Megan Barlog
Literary Copywriter Spotlight, 8/3/20
Welcome to The Literary Copywriter Spotlight!
Hello everyone! Welcome to the L.C. Spotlight where I feature professional writers and copywriters with literary pursuits. Today I interviewed Megan Barlog, a writer, storyteller, and hardcore Disney fan!
Megan has a B.A. in Creative Writing, has published three short stories, and is currently writing both a novel and a screenplay. Originally from Los Angeles, she spent five years in New York City marketing children's books for HarperCollins before moving back home to California's ample hiking trails and warmer climate. She currently works as a freelance marketing manager and writer, with hopes of breaking into the entertainment industry. When she's not writing, you can probably find her reading, binge-watching shows, playing story-centric video games, or enjoying a socially-distanced run or hike in the great outdoors.
Let’s hear from Megan!
LC: Tell me about your writing journey. When did you realize that a.) you are a writer, and b.) you wanted to make money off of your writing?
MB: I wrote my first "book" when I was six years old. At the time, the only word I could spell and write on my own was "and," so it featured quite prominently. Even though I was always an avid reader as a child, it wasn't until the Harry Potter books made a name for J.K. Rowling that I realized "writer" could be a career option. I think I was in high school when I started writing my first novel and began referring to myself as a writer. In college I studied Creative Writing, but I'll admit even then I did not think I would be able to support myself solely by writing--at least not immediately. I'd already heard many people tell me to "keep your day job" and not rely on writing alone for an income--including some of my favorite authors. It wasn't until a few years out of college when I moved to New York and eventually landed a job marketing children's books for HarperCollins that I realized my writing skills could earn a living.
LC: Please describe your copywriting career. How did you get started? Who are your ideal clients? Do you freelance, work at an agency, etc.?
MB: My first copywriting role wasn't even officially a copywriting role. I was an office assistant for my college's on-campus Outdoor Adventures office where I helped organize and lead outdoor trips for my fellow students. I was doing a lot of social media and email copywriting in that role without even knowing it was called copywriting. Later, when I landed the marketing role with HarperCollins, I was formally introduced to the term "copywriting" and had more of a hands-on education in using words to entice people to buy books. There I wrote copy for advertisements, printed promo items, video scripts, websites, email newsletters, social media campaigns, blog posts--pretty much anything with words involved.
When I moved back to California about a year ago I started freelancing and subcontracting as a marketing manager and writer. I'm a storyteller at heart, so my favorite clients are those in the publishing and entertainment industries--people whose jobs revolve around sharing stories with the world.
LC: 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!
MB: I'm always writing something for fun! My boyfriend and I are huge Disney fans so we started the Disnerd Movie Challenge, a Disney movie blog where we've challenged ourselves to watch and analyze every Disney feature film in chronological order, one movie per week. It satisfies my inner English major who misses writing analytical essays, and it lets me practice using different digital marketing tools and strategies.
I also recently started taking screenwriting classes simply because I've always wanted to. Through that series of classes I've been workshopping an animated fantasy film script, which is based on a middle grade fantasy novel I've been working on for the past few years. What's great is workshopping the film script has helped me realize why segments of the novel weren't working, so I'm actually workshopping both versions at the same time! Neither is ready to be shopped around just yet, but my hope is to use the novel manuscript to land a literary agent and then hopefully publish it. Once that's out in the world, my hope is to then sell the film script. That's all pretty far down the road, though. For now I'm happy to have some fun writing projects to keep me entertained during this pandemic.
Balancing work, life, and writing is always a moving target for me. Currently as a freelancer my schedule is a bit more my own so that helps the work/life piece of it, but with a pandemic adding constant worries in the background I find it harder to stay focused. When it comes to my personal writing projects, I've tried several different methods to keep me going: NaNoWriMo challenges (yes, I've written 50,000 words in a month several times before), getting up early "Miracle Morning" style to commit to thirty minutes or an hour of writing before doing anything else, writer's groups, writing classes... What works best for me is finding structured writing environments with built-in deadlines and a group of other writers to give me feedback.
LC: 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.
MB: The biggest challenge in starting out as a freelancer was trying to figure out how to price my services. Do I charge by the word? By the hour? A flat rate? It can be tough because for every paid client, there's so much unpaid work that goes into finding new clients, and you'll always find that one client who wants you to give them the moon for pennies. I did a bit of research and found that women typically undercharge for their services, so with that in mind I gave myself permission to charge higher fees. I compared the rates of other marketers and writers online, and then set prices that would land close to $100/hr. I also asked for feedback from trusted freelance colleagues to see if they felt I was setting my rates too low or too high.
I've been adjusting some of my pricing structures as I go, learning along the way which projects are quick and easy and which require much more of a time commitment, but on the whole my clients tell me my rates are fair. Some of the best advice I read on pricing was actually in regards to salary negotiations: think of how much you want to be paid, and then add 30%. Ask for that higher number. Sure, there's always a chance you might not get that number, but there's also a chance you will. Never be afraid to ask for what you're worth.
LC: Someone much younger than you says, “I want to be a writer someday, but I’m afraid I wont succeed.” What would you tell them?
If "failing" to you means not making money, then diversification is key. If you are a versatile writer and can learn to write for multiple mediums, you'll have a better chance of making money as a professional writer. Entry-level marketing roles are a great way to learn different writing styles and practice writing in different brand voices. If you're a strong writer, your colleagues will notice and give you more creative and fun writing assignments.
If "failing" means never getting published, the most important thing is perseverance. If you let fear of failure stop you from ever trying, then yes, you will fail. As the saying goes, whether you believe you can or you can't, you're right. Keep writing, ask for feedback, write some more, take writing classes, rewrite, and don't be discouraged by rejection. J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter manuscript was rejected multiple times before it was published. Stephen King in his book On Writing talks about how he literally had a stake mounted on his wall where he would skewer every rejection letter he ever received. For one thing, it's pretty satisfying, but after a while the stack of rejection letters would pile up giving him a visual of his progress. Also, the type of rejections he would receive went from template rejections to letters specifically tailored to the story he submitted. Every rejection letter meant he was one step closer to getting an acceptance letter. I copied his method and created a digital file in my email inbox called "The Stake" where I keep every emailed rejection I receive to remind me of my progress. I highly recommend it.
To learn more about this week’s Literary Copywriter Spotlight, connect with Megan!
Megan Barlog:
Portfolio website: https://meganbarlog.wixsite.com/portfolio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganbarlog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganBarlog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganbarlog/
If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Literary Copywriter Spotlight, I’d love to hear from you
Your friend
in Craft,
Emily