Copywriter from Maryland Lands 'The Apprentice' Job

When Donald Trump weeded through contestants on the hit TV show "The Apprentice," the dreaded words were: "You're fired." But when Michael A. Stelzner, one of the leading authorities on the topic of writing and marketing white papers went looking for an apprentice recently, freelance copywriter Apryl Parcher heard the words, "You're hired!"

Stelzner, who has written more than 130 white papers for many of the world's most recognized companies, including Microsoft, Dow Jones, FedEx, Motorola, Monster, Hewlett-Packard and SAP, went on a well-publicized hunt this spring for an apprentice while conducting a month-long Internet summit on writing white papers.

"I heard about the White Paper Summit from a colleague, and then started reading about it in some major industry newsletters," says Parcher, who has been freelancing for the last nine years from her company based in Maryland and currently specializes in writing copy for both local businesses and international health and wellness companies.

"I've written all kinds of business copy, but not too many white papers. Michael is well-known in the field as the top white paper writer in the country, so when I heard he was looking for an apprentice, I decided to go for it."

Author of the bestselling book, Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged, Stelzner's work is used as required reading at major universities such as MIT and Johns Hopkins. He also trains corporations and professional organizations, and organizes large summits on industry topics--all of which take up a lot of his time--hence the search for an apprentice to help with, well… writing white papers.

And Stelzner didn't make the process easy. It began with a multiple-choice exam and only those who tallied 95% or higher--a group of 15 applicants--survived to move on to the second round. For round two, the applicants were given a comprehensive written exam. Based on the results, five people proceeded to the final challenge, a one-on-one phone interview with Stelzner in which he tested their ability to communicate well with clients.

Stelzner calls Apryl the best of the best: "All of the candidates were exceptionally well-qualified. What made Apryl unique was that she invested heavily into her personal development outside of the White Paper Success Summit. She has done a lot to develop her skill set by attending events and being coached by the gurus of the industry. She's a good writer, but she also understands marketing and she's a very good communicator."

For her part, Parcher is both humbled by the experience of winning the coveted apprenticeship and excited about working with Stelzner.

"Over 300 people attended the Summit," said Parcher, "and about 100 of us tried out for the apprenticeship at the end. There were some pretty talented writers in that group, and it was a tough test--so I'm honored to have been chosen--and I'm looking forward to working with Michael on an upcoming project. This will be an exciting facet to my career, and I'm looking forward to learning this skill from the best in the business."

Stelzner is confident that Apryl will mesh well with his high-profile corporate clients: "I wanted an apprentice whom I'll be proud to say is working for my organization. I feel very confident introducing Apryl to my clients and I'm looking forward to helping her take her career to the next level."

To find out more about Michael Stelzner's new apprentice, visit Apryl's copywriting website at http://www.aparcher.com.