Pencil Points Banner Logo
Insight and Inspiration from   
The Accidental Medical Writer   
Quick Links
Join our list
Join Our Mailing List

Departments

  • Welcome!
  • [Not] Just for Newbies
  • On the Radar 
  • Dollars & Sense
  • TAMW Calendar 
  • The Savvy Marketer
     
June 2013
  Issue #45

What Will You Learn Today?       

 

When we ask our colleagues what they like most about freelancing (as we did recently on Facebook), they overwhelmingly point to the thrill of learning something new almost every day. We agree! We love learning about cutting-edge research, digging up information about promising innovative treatments for diseases, and finding better ways to run our businesses. It's what we learn on a daily basis that we try to share with you through this newsletter, on social media, in the professional presentations we give, and the courses we teach.  

  

In this month's issue of Pencil Points we offer several new ways for you to stay ahead of the pack of other freelances who may be nipping at your heels. Are you on the leading edge of style? No? Then head to this month's [Not] Just For Newbies column. We're cognizant of where we fit into the pharmaceutical food chain and in Dollars & Sense we tell you how to avoid becoming prey. Check out On the Radar to read about the latest controversial guideline that FINALLY arrived on our doorsteps. Have you seen it yet? And for those of you struggling to write nonprint deliverables, the suggestions we offer in The Savvy Marketer may give you an edge on the competition. 

 

The Chinese proverb tells us, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." We hope this issue teaches you how to reel in some new opportunities. Enjoy!

 

Wishing you writing success,

 

Cyndy and Brian
The Accidental Medical Writer


PS. We offer more tips and have interesting discussions on our Facebook page. Come and join us.

 Newbies[NOT] JUST FOR NEWBIES
Information and Inspiration for New and Experienced Writers 

What's Your Style?


Familiarity with the AMA Manual of Style (make sure it's the 10th edition) is an essential skill for those of us who write in the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Don't get the impression, however, that AMA style is the only style out there that your clients will expect you to follow. You likely will be asked to follow different styles, depending on the type of projects you're working on. And since each style guide is different, switching from one style to another can be frustrating. Although the AMA Manual of Style holds a prominent position on our bookshelf, we reach for others now and then. If you want to write near-perfect copy for your clients, then you should be somewhat familiar with at least 3 others:

 

  • Associated Press Stylebook: Known as "the journalists' Bible," the 2013 edition of the AP Stylebook (to be released in July 2013) marks the 60th anniversary of this resource. If you write for newspapers and other news publications, this is one tool you can't be without. Although this style guide is considered a newspaper industry standard, you also find broadcasters, magazines, and public relations firms using it. So, if you've been contracted to write press releases, brush up on the AP style. Purchase the print version or subscribe to the searchable, Web-based version for your computer or for any mobile device. There's also a product called StyleGuard that offers automated checking of any Word document to ensure compliance with the AP style.
       
  • Chicago Manual of Style: Another widely used resource by writers and editors, the Chicago Manual of Style is probably one of the most respected style guides in the United States. If you write or edit books, this is your go-to resource for all things style related. You can buy the print resource, but we also like the online version. You need to buy an annual subscription to access the manual online, but go to the website
     and sign up for a free, 30-day trial. You can also freely access the Q&A page, which might answer some of your style questions.
       
  • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (more commonly known as the APA style guide): This tool is essential if you write in the behavioral or social sciences, that is, psychology and related fields. Frankly, though, we find the APA style tough to get used to because it's so different from the way we normally do things. The APA way of citing references, in particular, is quite different from the AMA style, so we constantly need to refer to the manual. Fortunately, the APA has free tutorials on their website and they also offer an $80 online course. If you'll be doing a lot of writing in this style, you also might want to investigate PERRLA for APA software. PERRLA integrates with Microsoft Word to ensure that the document you're creating follows APA style exactly. For $35, you could eliminate a lot of headaches! 
 ON THE RADAR
Resources for Medical Writers

DSM-5--the Wait is Over!         

 

Has there ever been a guideline longer in the making, more anticipated, or more controversial upon its arrival, than the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5(TM)) from the American Psychiatric Association (APA)? If there has been, we don't know about it.

