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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 by colleagues of the calibre of Sky News presenter Alex Crawford!

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

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
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 Mathieson on The Pitch & Deal.

Susan Grossman spent 15 years as a BBC Radio 4 presenter and reporter and five years as a magazine editor. Eric Longley was accountant to legendary Factory Records as well as a skein of more stable stars. Eleanor Mills spent 23 years at Times Newspapers and served as editorial director of the Sunday Times and editor of the Sunday Times Magazine - more. Steve Mathieson is a highly experienced trainer and was launch editor of SmartHealthcare.com, relaunched it as Guardian Healthcare Network and then opened its sister site Guardian Social Care Network.

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 pitch doctor James Spackman, alongside Sarah Burton from the Society of Authors.

April Peake was previously chair of the Society of Young Publishers. Anna Hervé. James is an alumnus of the Bloomsbury Publishing Graduate Scheme and has worked in marketing at John Murray and at Hodder & Stoughton before becoming managing director of Osprey Group and writing How to Pitch a Book: The Insider’s Guide to Publishing Persuasion.

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 award-winning freelance producer-director Giovanni Ulleri. (Gareth Davies has had to cancel.)

John McEvoy is an historian and filmmaker whose work focuses on British foreign policy and Latin America. Giovanni Ulleri has worked extensively for all major UK broadcasters, including BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Arabic, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.

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 and Sky News presenter Alex Crawford.

Alex Crawford is a five-time RTS Journalist of the Year, has won four BAFTAs, five international Emmys, the James Cameron Award for outstanding journalism and moral integrity, and the Charles Wheeler Award for contribution to broadcast journalism.

16:30-17.00: Specialist surgeries continue, 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...