One of the most well-known freelance writing bloggers, and the former writer for Business Tips for Writers is James Chartrand. James Chartrand is a woman. Of course, you already know that, because he told you himself, or maybe because you read Deb Ng’s take on the issue.
I’ve had the privilege to work with James for about the past year and a half on a number of different projects. Early on, I put two and two together and figured out what you all have just learned: he is a she. This didn’t phase me at all, and I felt much better about knowing the true identity of a person with whom I was doing business. (Incidentally, I could care less about knowing the true identity of my favorite bloggers. There’s a huge difference in relationships between bloggers and their readers, and between folks involved in a business transaction.)
For me, the whole story is an amazing study in freelance writing business branding.
Now, I’m going to sidestep the gender issue here, for several reasons. I’m not saying there’s not a gender factor in freelance writing business branding, or anything like that. I just want to ask you all to look at this through a different lens for a moment. In addition to the gender issue, or alongside if you prefer, I’d suggest there are several reasons that James and Men with Pens have done so well:
Distinct Branding Sells
If you’ve had any conversations with James, you know she’s not like other bloggers. She doesn’t write like a “mommy” blogger, and she doesn’t write like a refined “problogger” like Brian Clark either. No, James has a distinct voice. If you have to come up with a few words to describe the James Chartrand brand, they’d be things like: macho, humorous, Canadian. Really, how many freelance writing bloggers fit all three of those qualifiers?
The brand is distinct, and that has contributed to its success.
Quality Work Sells, Too
James’ writing, as well as Harry’s and all the rest at MwP, is decent writing. It’s insightful, entertaining and relevant. More than once, I’ve read posts from the MwP crew that have really helped my freelance career. I know from first-hand experience that the other writing (like web copy, sales copy and ebooks) that they’ve done are decent, too. To customers, Men with Pens and James Chartrand has meant “quality.” A commitment to good work is part of the brand.
No One Is An Island
I’ll also toss this out there. While James is the star of the Men with Pens show, other folks played a big role in making it what it is today. For a long time it was just Harry and James, and then it grew to include others as well. The “James Chartrand” brand received a huge boost from those folks behind the scenes. That doesn’t take anything at all away from James, but it does demonstrate that the whole can indeed be greater than the sum of its parts.
Again, I’m not saying gender isn’t a factor, which seems to be the thrust of James’ post. What I am suggesting is that life is rarely that cut and dried, and that there are other reasons the James Chartrand/Men with Pens brand is so hot.
Oh, and for what it’s worth, I can tell you that there is, in my experience, no James “persona.” The person you interact with as “James” is the same person, even when you know he’s a she.
So the gender issue didn’t PHASE you at all? Fine. But did it FAZE you?
Bob, nice handling of a complex matter. You were objective and presented great points to ponder re branding and the boundaries we all set in business. Interesting note also on reading versus doing business with someone using a pen name. An angle I had also considered but have not seen others comment upon. I wonder also if the dollar amount of the job impacts the level of transparency required.