What is a White Paper Writer?

When it comes to writing there are tons of ways of making money. One of the ways is to be a white paper writer. Alot of people I have spoken to don't even know what a white paper writer is or what they do. First off we need to actually know what a white paper is.

What is a white paper?
The term white paper was actually coined in the 1920's. To my understanding it came about in the UK when government officials used this term to distinguish between two types of policy book. One with a white cover and one with a blue cover. The term white paper became very popular in the Information Technology industry and it still is. The Internet has totally changed how white papers are distributed now and the definition of a white paper has evolved over the years. One of the most well known white paper authors, Gordon Graham states that white papers are;


  "persuasive essays about a certain product, service, technology or methodology" They are also mainly used in for business to business purposes rather than for business to consumer purposes, this does differ though. White papers are usually around five or six pages in length and they sometimes come in the form of a press kit, depending on the company or organization. Obviously political white papers are different, and to be honest that is a whole different ball game. 


So what does a white paper writer do? 


It is pretty obvious now what a white paper writer does. They obviously write them, this means that they are given a full topic and brief by the company. They are also usually given the tools necessary to achieve the best results. It can take from 24 to 36 hours to finish white papers. So, you can imagine how much you should really be getting paid for this kind of work. Some white paper writers get in the region of $3,000 to $5,000, if you were in the UK you would probably be getting in the region of £2,000 to £4,000.  Which is really for about one to two weeks work depending on how fast you work. 


Can anyone be a white paper writer? 


There are no real qualifications or industry standards that you need to become a white paper writer. You will find that some journalists or PR professionals end up start careers in white paper writing. So really the only prerequisite for becoming a white paper writer is this, you have to know how to write. You have to know how to write articulately and precisely. You have to know how to write in an engaging, persuasive and concise manner. So the bottom line guys is this, learn how to write this way, copy the greats! I recommend you take a look at one of the best sites about white paper writing, and that is, White Paper Guy.  

Check back again ladies and gents to find out how more about white paper writing.