What is a copywriter? Does that have anything to do with the United States Copyright Office in Washington, D.C.?

A copywriter is a professional writer who specializes in written content for marketing, educational or technical materials, mainly for business. Copywriters write advertising, brochures, website content and much more for their clients.

"Copyright" is a legal term referring to the legal rights belonging to the creator of a creative work. The U.S. Copyright Office is the United States federal agency in charge of maintaining copyright registrations and deposits. Their website is at http://www.copyright.gov.

I don't have any questions; I just want to get started. What is the process?

First I'd recommend reading my terms sheet for my business policies. If you'd like to see some examples of past projects, download a copy of my samples portfolio. Finally, contact me and we'll then discuss your marketing needs and how I can best help meet them.

If you already have a specific project in mind, I can deliver a cost estimate typically within one business day of receiving all relevant project background.

Once we have agreed upon a course of action, you will receive a contract from me via email (PDF) to sign. Sign the contract, fax it back, and put the deposit check in the mail. I will accept the signed contract to represent an executed agreement and will begin work, watching for the deposit to arrive in a few days.

I generally do not wait on the deposit arrival before beginning work, but instead immediately schedule a "launch call" - a more formal version of our initial conversation, this time in more detail and digitally recorded for future reference. In this call, we will make concrete plans for project development, establish a firm timeframe, discuss your background materials and marketing dynamics, and send me off to start writing work on first draft copy.

Depending on the size and scope of the project, you will receive a first draft of your project copy within 5 to 15 business days. If revisions or edits are required, we will schedule a new call to discuss it and to plan the next draft round.

How many drafts do you generally require to get the copy to a final state?

Almost every project requires at least two rounds: a rough draft and a final polish.

Very rarely will we nail it perfectly the first time out, for two reasons. One, I don't waste much billable time (i.e., your money) on the first draft by overly debating stylistic word choices and specific polish points; my main concern on the first round is the factual accuracy, direction, structure and scope of the piece. Once we know that the copy is going in the right direction, then I'll go back and polish it up to a fine sheen.

The second reason why multiple drafts are typically required is because - assuming I've done my job right - new ideas tend to come up once an actual draft is on the table for review. This is very common: the message, until now stored exclusively in verbal discussion and mental dialogue, takes on a new life once it's on paper. Once that first draft is delivered, many clients then come back with ideas, directions, concerns and opportunities that were never mentioned in the launch call. These points are brought up in the first draft revision call and end up incorporated into a second rough.

Most clients should expect a three draft process. This is normal and a sign of a healthy project. If we have to go beyond three drafts, that is usually - but not always - a strong sign that either we're not communicating well, or that we need to revisit the original project spec. Four-plus drafts on a single piece is pretty rare, and I work pretty hard to avoid it.

What services do you provide to your clients?

I am a professional business and marketing writer, specializing in providing a wide range of promotional and communications support services for businesses. In cooperation with a closeknit team of other marketing specialists, I provide to my clients services including:

• Writing and Editing
• Advertising
• Website Content
• Flash Scripts
• Newsletter Copywriting
• Article Ghostwriting
• Editorial Consulting
• Branding and Identity Consulting
• Print Collateral Copywriting (Brochures, etc.)
• Strategy Communications
• Press Kits and Media Relations

Can you put that in English please?

I'm sort of a written-language image consultant.

Imagine if a representative of your business arrived at an important client meeting wearing a t-shirt, jeans and worn sneakers, and then spent the first half hour of the meeting talking about his recent break-up with his girlfriend, following that finally with ten minutes of abject begging for concessions to your client's normal procurement rules.

Now imagine the phone call from your client.

Would your representative keep his job?

This kind of situation doesn't often happen in the real world, because successful businesses don't tolerate it. Success is built on client confidence, and confidence comes from professionality - as well as the image of professionality. Attention to detail tells your clients and prospects that you take their business seriously.

