How That White Paper Guy started

When I tell people I write white papers for a living, most look at me with a blank expression.

The bravest manage to ask, “Um, what are those?”

I usually give a short answer like, “White papers are fact-based marketing pieces for companies—a lot like an essay in college.”

Then we get back to talking about more interesting topics.

But in my mind, I’m thinking,

“White papers are a time-tested format for long-form copy that combine expository and persuasive writing, whose roots go back more than 200 years and whose future stretches ahead for as long as companies sell anything relatively new, relatively complex, and relatively expensive that needs explaining to a B2B prospect.”

But I don’t actually say all of that.

My very first white paper

I first commissioned a white paper in 1997 when I was marketing VP in a fast-growing technology company.

Before that, I’d spent many years as a computer journalist and technical writer.

I’d seen white papers from other companies, so I figured we needed one too.

Plus, we had a trade show coming up fast, so that gave us a real-world deadline to hit.

I looked around for advice, a book, or some helpful material on the web. Back in 1997, the web was just getting started, and Google wasn’t out yet.

So I didn’t find much.

So in two weeks, my team and I put together something partway between a slide show and a specification.

Amazing to all, it turned out well enough that it helped close sales and actually won an award for technical communication. (Click the cover to see the PDF.)

My first white paper for a client

In 2000, I rang in the millennium with my first-ever assignment to write a white paper for a client.

By then, my previous company had been sold and I was working as an independent copywriter.

(No, I wasn’t fired for wasting money on white papers! The company did so well that a competitor bought us out for millions of dollars.)

Once again, I scoured bookstores and the web.

By 2000, a little more material existed, including a few articles called “How to Write a White Paper.”

And I found a couple of e-books for $99 each. I read them all and learned a little, but clearly not enough.

My first freelance white paper project went around in circles and dragged on for many weeks, complete with terrible stress for me and my client.

A white paper was eventually published, but it bore little resemblance to the vision my client had initially presented. (Click the cover to see the PDF.)

That company also succeeded and was bought out by Oracle.

And my awful experience on that white paper spurred me to do better.

The start of this website

In 2005, I set up my website at ThatWhitePaperGuy.com and started posting articles here.

I spent many nights up until 3 AM tinkering away at the keyboard. But that paid off in my learning, my online reputation, and my workflow.

Today this site features more than 300 pages packed with quick tips, how-to articles, plus a white paper FAQ.

Fast forward 20 years

By now, I’ve written 325 white papers for companies all the way from one-person startups to Google and The Linux Foundation.

Not many people have studied, pondered, debated, and worked on so many of these challenging documents.

I’ve spent more than 25 years learning on my own, reading everything I could get my hands on, making every possible mistake, and comparing notes with many other writers struggling to develop high-quality white papers for the 21st century.

This website sums up my knowledge.

My goal was always to help you plan, produce, and promote white papers without going through all of that.

Update: In 2025, I retired!

I turned 70 that year, and I thought, “Well, that’s been a great run!”

You can still access everything on this site for free.

And you can follow my final notes from a life in writing at Substack:

https://thatwhitepaperguy.substack.com/

I post there when I have something to say, or I come across something I want to comment on.

What else am I doing now? 

Renovating my lovely old house, singing in a choir, and writing weird fiction.

In all those, I’m a beginner again, learning and practising and growing. That keeps me young.

Not to mention enjoying my wonderful family, now with two teenagers.

And I do hope you’re keeping well yourself, enjoying life today and for as long as the adventure continues.

Thanks for your visit(s).