On one hand, there are people who bust their proverbial behinds working year after year... slaving away for bosses and managers who don’t appreciate them... to earn a paycheck that does little more than pay the bills.

On the other hand, there are those who seem to have found a better way.

I’m talking about people who live life on their own terms.

They’re people who have all the money they need, yet they seem to work when they want to...where they want to...for whom they want to. What’s more, they have all the free time in the world to travel...to spend with their kids...to lower their golf scores...to really enjoy life.

You may know some of these people.

And my guess is... you’d like to be just like them.

Now you can.

In fact, I know you can. I’m living proof of it. It wasn’t long ago that I was struggling to earn a living...jumping from one job I hated to another I hated more...never making more than $30,000. (In my last job, I was making $6.50 hour — $13,520 a year — stocking cans in a grocery store!)

But then I discovered something that changed my life...

I learned the simple secrets to writing the kind of letter you’re reading right now.

No bosses, no commute.

Now I “work” a few hours a day. I write one, maybe two letters a month. Recently, I moved with my family to a little historic town in the Vermont countryside. I have no bosses, no commute. I write from a little cottage steps from my house, where I’m surrounded by peace and quiet. For a break, I’ll walk over to the old Inn across the street for lunch...grab a coffee at the local market... or take a walk up Pinnacle Hill behind my house. I absolutely love it!

My neighbors think I’ve taken an early retirement — probably because they never see me working. In many ways, I have retired. Because, for the first time in my life, I decide how my days will be spent. Some days I’ll feel like writing for a few hours. Other days, I’ll play some golf or go skiing with my son. Sometimes it’s fun just to do chores around the property.

But what may surprise you most is the income my “retirement” lifestyle gives me: around $400,000 a year!

Here’s the thing, though...

If I really wanted to, I could make a lot more. There are people who write a little more than me making $500,000...even $1 million a year! (You’ll meet a few of them in a minute...many are friends of mine.)

A six-figure income... For life!

Please don’t worry. This is not some crazy stuffing-envelopes-at-home offer. It doesn’t have anything to do with wacky chain letters...and it’s not any kind of multi-level marketing scheme.

What I’m talking to you about is a serious opportunity to learn a very powerful and very lucrative skill that — once you know it — can provide you with a six-figure annual income... for the rest of your life!

But more than money, you’ll have more freedom than you’ll know what to do with.

You’ll be able to work from your home as much or as little as you like. For instance, I like to write in the morning — when my mind’s the freshest — and have the rest of the day free (although sometimes a project will be so much fun that I’ll go at it all day)!

Better still, “home” can be anywhere you choose. Maybe you’ll want to live in a little picture-postcard town, like ours, with good schools, beautiful mountains, and plenty of open spaces. Some writers I know have escaped the cold north and now write from oceanfront homes in Florida, California, and Bermuda. Some moved overseas to Paris, London, even Germany. Others, the single ones mostly, prefer the hustle, bustle, and nightlife that cities like New York have to offer...

It doesn’t matter...thanks to email and the internet, you can write these letters from anywhere in the world!

You'll be in high demand.

But here’s the kicker...and the thing that may leave you scratching your head until I explain the reason why: There will never be a shortage of letters to write!

In fact, despite all the people we’ve shared our powerful letter-writing secrets with, demand for these letters is higher now than ever before. That’s because the internet has transformed our business, increasing the industry’s need for letters like this one — and the people who can write them — more than 10-fold! (I turn away dozens of letters a year. So do most of the writers I know.)

Now I know I’m filling your head with some pretty wild ideas here.

And I know it may be hard for you to believe that you can make so much money writing simple letters like this one...and be able to do it on your own terms...from anywhere in the world.

But let me take it one step further...

You don't need to be a "writer" to be successful.

Truth be told, some of the best writers in our business have no formal writing background at all. They just love to write...and they learned the secret formula for writing great letters. If you love to write too, you can have this “dream” lifestyle writing simple letters — just by learning the few powerful secrets that make them successful.

In fact, if you spend a few more minutes with me today, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about this amazing, yet little-known, niche of the writing industry...where you can “retire” from the job you’re in now...and earn more money than most doctors, lawyers, or other well-schooled professionals.

