Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Columbia Journalism School gave the commencement address at the college’s 2008 graduation ceremony on May 21. It’s interesting reading for freelance writers contemplating where they fit into the increasingly digital world of news gathering and writing. As Lemann’s address makes clear, this year’s crop of journalism graduates is leaving school […]
Jane Boursaw: mild-mannered freelancer turned entertainment writer maven
See Jane. See Jane write. See Jane turn an average freelance writing career into a full-blown entertainment journalism enterprise. Jane is Jane Boursaw, and she’s the creative force behind a package of entertainment industry writing ventures that includes weekly and monthly syndicated columns, blogs and her Website, Reel Life with Jane. She’s such a hit, […]
10 Ways to Promote Your Freelance Writing
Long-time freelancers approach writing as a business, and they market it that way too. Not all freelancers do the same kind of marketing. Some have Websites. Some have blogs. Some belong to writers’ groups and regularly attend conferences to meet with other writers and editors. There are so many ways to promote yourself it’d be […]
Grants for Women in Digital Media
Are you a woman journalist who’s dreamed of doing a start up but doesn’t have the $$$? J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism and the McCormick Tribune Foundation are giving $10,000 to three women-led journalism start ups. Projects have to related to the news business and winners have to blog about their first year getting […]
One Writer's Journey From Print to Online News
How does someone go from mild-mannered print writer to multimedia maven? It’s the question of the day given the direction the U.S. publishing industry is taking – and if you’re not asking it, you should be. That goes for freelancers as well as staff writers. To shed some light on reporting and writing in the […]
What Freelance Writers Should Know about SEO
You don’t have to look hard to see the publishing business is changing. Newspapers are cutting jobs left and right as advertising dries up and the economy spins closer to recession. At the same time, publishers are finally sinking more effort into their digital properties, though they still haven’t figured out how to make money. […]