An egotist is a self-made man who worships his creator.
— John Bright
Dear Friend,
I make my living as a copywriter/kitchen table entrepreneur but my first passion is the guitar.
To be totally honest, I’d rather play the guitar for a living… but I’ve developed the bad habit of sleeping indoors and eating.
As soon as I can break that habit, I’m going to drop this copywriting thing and just play guitar for a living.
I think people with big egos must be attracted to both copywriting and playing the guitar.
I’ve noticed this about guitarists…
The guy who is just an “OK” player… he can play a little blues, some basic rock tunes, and has practiced playing a pentatonic scale really fast (the easiest scale on guitar)… is usually the guy running around beating his chest bragging about what a great player he is.
And people who don’t know any better believe him.
If you asked him to play a basic jazz tune and improvise through chord changes like “Autumn Leaves”, he would be completely lost. It would expose him as the half-assed musician he really is.
But a true MASTER of the guitar doesn’t have to tell you he’s a master. He lets his playing and ability do the talking.
And a true master is quite humble. He has invested years learning his instrument and is humbled by the fact that if he practiced 16 hours a day for the next 50 years, he will STILL not know everything there is to know about music.
I studied guitar for a while under a guy who is a true master of the instrument. He was director of the guitar department at the prestigious Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California.
He said, “When a guy has to tell you he’s a good player, that’s a really good indication he’s NOT. A good player doesn’t need to brag.”
A Tale Of Two Copywriters
I read two books written by copywriters last week.
One was written by a guy who can “play a pentatonic scale really fast”.
He bragged about everything from his IQ to his penis size. (I have no idea what either of those has to do with success in copywriting.) Every chapter he felt a need to remind you he was an “excellent copywriter”.
He’s a guy who has had some “base hits” in the minor leagues.
The other book was written by Richard Armstrong, a copywriter who has spent the last 40 years playing in the MAJOR leagues.
He’s had base hits, strike outs and home runs competing in the highest level, most competitive area of freelance copywriting, the publishing industry.
He has also won the prestigious Caples award (named after the John Caples) and a Maxwell Sackheim award. Very, very few copywriters will ever accomplish THAT in their lifetimes.
If I had a track record like Richard’s, I’d feel like I’ve earned the right to brag. But he’s the most humble guy you could ever meet.
I had the chance to interview Richard yesterday and brought all this “copywriters and guitarists” stuff to his attention. I mentioned that every true “A list” copywriter I’ve met has been quite humble about their success.
He said copywriters working in the publishing industry (the major leagues) have had humility BEATEN into them. It’s just the nature of the business. You work on getting your batting average up… but when you’re swinging for the fences, strikeouts are inevitable…
And THAT is what keeps you humble.
If you’ve had a little success in the “minor leagues”, don’t get deluded and start believing your own publicity. It doesn’t mean you’re in the major leagues. There’s a BIG difference.
I’ve only written one direct mail piece for a big publisher. They’re one of the biggest direct mailers in the world and I was really excited to get the gig… until I received their big “phone book” research package.
I immediately had that “what have I gotten myself into” feeling. It was the toughest piece I’ve ever written. I felt like I was in a pressure cooker.
Imagine competing in that environment for four DECADES!
Now THAT is a guy I want to learn from… and you need to learn from him, too.
Richard just published a new book entitled, “My First Forty Years In Junk Mail”.
It’s crammed full of copywriting “gems”, direct response lessons and a bunch of great samples for your swipe file.
It’s a book no copywriter, marketer or business owner should be without.
In fact, on pages 55 and 56 I picked up a couple gems that should help any freelancer or consultant get a lot more gigs… and make a lot more money.
Did I forget to mention Richard Armstrong’s book is absolutely free?
And it’s not a disguised sales pitch for something else.
Nor is it a way to get your e-mail address to start sending you sales pitches.
It really is FREE. No strings attached.
But don’t confuse “free” with “no value” like so many people do.
I’ve paid over $500 for copywriting courses that don’t even have 10% of the value I’ve gotten from Richard’s book.
Click here now to get Richard Armstrong’s book, “My First Forty Years In Junk Mail” absolutely free.
You’ll also get another valuable bonus. The website offering the free book is another “must have” for your swipe file.
All the best,