Many businesses today, however, are doing something just as bad with something just as - if not more - important than face-to-face conduct: their written communications.

The public will encounter your business in writing long before they do in person. Whether on the Web, in a brochure or in a magazine article, that writing will create the first and strongest impression the public will have of you. In addition, written material has a far longer shelf life than the in-person meeting; while a bad meeting is ultimately forgotten, your business could easily still be judged in ten years by the written materials you are using today.

Flawed and unprofessional work - materials full of misspellings, grammar flaws, personal tone, irrelevancies, misdirected (or even nonexistent) focus, redundancies and other signs of bad writing - can make your business seem illiterate, uninterested and incompetent.

The worst part is, without the services of a professional writer, you may not even know it. And without accurate diagnosis, any attempt to fix the problem is fated to only make matters worse.

That's what I do for my clients: I provide services that help refine the written image that they project to the public. I evaluate what they are doing now, look for ways to improve on it, and use special care in creating the focused impressions that communicate influence, prestige and professionality.

I look beyond the here-and-now and craft the words that will not only make a good impression, but will continuing doing so, years into the future.

Do you focus on a particular industry or type of copywriting?

As you will be able to see from my background and client list, I have worked in a wide variety of industries and written on many diverse topics. I've written copy for a major brand of premium vodka, a Canadian phone company, a Christian book publisher and the largest accounting firm in the world, among many other clients.

While I do consider work in virtually any topic and field, my practice tends to focus heavily on industrial copywriting - writing for clients in highly specialized niche industries that require extra attention to detail and research, with a special lean towards manufacturers. Such work is most often B2B (Business To Business) marketing and educational copy.

I like topics that have meat on their bones, so that's where I tend to gravitate most.

Are your services right for me?

Note: If you're currently shopping around for a good writer, please read my article, "How To Hire The Best Freelance Copywriter - For You", for a few tips on making a wise business investment.

Only you can answer that, because businesses seek out marketing services for a variety of reasons, and with a variety of needs. Working with a freelance professional is not for everyone. Most of my clients, however, find that our relationship has several advantages:

Personal attention and professionalism. Unlike with most ad agencies and large marketing firms, my clients work directly with the people creating their marketing materials. No secretaries, no middle managers, no salespeople - just the people getting the job done. That personal attention means that no client is ever simply an account number or budget figure, and that the creative vision of every project stems directly from the experience and needs of the client.

High quality. To succeed in the freelance world, every new project has to be our finest to date, which requires an endless commitment to education - new design skills, new advertising strategies, new marketing techniques - and a solid dedication to high integrity and professional standards. Within budget and time constraints for your project, you will receive the highest quality service and products possible.

Flexibility and cost effectiveness. Every business interest is unique, while "packages" provided by larger marketing firms may not be. Your practice may require an ongoing marketing campaign, a monthly newsletter to your clients, or nothing more than a new brochure once a year. Working on a project-by-project basis ensures that you never buy what you didn't ask for, while providing you with professional quality on even the smallest of projects.

Up-to-date industry experience. As an experienced B2B writer currently serving clients in a wide range of technical and professional fields, I am in a unique position to deliver the most current industry marketing experience to your project. From finance and high tech to energy and healthcare, I can bring valuable insight to your project that other marketing alternatives can't match.

Low risk. I don't require my clients to have a certain minimum annual marketing budget, or to sign themselves into obligation for future projects. I keep my professional terms simple and up front - clear and straight answers, no fine print. Low risk keeps everyone happy.

Relying on freelance marketing often provides just the right mix of integrity, professionalism, quality and control required by the successful independent professional.

I'm an educated, intelligent, literate human being. Why should I hire a copywriter to do my writing for me?

English is the language of commerce in the Western world. How the English language represents your business interests will determine in a great way how successful your business becomes.

