Welcome to THE WELL-FED E-PUB!

 

Serving up food for thought and tasty tips for the prospering writer. Come

on in, sit anywhere and bring your appetite!

 

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VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1 – JANUARY 2007 – HAPPY “WELL-FED” NEW YEAR! 

 

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“THE WELL-FED SELF-PUBLISHER”: NOW AVAILABLE!

Hard copy and ebook versions PLUS killer companion ebook: www.wellfedsp.com

 

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JANUARY 11 TELECLASS: “THRIVING AS A FREELANCE COPYWRITER”

Michael Stelzner (www.WhitePaperSource.com) hosts with moi as guest; Details: http://www.whitepapersource.com/cmd.php?Clk=1698298 (& in Dessert) 

 

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NEW WEB SITE FEATURE: THE WELL-FED KNOWLEDGEBASE!

Q&As I’ve received! Add your own! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/kb.shtml 

 

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BIGGER Banquet eBook, EPUB Issues 1-39; Just $11.95! (BAD LINK FIXED!)

Check it out at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/thebiggerbanquet.shtml (& in Dessert)

 

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I. APPETIZER: REAL-LIFE CASE STUDY SERVES UP MANY LESSONS

Not-For-Profit (NFP) Client Debunks Myths, Provides Healthy Profits for Writer/Designer

 

II. CRISP “FIELD” GREENS: THE POWER OF A WEB SITE (UPDATE!)  

MORE Good New$ (and Job$) From Bay Area FLCW Featured in August!     

 

III. MAIN COURSE: CHAMBER BUILDS CONFIDENCE, RATES, “BOOK”(Part 1 of 2)

New Small-Town FLCW/At-Home Mom Turns Can-Do Attitude Into $ and Self-Respect

 

IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips

Newbie CT FLCW Lands Big Gig Out of the Gate (and LOTS More on Tap!)

TIP: Follow-Ups to Business Articles Sow Seeds for Future Work & Referrals!

 

V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS

- 1/11/07 Teleclass: “Thriving as a Freelance Copywriter” – Don’t Miss It!

- NEW WEB FEATURE: The Well-Fed KnowledgeBase!

- BIGGER Banquet, EPUB Issues 1-39; Just $11.95! (BAD LINK FIXED!)

- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get 2 Bonuses (no charge!)

- Well-Fed E-Pub Needs All Courses!

- How Can My Mentoring Service Serve You?

 

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I. APPETIZER: REAL-LIFE CASE STUDY SERVES UP MANY LESSONS

Not-For-Profit (NFP) Client Debunks Myths, Provides Healthy Profits for Writer/Designer

 

I just got back from throwing a “thank-you” holiday breakfast for the staff (15-20) of a good client of mine, the Atlanta chapter of a global charity. Only fair. They fill my pockets. I fill their bellies. They loved it. And the whole story of this client – from how I found them to how I fed them – offers up plenty of lessons. Let’s take a look.

 

Cruising on a friend’s boat in the fall of 2005, I got to chatting with a woman I knew only socially. “What do you do?” went back and forth. (Lesson #1: Let people know what you do; you never know where work could come from). “Hmmmmm, interesting,” she says. Seems the NFP for which she worked needed to overhaul all their marketing materials: brochures, annual report, direct mail, flyers, ads, and more. The initial meeting went well; they liked my marketing sense. They asked for a proposal. I asked, “Shall I include my graphic designer in the proposal?” after realizing that their existing stuff positively weeped for one. (#2: Team with a designer to offer turnkey solutions).

 

Absolutely, they said, adding that they were also getting a bid from an agency with an exclusive NFP focus (big plus), and were seriously considering their offer. Knowing that my graphic designer was great in initial client meetings, and they hadn’t met her yet, I took a chance, called my contact, and asked if we could deliver our bid in person: 10 minutes, max. Chance to get a feel for “the team.” Sure, they said. (#3: Be bold. Clients like to work with take-charge people; it usually translates to less work for them).

 

They loved our proposal and especially loved my designer’s creativity – one idea after another. (#4: A good designer boosts your value and marketability.) We wowed them (yes, in 10 minutes), and despite their down-market digs and low salaries (several left for greener pastures this year), they didn’t flinch at our healthy market rates. (#5: NFPs don’t always = rate cuts. A local theater group, maybe, but not the larger charities.)

 

The next week the phone rang. The marketing director, with mirth in his voice: “What’re you doing?” Oh, just working. “Why aren’t you in here, working on our stuff?” When asked why they went with us, he said, “We liked you both, felt you could do it, but what clinched it was the initiative you took in delivering your bid in person.” 