I’ll also show you how the very first letter you write can earn you $10,000 in cash — and launch you on your brand-new writing career faster than you ever thought possible! (It’s happened to others who have taken this life-changing opportunity seriously...and it can happen to you too.)

It's no fun stocking shelves...

My name is Paul Hollingshead.

I’d hate to think what my life might be like had I not stumbled across this opportunity — much like the one you have today.

Before I learned the secrets to writing simple letters like this one, I was stocking the dog-food aisle in a grocery store — and about to get fired, because for some reason, my boss had it in for me. Imagine — working for near minimum wage — and about to be out of a job!

That’s when I met the gentleman you’ll meet today — a man who literally changed my life. I went from no money and no future to living a dream lifestyle where I can earn virtually as much money as I want to make.

But more importantly, he taught me an invaluable skill that — for all intents and purposes — is like having my very own money tree.

Here’s what I mean.

Need $20,000? Just write a couple of letters.

If I know I’m going to need an extra $20,000 to, say, put down on a new car or rent a summer beach house, I’ll merely sit down and write two quick letters. If I want to put a new kitchen in our house, like we did recently, and need $50,000 to do it...I’ll set aside a month and write five quick letters.

My point is this. It takes most people years to save that kind of money (or they go into debt to get it). But I can have it in a month or two. That’s because I know any letter I write will earn me at least $10,000... likely much more. Let me explain to you how the business I’m in works — and why companies are so willing to pay me big dollars to write a letter like this one.

A $2.3 trillion dollar industry.

You see, I write promotional letters for the $2.3 trillion direct-response industry. (Yes, that’s trillions! Surprised? Most people are...)

What is “direct-response”?

Unlike most “image” or brand advertising that you see in newspapers and magazines, direct-response is any kind of advertisement or letter that asks you to take an immediate and specific action — whether it’s to order the product right then and there or request more information about it.

Companies use direct-response to sell everything from mattresses to financial newsletters...from health supplements to credit cards. They do it because a good direct-response promotion can bring in millions of dollars in sales - for a fraction of the cost of opening a storefront or selling wholesale to retailers. That’s because direct-response marketing allows companies to sell directly to those people most likely to buy their products...simply by sending letters to those who have shown an interest in buying similar products in the past.

But here’s the thing. A direct-response promotion is nothing without the right words. It needs to convey the right message...say the right things...be structured in the correct way...and be written to make the prospective buyer want the product.

That’s where the copywriter comes in.

$160,000 from one letter.

Good copywriters know the simple secrets to making a direct-response sales letter work. For that reason alone, they’re in very high demand... and paid very well for their services.

How well?

It’s quite possible for a copywriter to live very nicely off just one successful letter. That’s because you’re not only paid a handsome fee to write the letter (anywhere from $3,000 to $12,000, depending on the job and the reputation you’ve built up), but you’re paid a royalty too.

It’s much like writing a best-selling book. The more often your letters are printed and circulated (whether it’s via mail or the internet), the more you get paid. And considering products are typically promoted every six weeks, royalties can really add up. I’ve written letters that have paid me tens of thousands of dollars... simply because they mail so successfully time after time. (In fact, as I write you today, I’m still getting about $10,000 every three months for a letter I wrote four years ago. That’s over $160,000 in income for about two-week’s work...and checks are still rolling in!)

You can make between $80,000
and $540,000 per year

Of course, you won’t write just one letter a year. Most successful copywriters write 10, 15, 20, even 30 letters a year. There’s plenty of work, don’t forget. Once this very close-knit industry finds out you can write winning copy — your phone won’t stop ringing!

That’s why, over the course of a year, you can easily earn anywhere from $30,000 to $240,000 in writing fees alone. And if you have just average success with half of them...royalties could put an additional $50,000 to $300,000 in your pocket!

That’s between $80,000 and $540,000 a year — depending on how many letters you choose to write!

Did you ever think writing simple, personal letters like this one could be so lucrative? It can.

But it gets even better...

A skill that's launched many
a million-dollar business

Many of the more ambitious people I know have gone on to parlay their copywriting skills into their own direct-response businesses -- businesses that earn them over a million dollars a year in income.

