1. Write every day. One of the reasons I blog every day is just to stay in the habit of writing a lot. It keeps my writing skills sharp. And even if I don't publish something every day, all the time (like I am this month, for example) I always write every day.
   
2. Immerse yourself in good advertising. The copyhour stuff is a good basic education. I would recommend picking one copywriter and getting intimately familiar with his or her style. I credit John Carlton for being my "mentor" when I started learning about copywriting. I have never met John, but he taught me most of what I know about good copy. My early stuff, including client work, sounded a lot like a bad version of something John would have written. It's true in writing, it's true in music, it's true in poetry, it's true in sports, it's true in a lot of things: until you develop your own voice, imitating someone else is a good idea.
   
3. Definitely keep handwriting ads. Preferably every day to keep your momentum going. (Immersion + momentum + challenge + reflective externalization is my formula for mastering something fast - covered in depth in my book...).
   
4. Read those same ads out loud. Handwriting ads is a slow process, and reading isn't. It teaches you the rhythm of good copy. It's a lot like music. All good copy has a distinct rhythm. If you practice, you will hear it as you read it out loud.
   
5. Yep, you should read all those books on that list. But, if I had to pick a top 3, I would say:
   

1. Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets Of A Marketing Rebel - John Carlton (Best hundred bucks you'll ever spend. Still my go-to copywriting book if I need a refresher. This book contains all you really need to know. For an extra hundred bucks you can get a package deal that includes John's Freelance Course, which seems apt in your situation. Links to everything in John's sidebar at his blog.)
2. Breakthrough Advertising - Eugene Schwartz (When this book was out of print, you would see used copies selling in the $1000 range. I got mine from a reseller via amazon for $76. Currently seems to be in the $100 range, which is well worth it. One of the top 3 reviewers say that this is a dated book. Whoever wrote it is clearly an idiot. This is advanced stuff from maybe one of the top 5 copywriters who ever lived. True legend. Deserves multiple readings.)
3. Ogilvy On Advertising - David Ogilvy (The only copywriter I know who made enough from his craft to buy a medieval castle (chateau) in France. Eben Pagan says this is his #1 marketing book, and I would tend to agree. Currently in the $18 range on Amazon, which is a bargain.

None of the above are affiliate links

In terms of client-getting stuff, working with clients, etc... The best stuff I have ever heard is from Dan Kennedy who is probably the most well paid marketing consultant alive. The best training I have seen on the subject is a workshop called the High Fee Bootcamp. Attendees paid almost $12,000 to be in the room, and recordings are selling for $3,000.

I would probably save that for when you have some more experience as a freelancer. For now, I would recommend anything by Jason Leister. Here's a link to all his products. If nothing else, get on his free daily email newsletter.

Above all else, be a student of great marketing. Just studying copywriting in isolation will give you a good understanding of the salesmanship aspect of this whole game. But it is a relatively small part, albeit critical part. And in will only get you so far. The biggest value I have to my clients is not my ability to write compelling copy, but my deep and broad understanding of the strategicaspects.

Once again, I would suggest picking one or a few people and study them religiously. As I mentioned in a previous comment, I credit Perry Marshall with a lot of how I currently think about marketing.

A few people I would suggest, including a terribly self-serving option as #1, which is certainly an undeserved position.

1. Me & my partner - MaverickInfluence.com -- NOT live yet, and we have a fair bit of unpublished content... but frankly, this is moving really slowly (as I mentioned, 4 simultaneous projects...). Currently nothing happening here, mostly because it will be a major undertaking as we start promoting this platform. But get on the list and you will be the first to know. Really good stuff content-wise.
2. Dan Kennedy -- almost everything you see being done today in terms of information- and direct marketing, can in some way be traced back to Dan. Frank Kern readily admits to learning everything he knows about marketing from Dan, and he is a walking talking demonstration of DK marketing principles. Aside from the copywriting stuff, the most critical marketing lessons I have learned, I have learned from Dan (such as "the more you are paid for who you are rather than what you do, the more you are paid," etc.)
3. Perry Marshall -- he also got his start on Planet Dan Kennedy... but since has evolved his style of marketing into a beast of its own. His Renaissance Club newsletter (about 40 bucks a month) is excellent. I used to devour them all.
4. OK, just realized this list could get really freaking long if I just kept going. Here are a few other people I pay attention to: Eben Pagan, Sean D'Souza, Joe Polish & Dean Jackson (they have a great, free, podcast), Ryan Deiss & Perry Belcher (has some of the most up-to-date, what's-working-now type info. One of the best live events every January, cheap tickets too.) ... a few more.

This turned out to be a long-ass post.

Good comment, Al. And thanks for checking out the book.

I don't really ever feel sorry for anyone. Everyone gets what they deserve, but I don't mean that in any sort of negative way. 

When I started, I bought those products too. I wouldn't be where I am today without them. They got me started. I didn't get much in terms of results directly from them, so you might argue that they didn't lead anywhere useful. Or, because they got me started, got me experimenting and trying different things... where one thing led to another... you might argue that they led me everywhere I have been since.

What I am trying to say is, these products are practically speaking useless. But they do have their place.

As for your second question, I don't really see where the difference is between Perry and Ramit's thinking. I respect them both tremendously, and I credit Perry with an enormous amount of influence in the way I think about business and marketing.

Of course you should focus on your strengths, because it makes no sense not to. And, of course you should focus on opportunity, because it makes no sense not to.

At the same time, you don't really know what your strengths are unless you have tried a lot of different things. So try a lot of different things!

A while ago someone on Quora asked if it was likely that there was a person alive who was as fast, or faster than Usain Bolt that no one had heard of.

Some qualified expert on the subject answered that it was unlikely that someone was as fast as Bolt is, but that it WAS likely to be someone with the same genetic potential to be just as fast or faster than Usain Bolt.

That person will probably never know he has the makings of an Olympic athlete.

What hidden talents do you have, that if you explored them you could be in the top 1% of the population? You don't know unless you try a lot of different things.

It makes sense to start where you have found an opportunity of some kind, because if you turn out to be really good at it you haven't wasted any time.

If all else fails: Just have fun. If you do something where you are having fun, nothing can really go wrong. If it does, who cares? You're having fun :)