Not sure what Copywriting is?
Or what representation in copywriting means for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)?
Copy in Color, a three part blog series, seeks to define copywriting from the perspective of non-white writers. It also aims to highlight diversity and inclusion (or lack thereof) in the copywriting industry.
Sit back and read up on the experiences of these talented writers!
The Colored Copywriter: Writer & Published Author K.E. Garland
Today’s guest on Colored Copywriter is K.E. Garland. She also goes by Kathy.
I’ve been following her blog for quite some time and decided to reach out to her!
Her inspirational quotes and down to earth writing has turned me into subscriber. I hope you get hooked on her words too!
Read on to learn about how Kathy got into the wonderful world of writing and blogging.
What Does Writing Mean to You?
To me, writing is being authentic and connecting with people.
I’ve been writing since I was 10 years old! I’ve always loved to write.
And it’s different from academic writing. As an assistant professor, I’ve seen professors wait up to 6 months before getting published.
With blogging, you’re published much faster and you can connect with people.
What Got You Into Blogging?
After I published one of my books, I was told to start a blog.
At first I thought, why would I do that? I had no experience with blogging.
So I took a course that WordPress offered at the time. It was an online class called Blogging 101. I was given daily prompts and walked through the process of writing a blog post.
Pretty soon I was blogging consistently and finding other bloggers to connect with.
What's Working as a Writer Like?
Full disclosure: my husband and I work full time jobs. We have one child in college and another one getting ready to go to college.
In addition to blogging, I also write books. I do editing and line editing as well.
Every month I’m able to land 1 to 2 clients per month through referrals or word-of-mouth. Sometimes I get one and done deals but other times, I’m able to find clients that I can work with long term.
I was able to work with a client for her entire series of books that she released. It was nice to have a long term project like that. You get see everything from start to finish and be a part of that process.
Another time, I wrote a post about the microaggressions I’ve received about my hair while traveling. I believe that many other Black women resonated with my words. That article has over 3K shares!
What Are Your Thoughts on Representation in the Publishing World?
There’s not enough of it. I’ve dealt with not having enough representation and having to self-publish.
It’s something that you have to get used to.
And sometimes I feel this survivor guilt. I teach at schools. The only other Black people are part of the maintenance crew.
You have to get used to being the only black woman in the room sometimes.
Any Advice for Copywriters Out There?
Commenting on blogs and engaging with other bloggers will definitely help your blog grow.
When I would comment on other blogs, they would comment on mine. I kept that going for a while and started to build a following.
One day, I mentioned that I had published a book of quotes. I included the link to it. People were actually going on Amazon and buying my book!
That’s marketing in a nutshell!
If you want to get into blogging, take an online course. I’m sure there are many free one out there. You could also invest an online course through a site like eduGAIN.