The Boons Of A Professional Writing Career
LAUREN VIERA, LLC
THE BOONS OF A PROFESSIONAL WRITING CAREER
WRITER: JOSHUA HOGBERG
HED: The Boons of a Professional Writer’s Career
LED: Why you should
TXT: Writing can be a scary job. There are stories about how unstable it is, about how most authors will likely fail. As someone who lost her job in the midst of the recession, I can relate to that. I wasn’t employed at a small paper either, I was writing for the Chicago Tribune. If my job couldn’t be secured, I can’t imagine the anxiety a prospective author must face.
Fortunately, I believe there is another alternative to help them out: Professional Writing. The biggest fear that most writers face is likely a feeling of over-specialization. When we talk about writing, we think in terms of books and publishing, fiction, non-fiction, etc. Fortunately, professional writing for companies can be a good way to help alleviate those fears for all the graduating english majors reading this.
SUB: It’s in demand and can help secure income
TXT: According to the New York Times, in 2021, less than 1% percent of published books sold over 5,000 copies. The publishing world is fickle and runs entirely on luck. Nobody knows what they’re doing.
By comparison, professional writing jobs are expected to grow 4% between 2021 and 2031. That’s about average for most industries, so nothing spectacular, but it’s more reliable than publishing. Plus, on Glassdoor, the median professional writer’s salary is about $56,000 a year. So working as one can help keep your lights on while you’re trying to finish that novel.
SUB: It’s more interesting than you’d expect
TXT: I’ve learned more interesting subjects working as just a copywriter than I expected. I’ve worked with tobacco companies and production companies. I’ve written cultural guides to city neighborhoods, and pitched water-sourcing companies. I’ve learned how to appeal to investors, and even basic graphic design after one of my designers left a project.
Some people imagine this career as sitting at a desk every day writing up the weekly corporate newsletter. I promise you, it is vastly more interesting than that.
SUB: It can be easier to adjust to than you think
TXT: At the end of the day, good writing is good writing. There are specific formatting and technique pieces to keep in mind, but at the end of the day, good writing is good writing. This means that in order to excel at a career in professional writing, you may be able to draw on skills you hadn’t associated with it before.
For example, one of the first things I learned was to always take notes. I had previously worked as a journalist, so the importance of research and note-taking had already been driven into me. It was simple to take my instinct for picking vital details, and transferring them from news to marketing. You might be intimidated of being inundated with so many new expectations. However, you could end up adapting better than you think.
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