For freelancers in Washington
SAVE THE
DATE!
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
American Independent Writers 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, emailing rsvp@aiwriters.org, or registering
online at www.aiwriters.org. Please mention the event for which you are
responding and your membership status.