Resurrection of a Copywriter
I’ve debated back and forth about writing this.
It’s true-to-form “REALITYcopywriting.”
This short e-column details what really happens to many people who possess a “less-than-perfect-life” (please, raise your hand if you this may be you) and embark on a journey like freelance copywriting…
By the end of 2006 - 12 months into life as a fulltime copywriter - the 2006 Copywriter’s Showdown announced me the winner of that year’s competition, pre-paid projects filled my calendar, three months in advance and my bank account received ten thousand Canadian “loonies” (one doll-hair coins) a month.
Copywriting clients also paid me more money than I would have thought possible just to strategize and brainstorm on the phone. Not one ever asked for a refund of any sort (except an opportunity seeker who had no real business - just some ideas).
Royalties started trickling down into my bank account.
I’d receive referrals from all over North America, effortlessly.
It was great.
January 2007. Nicole, my wife, returns from five month ordeal in the hospital. A life-threatening pregnancy. Our wonderful son Jonah has joined us. He insists on screaming every 30 minutes for the next 15 months.
Sleep-deprivation: A very interesting form of torture.
Nicole, who already suffered serious health problems, never bounced back very well (possibly something to do with Jonah screaming every 30 minutes). She couldn’t keep up.
Life changed.
By February I lost several copy clients because I couldn’t meet a deadline (mainly due to the endless needs of a helpless newborn). If my brain had been working properly I would have hired domestic help. But it really wasn’t the mindset I was accustomed to. Plus, a fulltime nanny felt like an invasion of privacy.
I ended up with one small client. Used up all our savings. Lived off royalties (until I sold them). Even used the credit card (e.g. without paying off the balance, for the first time in my life). Worked whenever I could. Hour here. 20 minutes there. 5 minutes here.
Instead of clients, I began working on projects like www.ConstipationRemediesforWomen.com where deadlines weren’t an issue. I’d partner with natural health doctors to create and sell programs to help people with specific ailments.
I learned a lot about trusting people to do their best. Suffered many bad partnership deals that didn’t work out (e.g. I did 90% of the work for 10-50% of the profit). Still… it was great first hand experience in all areas of running a product-based business.
I’m still seeing cheques, on autopilot, from these ventures, each and every month.
Starting your own product-based business takes a lot longer to get rolling compared to selling your services a copywriter. Sure, there’s more profit in selling products - but rarely quick cash.
If I hadn’t depended on others to contribute (while splitting income 50/50) things might have been very different, today. Also, if had been able to put in 8 hour days, versus 2-3 hours days, far more headway would have been made.
What’s more…I realized, I didn’t like creating information products. Didn’t like managing people. Running Adwords accounts made me feel more like an engineer rather than a writer.
I enjoy creating copy. Not setting up JV arrangements, directing customer support people, and interviewing web designers.
On the flip side, it’s been really great spending so much time with Jonah during his first 22 months of life. A lot of bonding that’s made it all worth the trials and loss of income.
But Nicole and I realized the ship could sink without drastic action. Residual income doesn’t last forever!
I also don’t thrive on any sort of “home maker” lifestyle. I realized we need someone on the home front. That was going to cost about $100 a day.
So I spoke with a past client who normally paid me around $240/hour. I offered him an “irresistible offer” of $100/day for 2 hours of writing/consulting (for a few months anyways). It’s mixed in with a complicated royalty deal - so there’s more money in the long run than $50/hour. But the flat fee covers the domestic assistant (who we hired last week). It frees up 6+ hours, to return to client work, and re-build my freelance business.
I’ve sold all my websites, except for REALITYcopywriting and my fiction writing site (currently in hibernation).
I’m a big believer in specializing. I saw myself either becoming a business “manager” or a copywriter.
I thrive on focus. Directing a large team does not interest me. Being an invaluable part of a team - that’s my role.
There were other reasons I originally backed off from writing for clients. We’ll talk about those in a future column, along with my plans for renewed self-promotion.
In many ways, I’m “starting over”… three years later. You get to watch. True “REALITYcopywriting” style. More next week.
P.S. Comments? Questions? Please leave them in the comment box below…
P.P.S. Curious how I won the 2006 Copywriter’s Showdown? Well, there are many reasons but… it’s no coincidence that I won only a few weeks after completing this copywriting training program…
P.P.P.S. If you’re new to REALITYcopywriting.com please enter your name and email in the box on the upper right (or subscribe to our RSS Feed) to receive notification of all new e-columns.
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3 Responses to “Resurrection of a Copywriter”
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December 12th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Hey John - Great post. Thanks for filling us in on some details of your business from the last couple years.
I got a lot of flak for yesterday’s post on my blog (”Ripped Off… Again”) — but I think it’s important to be transparent with people.
Although our lives are certainly different, I can relate to how much work it is raising kids. I’ve got three, ages 5, 3, and 1 currently. It’s a zoo around here.
Fortunately, my wife handles the kids during the day so I can stay focused on copywriting — most of the time.
Hope your “relaunch” goes well for you.
Ryan
December 12th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Ya man, me too. Some clients burnt me out and I stopped writing/checking email for 6 weeks. During that time I lost all my blog posts, a ton of backlinks and a pretty important domain. My business was stripped down to the bone, starting over. Feels somewhat refreshing, somewhat chaotic…
December 13th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Good luck
You’ll do just fine John.
Having kids is a real challenge , remember
” I was one too “