Q. How much writing experience do you have?

A. Smart question! Mastering a skill takes some practice and copywriting is no exception. An experienced copywriter with a solid marketing background will write stronger content for you, which means you will get better results. I started writing commercially in 1990 and have been honing my skills ever since.

Q. Can you write in the style I need?

A. That depends. If you need articles for a Hip Hop magazine, I’m a lousy choice. On the other hand, I excel at writing persuasive content such as marketing collateral, press releases, and grants. I also have a strong business administration background, so I’m a good choice to write internal documents such as policy and procedures manuals or newsletters. I also write audio-visual scripts, presentations, and speeches, plus I have experience writing essays, magazine articles and ghostwriting books. I’ve provided a few writing samples in my web portfolio to give you an idea of some of the projects I work on and my success at matching my writing voice to my clients’ needs. If you’d like to see additional samples, please e-mail me.

Q. How much do you charge?

A. This is going to be an unsatisfying answer, but it can’t be helped. My fees are calculated based on your specific project so there is no hard and fast answer to this question. I have developed a list of estimated fees I use as a starting basis and I am always glad to visit with you about your needs and figure out what it will cost for my service. I calculate most fees on a per-project basis for two important reasons; 1) I want you to know and be comfortable with my price before I start working for you, and 2) I don’t want to have to remember to charge you if I get a good idea for your project when I’m driving to the grocery store. Writing isn’t like making widgets. I can’t just sit down at my desk and put tab A into slot B and produce what you need. Sometimes I have to leave my desk to think and sometimes I’m thinking about two or three projects at once. It’s unrealistic to try and sort out my brain when it’s working through the creative process. It’s better for both of us if we agree on the amount of writing you need and the price up front.

Clients who have on-going work, where the nature of the assignment makes it more logical to bill hourly, are billed $85 per hour.

Q. How do your rates compare to other copywriters?

A. I’m about at the median rate for copywriters nationwide. Check out this rate survey published by the National Writer’s Union to get an idea about how much various projects cost. Please note the instructions to multiply these figures by $1.25 to adjust for inflation. Numbers in this survey are very similar to the numbers published by Writer’s Market.

Q. So, if there are cheaper writers out there, why shouldn’t I hire one of them?

A. Thank you for asking! First of all, please don’t hire a writer by price alone. To get results, you need a writer who understands communication strategy. That is, they need to know how to write marketing collateral in a way that attracts potential buyers. They need to be able to write business documents that present all the relevant facts in a clear, logical manner. They need to know how to write audio-visual scripts that engage audience interest. Unfortunately, there are Madison Avenue “pros” turning out worthless, expensive copy and cheap hacks abound, so price is not necessarily a good indicator of results. Ask my competition what their clients report about the results of their writing. My clients report that my writing has a direct, positive bearing on their ability to achieve their goals. In fact, if I’m not able to help my clients achieve their goals as a direct result of my work, I’ll redo it. That’s right, my writing comes with a guarantee. So far, in all the time I’ve offered that guarantee, I’ve only had to honor it once – and in that case it wasn’t the client who asked me for a rewrite. I wasn’t satisfied with the results we achieved so I rewrote her content at no additional charge.

If money is an issue, consider writing the first draft yourself and hiring me to edit the final draft. 

Q. If I decide to hire you, will you put your quote in writing?

A. Absolutely, every time.

Q. How long will it take you to finish my project?

A. I wish there was a hard and fast answer to this question, but again, it depends. When we discuss your project, I’ll review my workload and give you a reasonable estimate of the time I need. If you need something written right away, I will do everything I can to accommodate you, but there will be a rush fee. One thing you can do to speed things up is provide me with plenty of background material and make yourself available to respond to questions I have in a timely manner.