Re: Contract writing

[Herman Holtz <holtz -at- PALTECH -dot- COM>]

>Can I get some comments about contract writing?

>I've never been a contract writer myself, but I'd like to know more about
>what it's like, what a contact house looks for in a writer (tool knowledge
>and experience), what kind of hours you're expected to work, whether you can
>work part of the time from home, and so on.

>If you're an independent contractor, I'd like to know how you got started
>and what advice do you have for someone who's considering that career path
>(dream)?  What kind of experience and tool knowledge do you recommend (what
>do clients expect)?  How do you get your work?  What problems do you have?
> Any good books on the topic?

The answers to your questions depend on what you mean by "contract writer."
If you mean working as a temp, via a labor broker or job shop, you are a
full time employee of the job shop, usually assigned to work on the premises
of their client for as long as the client wants you. Some o those jobs ae
very short term; others have lasted for many, many months. On the other
hand, if you mean fully independent, signing contracts directly with
clients, you may work on-site or in your own ofice, as you choose or as
conditions mandate, and you can work whatever hours you wish or can get a
client to agree to.

You can find a number of books on tech writing as a freelance. One that is
well regarded is Tecnical Writer's Freelancing Guide by Peter Kent,
published b Sterling but available directly from Kent too at $12.95 (when I
bought my copy). Order from Kent at 2291 S. Coors Way, Lakewood, CO 80228.
Kent, btw, is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Internet and a
sequel to that also.
                                ***
Herman Holtz [holtz -at- paltech -dot- com] Marketing consultant, general and
technical writing services. Author 60+ books, including best-
selling How to Succeed as an Independent Consultant (John Wiley).
PO Box 1731, Wheaton, MD 20915. 301-649-2499; fax: 301-649-5745