Profitable – by Design2! Tapping the Writer/designer Partmership Goldmine (Second Edition)
By Peter Bowerman
Fanove Publishing, 2022
Ebook, 86 ppg.
Buy link
What does it mean for a commercial writer to partner with a designer? Is there any actual writing involved? And if so, what kind?
If you are the kind of commercial writer who has ever pondered these questions, then look no further than the second edition of the book, Profitable – by Design2! Tapping the Writer/Designer Partnership Goldmine by Peter Bowerman, which was recently updated and expanded. This new edition of the book was recently released and Peter was kind enough to provide me with a review copy.
This book answers the above questions, and more! I came to this book clueless about what it meant for a commercial writer to partner with a designer, as I have never done this. But this book was a handy introduction to this profitable and creative line of work that is open to commercial writers out there hungry to expand their marketing writing wings.
I like how Peter emphasizes the importance of being good at writing as the most important factor in attracting work. He elaborates on this in the Introduction, stressing that “being a person of value” (i.e., a good writer) will help you attract success, rather than having to chase after it.
Yes, being a good writer is essential in succeeding if you write for a living. Good writing skills will always be in demand.
Reading this book, a commercial writer might think, "Hey! Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone and learn how to design myself! That way, I can gain more bang for my buck in offering design AND copy to a designer." It's a nice thought, but Peter warns against it. He, too, once had this notion, and even tested the idea with a designer. It didn't go well. This particular designer warned that a writer learning design with a program such as, say, Microsoft Publisher, would only lead to what she calls a "nightmare." She goes on to note that "there's been a serious degradation in design and print over the past 10-15 years since 'non-designers' got their hands on desktop publishing tools. ... Encouraging writers to learn design just adds to that decline. Pros respect each other's professional skills enough to not cross into another's turf just to save a few bucks."
And Peter notes that "what a novice creates, design-wise, just won't be close to the output of a professional." (Page 26)
In other words, stay in your lane. Stick to your job as a writer.
Peter has put in A LOT of years of working with designers (it’s actually 25 years), so he comes to this book with lots of experience as well as lots of stories to tell. All good stuff, but the best part is that he also comes to the writing of this book with years of experience as a copywriter. He knows the copywriting business inside and out, so a reader of this book should take note when he points out how working as a copywriter WITH a designer is a little bit different than just working as a copywriter (for example, in this case, you don’t charge an hourly rate). This is all the more a great reason why it’s so important for anyone with experience as a copywriter would do well to read this book before taking the leap into partnering with a designer.
Another great feature about this book is the part where he shares what the designers say they want from the commercial writers they work with. Readers, take note! Especially since this new edition includes a fourth testimonial from a client that provides great information. Take heed of what they say they like about working with Peter and keep these qualities in mind; they are what you will need to practice yourself should you make the leap of working with a designer. Not only this, but out of all those testimonials, he provides the #1 quality a designer will look for in the commercial writer they hire.
At the end of the book is a bunch of samples of the kind of work Peter has done in partnering with designers. You can find the visuals of the samples on his website, and in the book, he explains the what, why and how of the work he created for each client. I liked reading how he came up with the ideas for graphics and text; it really gives good pointers on how to come up with ideas for each project.
Any commercial writer who is interested in taking up this kind of partnership may wonder: Do I need experience to land that first client? Read this book to get your answer and learn all about how to be the kind of commercial writer designers will want to work with on a long-term basis. Read the whole book to get all of the answers and, like me, you can walk away from the reading of this book a little more informed of how this kind of partnership can work for you.
And if you’re also wondering how the second edition is different from the first – aside from the areas I noted above – Peter sent me the info to include here:
“How’s It Different from the First Edition?”
Because the fundamental nature of the writer/designer partnership hasn’t really changed much since the first edition, you’ll see a lot of familiar content in this edition. That said…
• 12 more years of experience—both as a commercial writer, and one partnering with designers—have yielded a ton of new knowledge, insights and experiences—all of which I’ve added to this edition. The result is a richer, more seasoned and more nuanced discussion.
• It translates to a full 50% more content—by word count, not page count; you’ll find the pages in this edition are meatier and with less white space than the first edition!
• While P-BD1 included input from three veteran designers, P-BD2 includes a fourth designer, one who hired me steadily for eight+ years starting in 2012, yielding countless new experiences and learnings.
• While this new edition offers MUCH more, I haven’t raised the price one dime!
Seriously, you won’t want to miss out on this book! If you’re the kind of commercial writer looking to try your hand at something new with your writing, or if you’re a copywriter hoping to enhance the kind of work you are already doing, then check out the new edition of Profitable – by Design2! By Peter Bowerman so that you can get started!
Five stars