The beautiful hardcover edition of the DSM-5, all 947 pages of it, landed on our doorsteps last week. What a sight for sore eyes! Literally. We've been working on several projects in the treatment of mental disorders lately, and we're nearly blind researching any and all references that would give us a reliable hint of what the DSM-5 held in store.

We no longer have to speculate, and neither do you. New with the DSM-5 is a section with tools for healthcare professionals and patient self-assessment tools. Click to view a YouTube video of Dr. Darrel A. Regier, vice-chair of the DSM-5 Task Force, speaking about the new DSM-5.

If you work in the field of mental disorders or have an inkling to break into the field, the DSM-5 is a must-have for your bookshelf. It's already on ours! Click here to check out the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5(TM)) and order your copy now.

We're also looking forward to the electronic version, which is a first for the DSM and should be available later this year. We'll keep you posted. The electronic version will be readily updatable, and it will feature links to other APA resources. The APA even plans to launch a DSM-5 app.  

DollarsDOLLARS & SENSE

Advice on the Business of Freelancing 

Where Are You in the Food Chain? 

 

Big pharma buyouts make big bucks for investors. But what about vendors, and what about vendors of vendors? In other words, what about you?

2010 posted 7 mergers and acquisitions (M&A) totaling nearly $30 billion. In the first half of 2011 alone, the M&A numbers jumped to 31 biotech and pharma deals netting more than $50 billion. Then 2012, and now 2013, bring more of the same.

It seemed to all start with the joining of Pfizer and Wyeth, Roche and Genentech, and Merck and Schering Plough within the first few months of 2009. Then Celgene, Biovail, Abbott, Reckitt Benckiser, Astellas, and Teva got into the M&A game. They were followed by Sanofi-Aventis, Shire, Daiichi Sankyo, and Valeant. Most recently we've read reports about the M&A activities of Actavis and Warner Chilcott, Valeant and Bausch & Lomb, and Sun. It's getting so we need a scorecard just to keep track.

When big companies merge, investors usually find themselves at the top of the food chain. Employees of those companies often get eaten. How can we freelances keep ourselves from going hungry? It all depends on what we do today, and every day, to protect our interests.

We have built our freelance businesses on working directly with medical communications companies, medical education companies, and medical advertising agencies.  Because they are direct vendors of the pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, and device and diagnostics manufacturers, they are among the first to get hurt by being on the wrong end of an M&A. They (and we) can be doing the best the client has ever seen. But if our ultimate client loses the coin toss with their new partner, all communications, education, or advertising work might be consolidated under the other partner's resources. Big winners for one side, but not our side.

The best way to protect yourself from getting caught in this predicament (as if anyone can ever be completely safe from something outside of their control), is to have an interest in both sides of the coin. That's not to say you should pit one of your clients against another, or worse yet, help one client take business from another (we wrote about this and other ethical conundrums in last month's issue of Pencil Points). But the more you spread yourself around and do great work for lots of great clients, the more you increase your chances that when one of your clients loses (due to no fault of your own), another one might win (no thanks due to you).

If your clients are the pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, and/or device or diagnostics manufacturers, taking our advice gets a little more complicated. Freelance work done directly for these companies often poses considerable on-site demands and can leave the freelance with little time or energy to juggle more than one client. As a result, you stand to be on even less-solid ground than the employees in a merger, for whom the acquiring partner might feel more compassion or see more value to retain. But the opposite thinking could also hold true. Freelances pose zero political risk in an M&A because we have no horse in the race. We also cost a lot less than an employee, often have more seniority and experience than the employees, and present on the M&A balance sheet as a direct business expense rather than as a liability. Did you know that an employee presents as a liability on their employer's balance sheet? Is there any wonder we love being freelances?

What we've just described is the tip to having an interest in both sides of the coin when you freelance directly for the pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, and/or device or diagnostics manufacturers. Knowing your position in the food chain gives you negotiating power to help yourself stay in the M&A game.
WhereWHERE IN THE WORLD ARE BRIAN AND CYNDY?
The Accidental Medical Writer Calendar

 

The AMWA Annual Conference is the ultimate resource for medical communicators around the world, offering educational and networking opportunities beyond compare in the field. We learned recently that all of our proposals were accepted for this year's conference, and we are THRILLED! We'll share more information with you once everything is finalized. 

