So you've started a freelance writing business. Now what do you say when people ask, "What do you do for a living?"

You may hear some pretty strange responses. No matter! You're living the life of a working writer - a happy writer.

You’ll hear that question a lot when you start your business. People will think you mean you write TV commercials. They may compliment you on the ones they find as particularly witty or poignant – or complain about the stupid ones.

Of course, you could drop the ‘commercial’ off of ‘commercial writer’. If you simply say you’re a writer, people will ask you whether they’ve read anything you’ve written. Most will just kind of smirk, pat your head, and silently write you off as delusional. They may think you mean that you’re writing the Great American Novel, and that you’re some sort of recluse. They may even wonder when you last ate… since writers are known to starve. If you simply say that you’re a freelance writer, they’ll take that to mean that you are sadly unemployed.

Why is this such a hard business to describe? For the same reason it’s such a great business to build – the people who understand what you actually do are the ones who will hire you. Those who don’t get it probably have no need for your services. This is a great feature – a sort of built-in qualifier as you network. If you’ve got to explain what you do, or convince your prospects they should hire a writer, you’re be fighting an uphill battle all the way to your paycheck.

People who already understand the value of compelling, impeccably written website text, press releases, and marketing materials are more than willing to pay for your writing expertise. They know they don’t have the time, talent, or time to do it themselves. They’re familiar with the rule of hiring out the business tasks that don’t produce income. They don’t try to do their own taxes, handle their own legal matters, perform their own surgeries, or fill their own cavities. They stick to the tasks that make money, and pay for others to get everything else done.

Another route authors may take is writing magazine articles. However, the drawback is that you’re constantly trying to hit a moving target – the whim of the editor. You’ll find you are asking, “What will this editor want six months from now?” You’ll shop each article around to all the possibilities in the Writers’ Market. And payday? It’s not usually very good. Be sure to ask about the “kill fee” – which is what you get (if you’re lucky) if the editor decides to go in a different direction after all.

However, as a freelance commercial writer, you can write and get paid – handsomely. You can pick and choose clients, firing those who are too difficult, too cheap, or who are high maintenance. You often get to set your own deadlines. You can arrange to be partially paid in advance. In addition, you get to see your talent put to use in a way that’s measurable – a company’s bottom line.

So, whatever you want to call yourself, however you decide to answer that “what do you do for a living” question – it’s up to you. Try different answers, and let me know how they work. I like Bob Bly’s – he’s reported to say, “Oh – I write junk mail.” Bet he doesn’t have to read anyone’s book of poems!