Have you ever found yourself staring at a blank page of a [possibly] brand new composition book, feeling the gut-wrenching urge to write but instead of drafting the next great American novel, you find yourself ripping your hair out or beating your forehead on your desktop because you don’t know where to begin? If you have ever felt this way, then let me reassure you [that] you are not alone. It happens to all of us—NOT JUST YOU! But be assured my fellow literary combatants—there are ways to overcome this.

One of the more common questions I get from aspiring authors is something that sounds like this (Don’t worry—we’re all guilty of it):  I really want (or have always wanted) to write a book, but where or how do I begin? Continue Reading

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(Best-selling author Dan Brown. Courtesy of Wikipedia.)

Let's continue our empirical investigation into novelists' income with the League of Utah Writers (LUW) 2004 Survey.

The results of a survey that the League of Utah Writers conducted in 2004 with 234 writers re-confirm the plight of non-technical writers.

The survey found that the average income received from writing over 12 months for all writer members was a pitiful $2,705.

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(JK Rowling. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.)

Novelists are among the worst paid writers.

Yes, the Steven Kings, Dan Browns, and JK Rowlings of this world get paid extremely well.

Actually, Rowling is said to be on her way up to become the first writer in human history poised to earn $1 billion over her career.

But the average novelist is practically hungry and driving that same old rust-bucket god knows since when.

It takes years to write a decent novel.

Then it takes equally long to find an agent.

And when years later, the book finally gets published, the advance is usually around $5,000.

That's all most novelists will ever see since royalties are not guaranteed. And even when they earn any royalties, the checks take months or sometimes even a whole year to arrive.

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Claude Chabrol is one of my five favorite French directors. (The other four are Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, and Francois Ozon.)

With a career spanning over 40 years, Chabrol gave us many fascinating films; some with thought-provoking innovations that reshaped my understanding of the 3-Act Structure.

Here I'd like to mention two of them that I especially like: the emergent antagonist, and multiple culprits.

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Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to interview Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules For Success, and columnist for Yahoo Finance and the Boston Globe. Her blog, Brazen Careerist, is also a well-established blog and a worthwhile read for aspiring professionals everywhere. 

I had the opportunity to interview her at length, so enjoy!  

Daniel Dessinger: First off, thanks for agreeing to take the time to talk with me. I know you're busy with your columns, a new book, and speaking engagements. I recently read on Wendy Piersall's blog, emomsathome.com, that you just spoke at the BlogHer Conference in Chicago just a few days ago. You spoke with Stephanie Cockerl and Nina Burokas about personal branding, correct? What were the top three takeaways from that session?

Penelope Trunk: I am not sure what people actually took away from the session, since there was subsequent online hoop-la. But here are three things to think about when you want to create a brand out of yourself:
1. What do you stand for?
2. What do you not stand for?
3. What do you give people that is unique to you?

Daniel: Is this your first time at BlogHer? Can you describe the atmosphere of the conference and tell us how it differs from other conferences you attend?

Penelope: Well, I can compare this recent BlogHer to BlogHer Business — I went to that. And, not surprisingly, it was much more business oriented. I went toSXSW earlier this year, which is also full of bloggers. SXSW had a lot more men.

Daniel: Based on Wendy's comments, I'm picturing a collection of professional work-from-home women who have the conversational floodgates burst open for this three day event. Is that a fair description? Um. I don't know very many of the work-from-home bloggers and I didn't talk with many when I was at BlogHer, so I'm not really sure about the answer to your question. I do know Wendy. I have come across her blog before because she has such a successful business.

Daniel: Changing subjects, I've kept with your Brazen Careerist blog for a little while now. My coworker is infatuated with you and, sadly, he is passively wishing you were single. I guess you've found a professional way to turn on the charm!

Penelope: Not a question, right? But tell your co-worker thanks

Daniel: Your tagline is: Advice at the intersection of work and life. How would you say you've done at balancing "work and life?"