One gentleman I know, Joe Simmons, learned the very copywriting secrets you now have an opportunity to learn while managing a small office-supply store. Today, he’s the owner of a very successful direct-response vitamin supplement company -- and is a multi-millionaire because of it. In fact, Joe’s company is one of thousands out there that are hungry for good copywriters...and that are willing to pay top dollar to anyone who can write a successful letter for one or more of its dozen’s of products.

Now that you see just how potentially rewarding becoming a top-notch copywriter can be, permit me to introduce you to the man who will be instrumental in helping you become one...

His name is Michael Masterson...and he’s the man who helped transform me from a 35-year-old minimum-wage grocery store stock boy to a copywriter earning upward of $400,000 a year...working a few hours a day...living my life very much on my own terms.

Michael is one of the best copywriters in the world. His eye for knowing what makes a letter work has helped dozens of companies he’s worked with make millions. One company -- Agora Publishing -- went from $10 million in sales to over $140 million in just a few years, thanks to his ability to recognize what makes a sales letter work.

It’s a talent that’s allowed him to create quite a nice life for himself and his family — which includes a multi-million-dollar ocean front estate...fabulous trips to exotic locations several times a year...an impressive (and growing) art collection...homes around the world...and a net worth of over $10 million. But here’s the thing about Michael’s success. It didn’t all happen because he wrote such spectacular letters himself.

Learn the secrets that have sold billions
of dollars in the mail and on-line

It happened because — in addition to knowing what makes copy work — Michael Masterson is a brilliant teacher. (In fact, prior to all his financial success, Michael was happy and humble teaching literature at local colleges.) Over the years, the people he’s taught to write copy have gone on to generate over a billion dollars worth of direct-response sales through the mail!

Naturally, I’m thrilled to have been one of his many students. There’s no way I could have the success I’m enjoying had it not been for Michael Masterson feeding me the powerful copywriting tips, techniques, and strategies he’s generously given me over the years.

But I’m not the only one...

• Don Mahoney was a cabinet maker barely eking out a living in upstate New York, getting sicker and sicker from the lacquer fumes and other chemicals he’d breathe in every day. A year after learning Michael’s secrets, he moved to Florida and started writing copy. Today, he earns over $300,000 writing letters from his Miami Beach home.
  
  
• Jason Ford was just coming out of personal bankruptcy when he learned Michael’s copywriting secrets. He used those skills to build three successful businesses — and still makes over $100,000 a year writing copy part-time for his favorite clients.
  
  
• John Forde and Will Pratt were kids out of college when they met Michael Masterson and learned his secrets. Young and full of adventure — they took their laptops and their six-figure copywriters’ incomes to Europe a few years ago...and never came back!
  
  
• Karen Tyler came to work for Michael as a copy editor right after she graduated from college. Thanks to the skills she learned from Michael, today she's a partner in a direct marketing company that generates over $4 million in sales annually.
  
  

Now you can add your name to this list.

Because right now you have an opportunity to learn all the powerful copywriting secrets Michael Masterson — and some of the other top copywriters in the industry — know and use.

Secrets that can take you from wherever you are today — and transform you into a writer living “the charmed life,” earning top dollar and having as much (or as little) free time as you desire.

Everything you need to know

You’ll also learn all there is to know about this huge-and-ever-growing industry...where a single letter can produce millions of dollars in sales — and reward the copywriter who wrote it very handsomely.

You’ll learn who all the players in the industry are...who’s looking for writers (it’s practically everyone)...who pays top dollar...and what the best companies to write for are.

We’ll even help you get started — by showing you sure-fire ways to land your first assignment and launch your six-figure copywriting career. We’ll show you how to get in front of marketing people who are looking for copywriters.

And, of course, you’ll have an opportunity to write a letter for us. And if your letter’s a winner, we’ll write you a big fat check for $10,000. But before I tell you just how we plan to put all this incredible information at your disposal, let me explain how and why this enormous opportunity has landed in your lap today.

Steak and desperation

It’s a true story...

One day over a steak dinner, Michael was lamenting to me and Don Mahoney (another guy Michael snatched from the road to nowhere — who’s now earning over $300,000 as one of the country’s top copywriters thanks to Michael) about how his clients’ companies have all these products to promote but no one to write the letters.

“There are just no copywriters available,” he told us. “They’re all backed up with work. If only I could clone you guys,” he joked.

That sparked an idea. If Michael could successfully teach Don and me — a small-town cabinet maker and an on-the-outs grocery clerk — to write winning copy, why couldn’t he show anyone willing to learn how to do the same thing?

