"I picked up your book...and found a whole new world of possibility."

The following is an unsolicited e-mail message I received from a reader of Writing Copy for Dummies:

I just wanted to write and tell you that you are my hero! I picked up your book Writing Copy for Dummies to get some basic knowledge about copywriting under my belt, and have found a whole new world of possibility. I've done some freelance magazine writing over the last few years, but it paid so little that I was looking for something more lucrative that I could still do from home. After poking around on the Internet (about copywriting), I was so thoroughly lost and overwhelmed I almost gave up - but then I found your book. People have recommended oodles of books and
courses, but yours happened to be one the only one stocked at our bookstore the day I went. I love the Dummies books, so I grabbed it.

Wow, I wish someone had told me this stuff 15 years ago. Back in college I tried selling herbal and weight-loss products – the stuff that's supposed to ‘sell itself.’ They taught us everything about the products, but nothing about how to sell. I believe it was in chapter one of your book where you
went through the example of how to sell a pencil (features/benefits) - and it was a complete epiphany for me. How could someone not have taught me that all this time?? I proceeded to sell my husband a stuffed dog and something else he picked out, but then my 6-year-old daughter wanted in on the action. After I briefly explained the benefits/features/'what's in it for me' idea, she proceeded to sell me a pair of dirty socks, a pink pen and an elderly cat. And I'll be darned, she did a bang-up job of it too. I couldn’t believe how much power was in that one concept.

I love the casual writing style, and the amount of information you've included is astounding. Great, great book - I even recommended it on a copywriters discussion list, and someone has already gone out and gotten it (someone with experience, even!). It's so fun to see how my past writing knowledge plays into it all, and to feel like I can actually DO this. I expected this field to be quite boring, but am having a blast with it – I love the challenge of playing with words in a whole new way.

Thank you so much for your book. You’ve been a Godsend.

Sincerely,

Colleen Stephens