Your Guide To The Boston Writing Scene

Content writers are in high demand in Boston!

Boston’s pool of high-tech and high-growth businesses is faster than a speeding bullet and stronger than a locomotive, creating a great super marketplace for writers with the skills and expertise to help keep the growth going.

Making a Living as a Boston Writer

According to Glassdoor, a Boston-area content writer can expect to earn an average of $47,430 annually. Boston copywriters can expect to earn just over $61,300 on average. Meanwhile, content marketing managers earn an average of $84,000.

Here and around the world, we’re still in the thick of the “information age.” This means businesses have a continual need for high quality content—and lots of it.

Unsurprisingly, content writing and copywriting is expected to see an 8-9% job growth rate over the next five to ten years—let alone the fact that content marketing jobs already increased by a whopping 33% between 2017 and 2018.

Many Hub-area companies are looking to hire this kind of talent on a freelance, part-time, or full time basis.

Online job markets like Glassdoor and Indeed typically list several hundred writing jobs for the Boston area. And whether you’re looking to blaze a new career path, stay current in the competitive content marketing world, or simply hoping to forge some new writing skills, this New England city will never leave you wanting for learning and job opportunities.

Educational Opportunities for Writers to Advance in Boston

Let’s face it. Boston is known around the world for its academic presence. The city accounts for 34% of Massachusetts’s college enrollment, despite totaling only 10% of the state’s overall population. And with over 35 universities and colleges, Beantown is truly no stranger to the relentless influx of young and engaged thinkers and creatives.

That academic energy seeps out into the city in little ways—cozy bookshops around every corner, coffeehouses doubling as impromptu poetry venues, and workshops scrawled on bulletin boards at your favorite café. Sometimes you don’t even have to look for it; opportunities just kind of find you, which is both exciting and, yeah, a little overwhelming if you’re not wired for perpetual motion. But if you like the vibe of running into fellow writers or people mid-manuscript, Boston’s a bit of a goldmine. You get seasoned authors muddling through chapters next to students hammering out essays, all in that late-afternoon light that somehow makes everyone’s laptop look poetic. In a city stacked with this much brainpower, it’s hard not to pick up a few things by osmosis.

Take your pick between a bevy of creative and innovative area-opportunities to network and hone your craft. 

Writing Meet Up Groups in Boston

• Boston Writers’ Meetup, ongoing. From the popular website meetup.com, this Boston writing community gathers weekly for workshops, creative exercises, and group writing time. Popular meet ups include Boston Writers’ (meeting every other Tuesday), CIC Cambridge (meeting on select Wednesdays), and the Blue Hills Writing Retreat (meeting on select Sundays in Braintree).
• Creative Writing Workshops via Eventbrite, ongoing. Choose from Boston-area courses ranging from the essentials of marketing and business writing to creative prompts that will re-ignite your love of the craft.

Boston Conferences for Writers to Consider in 2019 

• MITX DesignTech Summit, April 3rd, 2019, location TBD. See where design meets storytelling and gain valuable insights into the ways technology is evolving for customers, companies, and creators alike.
• The Muse & The Marketplace, April 5-7th, 2019, at the Park Plaza Hotel. Dubbed “The #1 writing conference in North America” by Writers Magazine, this three-day literary conference from Boston’s own Grub Street is for emerging fiction and nonfiction writers looking for inspiration and actionable education.
• The 5th Annual Content Marketing Conference, April 16-19th, 2019, at the Boston Waterfront Westin. Learn the tools, tactics, and technology to help leverage your brand’s content, provide high quality and valuable information to your audience, and “turn browsers into buyers,” among other marketing perks.
• TEDxCambridge, May 3rd, 2019 at the Boston Opera House. Join the revolution that’s bringing together the brightest minds in the world of technology, entertainment, and design.
• Forward 2019 by SkyWord, June 6th, 2019, at The Revere Hotel in downtown Boston. Connect with global marketing leaders and learn how you can leverage your writing skills into better business and an elevated customer experience.
• Inbound, September 6-9th, 2019, at 415 Summer Street in the Boston Seaport. An annual even attracting thousands of marketers, content creators, salespeople, and customer service professionals. Past speakers include Michelle Obama, Issa Rae, and Gary Vaynerchuk. If you lean toward the business savvy side, this event is for you.

