The Boron Letters Read online

  Forward

  Even if you are not in marketing or interested in making a lot of money really really fast, what you are about to read will change your life forever.

  It may sound too fantastic to believe, but it is true.

  You see, the letters which make up this book were written by Gary C. Halbert whose hard hitting no BS style coupled with a brilliant and experienced marketing mind, is nothing short of a mental kick to the head which will give you a real inside look at exactly how to create great marketing campaigns making millions upon millions of dollars.

  Many people consider Gary Halbert to be the greatest copywriter in history and they make a great case.

  Gary has had more multi-million dollar winning campaigns in more industries than any other copywriter living or dead.

  His sales letters, ads and other promotions have generated sales which can only be measured in the BILLIONS.

  But, Gary Halbert was far more than the Top Gun of copywriters and he was far more than a marketing maverick. He was also a great mentor to many of today’s best copywriters and to his many fans from around the world, who read his breakthrough newsletter (The Gary Halbert Letter)

  To them and many more of today’s top money makers, he was simply a godsend.

  Besides being the guy who wrote one of the most widely mailed sales letter in history, Gary had a really eccentric and fascinating life.

  His tale is a true rags to riches story and he once wrote…”I have been robbed, tied up, gagged, blindfolded, threatened. I’ve made and lost millions. I have been eulogized, ostracized and plagiarized. I’ve also… been both a prison guard and a prison inmate.”

  It was during his ten months in California’s Boron Federal Prison Camp the letters in this book were written to his youngest son, me.

  The Boron Letters are, without doubt, his most personal work and since they were published, the no holds barred letters have become a cult classic among marketers and for good reason.

  The simple letters were designed to be a crash course on direct marketing as well as a crash course on life. The letters were never meant to be republished as is. However, they were eventually published as is and the lessons in them have since changed many lives.

  To this day, I receive phone calls, letters and communications from around the world from grateful fans testifying how the Boron Letters have changed their lives.

  These letters are the greatest gift I have ever received and in a short while you will see exactly why.

  As I said, these money making lessons were written in prison and when you are surrounded by every imaginable kind of felon from coke dealers, mafia hit men, common murderers, motorcycle maniacs, bank robbers, embezzlers etc. you don’t, as my pop says, “pussy foot around.”

  Prison conversations are blunt and to the point. So are these letters.

  The letters are a stripped down version of the most important secrets Gary ever learned about how to make a fortune and they explain exactly how to develop a “killer” marketing appeal from the ground up.

  The wisdom in the book covers everything from layout to offer development and list selection; how to create a winning game plan…and…everything in this book will also help you create a profitable website.

  Here, I will let my pop tell you all about what’s in these letters in his own words.

   The basics of writing good copy!

   The fine points of writing good copy!

   What really makes people buy!

   How to lead your reader by the hand!

   Why you never get a second chance to make a first impression…and… why you must “hook” your reader from the moment he sees your copy!

   How to give ads and letters the right “look”!

   Secrets of order pulling layouts!

   An essay on closing the sale!

   Exactly how to ask for an order!

   What you can learn from Alex Haley and his book Roots!

   How to make your copy clear and readable!

   The surest way to become a big money writer!

   Why you should write for money… and not… for applause!

   What to do when you don’t know what to do!

   How to turn a losing catalog into a multi-million dollar success!

   Halt: How memorizing that acronym can keep you out of a lot of trouble!

   A prison inmate’s “street smart” survival kit!

   Why “make a bushel of money” works better than “increase your income”!

   Six secrets of special deals you can write about in your letters!

   A little trick every copywriter should know!

   7 exact steps to direct mail success!

   The most common marketing mistakes made by beginners!

   How to keep going when the going is hard!

   How to imprint the process of writing good ad copy on your nerves, muscle fibers, brain cells and every part of your physical and mental being!

   An emotional “tool kit” which can save your life!

   The most important key to making really serious money!

   How to become a student of markets!

   How to use the SRDS list book to make a fortune!

   A discussion of a 156-million dollar promotion!

   Cheap research: How to make sure you’ll hit the right nerve!

   Examples of winning formulas and “double customization”!

   How to get flowing again when you’re stuck!

   How to discover the right central selling idea!

   How to use envelopes to induce guilt!

   A good “boilerplate” P.S. which can make you money!

   How to get orders from people who have already decided not to order!

