The “Write” Way to Retire? (Magazine Style)
By Peter Bowerman

If you were designing the perfect “retirement” career, what would it look like?

1) Good money for the time invested
2) Flexible – you say when, and how much you work
3) Ability to leverage your past career experience
4) Mentally challenging (and creative!) to keep the mind sharp

Sound about right? Well, if that’s your criteria, and you like to write (and know you’re good at it), you might just consider the lucrative field of “commercial” freelancing – writing for businesses (brochures, ads, newsletters, web sites, etc.), and for hourly rates of $50-125+.

Why commercial writing? One big reason is the downsizing and outsourcing in the business world over the past decade. Companies of all sizes are running leaner than ever, and that means relying on freelancers to handle many creative tasks, including writing. That, in turn, spells big opportunities for talented writers. And given that the field lines up nicely with our wish list above, many 55+’ers are finding it to be an ideal pre- or post-retirement career.

Planning the next exciting chapter of your life? As you read this, thousands of writers are landing countless, high-paying writing jobs. Why not you?

Peter Bowerman, a commercial freelancer, business coach and speaker in Atlanta, is the author of the newly updated edition of The Well-Fed Writer (the 2000 original industry "standard" on lucrative "commercial freelancing" was an award-winning Book-of-the-Month Club title; visit www.wellfedwriter.com for a free report and the "Attn: 55+" link there for an in-depth article on the above subject). He also chronicled his self-publishing success (52,000 copies of his first two WFW titles in print and a full-time living for seven-plus years) in his award-winning 2007 title The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living (www.wellfedsp.com).

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