That’s when it hit us. Why not put all of the best copywriting secrets Michael has amassed over the years into a thorough, concise, “learn-as-you-go” program — and offer it via the business we know best: direct response!

We were so excited that we went to work immediately. The three of us spent weeks brainstorming our most powerful copywriting secrets. We contacted all the great copywriters we know — Bill Bonner, Peter Beteul, Lee Troxler, and many other top industry pros — for their best writing tips and techniques.

But besides cramming it full of the most powerful copywriting techniques on earth, we also labored hard to make the material easy to learn and fun to do. Most importantly, though, we worked extra hard to create a program that anyone with even the most basic writing skills could succeed with.

And we promised ourselves that no one would ever see this program if it wasn’t the absolute best ever on the subject of copywriting. (Anyone who knows Michael knows he’s a perfectionist. If his name was to be on it, it had to be the best.)

About a year later, AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting debuted. Our first members began trickling in, wary at first since never before had such a program been offered. But the response from our members was excellent. And within several months, a good number of those who really showed an interest in the program were working as professional copywriters... and still are today!

But it was the industry’s response to the program that really took us by surprise.

"The best program on Copywriting... ever!"

Robert Bly, author of 53 books on writing and marketing, including the best-selling Copywriter’s Handbook said: “This is the best program on copywriting I have ever seen anywhere in any form. Anyone who wants to get into direct-response copywriting would benefit enormously from taking it...” (We liked Bob’s comments so much we invited him to sit on our Board and work with our members. We’re glad we did. He’s a favorite presenter at our annual copywriting “bootcamps”...and few people can teach you more about the direct-response business than Bob!)

As good as it was when it debuted, AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting is even better today.

Over the years — the program has been updated, revised, and retooled. Now it’s easier than ever to learn the art of copywriting, thanks to some new, exciting and innovative teaching techniques that ensure the most crucial lessons of the program stick like glue in your mind.

• Right off the bat, you’ll be eased into the life of a copywriter. You’ll learn what the copywriting business is all about...what you’ll need to get started...what the industry expects from you (and what you can expect from it)...how you get paid...and more.
  
  
• You’ll learn a fast and sure-fire system for having all your research and letter-writing ammunition organized and at your fingertips...as well as one master’s technique for getting to know the product you’re selling even better than the people who created it.
  
  
• You’ll learn how to write masterful headlines that grab your reader’s attention and force them to keep on reading.
  
  
• You’ll learn the four-part structure of every letter. Once you know it — and understand what each part must accomplish — it’s just a matter of filling in the blanks.
  
  
• You’ll learn the secret to a powerful lead — an opening so irresistible that your reader will want to buy what you’re selling after reading the first two pages.
  
  
• You’ll learn the secret of “The Four-legged-Stool.” Use it faithfully and you’ll never write a bad letter in your career.
  
  
• You’ll learn “The Architecture of Persuasion” — Michael’s innovative technique for knowing how every successful letter needs to be structured...and the surest way to lead your reader to the sale.
  
  
• You’ll learn how to “speak” directly to your reader...and show that you truly care about his or her worries, needs, and wants. It’s amazing how many letters don’t do this...and why most of them fail.
  
  
• You’ll learn how to critique your own work...and a “power-editing” technique that will guarantee your letter is the strongest it can be, time after time.
  
  
• You’ll learn the secret to creating powerful “bullet” copy...purposeful subheads...eye-catching envelope copy...and an order form that’s virtually assured to clinch the sale.
  
  
• Although professional artists design your letters, you’ll learn the key elements of winning graphics — and the biggest design mistakes that can sabotage even the best copy.
  
  
• You’ll learn the one thing you can do to guarantee your first assignment with a major company. (This little trick for getting your foot in the door never, ever fails!)
  
  
• You’ll learn how to get yourself “seeded”...so you can see everything that’s mailing and know what’s working and what’s not.
  
  
• You’ll learn how to get on all the best industry mailing lists...so you’ll always know what’s “hot” in the mail...who’s hiring...and who the up-and-coming players are. (Will you be one of them?)
  
  
• You’ll even learn how to set up your very own direct-mail operation, if that’s what you’d like to do!

