Confessions of A Junk-Mail Junkie

I used to be like you.

I once thought I hated junk mail. That is, until I started writing the stuff myself.

Today, it s called direct mail if you please a medium that s united millions of anxious consumers with quality products, created hundreds of thousands of jobs over the years, and given me, personally, a pretty nice living besides.

So when my friends Lori Appling and Katie Yeakle at the American Writers & Artists Institute asked me if I would help them sift through the landmark collection that follows, I jumped at the chance. Why?

Because these aren t just letters that put a few dollars in the pockets of copywriters. Most are career makers. More than a few of are company makers, having created jobs and fueled corporate revenues for five and ten years at a clip.

But perhaps most of all, because there are few better shortcuts to direct-mail mastery than reading what worked in the past.

I ve made notes in the margins to help you find the key techniques. You 11 be shocked by how many patterns repeat. You 11 be surprised, too, by simplicity. Most of these mega-profitable mailing campaigns had no fancy graphics... no funny headlines... and no clever twists.

Yet, they worked. Millions of dollars were made. In some cases, billions. As you read, you 11 begin to see why.

Notice how fast you get sold. That s the real mark of a winner. The classic from Admiral Byrd will have you aching to go to the North Pole. You 11 wonder why you don t get the Wall Street Journal. Or how we let bureaucrats spin our national debt spin so wildly out of control.

Read the letters that follow. Read them twice. If you re ambitious, pick out your favorites and write them out by hand. In exchange for a few hours of your time and a little writer s cramp, you 11 be surprised by how much you learn.

John Forde January 6, 2002