Writers and Authors
27-3043.00
Updated 2026

The occupation code you requested, 27-3043.04 (Copy Writers), is no longer in use. In the future, please use 27-3043.00 (Writers and Authors) instead.

Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.

Sample of reported job titles: Advertising Copywriter, Advertising Writer, Author, Content Marketing Writer, Copywriter, Freelance Copywriter, Freelance Writer, Search Engine Optimization Copywriter (SEO Copywriter), Web Content Writer, Writer

Also see: Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

  • Write fiction or nonfiction prose, such as short stories, novels, biographies, articles, descriptive or critical analyses, and essays.
  • Revise written material to meet personal standards and to satisfy needs of clients, publishers, directors, or producers.
  • Present drafts and ideas to clients.
  • Edit or rewrite existing written material as necessary, and submit written material for approval by supervisor, editor, or publisher.
  • Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews.
  • Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium.
  • Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material.
  • Write advertising material for use by publication, broadcast, or internet media to promote the sale of goods and services.
  • Write to customers in their terms and on their level so that the script, story, or advertisement message is more readily received.
  • Prepare works in appropriate format for publication, and send them to publishers or producers.
  • Plan project arrangements or outlines, and organize material accordingly.
  • Conduct research and interviews to determine which of a product's selling features should be promoted.
  • Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy.
  • Work with staff to develop script, story, or advertising concepts.
  • Consult with sales, media and marketing representatives to obtain information on product or service and discuss style and length of advertising written material.
  • Collaborate with other writers on specific projects.
  • Follow appropriate procedures to get copyrights for completed work.
  • Review advertising trends, consumer surveys, and other data regarding marketing of goods and services to determine the best way to promote products.
  • Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information.
  • Invent names for products and write the slogans that appear on packaging, brochures and other promotional material.
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Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Working with Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  • Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.

Detailed Work Activities

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Work Context

  • E-Mail — 89% responded “Every day.”
  • Spend Time Sitting — 79% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Time Pressure — 63% responded “Every day.”
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 63% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 63% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals — 58% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Level of Competition — 47% responded “Highly competitive.”
  • Telephone Conversations — 50% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 61% responded “Every day.”
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks — 47% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — 32% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Written Letters and Memos — 44% responded “Every day.”
  • Contact With Others — 32% responded “Contact with others about half the time.”
  • Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — 39% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Duration of Typical Work Week — 53% responded “40 hours.”
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 37% responded “Important results.”
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams — 33% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 32% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — 47% responded “Continually or almost continually.”

Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Related Experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Job Zone Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, conservation scientists, art directors, and cost estimators.
SVP Range
(7.0 to < 8.0)

Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications
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Apprenticeship Opportunities

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Worker Requirements

Software Skills

Hot Technologies are requirements most frequently included across all employer job postings.
In Demand skills are frequently included in employer job postings for this occupation.

Essential Skills

  • Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Transferable Skills

  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Knowledge

  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
  • Communications and Media — Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  • Administrative — Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 74%
     
    Bachelor’s degree required
  • 5%
     
    Less than high school diploma required
  • 5%
     
    High school diploma or equivalent required

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Interests

Interest code: AE
Want to discover your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler.
  • Artistic — Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.
    • Creative Writing — Work involves developing creative written works, such as novels, scripts, song lyrics, poetry, stories, or advertisements.
    • Marketing/Advertising — Work involves promoting or creating a public image for products, services, or organizations to attract interest, engagement, or sales.
    • Media — Work involves producing, developing, writing, directing, or presenting information through print, radio, television, or digital media.
    • Humanities — Work involves studying and researching aspects of human history, culture, and language through disciplines such as history, philosophy, the language arts, or area/ethnic studies.
  • Enterprising — Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
    • Marketing/Advertising — Work involves promoting or creating a public image for products, services, or organizations to attract interest, engagement, or sales.

Work Styles

  • Innovation — A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2025)
$36.98 hourly, $76,910 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2025)
140,300 employees
Projected growth (2025-2035)
Little or no change
Projected job openings (2025-2035)
11,900
State trends

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data and 2025-2035 employment projections . “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2025-2035). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

More Information

Related Occupations

Professional Associations

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National Associations
Regional Associations
Accreditation, Certification, & Unions