🍊 Juice Copywriting

Why 'Orange Juice'?

My surname, which looks like the bottom rung of an eyesight test, sounds a little like 'orange juice' and, for ease, I'm absolutely fine to be called Mr Orange Juice. I quite like it, in fact.

About me

I've earned a living from writing since early 2010, when I lived in Kyiv. I began blogging (in English) about the little idiosyncrasies of Ukrainian life. This was picked up by the editor of a weekly English-language magazine out there called What's On. It covered news, current affairs, politics, and culture. I was hired as a copyeditor and proof-reader. After a while, I was invited to write my own interviews and articles. I ended up with a weekly satirical agony aunt column. 'Dear Mr Orange Juice…'.

After a few months, the editor of another English-language news outlet in Kyiv got in touch. He'd seen my writing and was launching a Jewish TV news channel. I'd been raised a Roman Catholic, so politely declined, until he explained that he wasn't Jewish, nor were any of the other journos he'd just recruited. So, I politely agreed.

We got up-to-speed on all-things-Jewish and all-things-Israel, then began broadcasting. After three months, I was promoted to shift editor (one of four). It was a 24/7 rolling news operation and the job meant managing journalists, translators, videos technicians, audio technicians, the IT team, and correspondents on-the-ground (often in different time zones). I drank a lot of coffee.

Returning to the UK, I applied to the two big Jewish newspapers in London. One answered. Their features editor was leaving. After a couple of trial articles, I was hired. Nine months later, I was their foreign editor, a role I held for the next nine years. For the last few years, I was the paper's leader writer too. Me, a non-Jew, writing 'Voice of the Jewish News' every week. Funny old world…

Writing about Israel and the Middle East is no walk in the shtetl. People analyse every syllable. Objectivity was always the aim. The nearer I got, the prouder I was. I left in 2021. We'd moved to Devon by then and the paper was still in London. We've since had two daughters, so working-from-home suits me.

I became acquainted with an Arab current affairs magazine called Al Majalla and began editing for them as a freelancer, refreshing their content, making it sound as if it had been written by an English speaker.

They have a wealth of very good Arabic-language journalists who write well-informed, well-sourced stories with relevant quotes, but then it goes through a crude translation mechanism and throws out skewed English with no understanding of the nuances and delicacies of this part of the world, a region where words start wars.

My other work has included scriptwriting for some of the UK's most senior political, cultural, and religious leaders. I've also been a ghostwriter on books written by two of the UK's most successful industrialists. Alas, I cannot mention names.

In a nutshell, I'm an accidental writer, copyeditor, scriptwriter, ghostwriter, and proofreader. In my spare time, I write plays and musicals. In May 2024, I won the Award for Original Writing from the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) for my play 'House of Cyn,'' performed over four sell-out nights in 2023. So, if you hire me, you can officially say you've hired “an award-winning writer”!

In summary, I adore the English language, even if the harlot doesn't always reciprocate. I love my work and love helping people bring their words to life.

Let's start the conversation. Email me at: [email protected]

Process

There are three options:

1. I write it from scratch
2. I copy-edit your writing (this can include cutting, adding, re-ordering etc.)
3. I proof-read your writing (checking spelling, grammar, punctuation etc)

Most people want options 1) or 2). It usually works as follows:

1. We talk/message, you explain what it is you want/are trying to say, I write it, you read it and feedback, I finesse it, eventually we get there
2. We talk/message, you explain what it is you want/are trying to say, you write it, I edit it, you read it and feedback, I finesse it, eventually we get there

Fees

If it's 1), I'll give you a quote when I have a clearer idea about what it is you want and when you need it for. If it's 2), send it to me and I'll give you a rough cost estimate, based on how much work I think it'll take.

I've looked at what others charge and consider myself to be somewhere between 'good value' and 'an absolute steal'.

As per most others in this profession, I charge 50% upfront and 50% on completion. Over time, as relations develop and trust builds, that becomes more flexible.

These things are partnerships. They're about working together, getting on the same page, being honest with one another.

If it isn't gelling, we will both know fairly quickly. Some editors just can't get the required tone/style/rhythm. In that event, if you agree not to use any of my edits, I'll aim not to charge for the remainder—and reimburse the 50%. Clearly, that depends on how much work I've done by that point. If I've done a fair amount and feel I did so as per the remit, I'll charge.