Jessica Leibe
Literary Copywriter Spotlight 8/31/20
Welcome back to the L.C. Copywriter Spotlight where I feature professional writers and copywriters with literary pursuits. Today I interviewed Jessica Leibe, a Productivity & Organization Copywriter based out of New Jersey. She also writes about Personal Growth & Wellness. When she isn't reading, watching horror movies, or earning her next belt in taekwondo, she can be found running, playing with her nephews, and daydreaming. She is currently working on a memoir.
Let’s hear from Jessica!
L.C. Tell me about your writing journey. When did you first realize that a.) you are a writer, and b.) you want to make a living off of your writing?
J.L: I knew I wanted to be a writer when, in first grade, I wrote two very short stories. Literally, they were one page each. I showed them to my teacher and she told me to “never stop writing.” I’ve always loved stories. Hearing them, telling them. There’s nothing more cathartic than listening to a story that touches you. When I realized I could make a living as a writer, I was thrilled. It was probably in middle school. I finally figured it out that the authors of all those books I devour get paid to do this. Well, if they can, I can, I thought.
E.C.: Please describe your copywriting career. How did you get started? Who are your ideal clients.? Do you freelance or work for an agency?
J.L. I got started in copywriting when I was scrolling through Instagram and came across Sarah Turner’s “Write Your Way to Freedom” course. Dubious at first, I kept scrolling. When the ad kept showing up, I finally did some research and signed up for the free videos. In the first one, I swore Sarah was talking to me. She got that the 9-5 was not the life I wanted. She got that I wanted the freedom to write whenever and wherever. As storytellers, being stuck under fluorescent lights eight hours a day is draining. I always kept a notebook on my desk when creativity arose. After the free videos, I officially signed up for her course in June 2020. I put in the work, followed her steps, and have since landed three clients in three months.
My ideal clients are people in the Productivity, Time Management, Organizing, and Project Management field. I am a planner by nature and love talking about the many methods people use to be productive. Coaches and consultants are my primary clients, though I also work with planner companies. I freelance. Still doing it part-time, but hoping that come 2021, I can officially switch to full-time.
L.C. I love supporting copywriters who are also hard at work on a creative, personal project. This could be a novel, memoir, poetry collection etc. Tell me more about what you’re working on and what you hope to gain from the experience (book deal, more publications, career change, personal growth, etc.). Feel free to share how you balance work, life, and writing. It’s okay, if you’re struggling with this. It’s all part of the process!
J.L.: I’ve written fiction for as long as I can remember. But presently, I am working on a memoir. I don’t like giving away too many details, but I will say writing non-fiction is definitely a different beast. Starting my copywriting journey has helped a great deal because it put me in the right mindset. I still love reading and writing fiction, but my memoir is the story that needs to be told now.
I hope to get it published. I’ll actually be submitting proposals to agents soon. Already I’m gaining a deeper understanding of myself. This story is about self-acceptance in an area of my life I wasn’t always comfortable with. Looking back on my experiences and writing about them have been therapeutic and eye-opening.
I balance work, life, and writing by implementing the productivity hacks I’ve picked up along the way. I do my best to work on each thing at least 25-30 minutes a day with a five-minute break before starting the next task. I prioritize projects per their due date. My weekdays are usually the time I work on my copywriting and the weekend is when I focus on my writing projects, though I often dedicate time to work on both everyday.
Of course there are days I don’t follow my plan exactly or at all. Some days my brain just says, “Time for a break,” and I listen to it. A few years ago I burned myself out trying to do too many things at once. I made myself sick. Now I’ve learned to listen to my body and mind. All it takes is one day of rest and I am ready to go.
L.C. Writers are needed but often undermined/unappreciated. Especially those of us with literary goals in mind! If applicable, could you speak to how you’ve faced/overcome challenges in your career? It’s okay if these challenges are ongoing (they often are). Feel free to share any words of wisdom you may have from mentors, literary heroes, etc.
J.L.: Whew! I’ve been kicked down so much. I started pitching fiction (novels) to agents since I was in college. I had a lot of projects that garnered interest from agents but while they would read the whole manuscript, they always came back with, “Thank you, but no.” That’s been going on for ten plus years so I’ve bounced back from a lot of setbacks. I’m sure I’ll get plenty of rejections for my memoir as well. But no matter what I will keep going. In this business it’s all about timing.
I love Ray Bradbury’s quote, “You fail only if you stop writing.”
The trick is knowing that your time will come. People say all the time in this industry, it’s subjective. And it’s true. We’re not all going to like or feel passionately about the same thing. You can’t beat yourself up if a few people don’t prefer your story. The right one will come along. A practice I do to keep my head clear of negative thoughts is journaling. I don’t try to write profound prose. Sometimes I may just write a bullet list of things that bothered me that day. By getting all frustrating and negative thoughts out, I can greet the next day with a better attitude and clean slate. A motto I often repeat to myself is, “the struggle is worth making.” I can’t remember where I heard it, but it’s one I swear by.
L.C.: Say someone much younger than you says, “I want to be a writer, but I’m afraid I won’t succeed.” What would you tell them?
I’ll quote what Sarah Turner tells us in her course: Success is what YOU make it to be. Don’t try to emulate someone else’s success because then you are setting yourself up for failure. The most important thing I learned in my twenty-something years of writing is that everyone’s journey is different. “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”
I would also say don’t be afraid to declare yourself a writer. I think people are afraid to say “I’m a writer” to people because they’ll get the third degree. But if you claim it with confidence and pride, no one will doubt you. If they ask you more, answer their questions with confidence. “Yeah, I write short stories. I write poems. I love it.” You don’t have to justify what you do to anyone other than yourself.
And know that your success is not going to look like someone else’s. Success for you might be finishing that manuscript you’ve had sitting on your computer for years. Success may be reading a poem at an open mic night. It’s important to sit down and decide what you want and not copy what someone else has because it’ll only drive you crazy when you don’t get it.
Be yourself and the success you gain will be worth it.
Connect with Jessica
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