Preparing The Writer’s Portfolio
By Theresa V. Wilson, M.Ed. CPBA
For some, writing is a hobby, a stress reliever, or an escape from reality. They do it because we love it, but do not necessarily view it as a potential career move. If your goal, however, is to publish, taking time to develop a tool that will enable you to market and promote your writing is essential to success.
Editors and publishers do attend writers’ conferences, seminars and workshops as both presenters and panel members, or to participate in forums in which they review and analyze written work—making recommendations for improvement. You, the writing artist, are in the spotlight and must be prepared to “show your best stuff” at a moments notice.
With competition as fierce as it is, the “window of opportunity” to capture the attention of an editor or publisher can be diminished unless you preplan and prepare professionally appealing marketing tools that distinguish you among the crowd. The goal is to make a memorable presentation in a positive way.
A writer’s portfolio can be a essential asset to include as part of a marketing plan when seeking to impress publishers about the quality of work you have produced. A writer’s portfolio should be compact and easy to transport. Each page should include brief and attractive looking writing samples of your quality work.
Materials Needed:
Loose Leaf Notebook
Clear Plastic Slip Sheets
Scissors (to neatly trim any magazine or journal clippings)
To insure your writing portfolio will be a professional presentation of your work, take time to include “slip sheets” which protect constant handling of hard copies. Consider using a loose-leaf notebook binder so that you can move and replace materials easily.
Portfolio Content should include an attractive cover with your name. Your writer’s resume (a listing of completed freelance or other writing jobs and assignments) can be the next page of your portfolio. It should include a brief overview of your background and experiences as a freelance writer or author as well as any job related writing. You might also include a separate slip-sheet for storage of business cards so they are easily accessible and ready to distribute.
The portfolio is helpful in several ways:
It serves as a single source of your most important writing samples.
It provides a way to introduce yourself and your work to editors at writers’ conferences and seminars.
It provides quick access to information others can review that will help assess your writing ability.
It helps demonstrate that you are a serious writer.
It serves as a great tool for publicizing your writing.
Your writer’s portfolio should receive the same level of nurturing attention you would give child who is growing and developing. It should be constantly changing and expanding as your writing matures. It is always in transition while exhibiting higher heights and deeper depths of quality content.
About the Author
Theresa V. Wilson, M.Ed. CPBA is a corporate curriculum and training specialist and certified professional behavioral analyst. Theresa leads the Baltimore Area Christian Writers group (ACWritersGrou@aol.com). She is editor of The Informant, a quarterly leaders’ publication of the American Christian Writers Association, and webmaster for www.writersinthemarketplace.org. Theresa’s bylines appear in over 80 online and print publications including Proverbs31 Woman and Godly Business Woman magazines and contributing poetry author for Volume Xiii of Penned from the Heart.
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