Every copywriter has to learn from someone at some time. If you're contemplating dropping everything, quitting your job, and diving into a copywriting career, I strongly suggest you take some copywriting classes first. Copywriting is not as easy as people may suppose; it is certainly not the same thing as writing a book, a magazine article, or a term paper. Before jumping headfirst into this career, it would be a wise decision to educate yourself. Even if you've been writing for years, the world of copywriting will be a new experience to you. You need to understand it in order to overcome it.

There are numerous copywriting courses available to you, many of which are taught by professional copywriters. They have learned the tricks and nuances of the trade and now they want to share with you what they've learned (usually for a price, of course). Courses for copywriting come in all shapes and sizes, some tailored towards advertising copywriting, some towards technical writing, some towards general writing. there is a wide variety.

Here are some suggestions for finding the copywriting class that best suits you:

College or University. Inquire at your local community college or university. These are superb institutions for teaching the art of writing copy. See what kind of writing classes they offer.

Online courses. If you don't have the time or schedule for college classes, there are a variety of online courses for copywriting available. Some are:

• www.copywritingschool.com
• www.inst.org/copy
• www.copywriting-course.net
• www.freelance-writing.net/copywriting-course
• www.onlinecareercourses.com

Books. I find some of the best "classes" I've ever taken are books on the particular subject. Here are some excellent books that will teach you how to be an expert copywriter:

• The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells
• The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations with Masters of the Craft: David Ogilvy, William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, Rosser Reeves, and George Gribbin
• Advertising Copywriting

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