GOING FREELANCE: An All-day Seminar on Practical Aspects of a Freelance Writing Career
Jointly sponsored by Johns Hopkins University Masters of Arts in Writing program and American Independent Writers
Saturday, November 7, 2009
The Johns Hopkins University Bernstein-Offit Building
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036 (Lower-Level Conference Hall)
Here’s an overview of the day’s events. Keep an eye on the AIW website for additional details as they become available.
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.
John D. Mason is a Washington DC/Maryland based art, entertainment, and intellectual property attorney. His practice focuses on copyright and trademark matters, litigation, contracts, and commercial matters. He works with writers, artists, and creative people and companies to protect and exploit their work and is also a literary agent. The website for his new firm, The Intellectual Property Group, PLLC, is www.artlaws.com.
Ken Norkin is an ADDY- and ASPC Colonial Award-winning copywriter and full-time freelancer specializing in business-to-business marketing communications for technology-based products and services. Since establishing his own business—KN Creative—in 1991, he has written ads, brochures, annual reports and Web content for Sprint, Nextel, Mobile ESPN, IBM, Citrix, Carl Zeiss, Road Runner, MCI, Savin, Sharp and the American Gas Association. Beyond the tech market, Norkin has written for T. Rowe Price, Arlington and Prince William Counties, The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Holy Cross Hospital, the Vince Lombardi Cancer Research Center, The Washington Post, PBS, the Discovery Channel and many other companies. His ability to share what he’s learned in 30 years of writing for a living makes Norkin a frequent and sought-after speaker on the business of freelancing and creative self-employment.
Alan C. Portner spent 35 years in the newspaper business as a reporter, editor and publisher throughout the country including Hawaii, California, Iowa and the metro DC area. He has spent the past five years as a freelance writer and author, as well as the president and founder of The Assignment Desk.
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.
Lester Reingold has been a freelance writer and editor for more than 30 years, concentrating primarily on aviation and space. He has written for magazines such as Air & Space/Smithsonian, American Heritage and Condé Nast Traveler and newspapers such The Washington Post and USA Today, plus many aerospace trade publications. His first book, a pictorial history of the Wright Brothers’ home town—Dayton, Ohio—was published in 2005. He is a commentator for WAMU and for NPR’s Morning Edition. After the accident that destroyed Space Shuttle Columbia, Reingold served as Lead Editor in the investigation. Since then, he has continued to work as Publications Editor on projects for NASA. A former AIW Board member, Reingold won the 2004 Washington Writing Prize for Reported Nonfiction and was runner-up in the 2003 competition.
Vicki Meade, bio to come
12:00-1:30
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.
Cathy Alter’s feature articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in local and national newspapers and magazines including Washingtonian, Self, Fitness, McSweeney’s, Preservation, and Might. Her book, Virgin Territory: Stories from the Road to Womanhood (Three Rivers Press) was released in 2004 and her memoir, Up for Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over (Atria) was released in July 2008. She holds an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, where she is currently a faculty member.
Margaret Guroff is a freelance writer and a features editor for AARP The Magazine. She is also editor and publisher of Power Moby-Dick, an online annotation of Herman Melville’s classic novel. Guroff, previously top editor at Baltimore magazine, is a graduate of The Writing Seminars as The Johns Hopkins University, where she has taught graduate and undergraduate students for many years. She lives in Washington.
Tom Shroder is an award-winning journalist, writer, and editor. As an editor of The Washington Post Magazine, a story he edited and contributed to, Pearls Before Breakfast, won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. From 1985 to 1998 he edited the Miami Herald ’s Tropic magazine, where among others, he edited humorist Dave Berry. He has written several books, including Seeing the Light, a non-fiction novel based on the life of Dr. Ian Stevenson.
3:00-4:15 p.m.
Fundamental Technology, Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social Networking
New technology appears almost daily and social networking tools such as blogs are everywhere, but what technology and networking tools does entry-level (and more advanced!) success really require? This panel discusses important but easy-to-forget tips and resources for online and computing productivity and safety, as well as networking for freelancers, work-at-homers and other professionals.
Shashi Bellamkonda (aka, ShashiB) works for Network Solutions as the first-ever Network Solutions “Social Media Swami.” A prolific Twitterer, blogger, and product innovator, Shashi loves technology, testing new things, and helping people. A self-described “Internet junkie,” Shashi has presented previously on “How to Sell Social Media to Your Boss” and “Social Media tools for Small Business.” He’s been in love with social media since his previous life working in the hotel world and, believe it or not, as an executive chef, and Shashi started his blog to keep his many on- and offline friends up to date on the coolest new things to check out and answer their questions on social media and technology-from what to use and how, how to prevent pop-ups, how to avoid viruses, how to save computers from hackers, and the ever popular “Why is my computer freezing?” Shashi’s life’s mission is to be helpful to others and achieve dreams in installments.
Gabe Goldberg, a lifelong computer pro and technology communicator, co-edited three books and has written hundreds of articles for audiences including techies, baby boomers, and senior citizens. Gabe speaks frequently to diverse gatherings and radio audiences and supports local, regional, and national technology communities. He enjoys sharing tips and pointers that help people use and enjoy technology.
REGISTER NOW!
AIW Member Regular Registration Price: $89.00
Nonmember Regular Registration Price: $129.00
Student Regular Registration Price: $49.00
After you make your selection, the shopping cart will appear below for you to check out. Thanks, and see you on November 7!
