Book review: The Copywriter's Handbook, by Bob Bly

Since this review is largely negative, I should admit that “The Copywriter’s Handbook” can be found near my desk and I reference it often.

With that confession, I'll take my first punch: the author of this book has never won an advertising award. Not one that matters, anyway. But in Bob Bly’s world, awards really don’t matter.

Since 1985, “The Copywriter’s Handbook,” has been a guide to the ugly but lucrative subculture of advertising called direct response. In this world, the Bob Bly is a self-anointed diety. Since the book was first published, mobs of enterprising disciples have drunk his Cool-Aid, hoping not for a promised land, but a six-figure salary.

It’s true that copywriters can earn $10,000 for writing one letter. Of course, it’s a direct response letter. The kind beleaguered with double underlined sentences. Features explained through benefits. Promises punctuated with exclamation points. And, of course, the grand finale is highlighted in yellow: an offer that must be acted upon immediately.

For industrious writers who want to come up with this stuff, “The Copywriter’s Handbook,” is considered a bible. But for anyone who aspires to create concept-driven advertising, there’s not much in this book.

Bly starts this work by taking sides against concept-driven advertising. He explains, “A copywriter is a salesperson behind a typewriter.” He warns against becoming "an artist or entertainer." For if you go down this dangerous path, Bly warns, "Your copy will be wasting your client's time and money."

Although I don’t do direct response, as a freelancer, I write a lot of stuff that’s not artistic, entertaining, concept-driven advertising. I often write stuff that works hard at doing more than building a brand. For those jobs, this book contains a lot of practical advice.

Of its nearly 400 pages, I found Bly’s lists most helpful. “Copy motivators” offer 22 reasons why someone might buy a product, a good thing to ask your client before writing. Bly offers interview questions too, many of which I have incorporated into my own. He also outlines different types of ads, which can be useful in finding direction for an ad. Will we do a question ad? A testimonial? An offer of free information?

But for all of his juicy nuggets, so many of Bly’s examples read like spam. They sound too good to be true, killing the credibility of his work. So much so that I think his audiences must be incredibly stupid to read – let alone respond – to what he writes.

“Would you pay $1,000 to save $5,500?”

“One of a kind. Is that phrase a little trite? I used to think so until I tried to find you. …”

“Three years ago this month, a man I know – he was then a vice president of a big corporation in Illinois – walked into his boss’s office and handed in his resignation. Two weeks later, he started his own company. …”

Aren’t we past this kind of stuff? Judging by the number of people who make serious cash writing Bly-style advertising, apparently not. I know that I don't allow any of it into my life, not even from nonprofits and politicians I believe in.

Despite the money to be made, you won’t find me crossing to the schlock-y side of hard-sell direct response advertising. Even knowing about the profit potential of this work, I still want to create cool, concept-driven creative work. Because unlike Mr. Bly, I know that my kind of advertising can work for clients.

So please allow me conclude with this. For practical, timely, and useful ways for you to maximize the value of your brand and save dollars, click here to contact me immediately, right now! Or, check out Mr. Bly.

• Amazon: The Copywriter's Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells. Revised and Expanded (Paperback), by Robert W. Bly
• Bob Bly