I don’t know what exactly happened, but my mailbox is filling up with catalogs faster than I can get rid of them.

It’s really unbelievable.

I actually threw away a number of them before I realized how many I was getting… and decided it would make a good photo opp for my blog. Check out my current collection of holiday catalogs (about 2 weeks’ worth)…

A Sampling of Holiday Catalogs I've Received in Fall 2009

Given how many catalogs I’ve received, I’ve got to believe it’s a good time to be a catalog copywriter… or even a catalog merchant.

I got my start as a direct response copywriter writing copy for a hybrid catalog/Internet company. The annual catalog prompted many of the sales; incentives drove customers to place their orders on the web site.

Personally, I really enjoy catalog copywriting. Every block of copy is an exercise in brevity.

A year ago, I would have passed you on to Jay White so you could join his Catalog Copywriting Secrets membership site, but it hasn’t been available since February 2009. And there’s no indication when it will be available again (if ever).

In the mean time, just take a look at some of the company names on these catalogs and keep the catalogs you get in the mail. This will give you a good place to start.

You never know… it might be worthwhile to ring up some of these catalogers and see if they have any overflow work for freelancers.

-Ryan M. Healy