   The best attention grabbers in the world!

   How to make your reader “picture with pleasure” what you are trying to sell!

   The ultimate layout for an order coupon!

   8 things you should have at hand before you start to write an ad or direct mail piece!

   What you must always include in your marketing research!

   How to manufacture the “aha” experience!

  Of course you are not going to learn just about making money. This book has personal advice and interesting stories as well.

  So sit back, read, learn, laugh and enjoy your new and improved outlook on life.

  Sincerely,

  Bond Halbert

  PS Like many others, you might find yourself addicted to Gary’s writing. If you do crave more effective money making trips, we got your fix at TheGaryHalbertLetter.com The letters on the website are %100 free.

  PPS We enabled the lending feature for this book because so many people love to share this valuable information with their kids and other loved ones. Feel free to loan a copy to anyone who could use this information.

  more free letters at halbertising.com

  The Boron Letters

  Chapter 1

  Tuesday, 5:41 p.m.

  June 12, 1984

  Dear Bond,

  This letter is going to be the first in a long series of letters in which I will attempt to communicate to you a lot of the important things I have learned in the last 46 years.

  I am going to try to teach you what I have learned about selling by mail, getting and staying healthy, how to get along with people, and, in general, how to have a good life without getting yourself all screwed up. There will also be stuff about sex, drugs and rock and roll! I'm going to try to write to you every day of the week (except Sunday) and spend about one hour on each letter. That way, by the time I get out of here we should have covered a lot of ground.

&n
bsp; Also, I intend to reread these letters myself after I am finished and use them as source material for a book I have wanted to write for a long time. The book, unless I come up with a better title, will be called:

  How To Be Your Own Messiah

  These letters will ramble around somewhat. I'm going to try to keep the flow going so I am not going to slow down to edit these letters and, therefore, don't expect them to be as precisely written as my ads and other writings.

  Anyway, let's get started. As you know, today is my birthday and, strange as it may seem, it hasn't been a bad one under the circumstances. For one thing I got your birthday letter and the cards your Mom sent me and, for another, today is the first day I was able to run "the hill" non-stop. Being able to do that really made me feel good. The hill is a real son of a gun. It is very steep

  and, by my calculations, it is about 8/10 of a mile. I went around the hill 5 times for a total of 4 miles and, as I said, on one of those circuits (the third one), I did it running (actually it was more of a slow jog) non-stop.

  You know what? When I came in here, just three weeks ago, it was hard for me just to walk once around that darn hill. And, before I am finished, I'll bet you I can run around that hill ten times (8 miles) without stopping.

  Well, anyway, this all leads me to the first and most important thing I want to write about which is improving and maintaining your health and physical fitness. I'll have a lot more to say about this subject later but today I just want to "warm up" a little bit and tell you a few good ideas that you can start using every day. The first thing I want to talk about is "road work". Road work is walking, jogging and running. And, in my opinion, you should do about one hour of road work every day of the week except Sunday. I believe the best time to do your road work is right after you get out of bed.

  In fact, in my opinion, the best groove to get into is get out of bed, (early) wash your face, brush your teeth, use the bathroom, etc., and then, eat a piece of fruit (I think a banana is the best) and then hit the street! That's it. Just get out that front door and start moving. Walk, run, jog. Keep moving for about 1/2 hour and then turn around and come back. You know, I really do believe this is the very best way in the world to start the day. It cleans you out, it settles you down and it gives you a nice glow that will stay with you throughout the day. It will also make you more clearheaded and improve the quality of your thinking. The benefits are enormous and, believe me, if you start doing this right away (like the day after you get this letter!) it won't be long at all till you become positively addicted to your early morning workout.

  By the way, this addiction is not just psychological. It is a real honest-to-God drug addiction. But don't let that scare you. This is what's known as a positive addiction. A positive addiction is simply being addicted to something (like exercise) that improves the quality of your life. A negative addiction, on the other hand, is being addicted to something (like cigarettes) that lowers the quality of your life.

  What happens when you do road work is that, after about forty minutes, your brain begins to secrete what some people refer to as "survival chemicals". The names of these chemicals, as far as I know, are beta endorphins and norephinphrine. Some people say these chemicals are 200 times stronger than morphine and, in my opinion, the feeling you get is sort of like a good drug high except that the "high" is not artificial and you become zestful rather than speedy and, unlike a drug high, this is a high that is good for you.

