How can you become a successful writer? My answer began more than 50 years ago.
It was in 1968 when I got my first writing job. I was going to the American University in Washington, DC and there was a sign on the job board looking for a Capitol Hill correspondent. I was a journalism major so I called. The guy at the other end said to come down and bring writing samples.
The news bureau office was in the living room of a cramped Capitol Hill townhouse. The bureau chief looked at my samples from the student newspaper and magazines, looked at me, and said: “you’re hired.” I suddenly had a paying job and was immediately accepted into the Radio-TV Gallery of the House and Senate. I was officially a Capitol Hill correspondent — and I was deeply grateful.
It turned out the bureau chief was the only employee besides me. Two days later he quit. The owner called from South Carolina and asked if I could run the bureau. I said sure and became the chief of a Capitol Hill news bureau that served six radio stations and three newspapers in three states. I was 22.
However, you can’t be a bureau “chief” without a staff. That’s like being a general without an army. So I hired a college friend to work with me. When I went into the military he “moved up” and become the chief. He went on to become a successful radio correspondent and then did PR with major national associations. We were life-long friends.
A touch of employment
I soon became a Washington editor with Chilton Publications, one of the three largest business magazine publishers at the time. I also became a member of the National Press Club a few floors above us, an accredited correspondent on Capitol Hill with the Periodical Press Gallery, and a member of the White House Correspondents Association.
Chilton was a terrifically-good place to work. There was a salary. There were benefits. I had my own office with a view of the Washington Monument and the Federal Triangle. I traveled across the country to report stories. Chilton paid the tuition for the master’s degree I got at night. I had an expense account. Lunches with sources at great restaurants were encouraged. I worked with skilled editors and great writers, people I very much liked and admired. There was a company emphasis on quality. It was the era of the 9-to-5 job and people really left the building at 5.
Honestly, it was a dream job.
How to start
Always I had the urge to work on my own. My exit from Chilton was on good terms and with lots of notice, they offered a significant raise if I would stay. Nobody was angry with anyone.
I had saved money from Chilton and could go a few months without earning a dime but, otherwise, there was no safety net. I planned ahead. The day I became independent I had several clients in hand. My cash income rose! But what I didn’t have were benefits such as health insurance, vacations, or retirement.
My cost for Social Security went up because there was no employer in the picture. At the time, fortunately, I was young and health insurance was cheap, especially with a big deductible. I never had a claim. I was lucky. Today health insurance is expensive, so not as easy to afford.
To get business I took several steps.
First, I invested in business cards. I told everyone I knew I was available.
Second, I became visible. Meetings, parties, and events — formal or informal — I was there. Today I would be active on Facebook and Twitter, plus I would go to every local meeting I could find. You never know who you will meet.
Third, I was responsive. If people sent a letter regarding an article I always responded respectfully, whether the comments were positive or negative. You can learn a lot from critics.
The keys to being a successful writer
I see writing as a business. Some people do law or medicine, or plumbing, or teaching, or programming, or whatever. I do writing. I report, explain, and comment for editorial clients. For business clients, I position, explain, advocate, and ghost.
Being in business means you need a certain discipline. You must earn dollars. I took the money I earned and saved as much as possible every month. I bulked up savings because I knew clients could leave at any moment but expenses would continue. By age 27 I bought my first home.
Strategies & ideas for the successful writer
I grew my business in several ways.
I looked for clients with ongoing needs. One-time assignments are to be avoided unless they can lead to a continuing relationship. I want business every month.
I never missed deadlines. The reason is that other people need time to edit, layout, and promote. If I’m late there’s more pressure on them. Do they like that? Nope, not at all.
Good work was always important. I wanted to do superior work, to be seen at the top of my profession. If this meant putting in more time or doing more research that was fine. Doing the minimum is not enough.
I had a dual-fee pricing system. When people ask what I charge I always say I have two fees. First, there’s a cash charge for my work. Second, if I do a good job I want contacts to introduce me to new clients. You have to ask for business.
