New business writer looking for advice

Caroline · Dec 10, 2009

Hello all,

I'm brand new here (on AW as well as to the freelance writing world), and am looking for advice. I want to get started writing for businesses, but am having a little trouble deciding on/identifying a niche and possible markets. I'm also not sure what types of writing services I should offer--brochures? press releases? manuals? newsletters? It's all a little overwhelming.

Is it better to try to establish yourself in a specific niche, for example writing for vaccuum cleaner manufacturers? Or is it better to broaden your horizons a little and also contact housewares and decor manufacturers (those are just an example)?

How did you guys do it?

CaroGirl · Dec 10, 2009

What's your experience, where have you worked previously, and what kind of writing do you most enjoy doing? I should think it would be easier to get new business based on an established portfolio. If you have no portfolio, I'd suggest getting a job, either full or part-time, doing some kind of writing, like in marketing or for web sites. Most people are loathe to pay a person to write for them if that person has no experience in the business of writing.

I have never worked freelance but I have worked on contract. However, I got contracts based on a resume of previous writing experience. I think it's easier with less experience to get a job working at a company than it is to get a freelance or contract job.

Welcome to AW!!

Caroline · Dec 10, 2009

You're right about needing to have a portfolio, and I think that's part of my problem--I don't have one! So, I don't know what types of business writing I would like, or where to aim myself. My professional writing experience is entirely in newspaper and magazines, which I love, but doesn't pay the rent as well. I've actually been losing sleep over how to try to sell my skills when I don't have the experience to back it up....and after thinking about your comment, I realized I've been missing the point. In my newspaper career, I worked my way up from a barely-paid stringer to a full-time, well-known reporter by proving myself with the clips I built up from the original low-paying paper (which eventually offered me a job).

I think I'll start by checking out gigs on Craigslist and asking around small local businesses. In career changes--even within the same field--how quickly we forget the work it took to get to where we were before.

Thanks!

BTW, it's cool that we *almost* have the same name

CaroGirl · Dec 11, 2009

Hi Caroline! I'm a Caroline too, so we do, in fact, have the same name. Cool indeed. It's not really a very common name.

I think the only way to find out what kind of business writing you like is by trying different kinds of writing. How about going through an employment agency that can match your skills to different job descriptions? You'll be getting short-term, likely poorly paying, jobs at first, but serial contracts will give you the broader experience to discover what kind of writing you enjoy doing. It sounds like you do have some experience relevant to business writing, so this route might be the best for you. You'll also build a business writing portfolio this way.

If you have any more concerns or questions you think I can answer, go ahead and ask. I've been a technical writer and editor (full-time and contract) for about 12 years. Within that, I've done some Web, marketing and proposal (RFP) writing and editing. And probably some other stuff I can't think of right now.

Good luck!!

Terie · Dec 11, 2009

You'll find it extremely difficult to get tech writing contracts with no experience in tech writing. The 'writiing' part of the job is really only maybe 50% of the required skillset, and if you've never done the job (or at least taken some technical communication courses), neither you nor they know whether you have the rest of the skillset yet (not saying you don't, just saying you don't know whether you do).

Also consider that right now there's a real fad for sending technical and other corporate writing jobs to India. Meaning that you're going to be competing for jobs (both contract and permanent) against folks with years and even decades of actual experience. Companies who do want to contract Western writers seriously have some of the creme de la creme to choose from.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that this moment is an especially bad one for trying to strike out on your own into a field in which you have only indirect experience so far. Getting a job in the field that sounds most interesting, while very hard, still might serve you better to build up that portfolio and gain the required skills on an employer's dime instead of your own. (You can't exactly charge a client for the time you spend learning, say, FrameMaker, but an employer will often be willing to train.)

Whatever you do, good luck!

Caroline · Dec 14, 2009

@Terie--What exactly do you mean by technical writing? I've seen people use it to refer to a lot of different things on this forum, and am a little confused.

@CaroGirl & Terie-- Perhaps I should clarify a little bit more what sort of writing I've got in mind for myself at the moment-- articles, company brochures and newsletters, press releases, and web copy (which I'd have to learn a little about first). A little bit more on the PR side of things. I also thought that I might be good at writing instruction manuals, (after some experience, of course) since I can explain things clearly. Which, if any, of these categories would fall under technical writing? And how is writing on contract for a tech job different from other types of freelancing?

Also, Terrie, you're right about the timing being bad for new freelancers. You and CaroGirl both pointed out that I should get some work in a specific field first, and you're right--except that I'm kind of limited by my location right now. My husband was recently transferred to the middle of nowhere (litterally!!) for his job, and we're a good 2 hours away from civilization. Rather than try to drive that far to job hunt, I decided to launch myself into freelancing. We'll be in this place for the next 2 years, and fortunately we're doing ok financially, so I've got nothing but time to get my writing off the ground. Do either of you know whether there are any sort of online employment agencies?

