Picture by Paola RodriguezEditors attentively hearken to freelancers pitch their concepts.
Come to Well being Journalism 2023 in St. Louis to community with fellow freelancers, generate extra story concepts than you may deal with, pitch a spread of top-notch editors and study concerning the newest developments in well being from greater than 50 skilled panels. The deadline for registering for the convention is February 17, 2023. We hope to see the most important contingent of freelancers ever. And don’t neglect to use for one of many many fellowships accessible to assist defray the prices of attending.
PitchFest
PitchFest is among the hottest occasions amongst freelancers, scheduled for the afternoon of March 10. You should have 10 minutes per editor to pitch your story thought.
PitchFest join begins Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. CT/ 11 a.m. ET. To date, we have now lined up taking part editors from 18 publications, together with Kaiser Well being Information, Undark, Scientific American and extra.
Panels
AHCJ’s freelance committee has labored laborious to create six panels of particular curiosity to unbiased journalists. Examine the program for precise days and instances.
This 12 months, convention organizers have scheduled a lot of the freelance panels for Thursday, beginning very first thing within the morning and working by means of the afternoon. We strongly counsel arriving on the convention on Wednesday night, if doable.
Here’s a transient rundown.
- The freelancer’s survival information: The best way to thrive when reporting doesn’t cowl the payments. What are your choices once you’re struggling to make it with journalism gigs, however you aren’t thinking about company work? Learn to increase your journalism output and land fulfilling facet hustles in enhancing, educating, talking, and non-profit work — all whereas avoiding conflicts of curiosity.
- Struggle again: Freelancer safety towards authorized threats. Lately, payments like California’s AB 5 and now potential impending adjustments to the federal definition of “unbiased contractor” have threatened the livelihoods of unbiased journalists. Meet the freelancers who’ve efficiently killed anti-freelancer laws in statehouses from coast to coast. You’ll additionally hear from a labor lawyer about how potential state and federal legal guidelines can have an effect on freelancers and how one can shield your self.
- The best way to write a e book: Remodel your thought right into a e book proposal and land a prime agent. Do you need to write a e book, however don’t know the place to start? A prime agent and profitable medical/science authors offers you the insights it’s essential to flip a fledgling thought right into a e book proposal that can wow literary brokers and set you on the trail to publish. Among the many matters we’ll cowl: What goes right into a e book proposal? What are widespread errors that first-time authors make? And what’s one of the best ways to search out the best agent?
- PitchFest Follow and Story Teaching. If you’re new to Pitchfest or simply need suggestions in your concepts, come and take a look at your pitches with skilled writers and editors. We’ll even have an editor or two available that can assist you develop your longform story concepts.
- The author-editor relationship: Smoothing the way in which from pitch to publication. Freelance writers have the difficult process of regularly constructing new relationships with editors they’ve by no means met (and even spoken to). On this panel, skilled writers and editors will talk about widespread points that come up all through the method and methods to navigate them — from e mail etiquette to scope creep. Deliver your questions.
- Lengthy-time listener, first-time freelancer: The best way to land audio gigs. There’s a world of audio alternatives accessible to print and on-line journalists, whether or not you need to study new abilities for on-air work or use present journalism chops for researching or fact-checking. Gigs can be found at native public radio stations, (inter)nationwide networks, podcasting firms, and extra. Be taught what it takes from a number of the most skilled editors, producers and reporters within the enterprise.
And on Sunday, don’t miss a particular panel on producing concepts:
- Grow to be an thought machine and make financial institution. Do you have got hassle creating concepts for articles, essays, or books? Or does a flood of concepts depart you reeling? This workshop explores methods for unearthing the very best concepts, how you can enhance them, methods to soundly retailer them and how you can decide their deserves. We’ll use workouts to deal with creating tales that resonate with you and your viewers. The spotlight of the workshop is the revealing of a components that can faucet into your private standards to inform you which thought to pursue subsequent.
This panel has been successful at different writers’ conferences, so attempt to keep by means of Sunday.
Mentorship breakfast
We’ve one thing new scheduled for this 12 months’s convention: a mentorship breakfast to be held on Friday, March 10 from 7:15-8:30 a.m.
Are you an early-career journalist on the lookout for profession recommendation or a newsroom chief in want of some suggestions from a seasoned skilled? Are you an skilled journalist, editor or supervisor who needs to share your data and experience?
AHCJ will match mentors with mentees and prepare for them to fulfill on the breakfast. Whichever class you fall into, sign up earlier than the February 22 deadline. House is restricted.
See you in St. Louis!