Penelope: I don't believe in balance because it implies that the two things are competing. I try to create a life where things are working together, and I feel whole and integrated. That said, I'd have to say I'm not doing the greatest job. It's very hard to do. One of the reasons I blog is to be with a community of people who are trying to improve things at the intersection of work and life and we're all doing it together.

Daniel: The reason I ask is because, for all your interesting perspectives on work culture and Generation Y, you manage to throw everyone off with a few posts on your marriage and the difficulties that arise in your personal life. Do you ever regret exposing your issues to the world? Does the transparency adversely or positively affect your life at home?

Penelope: I never regret talking about myself in an authentic way. I don't really know another way to connect with people. I'm sure that one of the things that my husband likes about me is that I'm authentic, no matter what. He is that way, too. So doing it on the blog seems inevitable. 

Daniel: One more personal question I have to ask: How does your husband feel about having your marriage issues made public knowledge? This is a tender subject for me, since I guard my relationship with my wife very closely. I don't pretend that we don't have our problems, because we have plenty. But until something is dealt with, I feel that to expose her faults to anyone other than a trusted adviser is disrespectful.

Since I'm willing to accept that everyone can and does feel differently about how to approach these types of issues, I'd just like to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Penelope: Newsflash: Your wife talks about your sex life with her friends. Every woman does. Men have a skewed idea of how private their marriage is because men don't talk about marriage with men. How do you think women learn to give blow jobs? Not from men.

That said, my husband doesn't care about what I write. I know it's hard to imagine. But try to imagine being married to me at all. A handful, right? In that sense, blogging about the marriage is nothing.

Daniel: My instinct is to apologize for mentioning your personal life, but I remind myself that you intentionally made it public, so you must expect to be asked about it.

Daniel: I read a bio about you somewhere, and it mentioned how you went from professional volleyball player to writer. Could you tell us, briefly, what it was that opened the door for you to transition into being a writer? If you could, highlight a few key circumstances that you might call open doors or an unexpected turn of events in your favor.

Penelope: I think the most important thing was that when I was playing volleyball, I was great at getting sponsors to pay to put their name across my chest. So I inadvertently discovered that I was really good at marketing. I have used that knowledge each time I changed careers. I've said to myself, how can I leverage the marketing talent to make a smooth transition?

Daniel: You have a book out there for sale entitled: The Brazen Careerist:The New Rules for Success. I've read that another book is in the works. Can you give us a hint as to the title or subject matter of this one?

Penelope: No.

Daniel: When can we expect release? 

Penelope: 2008

Daniel: While the feedback on your blog is mostly positive, I've read some overwhelmingly negative feedback from readers of your article at Yahoo Finance. Did you make some enemies early on, or what? I get the automatic feeling that you're rocking the boat too much for comfort in some reader's minds.

Penelope: Yeah, I think you're right.

Daniel: Do you think the feedback on Yahoo Finance is just the natural result of a wider audience, or is it the specific readership demographic that seems to be a bit more old fashioned and stuck inside-the-box?

Penelope: Both. I think when you get a wider audience you inevitably get more people who are not thinking along the same lines you are. It happens with everyone, I'm sure.

Daniel: You mentioned to me recently that you're already living my fantasy of blogging and writing for a living, and that this isn't the end of the line for you. Given the ability to choose, what is the next step in your career? Beyond that, what do you envision yourself doing in five years?

Penelope: I am actually in the middle of figuring that out right now. I'm thinking it's getting time for a next step. Stay tuned….

Daniel: Does being a woman help to propel you in your career? I ask this because my wife is very attractive and intelligent and doors just open for her that wouldn't budge for me. I think you're the total package if you can pull off the intelligent, witty, fashionable, attractive, and confident woman image. I'm not calling women eye candy, but it seems that these days, the world (beyond redneck borders) opens its doors to attractive and intelligent women. Thoughts?

Penelope: I think men like to do business with women they would like to have sex with. It seems totally normal. The same is true in reverse. This is why good-looking men and women earn more money than ugly men and women.