Thanks!

Terie · Dec 14, 2009

Caroline,

The best way to find out more about technical writing would be to check out the website for the Society for Technical Communication (STC). On your list, writing instruction manuals is one facet of tech writing (and, incidentally, what I do for a living).

I'm a total documentation geek (even said so the other day in a presentation to clients!), so you might not want to get me started on this subject.

You're probably better off going to the STC site I linked to above. Also, google 'technical communication' and you'll find loads of info.

As far as online employment agencies, I'm afraid I can't help, as I live and work in the UK and don't know the situation in the US. Maybe someone else can address that?

CaroGirl · Dec 15, 2009

From your list, only writing user manuals is in the realm of technical writing. The other business writing you mention leans more toward various facets of marketing and PR writing.

As far as tech writing goes, there are programs available, some quite short, I think, that you can take to receive a certificate, diploma, or degree in technical communications, if you intend to go that route. After that, it's a matter of finding an entry level position and working your way up from there. Terie's suggestion of the STC site is a good place to start also. There are chapters all over the US. I'm in Canada, so I can't really advise you about US employment agencies either.

Terie, I'm curious (but you don't have to answer if you don't want to). What kind of documentation do you produce and what tool do you use? In my current job, I write a user guide and maintain a set of technical manuals (installation guide, software development kit, and so on), using FrameMaker. I also write context sensitive online Help using RoboHelp.

Terie · Dec 15, 2009

CaroGirl said:
Terie, I'm curious (but you don't have to answer if you don't want to). What kind of documentation do you produce and what tool do you use? In my current job, I write a user guide and maintain a set of technical manuals (installation guide, software development kit, and so on), using FrameMaker. I also write context sensitive online Help using RoboHelp.

Man, I SOOOO warned you.....!

I write user documentation (user guides, release guides, handbooks, and so on) for higher education software. We write in FrameMaker. We then use a tool that converts the relevant files for the online help systems to HTML, but I haven't done that yet so don't know which tool it is or how it works.

Currently, I manage the documentation for all of the international localisations to our base products. (This is why I haven't handled the OLH yet: we're just getting ready to start delivering the localised OLH, and I haven't been trained yet.) This is a doc suite for about 70 localised products ranging in size from quite small to as large as our base products. Keeps me busy; not sure it keeps me out of trouble.

Beyond the actual writing, information design is probably my biggest passion. (Remember where I freely admited to being a doc geek?!) Our doc suite has some real inadequacies in this area, and I've been working hard at pioneering new documentation models for us to adopt. And we're making progress. It's kind of funny that the 'adjunct' doc suite is driving the base suite, when it's usually the other way around!

Okay. I'll shut up now. LOL!

CaroGirl · Dec 15, 2009

Which version of Frame do you use currently? I don't need to do it (yet) but Adobe FrameMaker 8 publishes directly to HTML without the use of an external tool. I think it looks quite nice, too, if you set up your project with HTML publication in mind.

If you're shopping around for an OLH tool, RoboHelp 7 is pretty slick and easy to use. It will also publish to HTML and now that Adobe owns them both, it's nicely compatible with Frame (although they have a bit of work to do in that area). I suspect Frame and RoboHelp will be more seamlessly integrated over the next few product releases.

Documentation architecture is an interesting area and it sounds like you're proficient in it. I'm more interested in documentation consistency and style. I've written several style sheets and style guides at various companies, and I'm now trying to write a UI style sheet for the development team (which overlaps with product management responsibilities but this is small company and the documentation team (i.e. me) is under the product umbrella).

I am a documentation geek also. Can you tell?

Terie · Dec 15, 2009

CaroGirl said:
Which version of Frame do you use currently? I don't need to do it (yet) but Adobe FrameMaker 8 publishes directly to HTML without the use of an external tool. I think it looks quite nice, too, if you set up your project with HTML publication in mind.

(snip)

I am a documentation geek also. Can you tell?

We're still on Frame 7.2. The HTML code it produces is squidgey and isn't any good for reuse purposes.

I wasn't part of the OLH development team, so I don't why they didn't go with RoboHelp. I know there's a reason, I just don't know what it is. Might have to do with the ability to tie the OLH dynamically to our product (so that when you go to the OLH from a form, you get the OLH for that form), but again, I really don't know.