Every single one of my clients is an intelligent, articulate businessperson, fully capable of constructing grammatically correct English sentences. Most are formally educated and many wrote their own copy before finally deciding to turn the job over to a professional. Few enjoy the task of writing themselves - however, my clients do not seek out professional services merely to supplement their high school English educations.

A professional writer is actually a professional communicator, one whose skills only begin with a developed understanding of sentence and paragraph structure. Storytelling, dramatic presentation, relating to an audience, establishing credibility, and emotional leading are all components to quality writing that only a professional-level writer can bring to a project. The right tone, structure and presentation are vital and yet complicated to achieve. While almost anyone can express themselves in the English word, not everyone can effectively and persuasively communicate to total strangers the complex issues surrounding your market and business.

This is the value of contracting a professional writer to represent your interests.

Do your contracts include confidentiality agreements?

I take the privacy of my clients as seriously as I take my own. In the course of my work, I routinely handle a considerable amount of valuable proprietary information; very often, important business interests would become compromised if the details of specific client work were publicly released. Confidentiality from your writer is as important to the success of your business as is confidentiality from your attorney.

I believe I have one of the strictest confidentiality policies in this business. Every contract contains a clause binding me from divulging not only materials released to me, but the nature and details of our relationship, without an explicitly signed written authorization from you.

I found the perfect copy for my project on someone else's website. Can we use it for our project, maybe just changing a few words around? Would that be legal?

Absolutely not.

Unfortunately, many people today don't realize that copying written content without permission, particularly for business purposes, is illegal. It's called plagiarism, can expose us both to very expensive lawsuits, and I will not be a party to it under any circumstances.

If I discover that you are plagiarizing someone else's written copy, I will terminate our working relationship immediately. As a professional writer with a reputation to maintain, I can't afford to be even associated with plagiarizing activity.

With the availability of free online services such as Copyscape, detection of copyright violation is a fairly simple task. I routinely perform such searches at the start of my client relationships, and strongly encourage anyone knowingly engaged in plagiarism to find themselves another copywriter.

I talked with another copywriter, and they were willing to do a sample job for free to secure my business. Do you offer unpaid sample work?

No. I've long since passed the point in my career where I'm tempted to do work on speculation ("on spec"). Any copywriter worth hiring is too busy with paying clients to spend much time doing work for free.

A collection of writing samples - projects excerpts written for other clients over the years - can be downloaded here. It should provide you with a general overview of my writing style in a variety of different commercial contexts.

While I do not perform work on spec, I do understand that hiring a copywriter can be an intimidating process, and that there are concerns and risks involved. For this reason I generally recommend starting with a small and unambitious project scope, expanding the job as the relationship grows. Call my office for more information on how we can structure your project as to minimize the financial risks you assume in hiring my copywriting services.

How soon can you start on my project?

My project availability fluctuates based on the time of year, my current workload, and a number of other factors. Rarely these days do I run a backlog longer than a week, and usually I can start a project within a few days of receiving all relevant project background.

For my current project availability, please ask.

Do you provide search engine optimization services?

Yes and no. In addition to being a writer, I also have a technical background that includes website programming and web server administration; I'm familiar with SEO technique and often provide related services to my clients. These services are limited to website analysis, content creation and keyword-specific copywriting.

What I don't do is sell SEO packages, or promise top rankings overnight. It just doesn't work that way. If you're looking for search engine shortcuts, I wish you luck but I'm not your guy.

My needs are very limited; I only need a question answered or someone to give my website a quick once-over, and I can't afford to pay your retainer fee for such simple service. What would you suggest?

I stay pretty busy serving the interests of my clients, so very rarely do I have the time to offer free advice or consultation. Even so, there are a number of options available for those who aren't ready yet to retain a professional marketing specialist.

I often write articles about writing and marketing; you might find the answer you are looking for there. If not, feel free to drop me a line and suggest a topic for an upcoming article or column.

I no longer offer free website or manuscript evaluation.

Do you have a minimum project charge?

