CopyTraining

The One That Almost Got Away

Another classic advertising book by John Caples is “How to Make Your Advertising Make Money”. This too was another one of those rare specimens whose species had been dwindled down to salvaged library copies or flooded bookstore rescues.

This one too…was fetching high prices.

I was seeing everything from brand new copies going for $57.95 to used (beat up) copies being sold for $14, $125, and even $399.

That didn’t stop me….

Some of these were hardcover books…and I don’t know if people were actually buying them at that price but they were definitely being sold at various prices.

The conditions varied from “slightly used” to “I survived a nuke bomb”.

Some with torn, smudged edges, and ripped or tattered spines and covers.

Randomly torn pages, highlighting….foreign food particles embedded in the pages like shrapnel.

What horror! Who could commit such acts of neglect and violence…..

It was looking grim. But I was determined…I wouldn’t give up.

I know I’m a fanatic about this stuff…but once you get a taste it’s like crack…or…so I’ve heard. I’ve never had any experience with crack….but, they say it’s VERY addicting.

Well, classic marketing books are like crack to me. I am never satisfied, I order one…and before it gets here I’m still looking for more. It’s my vice…..an insatiable hunger……

I’ve found wisdom of the ages in these books.

Truthfully…. I’d much rather immerse myself in people who had no choice but to get it right, than from some “copywriting superstud” who had ‘astronomical’ conversions on a jv orgy-fest promotion, in which no one even read the copy!

Back to the expedition….. (more…)

The First Excursion…..

I entered the catacombs….the smell of old dust-covers of years gone by mixed with the tangy sweet smell of kung pao chicken and cigar smoke filled my nasal cavities.

I had made it…this location was said to be an treasure trove of endless gems…

From the outside…it’s appearance was less than stellar…but the magic happened once I crossed the threshold of the front opening.

This place was MUCH longer than it was wide…the narrow corridors filled with treasures ready to be discovered.

I didn’t know where to start…so I began at the front, where I still had the light of day on my side.

Time To Start Digging

I began to ruffle through the artifacts…looking for that elusive gem, that one peice that would justify all I had went through to arrive on location….

I dug in the nooks, poked in the crannies…and fielded off the odd rodent, creatures, and other creepy crawlies that called this place their home.

It was getting dark……and I was expected home soon…but I was stuck, I couldn’t leave, there just HAD to be something in there…something…… (more…)