Starting Out in the Publishing Niche
By Heather Robson, Editor
Copywriting Insider

Common wisdom is that when you want to break into a new niche, you should start small and then approach bigger clients as you have more experience and more successes to point to. No matter what niche you want to become an expert in, starting locally is never a bad idea.

But what about publishing? Sure, finding local health-related companies and even local financial companies is pretty straight-forward. But publishing sounds a little more intimidating. Are there really local, small publishers who can use your services? You bet there are!

Here’s a four-step plan to build up your credibility and your portfolio as a copywriter in the publishing industry.

Step 1 – Research:

Like any niche, publishing has its own lingo, its own unique issues, and its own favorite approaches. You need to be knowledgeable in all aspects of publishing when you begin approaching potential clients. Even with smaller prospects, knowing your stuff will make marketing yourself much easier.

So take some time to learn about:

Circulation
Different publishing formats (why and when they are used)
Different marketing approaches
What a publisher expects from a first-run (and when they will enter into additional runs)
How newsletter publishing is different from publishing magazines or books

In other words, become an expert in as many ways as you can as early on as you can.

Here are a couple of websites that can help you learn the ins and outs of the publishing industry:

Publishing 2.0 is a blog site that helps you keep up with current trends and changes in the publishing industry and how they can affect your prospects.

Another good site is Self Publishing Resources. This site is geared toward people considering publishing their own materials, but it also has a lot of good information about the publishing industry in general. Check out their Resources page for articles, trends and statistics.

Step 2 – Establish Your Expertise:

As you are doing your research and becoming an expert on the publishing industry, keep good notes on any ideas that strike you. Use these ideas to write articles and reports, and then place them on your website, on publishing forums, on related blogs, in article banks, and in trade publications. Also, try to place them in a local or regional newspaper. Being able to show your prospects published clips or give them useful free reports when you begin marketing yourself can do wonders for your credibility in your prospects’ eyes.

Step 3 – Find Local Prospects:

This step is simple. Go to an online directory for your local area and look up “Publishers.” I live in the Boise area. A quick visit to Dex Online reveals three book publishers, five magazine publishers, more than 20 newspaper publishers, and a newsletter publisher. I found all those in a two-minute search that only scratches the surface. If I spend more time searching additional directories, I’m sure to locate many additional prospects.

Once you locate publishers in your area, collect their contact information, and then either send them a letter regarding your services or give them a call and find out if they ever use freelancers to create marketing materials. Whenever the answer is yes, get permission to follow up on a regular basis … and then follow up!

Step 4 – Expand Your Reach:

Once you’ve landed a project or two (or three) from local clients, begin reaching out to bigger prospects from a wider region. The more experience you get, the bigger prospects you can hope to land. Just keep at your marketing and keep adding to your expertise. This process – if you follow it methodically and do good work for your clients – will pay off.

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Published: August 12, 2008