Yes. I charge a minimum of three hours for a new project assignment, regardless of how long it takes to actually complete the job. I apply this rule most often to new clients, and for such minimum projects early in a relationship, I require full payment in advance.

For regular clients with whom I have a good working relationship, I tend to be pretty flexible with this rule.

Do you bill on time increments?

I bill on an hourly basis, at half-hour increments and starting at one hour.

My marketing needs are limited but regular; I may only need your services once or twice a year. Would I need to keep you on retainer to maintain our relationship?

Not generally. Over the years I have assembled my business to best allow me to archive and maintain complete documentation of my client relationships. This includes retaining all deliverables, background materials, digitally recorded launch/revision calls, emails and contact/billing logs. I have complete records of every client relationship I've had since about 2003 or so - it comes in handy when an old client calls after two years, eager to pick things up again.

Much of this information is also available to the client through my Client Services online project management system.

Generally speaking, the only time I require an additional retainer is in rare situations where an additional consultation session is necessary to determine a client's current project needs.

Do you outsource your services to subcontractors?

It's a dirty little secret in this business that few of the big names in copywriting actually do much writing. Their names bring in the work, but they then charge a premium and outsource the jobs to lower paid freelancers.

I do not outsource any writing work of any kind, mainly because I don't trust anyone else with my clients' copy. I do not intend to start outsourcing writing work. The writing you receive from me was written by me.

I do commonly outsource nonwriting project tasks (graphic design, website programming, etc.) to other professionals I know and trust. In those situations, I will make a full disclosure to the client of who exactly I'm working with to complete your project, and the extent of their participation. Subcontractors are held to the same confidentiality terms that I agree to.

I have my own web designer/graphic artist, and I'm not sure how you would coordinate with them. How does that work?

Specialists in graphic design, web design and copywriting work with each other all the time. While I do have my own contacts that I am comfortable with, I have no problem working with your people.

Early in the negotiation for any multivendor project, we will sort out the players involved and who handles final project management. In the end, your team is entirely your choice.

I would like to hire you to write copy for my client, but I'd rather the client not know that I'm outsourcing the copywriting. Can we work out something?

My contracts all include confidentiality agreements which bind me from divulging (among other things) the terms of our professional relationship, even to your clients. If you prefer to project a united front to your clients by not divulging the freelance nature of our relationship, that is entirely your privilege and I will respect it.

How much is my project going to cost?

Final costs to the client depend entirely on the complexity and sophistication of the project.

I work on an hourly basis; however, for small and medium projects I can often estimate total time required and deliver an accurate estimate. This estimate will be based on a standard hourly rate multiplied by estimated time to completion, factoring in other project complications such as premium services, research and meeting time. If I'm also managing other creative team members (graphic design, SEO, etc.), I bill an additional charge.

I no longer post my rate schedule online. To receive a quote on your project needs, please use my quote request form.

How will I be invoiced for my project?

Except under particular circumstances (or on client request), I mail invoices at the end of the month in which services were rendered. Payment is due within 30 days of invoice date, unless agreed upon otherwise. Late payments are subject to a monthly penalty fee of 10% or $50.00 USD, whichever is greater.

I now also provide online billing to my clients. New charges are posted to your online account with one business day of occurrence; you can then track the status of your projects and invoices with my online client services.

How do I get a Client ID/Password to log in to the "Client Services" area?

You must be a signed client to access this area. Shortly after you have signed a contract and initiated your first project, I will email instructions for accessing your online Client Services account. These instructions will include a client ID and password.

Authorized clients can view their entire invoice and project records online (including current month). All deliverable documents (drafts, analyses, reports, notes) are also stored in your client account and are available for easy download.

Obviously, this information is considered highly confidential, and is available only to myself and the owning client.

Why do you require a deposit/retainer up front?

