BALANCING ACT: HOW TO PURSUE PASSION PROJECTS AND BIG PAYOUTS

Transcription

1 BALANCING ACT: HOW TO PURSUE PASSION PROJECTS AND BIG PAYOUTS

2 Dawn Reiss Dawn Reiss is an award-winning Chicago-based journalist who has worked as staff reporter at the Dallas Morning News and St. Petersburg Times. She has written for 30+ outlets including TIME, Time.com, USA Today, The Atlantic, Reuters, Travel + Leisure, American Way, U.S. News & World Report, Plate, Chicago Tribune and more. She is a former president of Chicago Headline Club, the largest Society of Professional Journalist chapter in the country, and has served as the managing editor of two national monthly B2B magazines. Find her online at dawnreiss.com on Twitter and Instagram.

3 Jennifer is an award-winning investigative journalist, nonfiction book author, and Fulbright grantee. She is the co-author of The Vaccine-Friendly Plan: Dr. Paul s Safe and Effective Approach to Immunity and Health, From Pregnancy Through Your Child s Teen Years (Ballantine, 2016) with Paul Thomas, M.D., and author of Your Baby, Your Way: Taking Charge of Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Parenting Decisions for a Happier, Healthier Family (Scribner, 2015). Her work has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Ms. Magazine, More magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, and dozens of others magazines, newspapers, and websites. She also produces audio features for Jefferson Public Radio and works as an editor and writing consultant for a select group of highly successful writers. Find her online at Jennifermargulis.net or on

4 Christine Giordano Christine started her career as a staff writer, investigative journalist and executive editor, and now funds her life adventures as a business, celebrity, health and feature multimedia journalist for online and print publications including The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Newsday and Networking among others. Find her online at christinegiordano.com or on

5 Megy Karydes Megy writes regularly about food, drink, travel, health and social justice. Her byline has appeared in Sierra, Travel + Leisure, The Atlantic s CityLab, Chicago Tribune, and Fortune, among others. She also provides marketing and PR consulting services. Find her online at MegyKarydes.com or on

6 5 Tips From Christine 1. Get published in at least three large, well-known circulation publications and websites, and make sure there is at least a link to your work and the name of the publication on your LinkedIn profile. 2. Also join interest groups on LinkedIn where people may need writers for topics that you cover. When your article is published, make sure you post the link to your group. 3. Read over your contract, and, if possible, save your work as a pdf (you should be doing this for your own records anyway), and re-publish the pdf on your LinkedIn profile. 4. Also consider publishing a blog post of your article if you own the rights to it. Or write a blog that show off a different writing technique, but keep it professional. 5. Also study the How to Pitch guides on Media Bistro and reach out to new markets.

7 5 TIPS FROM MEGY 1. Considered your expertise. If you have expertise in a subject matter but you don't want to cover it as a reporter or writer, consider balancing your writing work with PR for companies that align with your interests (but aren't pitching editorially). 2. It's a myth that non-profits don't pay well. Like companies, some have bigger budgets than others. Many are seeking stories for their respective audiences, whether it's donors, for grants and other collateral. Reporting and storytelling are valued and often well-compensated. 3. Expand your offerings and upsell yourself. Can you shoot video? Are you a social media ace? Do you love research? Similar to what you experience at a retail store check-out, simply ASK if there is anything else your editor/client might need or a challenge they're facing that you might be in a position to help. 4. Commit to seeking out big payout clients. It goes without saying but simple saying you want this isn't enough. Put together a game plan. Write it out and commit time to it daily/weekly to seek out big payout clients. There out there. Trust me. There is enough work to go around. 5. Make Alerts Your Bitch. {ok, maybe that's too saucy but I like it} Going back to #1, if you have an interest in something that you want to cover non-editorially or a non-profit or company you want to write for on a regular basis, set up google alerts, LinkedIn alerts, Twitter lists, etc and follow them. Or create alerts for #writing #INDUSTRY or #writing #COMPANYNAME. You might have to do some research and tweak your alerts so the variables are correct and sharing with you what you need but a little upfront work here can yield some nice results.

8 3 Tips From Jennifer Margulis 1. Find multiple funding sources Once you have an assignment, you can get outside grant support. The Fund for Investigative Journalism gives up to $5,000 grants and is always looking for worthwhile grantees. The Investigative Fund, a project of The Nation Institute, also gives grants. (The first step in applying is to send a story query and a budget request to queries@theinvestigativefund.org) Check their website for details The Pascal Decroos Fund for Investigative Journalism is another source of grants: Freelance writers are also eligible for Fulbright Fellowships. A good, detailed list of other available (mostly post-publication) awards, can be found here:

9 2. Don t be afraid to fail Have you ever seen an infant GIVE UP on learning to walk? Obstacles in the way are not obstacles, they are invitations to go around, climb over, dig under, and also try again. And again. And again. If you re passionate about your project, you will learn from your mistakes, retool, and keep trying until you find your feet. [I have great stories about my own spectacular failures, as well as my coauthor s ] 3. Educate and reinvent yourself You re already doing this because you are at this conference! Approach your passion and ambition as a scientist. Find out everything you need to know about your subject AND about the people you most want to emulate. You want to make money as a young adult author? Who are your favorite YA writers (because of course you are reading like crazy!)? Who are their agents? What workshops are those agents holding? And how can you get your butt to one of them?