You’ll learn all these and many, many more powerful writing secrets, selling techniques, and masterful insights into the art of persuasion... from some of the best copywriting minds in the business.

A network like no other.

But as jam-packed with writing secrets as the program is, it’s just one aspect of your copywriting learning experience. American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI) — the company that publishes the program — will not only prepare you for your new copywriting career but show you how to launch it as well.

For instance, as a member of AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting, you’ll immediately start receiving your FREE subscription to ‘The Golden Thread’ — our weekly e-letter featuring writing tips, advice, success stories, and, yes, JOB OPPORTUNITIES.

Written and edited by Will Newman — himself a professional copywriter and marketing consultant — he knows what you need to succeed. The Golden Thread will educate and motivate you. And it will be just one of many sources for finding paying assignments when the time comes for you to start writing for money.

You’ll also be given a password to access AWAI’s Members-Only Website — where you can pick up even more tips and strategies...check out the latest job list...or find past issues of The Golden Thread. There’s also the AWAI ‘Member Forum,’ where AWAIers meet and talk about their new copywriting careers, build friendships, and form copy circles and buddy programs. It’s a great place for like-minded people to meet and share ideas, and to get feedback in an efficient and timely manner.

And if you’re ready to really kick your copywriting career into high gear, we have all the resources you need to become a respected “expert” in specific segments of the industry. For instance, if you’re interested in health, we have a report that shows you how to write winning copy specifically for the health market, as well as a long list of clients (over 300 of them!) you can work for. Same for the financial industry... fundraising...and more.

Having trouble with a particular exercise? Need to be guided through a particular aspect of the copywriting process? No problem, just jump on the AWAI website... and click on “Frequently Asked Questions.” That's where we answer and document every question that we have dealt with over the years as professional copywriters ourselves. If it's a copy question, click on the copywriting tab. Same with questions about the program, the industry and so on.

Then there’s our Annual Copywriter’s Bootcamp which is fast becoming the place for the industry to send new writers, marketing people — anyone looking to learn the copywriting process in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. It also attracts a lot of marketing professionals who are searching for up-and-coming copywriters...so come armed with your writing samples. This four-day event sells out every year — but AWAI members get first priority, along with a substantial discount.

Plus — and this is a biggie — you’ll have access to DirectResponseJobs.com, our exclusive Online Job Board, where marketers and writers come together. As I mentioned, AWAI is more and more becoming the place the industry turns to for copywriters to write the volume of letters that need to be written. You see, as the industry’s demand for copywriters grew — and the reputation of our program and the members who complete it got stronger — we knew it was high time for there to be one place where our growing list of marketers could place their job ads one day...and have a writer in place the next. As an AWAIer, you’ll have full exclusive access to this service — and it’s free!

And while you’re online with us, feel free to post questions about the program, copywriting, the direct-response industry or finding work. If it hasn't already been answered, we'll be sure to answer it promptly and in detail — so you and your fellow writers-in-training can benefit.

It’s all meant to do two things for you: 1) ready you so that you can take your place among the top copywriters in the country...and 2) help you launch your copywriting career.

There's no hurry. You go entirely at your own pace.

Now I know this might sound like a lot to you. And it’s natural to feel a little overwhelmed by it all.

But please understand that there’s a logical sequence to everything you do in AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting — and that it can all be done entirely at your own pace.

The initial part of the program teaches you about the business of copywriting...and how to prepare yourself for your new copywriting career.

Before you know it, you’re on your first writing exercises... putting into practice the same skills and knowledge the country’s top copywriters use every day to write powerful direct-response letters.

Then you dig into the meat of the program...where you learn the basic structure of a sales letter — and what every letter needs in order to be successful.

With that foundation in place, it’s just a matter of discovering, absorbing, and incorporating the powerful copy secrets that follow...each one designed to take your copywriting to the next highest level.

In short, if you don’t become a top-notch copywriter with all the resources we’ve put in place for you, it’s only because somewhere along the line you’ve decided copywriting isn’t for you. (Which won’t insult us by the way. In fact, if you decide copywriting isn’t your cup of tea, you won’t pay a dime for the program! I’ll tell you all about our no-risk guarantee a little later...)

After all, remember why this program exists: Our industry needs writers…badly!

We want you to succeed.

We succeed when you succeed.