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Ways to make journalism pay

READY TO DIVE into the world of journalism and discover smart strategies for turning your passion into pounds? This in-person event is packed with tips, tricks, and real-world advice to help you make journalism pay. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, come connect, learn, and get inspired!

LONDON FREELANCE Branch will present an all-day gathering on Saturday 10 October exploring how freelance journalists can build successful, sustainable careers.

Event banner: @NUJ_LFB committed to journalists being heard and paid; Ways to make journalism pay day forthe reporters shaping tomorrow's newsroom

Image generated by Copilot 'AI' so probably not © , who instructed it

The event, Ways to make journalism pay, will be at Westminster Quaker Meeting House, near Leicester Square. Experienced freelance professionals will lead four sessions, supported by specialist surgeries. Join us to strengthen your professional skills, secure better commissions and earn the income your work deserves.

Freelances rarely have a guaranteed income; supporting a family while maintaining a home can be challenging. Drawing on the practical knowledge of our expert panels, the LFB event will show you how to identify better-paid opportunities, negotiate effectively and retain more of your earnings.

Tickets cost £15 for NUJ members, £8 for NUJ student members and £35 for non-members, and include a light lunch and refreshments. Places are strictly limited and advance booking is required: please do it here. We have reserved some free places for low-earning members: email events@londonfreelance.org to enquire.

The event opens at 9:30 am. There will be “clinics” throughout the day alongside the panel sessions: see below and click here to refresh this page with updates.

  • 10:15 to 11:45: Panel 1 - Making money & keeping (the right amount of) it
    This session will address working with commissioning, picture and broadcast editors. Participants include mentor, coach and travel writer Susan Grossman on securing assignments; accountant Eric Longley on managing income; editor Eleanor Mills on finding work; and NUJ trainer Steve Matheson on The Pitch & Deal.
  • 11:45 to 12:00 noon: Tea break
  • Noon to 13:00: Panel 2 - Making money from books
    Speakers include former Random House editor Anna Hervé, Bloomsbury commissioning editor April Peake and book doctor James Spackman, alongside Sarah Burton from the Society of Authors.
  • 13:00 to 14:00: Lunch & networking with sandwiches, fruit, tea and coffee.
  • 14:00 to 15:00: Panel 3 - Funding investigative journalism
    Participants include John McEvoy of Declassified UK and Gareth Davies of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
  • 15:00 to 15:15: Tea break
  • 15:15 to 16:30: Panel 4 - Broadcasting assignments
    Participants include award-winning freelance producer-director Giovanni Ulleri, Sky News presenter Alex Crawford and filmmaker and author Ed Gillet.
  • 16:30-17.00: Specialist surgeries, featuring one-to-one consultation sessions with experts, including accountant and tax adviser Eric Longley; Anna Hervé from the NUJ Book Branch on self-publishing; and Society of Authors representative Sarah Burton on AI. LFB committee members Nika Talbot, Dave Ayrton, Tim Dawson and Phil Sutcliffe will also offer guidance on entrepreneurial journalism, NUJ membership, freelance practice plus Pitch & Deal. More details follow.

Some of us will continue with a social event nearby afterwards.

This is a must-attend event for anyone seeking more paid work and a stronger financial future.

The event is in Westminster Quaker Meeting House, 52 St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4EA. If you arrive after 10:30 please go to the side entrance in Hop Gardens (the alley on the south with Gymbox on the corner) and press the button marked “Library”. The nearest Underground stations are Leicester Square and Embankment: see OpenStreetMap

Speaker biographies

Eleanor Mills spent 23 years at Times Newspapers and served as editorial director of the Sunday Times and editor of the Sunday Times Magazine. After leaving in March 2020 she founded Noon.org.uk, an online media platform and community for women in midlife and coined the term “Queenager” to describe women aged 45 to 70. In 2024 she published Much More to Come, a Times bestseller about midlife, with HarperCollins. She served as chair of Women in Journalism from 2014 to 2021.

More to come...

* Register here eventbrite.com