The Next Chapter: What’s Changed & What to Expect

Things are changing at the Well-Fed Writer, but hopefully in good ways. The blog is back. The newsletter will continue. There’s a new LinkedIn profile to feature older and new shorter content. The books aren’t going anywhere (and will have new editions down the line).

For the most part, what you love about the Well-Fed Writer remains (even Peter, who plans to contribute to future EPUB issues). What you can expect is even more.

And we’ll get to that. But make sure you read to the end to find out how you can win a copy of The Well-Fed Writer as we celebrate Peter’s retirement and the brand’s transition.

If you’re curious about what’s already changed around here, or you want to know what’s coming, keep reading…

The Leadership Change

As you’ve likely heard by now, my name is Jennifer Mattern, and I’m taking over the Well-Fed Writer brand from Peter Bowerman as of last month.

Who exactly am I though, and why am I qualified to take the Well-Fed Writer forward?

I won’t bore you with my life story in this post. You can learn more about me on my bio page. But here are some highlights to give you an idea of what I can do, both for you and the Well-Fed Writer:

• I have around (and, in some cases, more than) 20 years of experience in each of the following: freelance writing / business writing, digital marketing, PR (including being an early specialist in modern social media), blogging, web development, SEO, and indie publishing.
• I’ve helped newer freelance writers start and grow their businesses via All Freelance Writing since 2006 (and via other channels earlier than that).
• Most of my freelance experience has been in the commercial freelance space – PR writing, marketing copy, white papers, case studies, ghost blogging for business leaders, etc.
• I’ve also worked extensively (both in writing and consulting) for independent and creative professionals, meaning I’m well-positioned to help fellow writers with their businesses as my experience goes far beyond building and promoting my own.
• I believe strongly in helping freelancers understand the fundamentals (business, marketing, technology, etc.) that can help them not just survive, but thrive.

If you’re looking for more than an average freelance career… if you’re looking to earn $100, $150, even $200+ per hour (yes, it’s possible!)… I’m here to help.

I want the next generation of freelance commercial writers to continue to be inspired by The Well-Fed Writer and Peter’s work as much as I was. And I hope you’ll join me in this next chapter.

Now, let’s introduce you to some of the recent changes around here and what comes next.

The Website

Here’s a run-down of recent changes to WellFedWriter.com and changes still to come:

• The Well-Fed Writer website was completely re-built, re-designed on a new theme, and moved to a new server.
• For the re-design, I tried to keep an overall familiar feel while focusing on simplification, speed improvements, and accessibility (such as in color contrast changes).
• There were significant technical improvements (most won’t affect you on the front-end, but they again focused heavily on improving speed and accessibility in addition to making WFW content easier to find moving forward).
• The blog archives were previously hosted on a separate backend installation. They’ve now been moved to the main site and should be fully integrated / redirected.
• The Well-Fed Writer blog officially re-launched on March 3^rd. While I moved some older pages and a special announcement from the EPUB into the blog structure, March 3^rd marked the first new blog content since January 2019. That first post was a tribute post for Peter. If you’d like to add your own, please visit the post and leave a comment telling Peter how he impacted your freelance commercial writing career.
• I’m conducting a content audit of the entire site. This could take anywhere from weeks to months to complete. During that time, existing posts may be updated and optimized, merged, or deleted (in the case of timely posts that aren’t relevant anymore, like old sale announcements).
• The Well-Fed Self-Publisher website was integrated into WellFedWriter.com. You can now find Peter’s old self-publishing blog posts in the Self-Publishing section of the blog.
• As a long-time indie publisher myself, I’ve also moved a collection of my own older self-publishing content into the blog archives. Those posts are also being audited and updated. This means my post archive might have self-publishing content that’s new to you if you weren’t familiar with All Freelance Writing or my former All Indie Publishing brand.
• The Well-Fed Craft has also been integrated into the main Well-Fed Writer website.
• The old Knowledgebase page that featured Peter’s responses to reader questions has been converted into a new Mailbag section of the site. You can still submit questions related to freelance commercial writing there.

While most changes to the website are complete, you can expect others to continue.