I found that titles counted. If you market your services as a “writer” you will generally be paid less then if you’re a “consultant” — even if the work-product is the same. Editorial clients want writers while businesses and associations want consultants.
I worked when I was productive. My day generally began at 6 AM or 7 AM. It ended when it ended. There was generally no schedule and no requirement to be somewhere. As long as I had clients and was productive I could arrange my time as I preferred.
I charged what the market would bear. When someone asks “what do you charge” my answer is “we need a fee arrangement which works within your budget. What’s good for you.” The answer is usually pretty reasonable. But, if not, you always have the right to say no. (Famously, there was the editor who said he was willing to pay between $1,000 and $1,200 for an assignment. I said, great, I’ll take $1,200. He just laughed – and became a very good client.)
And more
I worked at home. One reason was to avoid downtown rents, but a bigger reason was to avoid the time wasted on commuting. Equally important, by working at home I could work anytime, everything was right there.
I did business at restaurants. Out-of-town clients loved meeting at places that overlooked the White House or were filled with senators and representatives. So did local clients. Restaurants are neutral territory, not the client’s office or yours. There are few interruptions. People like to eat good food. It’s a good experience. Things get done.
I didn’t work with toxic clients. There are clients and contacts who will suck you dry with insane demands, poisonous reactions, and personal abuse. They’re not worth your time, no matter what your time is worth. Prize decent and ethical people. You’ll be happier, do better work, and be proud of the association.
Money was important. The great value of money is that it gives you options, including the ability to say no and the opportunity to help others without charge. How much money is enough? We all have different answers.
I traveled with contacts. A “client” might be a publication, corporation or association but ultimately you’re working with people. Those people – your contacts — sometimes change jobs. At the new job they might still need your services, someone they know and trust. The result is that I sometimes wound up with a new client and kept the old one when a contact changed jobs.
You want multiple clients. That’s because clients turn over and I never want to be without an income stream.
All clients leave. Why? Because times change. New contacts come in, goals evolve, and budgets are revised. It’s okay. You’re not a failure. When it’s time to leave be gracious. Thank your contact. If you leave on good terms the client may come back because you’re known. I’ve had a number of clients return.
The Internet world — it’s different
I try to keep the rights to my editorial work. It used to be easy to keep all rights but with the advent of the Internet that’s no longer true. Online publishers typically want at least some rights.
For example, I sold my first house without a real estate broker. I saved several thousand dollars, big money at the time. My attorney and I thought it was an idea that could be taught to others. We started an “institute” to teach classes. The classes were held in local hotels and became popular. They were covered in local newspapers.
One day an editor from The Washington Post called and said, hey, you’re a writer, can you write a weekly consumer real estate column for us? Sure. Absolutely. I was able to keep the rights after publication. I had our arrangement in writing.
A bunch of those columns became the basis for the first of seven books I wrote for Harper & Row, books that sold more than 300,000 copies. Because of my books I was on Oprah!, the Today Show, CNN, and many other media outlets. That exposure resulted in a nationally-syndicated newspaper column.
Retirement
People sometimes ask, hey, when will you retire? I like what I do. I follow my interests. If something grabs my curiosity, that’s great. And if people will pay for my labors, if I’m good enough, that’s great also. Meanwhile, there are no stone tablets that say I can’t do other things or spend time with friends and family.
My goal is to follow in the footsteps of Herman Wouk, author of The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and other exceptional books. He died ten days short of his 104th birthday — working on his latest project.
A final piece of advice
Don’t be a writer. Be in the writing business. That leads to becoming a successful writer. If you’re good at what you do you should be well-paid for your efforts. Money is a necessity. It’s also recognition for the quality of your work. The Army has this right, be all you can be. You’ll feel good about yourself.
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Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash
Copyright 2019 Peter G. Miller. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be re-posted without the express written permission of the author.
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