Embrace skill building during the slow season
Plus: We returned from #NAHJ25 with full hearts and notes for follow-up
I don’t know about you, but I am often happiest when I am learning something new. That is probably what drew me to journalism in the first place. I get paid to go down a rabbit hole researching and talking to people about their expertise on a topic. (OK, as a freelancer, maybe I’m not fully paid for the time I spend on the rabbit hole research, but there is definitely a mental pleasure benefit.)
So when I have a break between deadlines, I often use the time to either enhance my writing skills or to catch up on something I wanted to know more about. I subscribe to a ton of journalism, freelance and health and wellness-related newsletters that offer a variety of virtual events. Since I usually can’t make the virtual event live, I register, get the recording and then move the email with the recording to a folder titled: “Webinars to Watch.” During downtime, I’ll scroll through the folder and decide what I most want to learn about at that particular moment.
Because I always feel like I can brush up on ways to improve my writing and editing, I’m currently watching a free course sponsored by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas (at the University of Texas at Austin) on sharpening writing and editing skills. Other webinars in my to-watch folder include using AI as a freelancer, how to create a Substack, and the importance of rest for freelancers.
So what do you do with your downtime? If you use it to build new skills, how do you prioritize your time? Drop a note in our community Slack channel and let us know!
– Bara Vaida
Join us at #AAJA25 Seattle!
You are invited to join us for a freelance meetup at the Asian American Journalists Association conference on Thursday, July 31. Meet IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds and Society of Environmental Journalists Executive Director Aparna Mukherjee. We’ll gather for an informal conversation and light appetizers to build community and expand our networks.
You can also catch Katherine speaking on panels about entrepreneurship, book publishing, and being your own boss.
A whirlwind visit to #NAHJ25
A note from IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis: Thank you so much to the 133 people who registered for our full-day business of freelancing workshop at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ annual conference in Chicago, AND the dozens who showed up for our freelance meetup, co-hosted by Juanita Islas of the International Women’s Media Foundation. I needed the community, shared learning, and inspiration to continue with this hard business of journalism. If you attended the workshop, please remember to take the survey and join our Slack to keep the learning going!
I’m especially grateful to Yaneth Guillen Diaz, NAHJ’s executive director, for her enthusiasm for bringing the IIJ’s entrepreneurial curriculum to her members, and Valeria Fernández, founder of Altavoz Lab, for co-presenting the whole day with me! This was our biggest in-person event ever, and you made it a success. And, I learned so much from the stories of journalists in exile, those reporting on immigration in Los Angeles and the border, and other social entrepreneurs trying to make positive change in our industry at a time of slashed funding and grim news.
Pitch Calls and Other Opportunities
🎵 Music writers wanted
If music and music discovery are among your passions, you might be interested in pitching Discogs, a site that provides tools and a community to record collectors. Discogs editor Sam Tornow is soliciting pitches for essays, genre and scene histories, reported features, think pieces, and guides on music and vinyl. Send pitches to sam.tornow@discogsinc.com. 💰 $350 for 800-1,000 words and $400 for 1,200 words. (h/t Study Hall)
✍️ Pitches from “Texas Troublemakers” wanted
The Barbed Wire, a digital news outlet focused on Texas culture, politics, and entertainment, is seeking pitches from Texas writers and reporters. Editors want reported stories that are exclusives, hot takes, or fresh tellings of classic tales.” 💰 Pay ranges from $500 for essays to $1 a word for reported articles. Send ideas to pitches@thebarbedwire.com.
✍️ Pitches wanted: reproductive health
Rewire News Group is seeking reported stories, essays, explainers, and science news related to reproductive and sexual health topics. Writers are strongly encouraged to provide pitches that demonstrate familiarity with Rewire’s style, tone, and past coverage. 💰 Pay is $400 per article, according to this database from Freelancing With Tim. Send pitches to their new pitch portal.
🔎 Fellowship for freelancers from IRE
Investigative Reporters and Editors is accepting fellowship applications for freelancers working on short- and long-term nonfiction projects. IRE is seeking proposals for books, documentaries, cable series, news articles, and video and audio investigative projects that “demonstrate impact, breadth and significance.” The application deadline is Sept. 29. Priority will be given to proposals involving whistleblowers, business ethics or privacy issues. 💰 Those selected receive two hours of Freelance IRE consulting support and up to $4,000 for long-term projects and up to $2,000 for short-term projects.
🔈 Free event: covering immigration in LA
Los Angeles area journalists are invited to join the LA Press Club and the Legal Advice Referral Clinic on Thursday, July 24 for an in-person conversation with local reporters and editors on how they are currently covering immigration and enforcement in LA. Speakers include journalists from AfroLA, Boyle Heights Beat, Capital and Main, and LA Public Press. Register here to attend.
Interesting Reads
📖 Want to know how much freelancers have been paid in the past year? Tim Herrera, author of the newsletter “Freelancing With Tim,” completed a significant public service by creating a comprehensive database of pay rates for more than 300 publications. Before you accept your next contract, look them up here to make sure you are at least getting paid the average rate – and then don’t be afraid to ask for more, Herrera says.
📖 The recently passed tax cut bill championed by President Trump and congressional Republicans is likely to affect freelancers’ future health insurance options. The Freelancers Union lays out the ways that health insurance is going to become less accessible and more expensive, especially for those who buy plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. One big question looms: will ACA subsidies actually expire at the end of this year?
📖 Been ghosted by an editor? You are not alone, says Jen A. Miller, author of “Notes from a Hired Pen.” Unfortunately, it happens frequently enough that writers should never consider any work a sure thing until they have an official assignment and contract from the publication. “Ghosting from editors has happened too many times for me to be sure something is a lock until that time,” she writes.
Calendar
🗓️ July 30 to August 3 - Join IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis for a freelance meetup during the Asian American Journalists Association's annual convention and look for her panels during the conference. RSVP to receive details as soon as we announce them!
🗓️ August 6 to 10 - IIJ leaders Shernay Williams, Benét Wilson, and Katherine Lewis will host a freelance meetup at the National Association of Black Journalists Conference and speak on multiple panels. RSVP for details!
🗓️ August 13 to 15 - IIJ founder Katherine Lewis will speak on a panel at the Indigenous Media Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and host a freelance meetup. RSVP for details!
🗓️ September 4 to 7 - The IIJ is presenting a panel at NLGJA: the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists’ convention in Atlanta, Georgia, with IIJ Editorial Director Ann Marie Awad, and Atlanta-based freelancers Christina Lee and Faybeo’n Mickens. Ann will also be hosting a freelance meetup during the conference. RSVP for details!
🗓️ September 5 to 7 - IIJ leaders Katherine Lewis and Shernay Williams will host a freelance meetup at the Journalism and Women Symposium Camp in Washington, D.C. – RSVP for details!
ICYMI
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🎧 Finding your niche with freelance journalist Gil Asakawa
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