Male writers continue to dominate the literary world. I know, right?! Despite all of the successful vampire erotica, male authors take up around 74% of the attention in London Review of Books and even 78% of the book reviews inside it are written by men. Male writers also continue to dominate roles within the advertising industry, with only 11% of female graduates going into creative departments such as copywriting. Even when women do become successful copywriters, 2018 showed us that men could expect to make around 28% more than women for the exact same writing jobs.
Working as a female writer sounds pretty daunting now, huh? But is mine a story of defeat? Heck no. Is it even a story of hardship? Nuh uh. Have I ever missed out in an interview because the role was given to an equally talented male? Never. (Nailing interviews is actually one of my superpowers, alongside eating an entire packet of chocolate digestives without dropping a single crumb.)
But I really wanted to share my own personal experience here, the story of how I went from being a timid University of Lincoln graduate to a happy-as-chuff Freelance Copywriting Professional Extraordinaire, in the hope that it inspires someone else to pursue their dream too. I think it’s really important to know that you can succeed and thrive in this creative industry, despite those heartachingly accurate odds.
In many ways, I believe being female has actually helped me to get to where I am now, particularly at the very beginning of my career. Allow me to explain...
For my very first job as a junior copywriter, I worked in a small but busy branding agency alongside eight men. I was the only full-time female employee in the company. Graphic design, web development, and creative director roles are even more heavily dominated by men, so it wasn’t that easy being the only female sat around the table. This job really helped me to come out of my shell. It gave me the confidence to speak out about my ideas, to present them in a way where I would be heard over a number of loud voices and strong opinions. There were so many benefits to being female, it made me a unique member of the team and I felt like I had real impact. My female perspective became invaluable to the success of some ideas we pitched to clients (particularly when it came to a project working with a female underwear brand!). And this success did wonders for my professional growth.
My second job was at a marketing agency in the same building, but the ratio of male to female employees was completely reversed. There was only one male (poor guy!) sat buried in a room full of females and I was worried I’d no longer stand out. The entire working environment had shifted. Everybody was much keener to communicate and even sang along to the radio happily, without any embarrassment. I was the dancer in the squad, naturally. Every brief felt more inclusive, praise was given highly and frequently, every burden was shared and office treats were a very regular occurrence. This role was one where I felt I grew the most, I gained extra qualifications, I attended events in London and I worked my way up from “Junior Copywriter” to “Copywriting Specialist” pretty fast. I learned how to liaise with clients, I improved my writing methodology and I learned how to manage my time more effectively too. When it came to a big change in my personal life and I moved to a new city, I knew I had all the tools I needed to go solo, to launch myself as a full-time Freelance Copywriter.
Working freelance brought with it a whole new range of challenges. One of the biggest being no regular pay cheque. And at the start – no reputation to flaunt either. Many of the benefits I hoped for, such as “flexible working hours”, “full credit for great results” and “better pay for fewer hours” were all way off base at the beginning. I ended up saying yes to any brief that came my way, meaning I was working every hour God sent and that work was often rushed. Clients grumbled about the price, claiming they could get it much cheaper elsewhere (bad copy mills) and they knew I was in no position to turn down paid work. To this day, I occasionally receive emails asking “Can you just quickly cast your eye over this?” This roughly translates as: “I’m not expecting to have to pay you for these proofreading and editing skills that you’ve trained years to excel at.” It always stings, but you get better at saying “Go away forever. Thanks.” Luckily, my schedule is mostly full of clients who do appreciate my indispensable skills and impeccable attention to detail that makes them look hella smooth in front of their own clients.
The learning curve was sharp. But today I’m working with brands all over the world that are making a difference. I’m working with human beings who are literally changing the world, companies who are creating technology that is shaping a new future, and startups that are inspiring new generations. I could fill an entire blog post just with career advice but my biggest piece of advice to you is: surround yourself with great people. Work with them and work for them. Seek out like-minded, hardworking and talented individuals as often as possible. I have often “fangirled” when speaking to my clients, for good reason! And my freelance schedule allowed time to publish three of my own books in between projects.
If you take nothing else away from this, know that you can do the same. You can live happily ever after by doing what you love. Don’t stop until you’re proud of yourself and use your skills to make others look good – that way, they’ll keep coming back to you.
Spadge Nunn
www.spadgeuk.com
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