Early next year, I'll be working out how to deliver manuals as HTML, so that clients can easily customise the content. This, of course, has its own challenges, since, among other things, we need to be able to deliver updates that don't wipe out customisations. It's kind of scary because I'm not a techie guru, and our techie guru has found another job and is leaving soon. I'm not the best-qualified person in the world for this task, but it should be interesting. At least the manager (with whom I get along extremely well) IS very techie and we'll be working on it together.

Hey, I'm afraid we might've scared off Caroline the OP. Maybe one of the mods could create a sticky topic for the forum called 'Documentation Geekiness' or something where we could just blather on indefinitely. Mods?

Caroline · Dec 16, 2009

Well, honestly, you guys did scare me a bit with all the jargon! But you haven't scared me off AW

So I've gone to the STC site and googled "technical writer", and I think I'll be better off sticking to PR/journalism. I don't really know what I thought technical writing was, but I'm pretty sure I don't have the skill set or interest to do it. At my last job, I had to learn Adobe InDesign and do a bit of newspaper layout....and I detested it. I would always breathe a sigh of relief when our part time techie person came in and I could go back to proofreading or working ahead on articles. I know newspaper layout isn't the same thing as what you guys do, but it's probably the closest thing to technical communication I've ever done. And, frankly, I was terrible at it

Terie · Dec 16, 2009

Caroline said:
Well, honestly, you guys did scare me a bit with all the jargon! But you haven't scared me off AW

So I've gone to the STC site and googled "technical writer", and I think I'll be better off sticking to PR/journalism. I don't really know what I thought technical writing was, but I'm pretty sure I don't have the skill set or interest to do it. At my last job, I had to learn Adobe InDesign and do a bit of newspaper layout....and I detested it. I would always breathe a sigh of relief when our part time techie person came in and I could go back to proofreading or working ahead on articles. I know newspaper layout isn't the same thing as what you guys do, but it's probably the closest thing to technical communication I've ever done. And, frankly, I was terrible at it

Well, since you started this thread, it's only fair that we stick to what you're interested in.

Actually, you're already further ahead than when you posted your original query....you've now been able to cross off something that doesn't appeal to you. I think it's important to know what jingles your bell and where your strengths lie, because that's important along the way to finding a job that you have some hope of being happy with.

I wish I knew more about the PR/advertising side of corporate writing and could give you some pointers there, but just as you claim to be terrible at layout, so I'll freely admit to being terrible at PR-ish sorts of writing. As I said....it's always good to be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses!

Keep up the search for info, and good luck in finding something that's right up your alley.

dropsofjup2 · Dec 16, 2009

Interesting subject of advertising, Caroline. You'll find even the pros in advertising are very competitive. Go with your strengths and build on it. I have quite a bit of experience in writing. I did not discuss this earlier as I preserve my anonymity as
much as possible and usually shy away from fame. I've helped create stories for
movies, films, TV shows, poem, lyrics, and prayers. You will find my resume on
IMDb.com at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3409538/resume.

My question: Does anyone know in today's market what a writer would expect to pay for mentoring and critiquing published and unpublished works?

Terie · Dec 16, 2009

dropsofjup2 said:
My question: Does anyone know in today's market what a writer would expect to pay for mentoring and critiquing published and unpublished works?

I'm trying to figure out where would be a better place to ask that question (since it's not about business writing or tech writing), but I'm not sure. Maybe Basic Writing Questions or maybe AW Roundtable? I don't know. Maybe a mod can help figure where you'd get the best responses.

Then there's the Beta Readers, Mentors, and Writing Partners forum where you can find volunteer beta readers.

I do know this much: good, reputable services are pricey.

Caroline · Dec 16, 2009

Thanks for the support, everyone!

CaroGirl · Dec 18, 2009

Caroline said:
Thanks for the support, everyone!

Best of luck, Caroline!!

dropsofjup2 · Dec 18, 2009

Thanks, Teri but, it looks like I'm in the right place. I'm not a new writer but, new to the business of writing which, Caroline seems to be also looking into for development. Business writing or technical writing is a different subject but, does apply here too as a genre to pursue.

As it's been said, "Follow the money trail." I suggest you search the writer's market first to see where the money is coming from. If the genre is not your forte, you might want to keep searching for your genre or study more and go in the most lucrative places. A book to consider is "Writing for Quick Cash" by Loriann Hoff Oberlin that covers many genre. Good Luck, Caroline and everybody.

Terie · Dec 18, 2009

dropsofjup2 said:
Thanks, Teri but, it looks like I'm in the right place. I'm not a new writer but, new to the business of writing which, Caroline seems to be also looking into for development. Business writing or technical writing is a different subject but, does apply here too as a genre to pursue.