Daniel: I often wonder if our (yours and mine) motivations aren't opposite.While we both blog for personal branding purposes, my motive in blogging and writing is self-expression. The writing is the joy… The proverbial cake,if you will. Positive feedback is the icing. Would you say that writing is a means to an end, or the end itself in your career?

Penelope: Are you asking if I get joy from writing? The answer is yes. I could never write five posts a week if I didn't truly love to write. In fact, I've written in lots of different formats, and there is nothing I have loved more than blogging.

Daniel: With millions of blogs out there in the space, what are the top 3 recommendations you can make to someone who wants to build a readership for one reason or another but has no additional claim to fame such as writing for the Boston Globe or Yahoo Finance or publishing a book? Without those tools in their belts, what can bloggers do to establish a name for themselves?

Penelope: Write regularly, write on a focused topic, and write great posts.

Daniel: Can you predict 3 of the most radical shifts we have yet to see but can expect in the workplace as Generation Y takes center stage?

Penelope: Decentralized leadership, unapologetic focus on family, and financial downshifting

Daniel: What common beliefs does the average Joe or Jane need to revise in order to break through the "average career" barrier?

Penelope: To get a special career you need to specialize. People get nervous specializing because it narrows the types of jobs you can take. But being an expert instead of a generalist actually makes you more employable as long as you shift your expertise as the markets shift.

Daniel: Any parting words of wisdom to the less Web savvy readers out there?

Penelope: Blogs do not require you to be web savvy. If you start reading them without worrying about whether you undertand them, you will start to understand them. Click a lot.  

Thanks for taking the time to respond, Penelope.

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When I began copywriting for websites, I started by searching through some how-to articles for pointers. I was aggravated and disappointed to find everyone recommending simple, direct, and action-packed. Not that I have a problem with engaging content, it’s just that all the classics of literature take the time to establish the setting and characters. The most reputable authors wrote from a totally different perspective than authors today.

Who else can we blame except the expanding media channels? With the advent of information access came the simultaneous dilemma of information overload. An author 200-500 years ago had no television, radio, Internet, or telephone for news and information updates. They had word of mouth, some newspapers, pamphlets, letters, etc. The pace of life was such that the literature produced reflected a life of contemplation, observation, and stillness. There was no sense of frantic suspense or blistering action to be found.

Traveling was so inconvenient that many people only traveled into town once a month. They stocked up on supplies and news and headed back to the family farm. Of course, there were city dwellers who had weekly access to gossip. Still, cultures worldwide knew nothing of the mind boggling pace we endure in the 21st Century.

I blame the Internet and the television for poor writing skills. First, the television sucked up the hours of daily life previously spent on reading and communication with family and friends. Then came the Internet, Instant Messaging, and Text Messaging. With the advent of the Web, we have access to billions of information soaked pages, yet we have to choose a minuscule percentage of information available that we will actually give any attention to. This leaves authors and marketers around the globe scrambling to liven up available content. Competition is fierce (as in the publishing industry), and the selection is so plentiful that people don’t have to spend time on lengthy descriptions and soliloquies. With thousands of voices vying for our attention every day, we give time to those few that are most compelling and immediately accessible.

The art of writing has largely been lost as we fight against the clock to absorb and distribute unprecedented volumes of information. It seems that nothing short of a return to agrarian society could deliver us from our ADD-based writing and reading skills. In other words, either choose to read hyper-focused drivel or remain oblivious to the world today and return to the classics. Or live in the wonderfully frustrating tension of balancing the relevant with the artistic.

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Karen, a virtual friend of mine whom I met on MySpace, asked me a while back for some suggestions on how to become a copywriter. I’ve put it off because to answer that question means to actually take more than the usual 5-10 minutes I spend writing each post. I’m not lazy, just busy. In addition to a very busy schedule at my search marketing agency, I also have a pregnant wife to spend time with and a few side projects already in progress. Blogging is usually the first to be sacrificed.

