How I Ended Up Becoming a Successful Professional Writer In My 50s

Really, I thought that ship had sailed. I was wrong.

I’d always wanted to be a writer.

Ever since I was a kid, the world of words was one for me. I volunteered at the local library. I worked at the family bookstore. I majored in English Literature in college. I eventually started my own little publishing imprint.

Despite being surrounded by the works of wordsmiths all my life, becoming a writer eluded me.

Sure, I published a few short stories and poems here and there. I even got paid pretty well for a couple, and others had been nominated for awards. Still, I seemed to lack the commitment, talent, and drive that my contemporaries had when it came to taking writing seriously.

Eventually, I found some contentment in working on the publishing side of that world.

Until that is when I was no longer content.

My freelancing ways

I’ve been freelancing at one level or another for around 25 years. I’ve survived solely as a freelancer for about 18 of those years.

The vast majority of my work — perhaps 95% — during much of that time has been in layout and design for books and journals. Over the years, I’ve put together over 350 books and around 300 journal issues in areas ranging from film history and pop culture to medicine and writing. I’ve worked with clients based in Japan, the UK, California, New Zealand, and right down the street.

Publishing and the Internet have been very, very good to me.

But after working so many years laying out book after book and journal after journal, I was getting burnt out — and it showed. My lack of enthusiasm started putting me behind schedule, which resulted in a financial hit, which resulted in some misdirected resentment, and then a downward spiral.

It was startling how quickly it snowballed.

Then, a distant friend who happened to be on my Facebook feed (a glitch, I’m guessing, in their algorithms) announced she was looking for some people to write tech-oriented blogs and articles.

What did I have to lose? I’d written a few nonfiction pieces here and there — mostly as filler for those times when there was a last-minute hole in a journal I was producing. I also had a background in vintage computer technology as a hobby.

I made a pitch. She took me up on it.

After a few assignments, I found I had a knack for it. I had some talent for it.

Most important. I enjoyed it.

I wrote about cybersecurity and cloud computing. I wrote about VoIP and ERP. I researched and wrote about disaster recovery systems and the 3–2–1 rule for data backups.

And I got paid very well for it.

Soon, I was writing a blog post or article at least once a day. For variety, there was the occasional white paper or short ebooks as needed.

Somehow, I became a professional writer so quickly, I didn’t even realize it happened until it was too late.

Where I’m at now

Before jumping entirely into the present day, you should know that the original opportunity that started my writing career ended within a year. But that same friend took me and some others along to her next gig, and while the topics changed (small business, financing, marketing), the work similar.

COVID came around and shut that down eventually.

I experimented with a few other gigs, such as writing trivia games and Japanese language tutorials. Neither paid very well, especially when compared to the amount of work.

Then, another chance encounter on Facebook hooked me up with a new agency that now has me writing copy for real estate businesses, law firms, and manufacturers.

I’m learning, bit by bit, how to build a solid clientele, what sort of opportunities to pursue, and what to avoid.

And I’m writing every day and getting paid for it.

I may not be writing the Great American Novel, but when I see the immense amount of work my writer friends put into their books and the meager results they get, I wonder if I didn’t dodge a bullet. They love what they do, and I’m sincerely happy for them.

But that path, evidently, was not meant for me.

Instead, I’m enjoying writing shorter pieces covering a wide range of topics. I’m constantly learning.

And I’m getting paid for it.

That’s pretty damn successful in its own right.

I did not see this coming.

What my story can mean to you

I’m in my early 50s. It’s not an age in which people tend to embark on career changes.

Lesson #1

If you think you’re too old for a change, you’re not. I know of people older than me who have become professional writers. I know one woman who took up art after a lifetime of working in factories. She’s making a decent living with her art alone.

People surprise you. You surprise you.

Lesson #2

Keep your eyes open. Most of the best gigs I’ve had throughout my entire freelance career pretty much dropped right in front of me. The trick is to recognize opportunity when it appears and to grab it quickly.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hustle for work. Go ahead and send those cold emails. Check those job boards. But more importantly, keep your eyes and ears open.

Lesson #3

It doesn’t necessarily matter if you think you’re ready for it. The truth is, you can become ready for it. More quickly than you imagine.

What’s ahead?

I’m pretty optimistic about the future.

Right now, my work is approximately 70% writing to 30% layout. The publishing world is changing, and my skill set is becoming less in demand.

That’s okay. This past month alone, I picked up two new writing clients who are very happy with my work. I have every reason to believe that if I keep doing what I’m doing, I’ll continue to get more work and that by next year my writing income will have at least doubled if not tripled.

Besides some occasional consulting work for a few publisher friends, I’ll have left layout and book production behind entirely.

I feel happier and more satisfied with my life than I have in years. Once, I thought becoming a professional writer was a youthful fancy I wasn’t cut out for.

It turns out I was cut out for it quite a bit — just not in the way I expected.

Funny old world, ain’t it?

I’m even working on a book. Nonfiction, but still fun and exciting.

Go, me.

Go, you!

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