SAVE THE DATE: The Seminar That Helped Me Become a Full-Time Freelancer — October 18, 2008

(www.inkthinkerblog.com) — If you live in the DC area and you miss this seminar, you’re a fool. There’s no other way to say it.

When I attended in 2004 it jumpstarted my freelance writing career, and I haven’t missed it a year since. In fact, I’ve even spoken there twice! You’d best be registering. It is worth every penny (and it’s a write-off, too!). And no, they do not pay me to say this stuff, I swear. (But if they did, I’d be a rich woman.)

GOING FREELANCE: An All-Day Seminar on Saturday, October 18, 2008

Jointly sponsored by Johns Hopkins University Masters of Arts in Writing Program and American Independent Writers

Johns Hopkins University, Bernstein-Offit Building, 1717 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20036 (Lower-Level Conference Hall)

Metro: Red Line, Dupont Circle

8:30-9:00 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast

9:00-9:15 a.m. Welcome

9:15-10:30 a.m. The Fundamentals of Freelance Business
How do you know what to charge for your hard freelance work? Or what records to keep? Or whether you’re being taken advantage of? This panel presents expert and experienced advice on rate-setting, accounting, record-keeping, legal issues, tax basics, and other nuts and bolts of successful freelancing.

10:45-12 Noon Finding Work in Commercial Writing
While we all want to publish our essays in national magazines, some of the most lucrative freelancing in the Washington-Baltimore area involves annual reports, media releases, marketing materials, and other writing-for-hire work. This session describes how to network and find the opportunities.

Noon-1:30 p.m. Lunch and Networking on your own

1:30-2:45 p.m. It’s Time to Publish
Okay, you have a great idea for an essay or article. Now what? This panel covers the many venues open to publishing creative writing, from online and print journals to magazines and newspapers. The focus will be on publishing essays or articles, although many suggestions will help poets and fiction writers, too. We’ll discuss how to target your work, the need for persistence, and the all-important query and cover letters.

3:00-4:15 p.m. Blogging and Your Writing Career
Blogs are everywhere, but they can be more important than simple personal expression. This panel discusses how blog writing differs from other types of writing, how you can make money from a blog, how blogging can jumpstart your career, and how blogs can be a pathway to more prestigious writing work.

4:15-5:00 p.m. Informal Networking

AIW Members’ cost is $89; non-members’ cost is $129, and non-Hopkins students’ cost is $49. Hopkins Writing Program students are admitted free of charge, but all must RSVP by calling (202) 775-5150, e-mailing rsvp@aiwriters.org, or registering online at www.aiwriters.org. Please mention the event for which you are responding and your membership status.

I will see you there, right? RIGHT?

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

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