But since I’m rarely asked for tips and advice, my ego demands that I respond (hey, why not be honest?).

Tip #1: Determine within yourself that it will take 2 years to establish yourself, and that you will do what it takes during those first 2 years.

That doesn’t mean that you won’t have job opportunities before then. Obviously, that will vary from person to person. But be willing to work another job while you write part-time or be willing to work full-time for minimal pay. Each year of experience you get raises your dollar value. But the goal is to take 2 years and create quality work that you will be proud to display to future employers during the initial interview.

Tip #2: As long as the company or content doesn’t violate your morals, don’t turn down any opportunities to write.

The obvious exception would be if you managed to have so many opportunities that you would tear your hair out trying to finish every project on time. These first 2 years are your foundational stage, so look everywhere for opportunities. Volunteer at church, professional or charitable organizations, friends’ small businesses, local businesses, guest writing on other people’s blogs (I’ll let you get your feet wet right here), writing your own daily blog, etc. Whether it’s a one page ad, copy for a website, or text for a brochure, pursue and accept every opportunity. If you don’t make a dime for the first six months, don’t worry. Just get some writing under your belt.

Tip #3: Keep your ego in check.

I learned this lesson the hard way. After six months of professional writing experience, I was acting like hot sh*# to every potential client I spoke with. I ended up losing most accounts before I even got started due to my attitude. The truth was, I was so insecure about my ability to produce quality material that I overcompensated by acting like a professional who didn’t need to negotiate at all. I had an overpriced take-it-or-leave-it attitude that got me nowhere. Most people won’t succeed using this tactic because you get the privilege of being picky by first developing a reputation of excellence and credibility. It’s the people in demand for the reputation as a copywriter who get to turn down work or refuse to negotiate pricing. Granted, there will always be clients who treat copywriting like manual labor. To these people, just politely refuse and move on. As I have learned, you never know how the impression you leave today might open or close future doors for you.

Tip #4: Network, Network, Network

It’s one of the most common pieces of advice because it’s simply that important. I hated the thought and the sound of networking from the beginning. As a person with no substantial work history or street cred, I felt like a fake just thinking about talking to people in the industry. I will tell you this secret: the amount of success I have enjoyed is directly proportionate to the amount of networking I have done. In other words, I’m doing fairly well right now, but I could already be making twice what I make now had I been more productive initiating relationships before taking a full-time position.

Wondering how to get started networking? Three pieces of advice: 1) start a blog and write in it every day; 2) get some business cards printed that include your web address (i designed mine easily online); 3) visit and/or join every local metropolitan writing, marketing, artistic organization that meets monthly, meet people, and hand out your cards. My card was simple. It had my name, blog name, address, phone, email and web address on the front and a bulleted list of services on the back. I like the services part because professionals get so many cards that it’s easy to forget why you should keep a card after a few days.

Tip #5: Develop a specialty

At the beginning, you won’t want to limit yourself by only doing one style of writing. Take notice of what you enjoy doing the most, and always jump at the chance to do more of what you enjoy. Remember, the first 2 years are your foundation. 95% of all copywriters don’t make serious money until they reach 5 years of experience, so you have to know in your head that you are going to have the right attitude and maintain it through your probationary period. The big time head hunters don’t accept any applicants with less than 5 years of experience. But once you’re there, you have the opportunity to break into six figures if you’ve developed a specialty or two.

Right now, I do mostly website copy, press releases, and corporate blogs. I’ve done brochures, the emails, sales sheets, case studies, and several other types of documents I can’t think of right now. Given my choice, I’d probably stick with blogs, given that they’re such a natural method of communication to me. But blogs still have a ways to go before they are valued as highly as they should be in corporate America.

There you have it. My first five tips to becoming a copywriter. If you’d like me to add more specific information, drop me a comment and I’ll take you as deep into this as you want to go. I will add as much or as little information as you need to make it as a copywriter.

Comments are always welcome.

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