From the Editor

No matter how good a job we know we are capable of, in order to make a living, others need to know it too. This holds especially true for professional writers and editors.

This issue of Writer's Block focusses on how a documentation specialist sells his or her skills. On one level, professional writers have to demonstrate to a potential employer that he or she is suitable for a job in their organization. In our feature, "Ten Steps to Getting a Writing Job", John Collins lists and describes the factors that are important in landing that much sought-after job.

On a more basic level, writers—whether self-employed or working for a company—need to write for the intended audience. Only when the audience actually reads—and understands—what has been written will a writer be assured of a continued income. "Writing for a Busy World" offers practical advice on how to make your documents read by those who will benefit from them most.

In the competitive economy in which we currently find ourselves, there are no guarantees to assure writers of a perpetual income. Despite this, experience has shown that offering clients a quality product that is also on time and within budget are essential ingredients. While this sounds simple enough, only those that can deliver on their promises and consistently keep clients coming back for more, are likely to survive in the marketplace. Whatever your goals, it’s important to find the right combination of fear, courage to overcome that fear, and realistic expectations of what you can accomplish. Oh, and a little luck goes a long way too!