I was expecting a mid-January lull in new assignments, but it was not to be: within days of arriving home from holidays, I had requests to improve a faculty website, produce a conference fact sheet, ghostwrite an article for a client, produce a feature on political manoeuvrings in South America, blog about mineral exploration technology, set up a news monitoring service and research a 50-year company history—all before mid-February!
Ironically, I attribute this diversity of work to having a niche. In my case, the niche is geology. My transformation from wanderer to writer took place during a downturn in mineral exploration. I’d just returned to Toronto from a contract exploring for gold in Namibia and was forced to take a job as a bike courier. But just as I was about to collapse with exhaustion at the top of Poplar Plains Road, a staff writing position at a trade weekly, The Northern Miner, came up. And the rest is history.
So if you have a background or interest in something other than journalism, consider using your knowledge and/or expertise to attract new writing clients and build your brand. Some of the advantages of niche writing are:
1. Better Pay. Because you have expertise and contacts that few other writers have, you can demand more money. In my 15 years of freelancing, I have only had two requests for a higher fee turned down, and I’m asking all the time.
2. Surprising Diversity. Being known in a particular field allows you to stretch your writing muscle. I’ve had gigs writing speeches, scientific reports and even the afterword for the autobiography of Canada’s most notorious female prospector.
3. Global Reach. Niches know no geographic boundaries. I have clients in the U.K. and the U.S., and my books have sold on almost every continent. I have been on assignment in Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, China, South Africa and—one of my favourites—the Otish Mountains of northern Quebec.
4. Less time spent on marketing. Once you’re known, the work comes to you. No cold calls, pitches or elaborate social media schemes!
5. More time for other interests. See points 1 & 4. Because I make a decent hourly income and don’t do much marketing, I can pursue passions that get me away from my desk and feed my soul.
The University of Toronto recently launched a unique graduate program in journalism for specialists who want to tell their stories. In this world of declining rates and uncertain newspaper and magazine markets, niche writing may well be the key to freelance survival.
Virginia Heffernan, principal of GeoPen Communications, is a science and business writer who specializes in writing about mineral and energy resources. She is an active PWAC Toronto Chapter volunteer, executive board past president and treasurer.