  If I seem to be going on and on about this it is because it is so important and it is something you can do right away! And, actually, of everything I have learned about in my entire life, this stuff about doing road work the first thing in the morning is very close to being the most important thing of all.

  So I really hope you get started on this morning road work program as soon as you get this letter and I also hope it becomes a habit for all the rest of your life.

  I Love You and Good Luck!

  Dad

  P.S. Please get me a copy of "The Joy of Running" by Theodore Kostrubala.

  6:43 PM

  UPDATE:

  This first letter is actually designed to remind me of many lessons my father had taught me before leaving for Boron so allow me to bring the reader up top speed.

  The lesson on health is teaching is crystal clear and there is a reason it comes FIRST.

  Dad’s father died at the young age of 59 from heart failure and that spooked him just as my father’s early death has spooked me.

  For the first half of my pop’s life he abused his body with junk food and a whole lot of booze.

  Although he ate bad food he really loved vegetables, even as a kid.

  My grandma told me he never left the house without a book and a pocket full of veggies.

  Later he would become a health nut and then settle into a pattern of falling in and out of exercising.

  So yes he was on a health kick while writing this letter and entering what he would always maintain was the healthiest period of his entire life, but…

  The reason this is at the top of a series of letters about business is he knew

  How You Feel Affects How You Think

  This is why writers need a strict routine which gives them the best possible chance to be in a pretty good mood for work.

  Even during his heavy drinking days, Gary Halbert would take his car in, eat right, and nourish his brain with books and movies to get back to work.

  Another little side note is my father felt people worked better hungry which is why he didn’t go for big breakfasts.

  Anyway, there is another lesson he didn’t outright express in this first part of the letter.

  When he talks about how when he first got to Boron, he had a hard time just walking around the hill and very soon he was running up it.

  The Lesson isn’t just keep at it.

  Right after I got my first mountain bike I decided to ride it from Sunset Blvd. to Mullhulland Dr. by way of a three-mile road that varied from around 3 degrees to what felt like 45 degrees in some spots.

  The first day I went to conquer the hill I made it a whopping 1/8th of a mile before collapsing in defeat. I decided to try again the next day only this time…. I vowed to get off and walk if I had to.

  Knowing this was going to be tough, I decided to try and peddle in a gear that seemed too easy.

  Well, I am sure you can guess the end of this story. Yes I made it all the way up on my second attempt and the moral isn’t just to not give up.

  The moral of my dad’s workout story and mine is the same and it applies to all of life…

  Try Things At Least Twice

  Just the second attempt at anything hard will be much easier. Not a little bit but by A LOT. It is true of almost everything, not just sports.

  All first attempts are sloppy and lame. Most people will quit after their first experience with things that don’t go so well, but if you are like my pop and I, then you KNOW that the first attempt is almost destined to fail.

  You will learn enough to get a better assessment of the whole picture and what it will really takes to attain a goal on your second attempt.

  Just that much more effort will propel you ahead of 95% of everyone walking the earth.

  The sad part is, we all already know this lesson, but we have to remind ourselves of it. Anyone who ever learned to ride a bike remembers their first attempt to learn because it ended with blood. Oops, anyone old enough not to have the advantage of today’s protective gear that is.

  As people get older they start to decide whether they like stuff based on their first experience. Maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks simply because, if he doesn’t get it the first time he gives up.

  Everyone wants to climb the mountain, but the big difference between those at the top and those still on the bottom is simply a matter of showing up tomorrow to give it just one more shot.

  more free letters at halbertising.com

  The Boron Letters

  Chapter 2<
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  Wednesday, 6:57 p.m.

  June 13, 1984

  Dear Bond,

  Today I crossed some sort of invisible mental line. It happened when I went for my initial meeting with the people who run the camp here and found out that they are total jerks. What happened as a result of that is that instead of being down and depressed I just got tougher. Perhaps I'll write more about my new "get tough" attitude in a later letter but for now I want to get right back to this road work business.

  You know Bond, I can't stress how strong I feel that doing an hour's worth of road work is perhaps the number one most valuable habit you can cultivate. You see, if you start your day this way, it will get you off to a great start and vastly improve the rest of your day since it will drain off a lot of tension and anxiety and, in general, it will clear out your mind so you can think better all day long!