Customer Reviews

Arco Making Money in Technical Writing

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I found this book outstanding and completely to my taste. But I am an aggressive entrepreneur and (in business matters) generally an optimist. That seems to be Peter Kent's personal style, so everything he said made perfect sense to me.

The mixed reviews given here may reflect different personalities, differing degrees of luck, or maybe just differing job markets (the two most negative reviews are from the Pacific Northwest--coincidence?).

In any case: (a) there are nowhere near enough technical writers; (b) there are a ton of outstanding opportunities for people who are bright and well-organized; and (c) if you want to take up the profession, this book can take you from zero to 60 in a couple of years.

But I reiterate: you've got to have the contractor's personality. Kent says that in his book, so (you negative reviewers) don't fault him if you see things differently.

With the popularity of the Internet as a serious publishing medium, many opportunities now exist for writers from a variety of backgrounds and experiences to make a decent living. This is particularly true in the area of technical writing. Peter Kent has written Making Money in Technical Writing to provide writers with insight into how they can turn their writing experience into real income producing opportunities!

This book will help answer some of the more pressing questions writers face today such as how to look for work, finding the right agency, which assignments to accept and which ones to reject, how to price work, how to copyright protect work, how to conduct contract negotiations, and what the pros and cons of freelancing are. Helpful advice on working more efficiently, selling work, building a good reputation, and tax preparation is also provided.

The author thoughtfully includes a number of good resources for writers that will get them started in the right direction. Information about Websites, writer's associations, technical service firms, correspondence courses, training courses, seminars, and writing and consulting books for further reading are provided. All of these resources will contribute to a successful writing career.

Subtitled Turn Your Writing Skills Into $100,000 A Year, this book will convince readers that this goal is possible. Make no mistake though. Serious effort is required to become a successful writer. Fortunes in the writing business are not typically made overnight but with the right advice, encouragement, and inner drive, the readers of this book have a fighting chance at becoming successful. Must reading!

I am not a techincal writer, but a techincal translator, yet there are many overlapping characteristics between the two professions. His advice on writing skills is most certainly applicable to us, too. The advice I appreciated most, however, was the practical information on taxes, laws, health benefits, canvassing agencies, and contract-writing. Due to the user-friendly layout, I was able to skip over irrelevant sections and go directly to what I wanted to read. Peter's book is highly readable, thorough, and resourceful, making it an excellent introduction to a freelancing career.

"Making Money in Technical Writing--Turn Your WritingSkills Into $100,00 A Year" is an
unabashedly optimisticlook at turning the pitfalls of freelancing into a money-making bonanza.
Author, Peter Kent, a prolific technical writer and author of numerous computer books, speaks
from experience. He advocates capitalizing on his three-step system of marketing techniques to
hit the cash jackpot. Fresh approaches to the staples of freelancing are covered with detailed
coaching: networking, negotiating with agencies, sales techniques, contracts, the IRS and taxes,
shopping for medical, life insurance and pension plans, incorporating. This is a prodigious
collection of tips--tried and true tools of success used by the author. Beginners or seasoned pros
can mine just the right nuggets of advice from this excellent reference. You will find a wealth of
on-line resources featured in useful web sites, mailing lists and newsgroups. Appendixes offer
technical service agencies, professional associations, training courses and seminars. Working
the three-step system is not just about increasing your income, but about spreading your wings as
a consultant, author of computer books or entrepreneur.

Out of touch? Out of step? Did these couple of previous reviews arrive via net or carrier pigeon? Peter Kent is one of the best writers writing about writing today -- and very much *for* today. Being surprised that technical writing requires a "technical 'knowledge base'" is not exactly a sound basis for complaint. For a very different view of Peter Kent's up-to-dateness, check out the consistently 5-star reviews of his Poor Richard's Web Site book, also here on Amazon.

If you have ever wanted to know the facts about technical writing and how to get into this field then this book is a gem!! Once again Peter Kent gets down to the nitty gritty and gives you everything you need to know to succeed as a technical writer. Not only is it easy reading it is full of fantastic resources to get you started. Well worth the time it takes to read and the small amount of money it costs to purchase!!

As a technical writer of close to two decades, this was a little disappointing. I do believe you can freelance and make decent money technical writing, but in recent times, both writing and graphic arts have taken a backseat to programming. And programming is not even a sure thing anymore. Maybe the book is a little out-of-date? But it should be emphasized that tech writing is a great career for us English majors who love to write and who need to make a living - whether it's making $40K, 80K, or 120K. It's better than working at Starbucks (though that could be good too).

It is my opinion that this book presents an overly optimistic view of contract technical writing. First of all, contract tech writing is limited to certain geographic areas. If you live in a nice, quiet little burg, you will have a hard time locating work. In other words, be prepared to move to the big city to find work. Telecommuting is not a reality for most of us. Maybe in the future, but not now! Second of all, everyone and their uncle is trying to get into the profession. Kent fails to mention that a technical "knowledge base" is necessary in order to convince those who have the power to hire you. Just having an English degree won't get you in the door. Thirdly, much of the material is just a rehash from the earlier edition.

Buy the book if you must, but keep your reality reading glasses close at hand.

Roger Peterson

This book gives solid advice to aspiring freelance technical writers. Whether you're currently working within the technical writing field, coming from a related area such as engineering or a medical profession, or just starting out, Kent gives a series of steps to take you from employee to freelancer. The book may be overly optimistic for writers coming from non-technical writing backgrounds, but if you're willing to put in the time to gaining experience and building your network, this book will help you create your plan. Some of the links and resources are outdated, but the reader can easily figure out how to find the same or similar resources. He gives a complete bibliography - though again, there are probably some good newer books that could be added to the list.

This book gives solid advice to aspiring freelance technical writers. Whether you're currently working within the technical writing field, coming from a related area such as engineering or a medical profession, or just starting out, Kent gives a series of steps to take you from employee to freelancer. The book may be overly optimistic for writers coming from non-technical writing backgrounds, but if you're willing to put in the time to gaining experience and building your network, this book will help you create your plan. Some of the links and resources are outdated, but the reader can easily figure out how to find the same or similar resources. He gives a complete bibliography - though again, there are probably some good newer books that could be added to the list.