Copywriting is a dirty business

by James Bos

When you are working as a copywriter, sometimes the gigs run dry and you need to apply for whatever jobs you come across. One of the strangest jobs I found was for a blog that showcased erotic literature – otherwise known as ‘literotica’, according to Urban Dictionary.

The web design was a little cliché. A dark velvet red background covered every page from top to bottom, and the main header was written in a free-flowing French Script, outlined in faded gold. I think they were making their money from selling various adult themed affiliate products.

I had written for a wide range of clients, from plastic surgery clinics to plastic injection moulding facilities, but I had never, ever, thought of writing an erotic story. Especially not for a client. But it sounded like a lot of fun so I sat down and started ‘brainstorming’ steamy plot lines, titillating themes, sexy characters and an appropriate setting to put them all in.

Surprisingly, the story was actually very easy to write. The plot revolved around corporate espionage, and within thirty minutes I had the story written, proofread, attached and emailed to the client. And as should be the case with all erotic literature, my very favourite part was the climatic ending.

Unfortunately, as with many clients, they never responded to my initial email and I suspect that they were simply collecting ‘sample’ stories in order to reuse them on their blog. This is a very common practice in the freelance writing community, which is completely devoid of any checks and balances.

But it was an exhilarating experience, one that pushed me out of my comfort zone and, despite the fact that I didn’t get paid, I have no regrets.

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James Bos is a professional writer with over six years’ experience writing and editing blog articles, product reviews and website copy for a very diverse range of clients.

This post is part of a weekly series titled “Writers Other Jobs” in which writers outline some of the stranger and more interesting things they’ve done to further their career. Michelle McLaren of www.booktothefuture.com.au will reveal some of the challenges of making whitegoods and kitchen appliances sound different yet equally exciting on Thursday.