Copywriting is more than being able to put words together.
Every copywriter knows how to write. Every GREAT copywriter knows how to sell.
Selling on a page to strangers on the internet is easy when you know how to do it.
Most copywriters don’t…
They’re stuck writing boring blog posts, dredging through SEO keywords, or worrying about their next hourly copywriting job interview.
That doesn’t have to be your future.
It’s okay if you don’t know how to make the switch from writer to seller right now.
But if you don’t do it soon, you will get eaten alive in the red ocean of copywriting.
Luckily, you’re probably a writer with chops, which means you’re likely a strong reader.
And that’s an equation for a smarty pants…
Your next step towards financial freedom as a paid copywriter is to do what you do best.
These five books taught me everything I needed to know to make that switch and get paid as a copywriting business within a month.
Not a freelancer. Not an employee… A BUSINESS.
Tear through these books IMMEDIATELY if you have any serious interest in making beaucoup bucks as a copywriter.
The couple hours you spend reading these will save you months of heartache and head-scratching.
#1 – How to Write Copy That Sells by Ray Edwards
This book is your crash course in writing high-converting sales copy.
Anything you thought about your writing skill before should be thrown out the window.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a hot shit fiction, policy, or report writer.
Most people who switch to copywriting typically are.
Reality will come crashing in when you write failed sales page after failed sales page.
At least, that was my experience when I first started.
This book changed my copywriting game more than any other book.
Ray Edwards has a way of breaking things down to their basic, fundamental levels. He tells you exactly what you need to do to get started with writing effective copy.
The PASTOR method explained in this book will get you sales, no matter the industry.
There is no other place to start but here.
#2 – Dotcom Secrets by Russel Brunson
Dotcom Secrets is an amazing deep dive into the overall framework of running an online business.
Brunson is a Dan Kennedy acolyte, but I found his writing, visuals, and stories to be easier to follow and apply.
One of the main problems businesses face these days when it comes to hiring a copywriter is that too many copywriters don’t understand the business structure.
They think because they can fashion a sentence together, it makes them a good copywriter. And what ends up happening is they are looking to be told what to write by the business owner.
If you can understand the principles of running an online business (or any business, really), then you put yourself ahead of every arrogant copywriter out there.
Because it allows you to collaborate and ideate with the business owner to write truly effective and inspiring copy.
Dotcom Secrets is the easiest way to understand how a business functions so you can do that.
#3 – No BS Direct Marketing by Dan Kennedy
No BS Direct Marketing gives you a fast and loose crash course in Direct-Response Marketing.
If you don’t know what Direct-Response Marketing is, learn it VERY quickly. It’s how you’re going to make money for yourself and your clients and outpace 98% of copywriters very quickly.
This book shows you how Direct-Response Marketing works in tons of different industries.
And that alone is worth whatever you’ll pay for it.
The principles to sell are the same across time and space.
However, they will be applied differently. This book is a good primer for understanding that.
#4 – Copywriting Secrets by Jim Edwards
This book should be skimmed.
Jim makes his money by riding the coat-tails of Russel Brunson and repeating the same lessons every great copywriter before him invented.
That sounds like a diss, and it probably is… BUT!
There is a GREAT chapter on headlines.
To be honest, you can get the same info elsewhere. But Jim’s chapter on headlines truly was inspiring.
It can’t be overstated – Your headline cannot suck!
Jim Edwards suffered through years of poverty and failing businesses to learn the importance of a good headline so we don’t have to.
Even if you don’t read this book, at the very least understand that you need to have killer headlines if you want to sell.
#5 – Magnetic Marketing by Dan Kennedy
This book is the cream of the crop for learning a strong Direct-Response Marketing framework.
His knowledge when it comes to human buying behavior mixed with his ability to speak in simple, direct terms is unmatched.
Magnetic Marketing lays out the foundational principles you need to understand before you can attract and sell online.
Seriously, trying to write sales copy without understanding these principles is like trying to fly without wings.
Learn the system and see it work in real-time (with your own copywriting business or with your clients).
Either way, you won’t be disappointed.
These books will get you caught up quickly on how to sell effectively through writing.
The principles are condensed in the books listed here.
As long as you apply them, the $7- you spend on these books will give you a 10x return within a few months.