The Well-Fed Writer: Third Edition

The Newly Updated Successor to the Quadruple Award-Winner!

“An absolute must-read for anyone who wants to earn more in less time as a commercial writer. No other book continues to deliver so many proven ideas and inspiration..”

Ed Gandia
Business-building coach, Host, High-Income Business Writing Podcast

“If freelance writing is your journey, Peter is the go-to tour guide. On every page, he seems to be rooting for you to succeed—and, more importantly, he’s showing you how.”

Steve Slaunwhite
Author, The Everything Guide to Writing Copy

“Still far and away the best single source of information and inspiration for getting started as an independent writer for business clients.”

Marcia Yudkin
Author, Copywriting Coach, Mentor for Introverts

“…the best advice on how to make more money writing for corporate clients I have ever read.”

Bob Bly
Copywriter, Author, The Copywriter’s Handbook (and 100+ others)

Full Cover Artwork

Sample Chapter

Table of Contents

Testimonials

LOVE TO WRITE, BUT HATE TO STARVE?

Dream of earning a healthy income—50K, 75K, even 100K or more!—as a writer, while enjoying a free and flexible lifestyle others can only dream of? Or want to make an extra $1500-$2000/month, part-time?

(scroll down to purchase)

Want to be your own boss, get up when you want, take vacations when you want and work when you want? All while earning a handsome income from your own home (a true “contactless” opportunity)?

Do you dismiss the idea as fantasy, since, after all, everyone knows that the words “starving” and “writer” are forever joined at the hip?

Well, consider this:

• There’s an arena of freelancing that can give you all of this and more: commercial freelancing—i.e., writing for businesses and creative agencies.
• The field offers hourly rates ($50-125+) that easily crush typical online job-site writing rates—even if you only have decent (not incredible) writing skills.
• People just like you have leveraged virtually every conceivable background/education into a lucrative writing practice.
• There are solid economic reasons why companies will hire talented freelancers (vs. doing the writing “in-house”) and pay them handsomely.
• Once established, you can realistically earn $2000+ a week, working 20-30 hours and still have time for a life, friends, and personal pursuits.
• Read on for your road map—providing step-by-step directions for making your own freelance writing dreams come true.

It’s all in the new and updated edition of The Well-Fed Writer. This is THE industry standard book on “commercial” freelance writing (a.k.a. “marketing copywriting”). This 294-pager is the third edition of TWFW, following both the original 2000 award-winning Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and its quadruple-award-winning 2010 update.

How is the Third Edition of The Well-Fed Writer Different from the 2010 Edition?

If you read the 2010 edition, a good chunk of this edition will be familiar:

• Sales/marketing fundamentals
• Where the business is
• How to prospect for it
• Whom to approach and how to approach them
• What to charge and how to collect your money
• How to keep clients coming back
• What kinds of projects you’ll be writing, etc.

That said, this is definitely an updated edition, given the changes in technology, new tools, new project types, etc. Not to mention countless updates throughout, and added sections on PR writing, content writing, social media, email marketing and more. This is all reflecting 10 more years of my (and others’) personal experiences in the trenches.

The third edition is also a much tighter version of the book. I’ve occasionally been (justifiably) accused of being a bit verbose. I’ve labored long and hard to streamline this edition, while preserving the fun tone.

The result? More concentrated good stuff.

But, again, on many levels, the business hasn’t changed.

No, cold calling is not obsolete.

No, direct-mail postcards aren’t passé.

And—the most laughable of all—no, social media marketing hasn’t replaced all other forms of marketing.

There are lots and lots of things that worked 40 years ago, 25 years ago, 10 years ago, and—surprise, surprise—they still work today.

Let’s Clarify What We Mean by “Copywriting”… more

When you order the new updated hard-copy edition of The Well-Fed Writer, you get:

1) THE most up-to-date industry “standard” on the subject of lucrative commercial freelancing – 294 pages of business-building detail!

2) Flat $3 Shipping on all hard-copy orders (U.S. addresses ONLY)! $3 shipping will be added automatically in the shopping cart.

(Effective June 1, 2023, due to astronomically high postage rates (more than the cost of the book itself!) I will no longer be shipping physical copies of my books outside the U.S. I invite international buyers to purchase from the “Ebook-Only (searchable PDFs!) Packages” section below, and enjoy instant product downloads!)

3) FREE Ebook Bonus (instant download after purchase): The Ezine Banquet ($14.95 value!). Click here for details. All ebook packages below (except ebook ONLY) now receive The Ezine Banquet, too!

Buy the Print Book Now – $19.95

But, Don’t Stop There – Check Out these Powerful “Companion” Ebook Tools for Building Your Copywriting Business!

1) The Deluxe Well-Fed Tool Box (UPDATED) (automatic download after purchase)

Newly updated for the 2021 edition of The Well-Fed Writer, and with ~35% more content than the previous edition, but for not a penny more.

200+ pages of letters, lists, follow-up note formats, questionnaires, scripts, contracts, checklists, samples, tips, web sites, project case studies, info-packed reports, and much more.

All designed to make your life as a commercial freelance writer far easier and more profitable. Check out the full contents here.

Reg. $29.95 (Purchase It with the Book and Pay $19.95!)

(To purchase the Tool Box and Time Line separately, visit this link.) 

2) The Well-Fed Writer Time Line (UPDATED)
(automatic download after purchase)

Stay organized, NOT overwhelmed! Launching and growing a commercial writing business is a big job, and big jobs need step-by-step blueprints.

Newly updated for the 2021 edition of The Well-Fed Writer. The WFW Time Line pulls out the key business-building processes from the book, and lays them out in sequence: 18 pages covering writing business start-up, cold calling, direct mail, email marketing, networking, meetings, calculating fees and more.

All phases have check boxes for easy self-tracking, along with TWFW page numbers for quick cross-reference and additional detail.

Reg. $14.95 (Purchase It with the Book and Pay $10!)

(To purchase the Tool Box and Time Line separately, visit this link.)

3) Can’t Wait for Real Book to Arrive? Add the ebook version (searchable PDF!) to your order (reg. $9.95) for $6 more! (automatic download after purchase)

See All Your Product Options Below!

Order Online here using Paypal: (When your transaction is complete, you’ll be prompted to download any digital products and/or FREE ebook bonus.).

(NOTE: PayPal is my ONLY payment method. You do NOT need a PayPal account in order to use a credit card to purchase via PayPal. Once you’re taken to PayPal to complete the purchase, if you don’t have an account, simply scroll down to the box that reads, “Pay with Debit or Credit Card”).