My policy is to require a deposit (usually 1/2 project estimate, nonrefundable) for all projects; for certain services and small projects, I require full payment in advance. Part of this policy is about cash flow and part is about insurance, but in either case the issue is the extending of credit to my clients. If I have a solid professional relationship with a client, marked by nothing but good experiences, I have no problem waiving my deposit requirement unless the project scope (and thus the fee) grows into a cash flow issue.

I require a retainer for consultation sessions to limit the time I spend fruitlessly on people seeking free marketing advice.

What forms of payment do you accept?

For clients residing within the United States, I accept payments via check, money order, and bank wire. For domestic accounts, my preference is payment by check.

For clients outside of the United States, I only accept bank wire at this time.

Note: Payment by bank wire may involve an additional convenience fee. Contact my office for details.

What professional style standards do you follow?

For anything except press releases, I follow the guidelines of The Chicago Manual of Style. Any material released to the news media is written according to the standards set forth in The Associated Press Stylebook.

Some publication needs require localized style guides which normally are modifications of Chicago. In those situations I follow whatever style standard has established precedence.

When is the best time of day to reach you in your office?

I am typically available in my office during normal business hours, 10am to 5pm EST, Monday to Friday. If I am on a deadline, I will only pick up the phone if I recognize the Caller ID and have the time to talk. Otherwise, leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can. I don't respond to client calls or emails outside of normal business hours (i.e., evenings or weekends).

My money is as good as anyone else's - so why did you turn me down as a client?

I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason. After our initial contact, I will typically spend some time digging around and learning as much as I can about you before deciding to accept your job. If I turn up information suggesting that you're a credit/payment risk, I'll be polite about it but will happily let some other writer take that chance.

The second most likely reason for my turning down your project is that I've discovered that you're engaged in unethical, dishonest or just downright illegal practices. This unfortunately happens far, far too often. I don't work for scams: before I can write believable copy for your business, I have to believe in your business myself. If after some review I come to believe that you're hiring a writer to write spam, help promote a fraud (technically legal or not), or are just generally trying to pull one over on people, I won't work with you and likely won't call you back. If I discover this during the course of our working relationship, I will terminate the relationship immediately.

Finally, it's possible that I'm simply too busy with obligations for current clients to take on your project right now. If that's the case, I'll tell you and try to work out an alternative schedule to get your job done.

I'm not a scam artist, just an innovative and misunderstood businessperson beset on all sides by the bitter, entrenched forces of orthodoxy.

I'll see your entrenched forces of orthodoxy, and raise you a D&B credit check, a public records search and first rate Google skills. You'd be amazed what a guy can learn with a little effort and some friends.

I've downloaded your samples portfolio but can't find the exact industry/project type that fits my needs. Can you send me more specific writing samples?

My downloadable samples portfolio is designed to communicate two things: my writing style in a variety of industrial contexts, and the process I generally follow when working with clients. There should be more than enough information in my portfolio to provide an idea of what you can expect when we work together.

In the vast majority of cases, when prospects ask me for additional samples - particularly, specific types of writing in specific industries - it's only because they are looking for writing examples to emulate themselves and so it never turns into an actual sale for me. For this reason, I don't hand out additional or specific writing samples unless I have thoroughly researched the requesting party and have determined that they are established and serious enough not to simply fish the Internet for free work.

I have this great idea for a novel/movie/children's book/comic book/whatever. It's based on my life - you can write it and we'll split the proceeds! How about it?

No. Honestly, most of the time the requests I get like this are so hilarious or pathetic that they end up as humorous cautionary tales around the office. Like the guy who was being hunted by the MIB's of the Anheuser Busch Corporation and wanted to get his story out before they silenced him. Or the woman who wanted to write a children's book about her childhood rape.

This kind of stuff is NOT what I do. Please stop asking.

I'd like to arrange a reciprocal business referral relationship, where we send each other clients and each get a percentage off the top. How does that sound?

I've tried it and had bad experiences with it. I'm not eager to try it again.

