• Peter Bowerman (www.wellfedwriter.com) is a commercial writer and business coach, and the author of popular how-to “standards” on lucrative commercial freelancing – the 2000 Book-of-the-Month Club selection The Well-Fed Writer and its 2005 companion, TWFW: Back for Seconds (both self-published). With 55,000 copies in print, his books have provided him with a fulltime living for more than five years and have led the way for many colleagues to launch their dreams of freelancing. His newest release is The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living (www.wellfedsp.com).
• Hilary Powers (www.powersedit.com) has been editing onscreen since 1994. Working with the computer rather than just on it often allows her to cruise at 10+ pages/hour, with plenty of time to think through whatever requires thought. She is well-known in the Editorial Freelancers Association, Bay Area Editors Association and several e-mail lists for coming up with answers when Word misbehaves. To create her mindset and vast fund of tips, she draws on a journalism BA cum laude from Stanford University; professional experience in management analysis and audit for government agencies and in EDP audit and computer security for an insurance company; and presidency of a nonprofit historical society with branches around the world.
• Kat Nagel (www.masterworkconsulting.com) is a technical writer, editor, computer coach, and fulltime technology addict. She owns MasterWork Consulting Services, a technical communications company serving high-tech manufacturers, software developers, small businesses and individuals in private professional practices. She currently works at Paychex, Inc., but her company’s freelance client list includes Kodak, Raymond Corporation and other major technology players in upstate New York. Nagel also donates website design and maintenance services to several professional associations and community arts organizations.
• Mary Anne Shew (www.shewtech.com and www.BizVitality.com), is founder and owner of ShewTech Associates, a web-design and Internet marketing firm, and president and “chief inspiration officer” of Business Vitality LLC, which delivers human-performance improvements for companies and individuals through creativity, inspiration and leadership. She helps clients to define what success looks like and achieve specific goals and results. She has a BA in math and an MBA, and is a permanent student of life and active in professional and community organizations.
• Ruth E. Thaler-Carter (www.writerruth.com) is an award-winning freelance writer and editor; a frequent speaker on starting a freelance writing/editing business and other topics; and author/publisher of a booklet entitled “Get Paid to Write! Getting Started as a Freelance Writer.” She is active in several freelancers’ organizations and e-mail lists; was coordinator of the Editorial Freelancers Association’s first national conference in 10 years in 2005; organized the Freelancer’s Fair for the Society of National Association Publications (SNAP) for several years; and has served on the planning committees of several International Association of Business Communicators conferences.