 

If you'd like us to come and speak at an event you're organizing, don't wait too long to contact us. Our schedule is filling fast!

 

Be sure to check out Brian's interview in Breaking Into Medical Writing and Editing by Kristen Fischer that was published online on January 6 by mediabistro.com, a top site for communication professionals who create or work with content. If you're a member of AvantGuild you can access the article for free. If not, there's a $55 annual subscription fee, which gives you access to all the exclusive content the site offers. If you recall, Kristen interviewed Cyndy last year for the Freelance Switch blog, which you can read here. Thanks, Kristen.

 

For all our upcoming activities and appearances, keep an eye on The Accidental Medical Writer In Person.

We frequently speak and teach at medical writing conferences and seminars; we've also been interviewed online. Check out our Webcasts. Brian's interview with Danielle Hampson of The Business Authors Show is also available right on our website!

We would love to present at your next upcoming meeting or event, so invite us!

 

SavvyTHE SAVVY MARKETER
Marketing Tips to Build Your Business 
Show, Don't Tell 

Recently, a client asked us to revise a PowerPoint slide deck that had been created (by another writer) using material from printed self-study sales-training modules. The slides were part of a workshop meant to reinforce key topics the sales reps learned during their self-study. Unfortunately, the client was not happy with the first draft, and we knew why. The writer had simply taken material from the print module and inserted the content as bullets on the slides. You can imagine how that looked!

If you want to be able to market yourself beyond the print medium--and frankly, who doesn't?--you need to know how to design slides and present information in interesting, readable, and attention-grabbing ways. Once you get the hang of it, market yourself to agencies that are looking for writers who know how to create nonprint materials. In our experience, it's a skill that will differentiate you from others, if you are good at it. Here are some design tips we've learned over the years.

An important rule of thumb when creating PowerPoint slides it to avoid slides that are extremely text heavy. A handy instructional design principle to keep in mind is have no more than 6 lines of text on a slide and no more than 6 words on a line. Really. We mean it.

Secondly, and perhaps most important, SHOW, don't tell. This holds true for any nonprint medium, but let's focus this discussion on PowerPoint. Nothing kills your slides more than bullet after bullet after bullet. Most workshops are led by a leader. It's the leader's job to go through the slides and explain them. That's why we write Leader's Guides and scripts. PowerPoint includes a notes section where we can write exactly what the leader should say,

The slide is not intended to capture every word of the script. The slide presents an opportunity to include images, tables, or figures on screen that show the information. Here's an example. You're discussing treatment options for patients with lung cancer, which include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Sure, you could tell the audience with a bullet for each modality like this (YAWN):
  • Surgery
  • Radiotherapy
  • Chemotherapy 
A better option: show the audience by inserting a photo for each modality.

Here's another example. You're reviewing overall response rates for agents A, B, and C. Again, you could tell the audience in bullets like so (MORE YAWNS): 
  • Agent A: 75% response rate
  • Agent B: 72% response rate
  • Agent C: 45% response rate 
But what about showing the audience with a bar chart that presents the response rates? Suddenly, dry data become much more meaningful. The visual presentation allows the audience to see the relationship between the response rates.

The key take-away message we want to get across is that words on a screen are boring. When designing for nonprint deliverables use as many opportunities as possible to show the information and make comparisons. That being said, we also need to caution you. The graphics and images need to be related to the concept being discussed. So if you're discussing surgery, don't insert a photo of a flower. That will do nothing to enhance learning.

THE FINE PRINT

 

YOU ARE RECEIVING this F-R-E-E newsletter on the business of freelance medical writing because you are on The Accidental Medical Writer's opt-in mailing list.
  
TO ENSURE YOU RECEIVE this newsletter, please add [email protected] to your address book.
  
TO CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION ADDRESS to this ezine, unsubscribe your old address and subscribe your new one.
  
PLEASE RECOMMEND THIS NEWSLETTER to anyone you know who is interested in breaking into freelance medical writing or who wants to learn more about the medical writing industry. Just click on the "Forward email" button below.
  
PRIVACY STATEMENT:  We will not distribute your email address to anyone. PERIOD.
  
Copyright � The Accidental Medical Writer. You may not copy or reuse the content of this newsletter without written permission of The Accidental Medical Writer.