As it's been said, "Follow the money trail." I suggest you search the writer's market first to see where the money is coming from. If the genre is not your forte, you might want to keep searching for your genre or study more and go in the most lucrative places. A book to consider is "Writing for Quick Cash" by Loriann Hoff Oberlin that covers many genre. Good Luck, Caroline and everybody.

Carol, the point I was trying to make is that you've posted your question about mentors and critique services in the forum for 'business writing and technical writing' not a forum for the 'business of writing'. Seeking a mentor or critique service falls into the 'business of writing', it's not part of 'business or technical writing'. 'Business writing' is, by definition, corporate writing: PR, marketing, advertising, proposals, white papers, and so on.

If you look at the other forums in this 'General' group, you'll see they're all oriented toward types of writing: novels, scripts, poetry, and so on. This is the one for business and technical writing.

However, I've seen that you've posted the same question in the forum for scriptwriting, and I believe you're getting answers over there, so that's good.

Caroline, an experienced journalist, was asking about business (corporate) writing opportunities. You don't find those in the writers markets. Corporations don't advertise their jobs in writers market books; they advertise them in newspapers and with recruitment agencies.

dropsofjup2 · Dec 18, 2009

Sorry, my misunderstanding.

Thanks, Terie for clearing that up. Critquing, I suppose is for fiction, novels, poems, and the like. Critquing and editing is not typically for the business writer. I agree that having a job in the business field does give one connections and the word on what the company needs, if it's not your own. For example in pr or advertising, brochures, newsletters, and articles in newspapers and magazines.

Like in any new business, its best to promote your services and "fish for a bite." Scatter shot to as many as possible clients, then go with the strongest clients for opportunity and prosperity. You'll know where the most need is found.

Best wishes to all.

Good Word · Dec 18, 2009

Actually, critiqueing and editing IS for the biz writer too. I've done both and, while there are differences, there are similarities, too.

Terie · Dec 19, 2009

Good Word said:
Actually, critiqueing and editing IS for the biz writer too. I've done both and, while there are differences, there are similarities, too.

Yeah, that's the truth! (Though it sounds to me that Carol is looking for mentoring for scripts and genre fiction, which are different, if related, animals.)

A year ago, my company moved more than half the tech writing positions to India, so I spend large chunks of time editing non-standard English and mentoring those who wish to learn (sadly NOT the majority of the team) in information design. (Not to mention having to produce three times as much work as before in less time since the new writers are substantially less productive and still need lots of support. Sigh.)

One day this week, I spent nearly half a day teaching my teammate what goes in a release guide vs what goes in a handbook vs what goes in both, plus working out how to link (conceptually) information presented in different sections of a document so that the reader sees the relationships. It's fun teaching someone who's willing to learn!

dropsofjup2 · Dec 19, 2009

Actually, what I was looking for was an idea about the rates to begin private critiquing. The range looks quite huge according what was shared here and what I do. I find nonfiction and business writing quite dry without the spice of occasional fiction, poems, and scripts. I enjoy the variety and apply to each as needed. No dramatics from me or a mentor needed. Thanks to all.

coolblogger · Feb 14, 2010

New Writer

Hi Caroline. My question first is what is your background? Are you certified in MARCOM or Technical Writing? What projects have you completed to show in your portfolio? do you have any articles or blogs published online?

Coolblogger

Caroline said:
Hello all,

I'm brand new here (on AW as well as to the freelance writing world), and am looking for advice. I want to get started writing for businesses, but am having a little trouble deciding on/identifying a niche and possible markets. I'm also not sure what types of writing services I should offer--brochures? press releases? manuals? newsletters? It's all a little overwhelming.

Is it better to try to establish yourself in a specific niche, for example writing for vaccuum cleaner manufacturers? Or is it better to broaden your horizons a little and also contact housewares and decor manufacturers (those are just an example)?

How did you guys do it?

Caroline · Feb 28, 2010

Hi Coolblogger,

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you!

I posted that question before I had any idea what technical writing was, and thanks to everyone's answers on here, I realized I am most certainly not a techincal writer

My focus is corporate/PR writing, and my background is in print journalism. I've just recently switched careers (had to leave my newspaper reporter job when we moved cross country last year), and am now diverting my efforts into building a client base of small-medium sized businesses in need of copywriting.

What areas do you specialize in?

New business writer looking for advice

Caroline

CaroGirl

Living the dream

Caroline

CaroGirl

Living the dream

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

Caroline

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

CaroGirl

Living the dream

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

CaroGirl

Living the dream

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

Caroline

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

dropsofjup2

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

Caroline

CaroGirl

Living the dream

dropsofjup2

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

dropsofjup2

Good Word

still crazy after all these years

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

dropsofjup2

coolblogger

Caroline