IF YOU MAKE A LIVING AS A WRITER, you're most likely a microBusiness. Unless, of course, your name is J.K. Rowling. Then you'd no longer be an mBiz, you'd have evolved into an international brand worth somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 billion dollars. (Hmmm, interesting where a microBusiness can go!)
But for most writers to be successful, we must continue to seek new opportunities with individuals or companies who still appreciate the value of telling a good story--whether it be fiction, nonfiction, or commercial stories for business.
Business stories are only valuable when they're told.
A while back, in Springwise newsletter, a fascinating new market for writers is exposed. London's Heathrow Airport appointed Alain de Botton as its writer in residence. His job was to sit in the airport and write a book about it. De Botton is famous for writing about love, travel, architecture and literature. Now he had a commercial writing gig, and would people his story with world travelers entrenched in flight delays and security indignities trying to catch the red-eye to Mumbai. I applaud Heathrow's marketing department for coming up with a "novel", yet useful way to converse with their customers. Marketers are famous for saying that "no one reads anymore", but that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard coming from a professional in the digital content age.
Here's the exciting part.
Extrapolate this concept to include businesses small and large, and you can see the potential for storytelling in all manner of commercial arenas, nonprofits, and even government. Every good enterprise has a story to tell, and who better to write an engaging narrative or script than you, the professional writer.
I'm sure de Botton was paid serious coin for his efforts chronicling the comings and goings at Heathrow. Certainly not all commercial storytelling will pay as well, but for the microBusiness/entrepreneur/writer there is an enormous opportunity, even if you don't have the credentials of de Botton.
I've always believed that value-focused organizations, with responsible marketing efforts could benefit from the writer-in-residence idea. Even if that writer is a freelancer who's on-call to chronicle important events.
Take a look at the whole Springwise story. Or, sign up for your own free weekly newsletter from Springwise.com. It's your daily fix of entrepreneurial ideas. (And no, I didn't get paid to say that.) Please feel free to comment here or follow me on Twitter.
Photo: ZIM Integrated Shipping Services. Copyright Lloyd Lemons
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