It’s not all about professional development either; sometimes it’s simply about feeling like you belong to something creative, or just another excuse to hang out in a room with people equally obsessed with language. The post-event mingling at these conferences has a kind of electricity that rarely shows up in polite networking circles—you just end up talking to someone over bad coffee about first drafts, or swapping book recommendations with a published novelist you accidentally bumped into. There’s real value there, even if it’s hard to measure in job offers or LinkedIn connections. Plus, Boston’s literary scene isn’t as stuffy as people might imagine; half the fun is discovering it’s a lot more approachable than you’d expect. If you ever wanted a place to geek out with people who genuinely love to argue over comma placement, you’ve pretty much found it.

So whether you’re a brand looking to hire Boston writers or a Boston-area writer hoping to connect with a local company, you’ve picked a great city to be in.

Workshops, Classes and More for Writers in Boston

Mark your calendars. These upcoming events are great networking and continuing education opportunities for both independent writers and companies looking to hire Boston writers:

• Four Stories, check website for updates. This award-winning literary series has an idea: to combine the unparalleled Boston nightlife with readers, writers, intellectuals, and everyone between. Stay tuned for fun and free literary nights out on the town.
• Scribbler’s Ink, check website for updates. With regular workshops in Nahant, this group is ideal for writers in the North Shore looking for connection, inspiration, community, and critiques.
• Boston Book Festival, check website for updates. Last year this festival invited visionary speakers including Michael Pollan and Adam Silvera.
• The Boston Writing Workshop, September 7th, 2019, at the Sheraton Boston. Pencil this one-day event into your calendar if you’re looking to learn more about literary agents, book publishers, and more.

The Best Places for Writers to Write in Boston

This city is seriously teeming with places to flex your creative muscles. For an informal and inspiring writing session that will place you elbow-to-elbow with other creators, hop the T and visit these popular (and peaceful) spots around town:

• Boston Common
• Arnold Arboretum
• Forest Hills Cemetery
• Boston Public Library
• WeWork

Of course, your favorite local café is always a good bet. Any local Starbucks will do, but literary Bostonians are also fans of Caffè Nero in Jamaica Plain, Thinking Cup in the North End, Render Coffee in the South End, Trident Booksellers and Cafe on Newbury Street, Pavement Coffeehouse (with 8 locations around the city), and Revival Cafe and Kitchen with locations in Alewife and Davis Square.

Community Groups for Writers in Boston

You may also want to check out some of these formal community groups, many of which offer free events and classes:

• The Writers’ Room of Boston: this nonprofit “urban writing retreat” provides a “secure, affordable work space and an engaged community to emerging and established writers in downtown Boston”
• GrubStreet: from their website, this is “a nonprofit creative writing center dedicated to nurturing writers and connecting readers with the wealth of writing talent in the Boston area”
• Boston Athenaeum: a members-only independent library and art and culture museum
• Boston Content: join this 2,000+ member strong group for the latest in workshops, networking opportunities, and job offerings for content marketers, producers, and strategists

Local Companies Hiring Boston Writers

Writers are in high demand in Boston—perhaps now more than ever. If you’re a Boston area freelance writer, journalist, editor or copywriter looking to monetize your skills, be sure to check out many agencies, businesses and platforms that are hiring both full time and freelance agencies all-the-time. 

Digital Marketing Agencies

Agencies are helping to keep the marketing going, and content flowing to readers and fans. There’s a big Welcome Writers sign on many agencies in town. Check a few out here that seem to be regular recruiters of content creators.

• 829 Studios, Boston Digital Marketing Agency
• Genuine
• Mesh Interactive
• Lore Digital Marketing
• Coalition Technologies

Content Platforms

• APPLY NOW!
• Skyword, a collaborative content marketing platform creating content for major brands including Anthem, Tom’s of Maine, and IBM.
• Scripted, a digital content platform helping freelance writers connect with businesses and agencies on the hunt for talent—marketing, content creation, and more.

Join the Ranks of Some of the Best Writers in the World!

When it comes to famous writers, Boston enjoys a long and storied history (no pun intended) with some of the best literary minds on the planet. The Hub is considered by many the birthplace of transcendentalism, a philosophical movement of the mid-1800s championed by acclaimed writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (of Walden Pond allure). The city was also home to the likes of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, Sylvia Plath, and Robert Frost.

Best of all, you can