I commonly refer clients to trusted outside vendors for services that I can't handle myself, but the operative word here is trusted. When I make a referral, it is because I know I'm sending them to someone who will treat them well - otherwise, I'm staking my reputation on the promise of a ten percent blind commission. Never again.

If you want a referral, convince me. You don't have to pay me. Neither will I pay you.

If you can cut me a deal now, I swear, there's a ton of work coming and you'll get all of it. Will you give me a discount?

Only if you pass a credit and background check, and if you commit to the future spending in signed contract form. Otherwise I've heard it all before.

Do you require a byline or credit if I publish the material you write? Do I own the material that I've paid for?

As any professional writer will tell you, it's not the words - it's the rights. The sharpest writing in the world does you no good if you don't own it.

Most of my writing and editing services are done under a contractual agreement that transfers all intellectual property rights to the client upon satisfaction of the agreement. You bought it, you own it, and you can do anything you want with it.

Things get a bit dicey on ghostwriting projects - commissions for complete works in the client's name - which I consider on a case by case basis. My policy generally is to not require a writing credit on nonfiction ghostwriting contracts with individuals. However if a publication or other media producer commissions a complete work for publication, or requires enough developmental editing on a preexisting work to justify it, I will require an attribution and in some cases a royalty agreement.

In the vast majority of my contracts, this is never an issue. If you're in doubt about your project, please contact me and ask.

Can you provide an end product in XYZ format?

For written copy, my preference is Microsoft Word 2000 format (DOC or RTF), but I can deliver in most other common formats including PDF (Adobe Acrobat), any of the other standard Microsoft Office formats (Word, Publisher, Powerpoint, Excel), XML, OpenOffice formats, basic HTML, and standard flat ASCII. I can even render the text into graphic image form (JPG, PNG, GIF, etc.) if you like.

Proofs for design-based materials (brochures, advertising, etc.) are provided in PDF format. Final print-ready designs are provided on overnighted CDROM in standard EPS and TIFF formats.

Under certain circumstances, I am also willing (in addition to above) to deliver finished copy directly to your CMS, should you require it.

If you need a format other than these, drop me a line and ask.

Our project is large, complicated, and involves a number of in-house participants. Can you come to my place of business and work on site?

Unfortunately not. At any given time I may be working on between two and six projects, all requiring my availability. Because of this, I don't work on site with my clients on a dedicated basis. I am open to in-person meetings, however, perhaps on a regular basis. I bill my standard hourly rate for such meetings, including travel time and expenses (if any).

It's inconvenient for me to meet with you. Can we conduct our business over the phone, fax or email?

These days, rarely are in-person meetings necessary to develop effective marketing copy. I prefer conducting consultation meetings over the phone; background materials can be sent to my office via email or overnight. Followup contact can be conducted by phone, email, or support forum.

I'd like to get started as soon as possible, but I realize that it will take time to mail you a contract with a deposit. What are my options?

You have several. First, however, please remember that I reserve the right to bill a rush fee for very short deadlines; if I choose to exercise that right, however, I will inform you up front and you may then reschedule, if you wish.

With technology today, it's often possible to get started on a same-day basis. I will email my contract to you in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) document format; you can then print, sign and fax it back to me, along with a copy of the deposit check that you're mailing or overnighting to me. I now use an Internet-based fax service that immediately returns your fax to me via email. Once I have contract and at least a copy of the deposit check in hand, I am prepared to begin work on good faith.

If you have a digital scanner available, you may also email your contract rather than faxing it.

I currently use bank wires to receive deposits/retainers for clients outside of the United States. If you wish to use bank wire to send me your deposit, let me know and I'll supply payment information.

Are you hiring?

I don't have any employees, and I prefer to keep it that way for now. If you are a fellow freelancer working in a nonwriting field (graphic design, web design, translation, public relations, etc.), by all means, drop me a line and say hello. I can always use a few more good contacts in my book. However, if you contact me asking for a job, you will not receive a response.

I do not outsource writing work of any kind.