Copywriting (Teach Yourself)

Teach Yourself Copywriting is a cleverly written book geared not just toward the copywriter but also toward promotions directors. In addition to providing sound and entertaining guidance on writing copy for radio, TV, print, slogans, direct mail, the Internet, public relations, recruitment, and even charity solicitations, author J. Jonathan Gabay also helps the reader determine which media to use for an advertising campaign. Gabay supplements his lessons with an appealing series of copywriting exercises, one of which involves the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty" and another of which requires writing headlines that capture the spirit of the Mona Lisa, a traffic light, and the gum on the back of a stamp. Throughout his book, Gabay reminds the reader not to think of copywriting as a creative endeavor. "You should consider copywriting," he says, "as primarily a selling skill." As far as the writing aspect of copywriting is concerned, "in grammatical terms," he warns, "[copywriting] is often an English professor's nightmare." (The book's spellings, currencies, examples, and humor are all British.) --Jane Steinberg