From Technical Writer to Book Author  

Technical writers conceive, plan, and write documentation needed by their company or organization, including user guides, reference manuals, white papers, reports, and proposals. This paper describes one career growth opportunity: that of authoring a book that is published by a commercial publisher and sold in bookstores. The rewards of writing a book for publication include satisfaction in the jinished book, reaching a wider audience, and working with a professional publisher The goal of this paper is to encourage technical writers to consider this career path and to give specijic, practical advice on how to achieve it.

Keene, Sonya E. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Writing>Publishing>Technical Writing

Getting a Technical Writing Job, Even If You Have No Experience  

Technical writing jobs can be hard to get if you have little or no experience. But there are things you can do to improve your chances of getting hired.

Docsymmetry. Careers>TC>Interviewing>Technical Writing

Getting Started in Technical Writing

This summary provides a collection of tips and advice for getting started in the technical writing profession. The following categories are included in this summary: Finding and Getting That First Job; Types of Technical Writing; Types of Technical Writers; Degrees and Technical Writing; Transferring to Technical Writing from Other Professions: From Journalism; From Teaching; From Academia; From Marketing; From Law; Essential Skills; On Being a Technical Writer.

TECHWR-L. Careers>Advice>Writing>Technical Writing

Growth Prospects for a Technical Writer

Are there practical chances of growth and scope for learning/improving oneself while working as a technical writer?

Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2004). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>India

A Guide to Careers in Technical Writing

Contrary to what many assume, working as a technical writer involves much more than sitting alone at your PC. The job requires plenty of contact with technical professionals, from programmers and project managers to machine operators and medical technicians. Solitary? Not quite. Collaborative? Most definitely.

Hoffman, Allan. Monster.com (2007). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Help Needed

Next to writing an enthusiastic thank you note for socks received as a birthday gift, the most difficult task for many writers is creating a help wanted ad that succinctly defines the requirements of the position while encouraging only perfect candidates to apply.

Boston Broadside (1992). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

Hiring Contract Technical Writers

When you finally get the approval to hire a contract technical writer you'll want to go about it the right way in order to avoid problems and ensure success. This article provides insight on what you need to do before you start looking for a contract technical writing professional and how to go about finding one suitable for your project.

Hartmann, Scott. Writing Assistance (2006). Careers>Interviewing>TC>Technical Writing

Hourly Rates and Salaries

As you might expect, salaries vary considerably based on location. I’ve looked over various surveys and believe the following are representative of salaries currently being offered.

Tech-Writer. Careers>Salaries>Technical Writing

How to Manage Clients

For many technical writing companies the issue of how to manage all the associated 'non-writing' costs can be a sensitive area. Do I charge for every email? Every phone call? Where do you draw the line? What do you charge for, besides the document you produced?

Klariti. Careers>Consulting>Writing>Technical Writing

How to Find Technical Writing Jobs

There are some key differences between looking for publishing jobs and looking for technical writing jobs.

Hewitt, John. Writer's Resource Center (2004). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

How to Hire Technical Writers: A Manager's Viewpoint  

Hiring technical writers is an infrequent but important part of a manager's job. Clearly defining the job and the required skills is the first step. Then use all of your networks to find candidates. Read résumés to find those that best match your requirements. The interview team needs to be prepared to ask relevant questions that verify and expand on the résumé and samples. Compare the interview team's evaluations, then check the references of your best one or two candidates, and make a prompt offer.

Huettner, Brenda P. and Ken Jackson. STC Proceedings (1996). Careers>Management>Writing>Technical Writing

How to Justify Hiring Technical Writers During Hard Economic Times

The marketplace for technical writers has often been challenging. In difficult economic times when companies seek to slash their budgets, it is often difficult for corporations to understand the need for a technical writer, let alone to understand the need to increase staffing in the documentation department. This article looks at the benefits of hiring technical writers, since their often diverse skill sets can be used across various departments in the organization.

Datta, Aparna. Writing Assistance (2007). Careers>Management>Writing>Technical Writing

How to Land a Career in Technical Writing

While technical writers are expected to have some knowledge of the subjects they write about, experts usually provide detailed information. Technical writers and editors organize the information, put it into user-friendly language, select graphics, write sidebars, and impose a consistent format, checking back with experts to fill in blanks and ensure that no errors have been introduced.

