The Copywriter Underground

Newsweek columnist Anna Quindlen pens a review of the movie “Freedom Writers,” but also touches upon the value and role of writing in today’s society.
Jan. 22, 2007 issue - The new movie “Freedom Writers” isn’t entirely about the themes the trailers suggest. It isn’t only about gang warfare and racial tensions and tolerance. It isn’t [...]

It’s been a good start to the year. Maybe a little too good. Clients new and old are surfacing (or resurfacing) by the gross, and conference calls are lined up all week long.
I’m writing like the wind. I’m trying to keep it all straight in my head. And I’m going batshit.

I’m not the only one. [...]

The whole “eyes gouged out” thing is a teensy exaggeration. I’m not quite willing to do that, though I am ready to fall back on a tired, hoary cliche.
You don’t get to whine if you don’t vote.
Me? I’m voting precisely so I can whine later. It’s not pretty. But with old clients resurfacing and [...]

Who wants work?
A client notified me of an interesting corporate ghostwriting job that could easily turn into many, many corporate ghostwriting jobs.
Job Description:
We are looking for a copywriter that is interested in working throughout the year to write 32-48 page books.
Project:
Write 32-48 page “quick read” books for our clients. These books will be short, punchy, hard-hitting, and will include [...]

Have we truly witnessed the birth of the “Power 150″ top marketing blogs list? And given the long tail, does it even matter?

A quick scan suggests only one pure copywriting blog (The Copywriting Maven), and that copywriting’s heavy hitters (Copyblogger, Writing White Papers, Fortin, etc) seem strangely absent.
Of course, marketing is a much bigger sandbox [...]

I recently conducted a pair of Messaging Platform interviews with clients. I was struck by how good they are at their core competencies.
And how most market like it’s still 1991.
It’s not a knock so much as a reality. Marketing has changed more the last five years than it did the prior 50.
Anyone would have trouble keeping up - especially in [...]

The American Dialect society has chosen its 2006 Word of the Year. And thankfully, it has nothing to do with Web 2.0.
It’s Plutoed.
In its 17th annual words of the year vote, the American Dialect Society voted “plutoed” as the word of the year, in a run-off against climate canary. To pluto is to demote or [...]

Yesterday, a new client forwarded an original copy file from their SEO writer. It wasn’t pretty.
The copy was fine. But the formatting was sloppy. The file lacked branding, offered little project information, and even omitted minimal contact information.
That writer would never think to hand over copy poorly written on tissue paper. Why send the electronic [...]

There have been a lot of blog conversations lately about online writing jobs and the sometimes low rates writers receive.
More than a few bloggers (me included) have suggested that offline B-to-B copywriting is still the best way for struggling writers to boost their revenue stream and acquire high-value clients.
It’s not that online work is bad. [...]

It’s the Internet, so I shouldn’t be surprised when I find an excellent list of reference/style/grammar sites for writers on a design blog.
Still, I’ve been looking for a chance to mention the Designers Who Blog site for ages. Despite the title, they also concern themselves with photography, advertising, writing, etc.
Stop by and kick the tires.
As [...]