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The "No-Kidding" $80,000+ Writing Career (Part 1 of 2)
Earn $60-125+ an hour writing for business and make time for your creative writing

By Peter Bowerman

An eight-page corporate image brochure (~22 hours): $2800.
Editing of web site copy (~8 hours): $1100. A 12-page marketing
brochure for a global materials handling firm (~45 hours): $5000.
A tri-fold sales brochure (~9 hours): $1200. Three direct mail
postcards for specialized school (~13 hours): $1800. Crafting of
short two-line sales "blurbs" for supermarket displays
(~47 hours): $5600. A two-page sales flyer (~6 hours): $850.
All projects I've worked on and all examples of the lucrative -
and surprisingly accessible - world of commercial writing.

And let's not forget the lifestyle: Work at home, rise when you
want (no alarm clocks), take off when you want, earn $60-$125+/
hour, work in your sweats. Hey, we're writers. It's a lifestyle
tailor-made for us, right?      

For the past few decades - and even more so recently - downsizing
and outsourcing have sculpted the corporate American landscape.
Companies everywhere are doing more with less. For many, that
includes relying heavily on well-paid freelancers to write their
marketing brochures, ad copy, newsletters, direct mail campaigns,
video scripts, web content, and a ton of other projects. I hear it
all the time from clients: how hard it is to find good, smart,
reliable writers who "get it." Might that describe you? 

It gets better. Given the times, many companies that formerly
hired pricey ad agencies and design firms are shedding them in
favor of more economical freelancers (especially talented designer/
writer teams), and discovering they get better work at far less
cost.    

So, what do you need to get your share of this lucrative work?

Writing Ability?

Let's get real: no one'll pay you up to $125+ an hour if you're
lousy. But, there are plenty of fields such as healthcare,
financial services, manufacturing, high-tech, and beaucoup others,
which have steady, ongoing needs for clear, concise copywriting
that doesn't have to be a work of art. Start studying your junk
mail, the little newsletter inserts in your electric bill, the
rack brochures at your bank. Could you write that? I'm guessing
yes.  

Marketing Ability?

Sure, first and foremost, this business is a sales and marketing
venture. But, fret not. Marketing isn't some arcane science
understood only by Wharton MBA's. And it's NOT about being a
slick, pushy salesperson. Marketing is simply letting your market
know you (or the clients you write for) are out there, consistently,
and in a variety of ways that cut through the clutter.

Get a few fundamental sales and marketing principles under your
belt - i.e., Audience (understanding who you're writing to and
trying to "reach"); The Features/Benefits equation (focusing on
what's important to readers, NOT talking about your product,
service or company); and USP (Unique Selling Proposition; what you/
your client does better than anyone else) - and you'll set yourself
apart from most writers. Not to mention being able to talk
intelligently - and write for - just about any client.

NOTE:
In our next post, Peter will explain why there's so much
potential work in the "commercial" writing arena, how you can
go about landing it, and the first steps you can take now to
start positioning yourself for success in this field. 

BIO
Peter Bowerman, a veteran commercial freelancer and business
coach in Atlanta, Georgia, is the author of 2010 title, The
Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial
Freelancer in Six Months or Less, an updated edition of his
original 2000 award-winning Book-of-the-Month Club selection.
For more details, and to subscribe to his popular monthly ezine
and blog, visit www.wellfedwriter.com. He chronicled his
self-publishing success (60,000 copies of his books in print
and a full-time living for eight-plus years) in his award-
winning 2007 release, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to
Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. www.wellfedsp.com. 
 
 

BEST source to step into freelance commercial writing.
Peter Bowerman  is the guru. I've read the books.

 

If you're a talented writer in a niche market who wants to
write and sell his own book, "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher"
should be your bible.
 

 

A Carolina Slade Mystery
www.chopeclark.com

 

 

Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers - 2001-2011

 

 

 

BEST source to step into freelance commercial writing. Peter Bowerman  is the guru. I've read the books.

 

 

The Shy Writer: An Introvert's Guide to Writing Success - trade paperback and ebook - TOTAL FFW subscription with paperback purchase.

 

 

Southern Writers Suite T button

 

 

 

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