During the late 1990s and 2000s, I was a book publisher. I remember being obsessed with good sentences and a logical, easy to follow narrative. So I closely edited thousands of pages. And the reviews my authors got on Amazon and in print media proved we did a pretty good job.
I toyed with the idea of adding copywriting to my portfolio along with publishing. So I joined American Artists and Writers, Inc. They are the premier source for learning the art and science of direct response copywriting, the science of writing to persuade. So after some gigs doing print copy writing--promotional/profile custom magazines, brochures, a cancer center guidebook--I became aware of online writing.
Everyone was getting websites. Writing for the web was the future. It looked to me like the absolute best niche going forward. That’s because my specialty, direct response copywriting, was the perfect fit for this new, non-traditional, visitor-centric medium.
Who I Work With
I like working with people who own their own businesses. And their marketing managers. My brothers and my sister are all successful entrepreneurs. So are most of my friends. Even my college buddies. These are the people I’ve hung out with most of my life.
And before my career today as a web content writer, I owned an insurance agency and two book publishing companies. I organized and reorganized these businesses for efficiency and sales. In my publishing businesses, I took on product creation, marketing, and distribution.
My project skills as a researcher, organizer, and writer transformed all of these businesses. And this experience makes it easy for me to get my clients to think about how their organizations work. I help them organize their thoughts so we can create powerful, emotional messages.
I also grew up in the 50s and 60s, back when the grocery, hardware, and shoe store were locally owned…and the only game in town. And the small town relationships I had with the stores on Main Street are the inspiration for my visitor-centric content marketing online.
Making authors (for the most part amateurs) look good was my primary goal in publishing. Editing every sentence for clarity and relevance made my books easy to read. And they sold! My authors became experts in their marketplace, selling thousands of copies.
It’s the same with web copywriting. I help my clients tell their story with clear engaging text. I help them connect online with the people they want as customers.
I’m lucky to have been given this opportunity. To help businesses using my writing and editing skills to succeed online. Good people selling their products, helping make lives better. This includes my experiences writing for insurance agencies, architects, plastics manufacturers, beauty salons, franchises, lawyers, and much more.
If I’m not writing you’ll probably find me reading a novel. I love Updike, Roth, Irving, Dickens, Margaret Atwood, Steven King, Elmore Leonard, Ann Padgett, Tom Wolfe. I tend to pick books based on author, not so much by subject. Pretty much any story by these authors is a blast to read.
In the summer it’s golf and frequent trips to the Adirondack Mountains. In the winter, it’s books and cocktails in front of a cozy fire. My four kids are grown and out of the house, so it’s just me and my wife, Suzy, here in Utica, NY.