In a previous life, I did PR (public relations).

Doing tech-related PR and blogging opened my eyes to the world of copy-writing.

Weird as this sound, and much as I write A METRIC TON about writing, making a career of the act and art of writing never crossed my mind.

This is a bit of an ironic turnaround.

My Dad didn't want me to study International Relations as an undergrad.

He didn't want me to study Communications and PR.

He wanted me to (like my brothers) study Engineering (whichever I preferred). I chose Chemical Engineering.

I went from Chemical Engineering to Economics of Technical Change to Human Geography and Political Science (and in the latter, to Public Policy and International Relations).

But I also did MBA coursework (something I rarely publicize). One of my favourite courses was ...

... International Marketing. Another course I loved was Marketing and Public Relations Campaigns. THAT was mostly when I realized "oh wow, people can GET PAID to write convincing copy that extolls the virtues of products and services".

During my MBA, I met SPEECH WRITERS.

I met people who GOT PAID to write politicians' speeches.

For those of you who have done communications, or who studied an undergraduate degree in English, Literature, or the like, this might be like "oh wow, I can't believe you did NOT know this".

But, to me, this was NEWS.

These friends I made helped me realize that yes, writing CAN be a service, and you CAN make money off writing. One of the most important things I learned from this particular friend who did speech writing was how much to charge for a speech and how to make it a product/service.

She told me: "oh, I charge anywhere between $1,500 and $5,000 for a 1,500 words speech."

YIKES. This was AMAZING.

You can also do writing on retainer fee/monthly quota (aka, "I'll write 5,000 words per month for your website, 10 blog posts, $2,500 per month retainer")

You can also write "per piece" (aka, "I'll write two articles per month for you and I charge $750 per piece. If it involves additional research, I charge $1,500").

To my friends who do freelance journalism and professional copy writing, this thread may be like "YOU DIDN'T KNOW?"

But remember... I was trained as a chemical engineer, and then as an economist of technical change. To me, making money involved getting a 9-5 job that was then paid every 2 weeks.

I did not know I could make money off writing, and off selling services. This was foreign to me.