 

11 months, a dozen successful projects, and 13-14K in copywriting fees later, here we are. And at the breakfast this morning (#6: a breakfast, holiday or otherwise, is an easy and inexpensive way to endear yourself to a client. Remember: it’s always easier to strengthen an existing client relationship than develop a new one), the new executive director, between happy bites of quiche, bagels and lox, and peach muffins, said, “We’ll be calling you soon to set up a January planning meeting for the rest of the year.” So, once again, we’ll eat well. Speaking of which, let’s eat! 

 

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II. CRISP “FIELD” GREENS: THE POWER OF A WEB SITE (UPDATE!)  

MORE Good New$ (and Job$) From Bay Area FLCW Featured in August!   

 

In the August EPUB Appetizer (http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine/august2006.html), I shared the great story of Kenya McCullum (kmccullum@mindspring.com,

www.km-com.com) in San Francisco and what happened to her business when she built a web site and started working it hard. Well, the good news keeps on coming!

 

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Hey, Peter: All of a sudden, people are beating down my door. I am so swamped lately! I have four deadlines this week, two more next week, one the following, plus a lot of “we have something coming up next month, in two months,” etc. And the hits just keep on coming: a prospect I reconnected with emailed me late this afternoon for a big project. I have begun a system for following up with people (contact info on index cards filed by the month in which prospects ask me to get back in touch). Regular follow up is paying off (like I knew it would). I have put together the beginnings of a business plan that I add to regularly and started saving up in an “I’m-outta-here” fund” (my cushion when I leave my crappy day job). With the way things have been going of late, I fully expect to leave in December. Happy New Year to me!

 

Recent Update: Just wanted to let you know the latest: I quit my crappy job! After 29 December, I’m free. YAY!

 

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III. MAIN COURSE: CHAMBER BUILDS CONFIDENCE, RATES, “BOOK”(Part 1 of 2)

New Small-Town FLCW/At-Home Mom Turns Can-Do Attitude Into $ and Self-Respect

 

Got this great “coming-of-age” story from new Kingsland, GA FLCW Terri Keller (terri@terrikeller.com, www.terrikeller.com), with enough good stuff for a two-parter. Even if you’re experienced, you’ll get a kick out of this. And for you newbies, take special note of how her small-town client initially had a better sense of her value than she did.

Lots of great lessons here.

 

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I quit my job and started my writing career on July 15^th, 2006 (your books were a big help!). When asked what I was going to do next, I had to say something other than “lay around and eat potato chips and chocolate and watch as much TV as humanly possible.” Though I have several degrees including a master’s in counseling, I didn’t want to do anything that would take away too much time from my family. Writing was a good fit, and besides, telling people I was going to be a writer was waaay cool!

 

Based on your suggestions, I started by volunteering at the local Chamber of Commerce. I remembered what you said about putting yourself out there, but this went against my grain to do that in a major way.  When I saw an article in the newspaper about the Chamber needing volunteers for an “Entrepreneur Friendly” initiative, it took a lot for me to give them a call and offer my services. It would have been much easier to just skip it and go back to working for my lovely ex-boss (NOT!) Anyhoo, the writing gods were smiling on me, because shortly after I started, the Chamber got a dedicated page in the local paper, and they filled it up with three of my articles! 

 

That led to work with an established local non-profit. When asked my fee by the woman who hired me, I said, “Well, normally I charge $50 an hour. But since I’m just starting out, I’ll charge you $25.” That’s pretty good money for this small (but sweet) Georgia town. She said she’d call me later that day.

 

When she didn’t call that day, I moaned to my husband that I should have charged less, that I shouldn’t have charged at all, yada yada yada. He said just be patient. The next morning, she leaves a message: she wanted me! The clincher? When we met and talked terms, she said, “And, of course, after this we’ll be paying you $50 an hour.” I just looked at her, fought the urge to argue that she might not want to spend that kind of money, and just nodded and said “OK.”

 

The assignment she gave me, less than three months into my writing career, was a combination company history/annual report in booklet form. I felt pretty confident about it, ever since realizing, while plowing through stacks of background material, that I just need to say what they told me they wanted to hear. Not my version of events, but theirs, made readable for their audience.

 

Next Month: Terri will discuss building confidence, how the booklet turned out and a MOST cool billboard campaign she suggested for the Chamber, which plastered her work all over town. Stay tuned!

