Thanks for the link, AWIC.
There is other way you can learn copywriting quicker is to copy a successful sales letter in longhand. It may be painful to do this task. It is worth the pain to become better.
In the copywriting, they use the term, control. Control is a sales letter that perform better than other sales letter. Good businesses will always try to beat its own copy. Even, the copywriters will challenge themselves have other sales letter to compete with the one he wrote.
However, you can find controls in John Caples's book. Dan Kennedy do have a book of great sales letters.
Not up to copying the sales letter in longhand. You can learn lot about structure of a good copywriting at
Code:
http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletter-archives.htm
Gary Halbert is known as "Prince of Print" and "The Ace Of Space". He was so good that he was paid over $5 millions to write 2 letters. He died in 2007. The website above, he cost the newsletter $195 a year. It is available for free. Go through the archived newsletters and it will give you a good pointers to get off a good start in copywriting. I enjoyed the Boron letters. Boron letters is a letter writing when Gary Halbert was in jail to his son on living and money making as a copywriter. He will explain why he was arrested in his letter.
Yes, John Carlton is a terrific copywriter. He was mentored by Gary Halbert. You can start off with Gary Halbert which is free and working your way up before move on to John Carlton's material. You will find that are successful copywriters who studied under Gary Halbert. Few to name, Michael Fortin and Ed Dale.
Code:
http://www.john-carlton.com/2007/04/for-gary/
John Carlton wrote about Gary Halbert and his relationship with him.
Clayton Makepeace is a good place to going to learn about copywriting. You can learn lot of stuff by reading at his website. He have team of talented people making a post daily include Clayton Makepeace.
Code:
http://www.makepeacetotalpackage.com/
If you are motivated and want to self-educate.
Here are good copywriting books:
Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins (The Granddaddy of copywriting)
Tested Advertising Method by John Caples (Wonderful information on testing sales letter)
How to Write a Good Advertisement by Victor O. Schwab (Good information on headlines writing)
Robert Collier Letters by Robert Collier (You can learn by reading successful sales letter)
Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy (King of Madison Avenue advertising owed his success to Claude Hopkins. He reads Scientific Advertising every year)
Advertising Secrets of Written Word by Joseph Sugarman (You may remember the Blublockers sunglasses? He is the man behind this highly successful advertisement)
Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz (This is advanced concept on copywriting. It is out of print. Good luck find a book under $200)
The websites I provided and finding Claude Hopkins in public domain will help get you to a good start and then you will be wise enough to decide on what you really need before you make an investment on your copywriting education.
AWIC posted you a link which you can save your self at least $20 for not buying a book.
One more thing, the magazine Cosmopolitan and Woman's World is a great magazine to learn copywriting. They have fantastic headlines on the front cover. Those copywriters maybe are paid 6 figures to write those headlines. The headlines are the key success to magazine selling. Browse it at your favorite book store or get a subscription.
Find swipe file on Gary Halbert's website. Learn about what a swipe file is and you can get start on building your own swipe file.
