The Silver Pen: Starting a Profitable Writing Business from a Lifetime of Experience, a Guide For...

Author Alan Canton starts with the premise that seniors, his target audience, want to write to make money. To supplement their income. For those that do, this is a substantial guide. In his fast-moving, punchy style, Canton counsels that retirees or seniors in general can succeed in writing specifically because they bring to the task a lifetime of experience and knowledge. I agree whole heartedly with that concept, but in my own book "The Writer Within You," I expand my readership beyond just those who want to supplement Social Security and other investments to the many who want to write for fun or for self-satisfaction or to leave a written legacy to their heirs. This is by no means a criticism. It simply highlights the very specific, targeted audience at which Canton aims his book, and does it quite well as he urges seniors to sit down at their computers. Early in the book he states, "Talent is not necessary. If you can read, you can write." I guess that's why later in the book he compares writing articles to making cookies. Canton's assumption may have some shred of truth, but it certainly helps to have some talent and/or some training. As he treats writing as a business--and it is in addition to being an art--he states, for example, "Too much time researching will kill your bottom line." But fortunately, he tempers that with this counsel, "Pick a topic you already know quite a bit about so you only have to fill in in order to give the piece what is called 'current authority.'" Of course what Canton talks about throughout most of the book is article writing and freelancing for businesses, in other words his world is commercial writing in its various forms. So he offers good practical advice, but I wish he were a bit less flippant. Nonetheless, this book does provide a senior intent on capitalizaing on his/her knowledge gained from years of career or hobby the inspiration and guidance to begin to write. In my mind, that's a worthwhile goal.

A pleasure to read and beautifully written, with a lot of life wisdom behind it, this is one book that can really help an aspiring writer. Canton's explanation of the difference between process and substance activities in the use of our time is alone worth the price of the book. I don't quite agree that good writing is a craft that anyone can learn but this book can give courage to people who've loved good writing but never thought they could do it themselves.

The Silver Pen is aimed at the retiree who wants to supplement an unearned income wirh a part-time home based free lance writing job . The author shows how to: sell articles to specialized magazines, do ghost writing, write public relations releases , do grant proposals, and do commercial writing. As a retired senior citizen with both business and accademic exerience, and having written many reports and conducted research, I chose to follow the author's step by step instructions on how to write and sell nonfiction articles to specialized magazines. With no illusions, the author shows the retiree why the pupil can start a part-time wrilting business. Canton ,using a unique mehtod, guides the retiree through the maze of finding his specialty - his genre. Having decided his specialty, the reader is directed how to find publications related to his genre. The author helped me to find market directories where I learned what editors are looking for, what they pay,and guidelines for article writers, Alan Canton considers the reader to be a novice who needs simple instructions to handle the nuts and bolts of the article writing profession. He devotes chapters to important how to's: how to write articles for different markets, how to determine the selling price, how to negotiate contracts, and how to protect the writer's rights. If you are a retiree, you have accumulated a store of valuable experience. Why not share it with others and start a new career with the joy of working at your own pace. The Silver Pen will show you how. ###