 

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IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips

Newbie CT FLCW Lands Big Gig Out of the Gate (and LOTS More on Tap!)

TIP: Follow-Ups to Business Articles Sow Seeds for Future Work & Referrals!

 

A very excited Mary Shaw (mary@shawcopy.com, www.shawcopy.com) from Rowayton, CT, sent me this note a few months back about making the break from her job, and how the universe is already filling her new FLCW plate, before she’s even left! Cool stuff.

 

Hi Peter: After six months of careful planning and great education from your 

books, my last day at my "real" job is next Friday. Ten days ago I got a call from a former colleague to write a website for one of his clients, a mid-sized software company.

I wrote and delivered the copy in one week, the client loves it, the check is in the mail AND I've been offered 4 more similar projects later this year. Besides this lucky break I have another three paying clients lined up. It's all based on prior industry contacts, so I have not made any cold calls yet. I spent a lot of time over the summer building a database of 450 cold prospects, and I still plan to contact them.

 

My husband and I are very excited and my daughter gets the greatest benefit by having me home at last. Your books have really helped me gain the confidence to go for it!

 

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This tip comes from Terri Keller, featured in this issue’s Main Course. This is a smart, savvy businessperson, making it happen in a small town.

 

Whenever I get a story published about a company in the local paper, I send them a copy with a friendly letter that addresses some important aspect of their business (e.g., a recent acquisition, a grammatical error or two I found in their brochure, how much I like their merchandise). Included in the envelope, of course, are two of my business cards and a reminder that I would be happy to fulfill all their writing needs.

 

PB: And Terri got this testimonial from one of those businesses: “Thank you very much for the nice article. That was the best ad that anyone has ever done for me!  When someone can use your services, I will highly recommend you. Thank you again for your professionalism and good work.” Who do you think will immediately come to mind if this person hears of anyone needing writing services?

 

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V. COFFEE, MINTS AND TOOTHPICKS

- 1/11/07 Teleclass: “Thriving as a Freelance Copywriter” – Don’t Miss It!

- NEW WEB FEATURE: The Well-Fed KnowledgeBase!

- BIGGER Banquet, EPUB Issues 1-39; Just $11.95! (BAD LINK FIXED!)

- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get 2 Bonuses (no charge)!

- Well-Fed E-Pub Needs All Courses!

- How Can My Mentoring Service Serve You?

 

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JANUARY 11 TELECLASS: “THRIVING AS A FREELANCE COPYWRITER”

Michael Stelzner (www.WhitePaperSource.com), THE WP guru, and author of the GREAT new book, “Writing White Papers,” hosts, with yours truly as his guest. Subtitle: “Becoming Well-Fed with White Papers and Other Writing Projects.” Cost? A measly $29. Limited space. Details: http://www.whitepapersource.com/cmd.php?Clk=1698298

 

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NEW WEB FEATURE: THE WELL-FED KNOWLEDGEBASE!

Over the years, I’ve gotten a TON of questions, and I’ve saved a lot of the answers. Check out the result (AND add your own!): a growing source of information on all your commercial writing questions: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/kb.shtml

 

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BIGGER Banquet eBook, EPUB Issues 1-39; Just $11.95! (BAD LINK FIXED!)

New to the EPUB? Don’t miss ONE issue. Regular subscriber, but fallen behind? Catch up fast! 228 pages, chockfull of proven strategies, success stories, and tips from commercial writers around the world! We fixed a bad link that was redirecting, so check it out at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/thebiggerbanquet.shtml.

 

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AWAI COPYWRITING (& OTHER) COURSES: Register Here, Get 2 Extra Bonuses!

Six-Figure Copywriting, Graphic Design, Internet Writing, Fundraising, Health Market and more! TWO Bonus CDS: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/awai.shtml

 

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WELL-FED E-PUB Needs ALL COURSES!

“GREENS” (200-300 words), MAIN COURSES (400-500; query first), TIPS (150-200) and SUCCESS STORIES (200-300) to peter@wellfedwriter.com.

 

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HOW CAN MY MENTORING SERVICE SERVE YOU?

For details and testimonials, visit www.wellfedwriter.com/Mentoring.shtml.

 

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NEW Subscribe/Unsubscribe feature. To Subscribe (YAY!), Unsubscribe (boo!) and/or update your address for the E-PUB, visit: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine.shtml.

 

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BIG THANKS!

THANKS again to Susan Cochran in Atlanta for her great editing/proofing prowess on the E-Pub. Need a good editor/proofreader? susan_cochran@mindspring.com, www.cochrancompany.com.