Re: Help! Suddenly I'm a new RPF/proposal writer

[kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com]

Dick wrote:

> I've just been promoted (?) to be the RFP writer. Any advice? Any 
> good books to read? Any good sites to check out? I want to do this 
> well. It seems like it's a blend between pure technical writing 
> and marketing.


That's a very good assessment of what proposal writing is, and those are
among the reasons I enjoy writing proposals.  I enjoy both tech and
marcomm, but like to skip the fluff. So to me, proposal writing offers the
best of both worlds.

Two books I found helpful for proposal writing are:

Proposal Development: How to Respond & Win the Bid
- Bud Porter-Roth

Handbook for Writing Proposals
- Robert J. Hamper & L. Sue Baugh

There's another book by Herman Holtz, the title of which I can't remember
(I'm away from my bookshelf as I write this), but it's also one you should
check out. Until his recent death, Herman was a prolific contributor to
TECHWR-L, and he literally "wrote the book" on a variety of topics,
including freelance tech writing and proposal writing.

Check the archives, too - this topic has been discussed on and off - once
quite recently - producing some very informative threads. In one of those
threads I brought up the fact that writing proposals might put you in a
more high-profile position than that of a "mere" tech writer. Like you, I
transferred into a tech writing job, and I think my switch to proposal
writing is a big part of why I've survived the last four layoffs at my
company. Sadly, none of the tech writers I used to work with are still
here.  :(

Good luck in your new position. It's also a great bullet to add to your
resume, differentiating you from tech writers who only produce
documentation. In this job market, the more skills you acquire, the
better. Also, if your proposal gig is like most, you're going to develop
some serious project management skills, a buzzphrase that will help your
resume, too. Enjoy!



-Keith Cronin
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