For example, the home page copy and design will change in the next few weeks to months. The same is likely with individual book pages.

Content might also update based on the ongoing audit. Pages will be better optimized. And I’ll continue to make accessibility improvements if or when I find opportunities to do so.

Other than that, I don’t expect any other major changes to the site in the foreseeable future. If you find problems with the site, you can always contact me and I’ll look into them.

The Books & E-books

Rest assured The Well-Fed Writer, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, and related e-books will not be neglected. A bit of insight into future plans:

• There will be no immediate changes to the print books. The Third Edition of The Well-Fed Writer, was only released in 2021, so I don’t expect to release a new edition this year, and it’s highly unlikely to come next year. The Well-Fed Self-Publisher is an older title, and I do intend to release a new version. But that will also not come this year, and probably not next year (the new edition will document some of the other changes I still need to implement, detailed below).
• While Peter and I still have print stock of the existing Well-Fed Writer books (buy them before they’re gone!), future copies will be moved to a POD model (something I’ll document when the next WFSP edition is released).
• I’ve just started reviewing existing e-books to decide which, if any, are good candidates for updates. If there is a good candidate, that will be the first update to come (later this year), and I’ll share updates in the EPUB, on the LinkedIn page, and / or on the Well-Fed Writer blog.

The Well-Fed Craft

On to the Well-Fed Craft…

• When I take on distribution of the course materials, the distribution method will change. Past buyers will be notified and will receive a new download link that includes access to any modules released after their original purchase. If you previously purchased WFC, you do not need to do anything. This change will not be immediate. Expect it in coming months.
• A new module for PR writing will be created (by me) and released, added to the WFC course for new buyers, and provided as a free upgrade to previous buyers.

Any additional updates about the course will be shared via the EPUB and / or the news section here on the blog.

The Well-Fed EPUB

Here are some recent updates and coming changes that will affect the Well-Fed EPUB / email newsletter, along with how you can contribute if you’d like to be featured in a future issue:

• All archives from January 2016 through the latest issue have been published directly to this website. They’ve been re-formatted to focus on the core content in their archived versions and can be found on the main newsletter page.
• I also have older archives going back to 2003. While some of this content is outdated (think tools that no longer exist), much of it is still valid. Rather than fully archiving them and manually removing outdated material, this ~320k words of content will be shared and re-purposed in other ways, mostly via the new Well-Fed Writer LinkedIn page (please follow for this, other short-form content, news, and more).
• New EPUB issues will continue to be released the first Tuesday of every month.
• I’m keeping the EPUB open to contributions. Keep reading to learn what I’m looking for and learn how you can contribute.

Contribute to the Well-Fed EPUB

All submissions to the Well-Fed EPUB can be sent to epub@wellfedwriter.com. Include your name (or mention if you’d like to remain anonymous) and a link to your professional site where readers can learn more about you and your work.

What I’m Looking For

• Brief “success stories” – In fewer than 200 words, share a success story in your freelance commercial writing career. For example: tell us about how you landed an important project or client, share how you successfully navigated a client negotiation, let newer writers know how you successfully raised your rates, tell us how you broke into your specialty or landed your fist contract, etc.
• Quick tips – In fewer than 100 words, share a quick tip with your fellow freelance commercial writers. Tips can revolve around marketing, the business side of freelancing, working with clients, or specific commercial writing project types (case studies, white papers, email marketing copy, etc.).
• Questions – If you’re a new or aspiring freelance commercial writer and you have questions about getting started, specializing, rates, or anything else that could help other freelance commercial writers, send them my way and I’ll answer them either in a future EPUB issue or in the new Mailbag section of this site.
• Longer Tips or Features – If you’re a more experienced freelance commercial writer and you’d like to contribute a feature to an upcoming issue, I’m open to those as well. In most cases, these should run fewer than 200 words, though I’ll make occasional exceptions. These are a good place to introduce newer writers to a project type you specialize in, share a longer story from your own career, or offer a collection of tips.

Celebrate With Me – Win a Copy of The Well-Fed Writer

Note: The book giveaway is now over. Congratulations to Steve for winning a copy of The Well-Fed Writer.