ABSTRACT
Writing copy for publishing products and services is a common requirement in a career in marketing in publishing. The practice of laying down rules for writing would probably result in stilted and formulaic copy. Industry professionals may have thought a degree in English literature or high grades at school an excellent grounding for copywriting, but many such qualified candidates find the linguistic freedom off-putting. For a more sophisticated features, advantages, benefits (FAB) promotion, try writing in the FAB model, then recasting to remove the ‘which means that’ or just promoting the benefit. Effective copywriting is a much more sophisticated endeavour than the publisher simply offering information on what they have for sale. The copywriter’s role is essentially a silent one; industry professionals are the customer-advocate who can appreciate all the various benefits of a product but then select the message likely to speak most effectively to the market.
