How much will it cost?

Each job is different, so it's always best to give me a call so we can chat informally about it.

Don't worry - there's no hard sell and no commitment at all. It simply helps me to get an idea of how much work is involved. I'll then send you a quote by email, and you can decide whether you'd like to go ahead.

It's a fixed-fee quote for the entire project, so there are no overruns or nasty surprises.

Do you have any experience writing copy about heavy industrial machinery?

No. I also didn't have any experience writing about laser eye surgery - until I wrote a series of adverts for a laser eye surgery organisation.

Now, I can chat with ease at drinks parties about myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, Epiflap and corneal abnormalities.

Research is a vital part of any writing process, and as a writer, I discover some very interesting (if ultimately useless) facts.  So don't worry that I won't be able to understand your product or service. Often, approaching a subject with no experience - and thus no preconceptions - means viewing it from an entirely fresh perspective.

Which leads to fresh, engaging writing.

Why do I need a professional copywriter? I could do it myself for much less.

Yes, you could, but (a) it probably wouldn't be as effective and (b) if you spend enough time to do the project justice, you'll be neglecting your real job - marketing and selling your products and services.

A while back, somebody contacted me about writing a brochure. They'd 'had a go,' they told me. They'd hit a wall, and couldn't get past it. They needed somebody to 'tidy it up.'  In the event, I started from scratch, identifying the key selling points of their service, then the key benefits to customers.

And they loved what I came up with.

Somebody else called me when she'd run out of ad ideas for her product. She'd written almost a dozen ads, but couldn't think of new ways to write about a product that she lived with 9-5, five days a week for three years. Within a couple of weeks, I gave her 10 new ads.

That's why you need a professional copywriter.

Can you get my web site to the top of the search-engine rankings?

Writing for the web is a delicate balancing act. You can easily move up the search-engine rankings by stuffing your copy full of keywords. And you end up with something like this:

Welcome to Widgetz International, the specialists in red widgets. We've been manufacturing red widgets for over half a century, and there's not much we don't know about red widgets. We eat, breathe and sleep red widgets. We spend £100,000 a year in R&D on red widgets. Red widgets are our life. We're just passionate about red widgets. If you're looking for red widgets, you've come to the right place. Click here to read more about red widgets.

It's a sure way to lose the reader. A far better way to move up the rankings is to have useful, relevant copy with keywords occurring naturally throughout. And I can definitely help you with that.

Should I email or telephone?

Email is fine, but it doesn't really allow us to get to the bottom of things as quickly. And it's a lot less interactive.

Remember, you can call me anytime for an informal chat to discuss your project - with no commitment.

My number is (01223) 241-749 (outside the UK, use your international access code, then 44 1223 241-749).

Do I need to give you a formal brief?

No, you don't - though if you have one, that's great.

Most people simply don't have the time to sit down and work through a briefing document step-by-step. And often, you don't know quite what you want to say, how you want to say it, or what the profile of the target audience is.

It's my job tease out all that information - and that's easier and quicker in a telephone call than in a briefing document.

Where are you?

I'm in Cambridge, in the UK (60 miles/100km from London).

I'm not in the UK. Is that a problem?

Absolutely not. Wherever you are in the world, as long as you work in English, I can help.

Do we need to meet?

Not necessarily. I work with many clients that I've never seen. We communicate by phone and email, and it works just fine.

If you like, we can use Skype or MSN to videoconference. Just ask.