gain financially if the item sells well. Neither of these groups of writers lose out if the copy flops all together. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Doberman Dan is

The Rookie Copywriter’s Survival Guide: How To Make Six Figures With Little Or No Copywriting Experience… And Without Chasing After Clients!

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars. This means Worthwhile.

Former Gary Halbert protégé shares his own secrets of being a direct marketing entrepreneur

This isn’t a book about how to develop your copywriting skills to work as an employee or even as a hired gun writing copy for others. It’s about being a kitchen table entrepreneur.

The author, who worked with the legendary Gary Halbert for 15 months (I think) asks why anyone should use your copy if you haven’t been prepared to risk your own money first. It’s a very good question for copywriters to answer. It’s what he did and he says that clients now seek him out and are willing to pay well for the privilege.

The author focuses mainly on info-products and supplements.

He explains how to check there’s a starving crowd and to get some copy written but the details are sketchy. About a third of the short book is taken up with his story.

He’s eager for you to get started and says the best way to learn is by doing. More help is available on his website. I’d have rated the book with more stars if he had included more content. A few other copywriters are named in passing – Dan Kennedy, John Carlton, Eugene Schwartz and Claude Hopkins. If you’re serious about copywriting, you need to be familiar with their ideas.

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