Frequently Asked Questions

• Why is professional writing important for companies and organizations? 
• Why is professional editing important for self-published authors? 
• What kind of projects do you do?
• What are your rates?
• Is all your work done via email?
• How did Joel, the writer, become JoeltheWriter?

Why is professional writing important for companies and organizations?
Because it can make the difference between a tremendously effective communications piece and a merely adequate one. Every document prepared on behalf of your products, services, programs or personnel becomes archival material that may represent you and the company or organization for years to come. Sometimes indefinitely. From the simplest press release to an entire website, from a pocket brochure to a comprehensive white paper, from an executive memo to an employee newsletter, all corporate writing needs to have significant impact and must be extremely well-crafted, concise and error-free.

Why is professional editing important for self-published authors?
Because most authors see and feel their work so passionately from their own hearts and minds that they can easily become blinded to the kinds of problems that would be noticed by a fresh pair of eyes. These problems include verbosity, mixed tenses, run-on sentences, misplaced modifiers and more. Also, although we’ve all learned how to write, the intricacies of style, grammar, syntax, occasionally even spelling, sometimes trip up self-published authors who have not completely devoted their lives to writing. Professional editing is integral for self-published authors who do not have a publishing company behind them. The better the work, the better the chance for success.

What kind of writing projects do you do?
Press releases, white papers, fact sheets, case studies, newsletters, corporate capability documents, speeches, annual reports, advertorials, brochures, fliers, websites, blogs and more. I have also written product reviews, eulogies, and CD liner notes.   

What are your rates?
Competitive. Because after we work together on an initial project, you may agree that there is value in using me again. For copywriting, I prefer to work on a project-by-project basis, and prices are determined after discussing the size and scope of each assignment. (Hourly rates and retainers can also be discussed.)

Is all your work done via email?
Almost. I’ve written for businesses from Canada to Missouri and for independent authors and musicians from Florida to Hawaii. (Overseas, too.) The email/phone combo works very well. I reside in Connecticut and am available for on-site meetings for any client located within a two-hour drive of my office. Visits beyond a two-hour radius are possible for those clients willing to pay travel and/or lodging expenses.

How did Joel, the writer, become JoeltheWriter?
That’s the easiest question of all. I’ve never wanted to do anything else but write. Ever since I was a boy, nearly everything I overheard, saw happen in the distance, learned in school or simply wondered about I turned—in my head, at the beginning—into books and plays and movies and magazine articles and who knows what else? When I grew up, I started doing everything I could to take it from my head to the page. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since.