WE are now taking bookings for the following workshop. Places are limited to ensure individual feedback and value for money.
Kick start your freelance writing career workshop Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friends House, Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6AF
Cost: £154.80 inc VAT
There are five early bird places available at £118.80 inc VAT.*
This workshop is for you if:
-
You are considering launching a freelance journalism career or are at the start of one
- You need realistic, straight-talking advice on how to succeed in it
What’s covered:
- Practical information on setting up as a freelance: Getting started with tax and other financial matters
- How to find ideas
- How to find work
- How to pitch editors
- How to keep editors coming back for more
- How to get paid on time
The itinerary will include practical exercises to highlight the skills, aptitude and determination needed to have any chance of making it in this most highly competitive of fields.
In the afternoon, delegates can pitch feature ideas to leading UK journalist KAREN PASQUALI JONES.
Karen will provide constructive feedback on pitches from delegates on the course based on advice/tips provided on the day.
* Book by Friday, April 8 on a first come first served basis to benefit from the early bird offer.
Payments can be split into two parts, with 50 per cent paid on booking and 50 per cent two weeks before the workshop. This applies to the usual price and to the early bird offer.
About the trainers
Linda
Linda Jones is director of the Midlands-based editorial agency, Passionate Media. Her freelance career started in her back bedroom in 1998 as she attempted to work around her twin daughters. She's a former editor of the St Petersburg Press (Now St Petersburg Times) in Russia and a district news editor at the Wolverhampton Express & Star and Worcester Evening News. Linda now edits parenting website Ready for Ten.
As a freelance contributor/agency director Linda has contributed to most UK national newspapers and best selling women’s magazines, arguably most notably with stories about getting big pants for Christmas and one entitled: “Mummy, why does that lady have a beard?”
Passionate Media has been running popular and respected workshops for journalists, PR and marketing professionals and aspiring freelance writers for two years. These include how to make more money as a freelance, writing skills and maximising the impact of social media. Linda’s modestly titled — but acclaimed — book, The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World was published in 2007 and shares ‘hard lessons learned’ along the way. It’s now being updated and renamed under a deal with a new publisher to go on sale in late 2011.
Linda blogs at among other places, www.freelancewritingtips.com
Karen
Karen Pasquali Jones has 20 years experience in national newspapers and magazines. She began her career as a reporter with the news agency South West where she broke the ‘House of Horrors’ story and was one of the first journalists to expose the cracks in Charles and Diana’s marriage.
After working as a news reporter at Today and The People newspapers she joined Bauer, where she became Associate Editor to Janice Turner at that’s life! In 2000, Janice took her as the Deputy Editor to help launch Real, the first bi-weekly glossy.
In 2003 Karen became the Editor of Emap’s Mother & Baby magazine, where she boosted circulation by 12% and launched several high-profile consumer campaigns including the hugely successful Travel Safe campaign, calling for all children aged four and under to travel in properly fitted car seats. In April 2004, she was headhunted by IPC to create a new women’s weekly magazine, Pick Me Up, one of the most successful magazine launches to date.
After working as Contributing Editor at Closer, Karen was poached by News International to spearhead their real life magazine launch, Love it! which sold more than 400,000 per issue.
Karen now juggles caring for her two young children, stints acting as the deputy editor of the UK’s biggest-selling magazine, Sky – with over seven million readers – and writing features for the national newspapers and magazines. She is also a regular contributor to TV, radio and was called the country’s ‘leading real-life journalist’ when she took part in a Cutting Edge documentary last year.
Testimonials from earlier Passionate Media workshops for freelance journalists:
Jo:
Thank you so much for yesterday. I really enjoyed it. I know I’ve been dabbling in commercial writing for the last five years (well, ten if you include the copywriting I used to do as part of my music industry post – but let’s not even go there after that press release-writing exercise!) but getting to grips with the systems and procedures contract-wise is something I’ve never done; or getting myself registered on business directories and seriously networking.
The practical exercises were a real eye opener too and have given me some incredibly valuable food for thought. I know that if I put in a concerted effort that, even with the limited time I have, I can make much more out of the commercial side of my career and your course has totally given me the inspiration I needed to do that. It was also wonderful and confidence-boosting to hear how much our skills as journalists are valued in the commercial world and how much work is out there.
As a freelancer it helped so much to hear that, particularly in the midst of the recession. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending your course to anyone.
Cathy:
Despite being a professional journalist for over a decade, I'd never done any commercial writing and wasn't sure how my skills would translate into this field - or even if they would! So Linda's course was the perfect introduction, very practical and down-to-earth, with plenty of exercises during which I discovered I actually knew more than I thought.
I'd highly recommend this for anyone thinking of getting into commercial writing as it's great for boosting your confidence (I think everyone realised they knew far more than they thought they did), filling in any gaps that are there and teaching you not to undervalue your skills. I came out all fired up and ready to take on the world.
When freelance work is in short supply, it was heartening to be told there's lots of commercial work out there, and it's great to think I've got another string to my bow now. Linda has even inspired me to finally finish off my website, which has been a work in progress for around 4 months...
Faith:
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