Peter BowermanThe Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less

Like most aspiring professional writers, I probably have spent too much time over the years reading about writing, when I should have been writing. When my commercial writing, editing, and proofreading business finally began to take off, about five years ago, I pretty much stopped reading about writing, so that I could focus on, well, writing. However, a very good friend of mine, who is also a colleague for whom I have tremendous respect (since she is a better and more successful writer than I am), read The Well-Fed Writer about six months ago. Since she's had a flourishing business for 10 years and has earned an annual income somewhere north $125,000 for at least the past five of those as a FLCW - read the book to find out what that means - I was surprised that she was still reading books about writing. When she strongly recommended it to me, however, she told me that the book has very little to say about the craft of writing, or the art of writing, but she swore that it was the best resource out there on the BUSINESS of writing. After reading it cover to cover three times, and referring to selected portions of it at least a couple dozen times, I agree with her - I wish that I had found TWFW 10 years ago; heck, I wish that I had discovered it when the first edition came out nearly 20 years ago, because I think that I might have had less trepidation about launching my own FLCW career. The point is that, whether you're a novice or a seasoned pro, I would be very surprised if you don't find at least a few gold nuggets in TWFW. If nothing else, while it is obviously possible to build a great career without ever opening the book, it is also likely that if you are getting ready to launch your own foray into the FLCW world, Bowerman's book can keep you from spending a ton of time trying to re-invent the wheel. I am convinced that if you are a reasonably competent wordsmith, and if you pay attention to what Bowerman has to say, and you have the time and perseverance to go the FLCW gig full time - and really work at it - that becoming financially self-sufficient in "six months or less" is not just doable - it is probably fairly easily doable.Like I said, I wish that I had found this book a long time back!

I really do not remember how I found out about this book, but it has literally changed my professional life. I have been a full-time writer and editor for about two years and was plugging along with billings of $3-4K a month; but within two months I looked at my billings and they are now at $7-8,000 a month! Just me! Wow! I didn't start from scratch as many people who read this book will be doing; I already had in place some of the basics. But I was able to take Peter's recommendations and double my billings! I live in one of the states hardest hit by the economic meltdown.I did not read the previous editions, so I cannot compare this newest addition to those. I just know that Peter starts by blasting the "starving writer" meme and helping people to realize that writing is both a skill and an art that cannot be done by "just anybody with a computer". Although Peter lets people know that although they do not have to be professionally trained writers to become well-fed writers, they do have to do the work necessary to become skilled at the craft of writing and the business of marketing themselves.Peter gives step-by-step instructions on how to build a well-paying writing business for yourself using all of the latest tools and techniques available. Most importantly, all through the book, directly and indirectly, Peter reminds writers that they are WORTH charging real rates. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme; but solid advice on building a real business at a nice even pace over the next several months.I did raise my hourly rate from $55 to $75/hour and my per word rates from $0.10 to $1.00 - $1.50 per word, but more importantly--I almost exclusively charge by the project and use my hourly and per word rates as just benchmarks. I have almost more work than I can handle AFTER I changed my rate schedule.So, if you are one of those writers who is struggling with less-than-U.S. minimum-wage writing projects and trying to compete with people who charge or will only pay $0.01/word or less, get this book NOW. Then get a yellow highlighter and a pen and paper--remember those?--and read, highlight, take notes and read again. Then stop complaining about the economy and overseas competition and revise your entire business to not only reward yourself with a decent annual compensation ($60,000- $100,000 or more) before the end of twelve months, but also a well-balanced work life.

This book is very useful if you want to be a freelance writer. It tells you everything you need to know and do. It is very well written, realistic and practical. There are no shortcuts on the path to success but hard work is the key to success in all walks of life. There will be a lot of rejection and uncertainty ahead but that's the price you have to pay for having a hedonistic lifestyle and the freedom to pretty much just take on work you enjoy as opposed to being a victim of a mindnumbing office environment. Be creative and entrepreneurial and adjust to the gig economy as it sure as hell isn't going away, folks !!!

Peter Bowerman is clearly a talented and successful copywriter but can he pass his skills to wannabe writers via this book? While the book definitely got me motivated, and I am starting to bring some money in as a writer, I do think Peter may underestimate how his own character, personality and background in sales may have impacted his own progress. Having said that, any aspiring commercial writer will glean valuable industry know-how in these pages. Don't be too surprised, though, if you're not quite able to jack in the day-job by the end of the stated 6 months.

After I read The Well Fed Writer, I must have told lots of people who are also interested in making a living out of freelance writing, to read the book. In a nutshell - It's brilliant. The tone is inspiring; the information is really useful and the guy who wrote the book seems really lovely. So if you're thinking about venturing into the world of freelance copywriting, this is the book to buy.

Needs a re-write to reflect 'modern' sales and marketing approaches. Hardly touches on Internet, email, SM etc.

Great book. A nice step by step guide into setting up a business as a copywriter. This makes the whole task much less overwhelming.