Bradley, Gwendolyn. Chronicle of Higher Education (2000). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

How to Make Yourself More Marketable in a Small Company  

In a time when corporate downsizing is the norm rather than the exception, technical writers must constantly increase and market their skill sets to make themselves more valuable to employers. Based on our experiences as technical writers in a small company, we will define why and how to market yourself:

Holman, Peter M., Susan Gonzalez and Jennifer Privette. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Writing>Marketing>Technical Writing

How to Market a Documentation Department

When you first ventured into the tech writing ranks, marketing the department was likely the furthest thing from your mind. You already had work to do, so marketing was somebody else's job.

King, Robert. Writing Assistance (2006). Careers>Management>Technical Writing>Marketing

Information Format Trends

On-demand printing, easy low-cost Web storefronts, and simple payment processing provide unprecedented methods and opportunities for technical writers to produce small, focused documentation for specific audiences. Seemingly all that is missing is the motivation.

Meyer, Gordon R. Usable Help (2003). Careers>Information Design>Writing>Technical Writing

Is Technical Writing a Viable Career Option?

Ever thought about what goes into creating the user manuals or instruction brochures of your music system, mobile phones or even the car maintenance guides? Most of us just manage to glance through the item, leave alone going into the technical details.

Jasrotia, Punita. IT People (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

It's a Marathon, not a Sprint: Managing Your Technical Writing Career  

I've trained for and run three marathons. My marathon experiences taught me lessons that can be applied to going the distance in a technical communication career. Going the distance requires a willingness to “get going,” continually work on the basics, cross- train, avoid being distracted by what was and what could be, and learn from experience.

Harvey, Michael. STC Proceedings (2003). Careers>Advice>Writing>Technical Writing

Job Futures for Authors and Writers (including Technical Writers)

A discussion of career prospects in writing, including technical writing.

Human Resources Development Canada (2003). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>Canada

The Life of a Lone Writer

'Lone writers' — those people who work as their employer’s only staff writers — are a different breed, with their own unique set of professional and personal challenges. At the same time a blessing and a curse, the lone writer life offers flexibility, variety, and autonomy, along with feelings of stress, isolation, and burnout.

Potsus, Whitney Beth. Writing Assistance (2006). Careers>TC>Technical Writing

Listen, Observe, Speak

When you are a speaker, you communicate. When you are the audience, you communicate. As a member of the development team, the technical writer has to deal with hundreds of intelligent egos. There are the programmers who think only about solutions and technology (not about people and their emotions). A technical writer would definitely feel hurt, when developers talk down to him. Managers on the other hand are likely to have oodles of people skills and may not have technical skills. Therefore, they may talk nicely to you. Nevertheless, a technical writer may feel that managers do not appreciate his technical skills.

Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2002). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing>Workplace

Make Yourself More Than Just an "Entry-Level" Tech Writer

To make the most of limited opportunities, you have to distinguish yourself from the crowd of other technical writers who'll be vying for the same positions you're after. In other words, you have to go into that job market armed with more than just a bachelor's degree and some classroom writing samples. Following are some suggestions that can help you acquire some professional technical writing experience, broaden your skills and knowledge of the technical writing field, and get you over the entry-level hump.

Monahan, Jim. Boston Broadside (1991). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

Making a Big Business out of Technical Writing  

Leveraging on the success of my business, DocuStar, this paper describes some of the strategies I have used to grow my one-person freelance gig into a business employing over 65 employees on our own premises and servicing over 200 hi-tech companies per year. While the profit margin may not match that of the up-and-coming dotcoms, the needs of the market foretell a solid and ever-growing future within the technical documentation niche. With a strong commitment to hard work, an adventurous excitement for conquest and a paramount and obsessive commitment to quality and integrity, technical writing can certainly be grown into a big business venture.

Sher, Barbara J. STC Proceedings (2001). Careers>Management>Writing>Technical Writing

Making a Big Business Out of Technical Writing  

Leveraging on the success of my business, DocuStar, this paper describes some of the strategies I have used to grow my one-person freelance gig into a business employing over 65 employees on our own premises and servicing over 200 hi-tech companies per year. While the profit margin may not match that of the up-and-coming dotcoms, the needs of the market foretell a solid and ever-growing future within the technical documentation niche. With a strong commitment to hard work, an adventurous excitement for conquest and a paramount and obsessive commitment to quality and integrity, technical writing can certainly be grown into a big business venture.

Sher, Barbara J. STC Proceedings (2001). Careers>Management>Writing>Technical Writing