Paid members can now watch Kathryn’s live session in full, whenever they want.

The moment you sent your first proposal, invoiced your first client, or got paid for your work for the very first time, you didn’t just become a freelancer. You became a business owner, whether you meant to or not!

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Set your floor rate: know the number you won’t go below, and why you need one

• Package your services: turn one-off assignments into something repeatable and easier to sell

• Protect your price: hold your rate confidently and shut down scope creep before it starts

Just hit the button below to start the recording.

Read more

Join tomorrow’s live session!

From Freelancer → Business Owner, live with Kathryn Anderson

Monday 17th August, 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm BST

Our next live session with Kathryn is happening tomorrow! If pricing, rates, or scope creep have ever made you wince, this one’s worth clearing your calendar for.

The moment you sent your first pitch, you became a business owner, whether you meant to or not. Kathryn, author, freelance journalist, and creator of the award-winning site Coffee and Mascara, is walking through exactly what that means in practice, covering:

• Building a business beyond individual assignments, plus how you can diversify your income and clients

• Pricing your work, raising your rates, and setting your minimum/floor rate

• Packaging your services into something repeatable

• Communicating your price confidently and protecting yourself from scope creep

• Building recurring revenue and a sustainable business

If you’ve never actually sat down and calculated your floor rate, or you’ve ever gone quiet when a client pushed back on price, this session is perfect for you.

How to Join

As you’re currently on the free plan, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid membership to join us live (and get access to the recording afterwards, along with every other member perk).

Upgrade now & save your spot!

Upgrade & save your spot!

Can’t Make It Live?

No problem, every FWN live session is recorded for members to watch back whenever they like. That means if tomorrow’s timing doesn’t work, you can watch back whenever it suits you.

That said, joining live means you can ask Kathryn your own pricing questions in real time!

Monday 17th August, 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm BST (FREE for FWN members)

The moment you sent your first pitch, tracked your client outreach, or got paid to write for the very first time, you didn’t just become a ‘freelance writer.’ You became a business owner, whether you meant to or not!

In some form you’ll have clients (customers), invoices (revenue), and a service that you sell (your writing). The problem is, most freelance writers are never taught how to manage this. How do you actually know how to price? To package your work appropriately? To treat writing like a business, not a hobby?

These are all problems that Kathryn Anderson is tackling in our next live session for FWN members.

What Kathryn Will Cover

This session walks through the full journey from freelancer to business owner:

• Building a business beyond individual assignments, plus how you can diversify your income and clients

• Pricing your work (including setting minimum/floor rates)

• Packaging your services and communicating your price confidently

• Protecting yourself from scope creep, including how you can actually raise rates

• Building recurring revenue and a sustainable business

For writers, this is the difference between chasing single articles forever and building a system that compounds over time. Clients who return, rates that rise rather than stagnate, and a clear floor that stops you ever underpricing your work again.

Regardless of how long you’ve been freelancing, if you’ve never sat down and worked out your actual minimum rate, packaged your services into something repeatable, or thought about recurring revenue, this session is built for you.

Kathryn will make the ‘business owner’ mindset feel practical, not corporate. Perfect for people who got into this to write, not to run a company, but need to run one anyway.

How to Join

As you’re currently on the free plan, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid membership to join us live (and get access to the recording afterwards, along with every other member perk).

Upgrade now & save your spot!

Upgrade & save your spot!

And what else do you get..?

📋 A writing job board that shares 200+ high-paying pitch calls and freelance writing jobs weekly, with new updates daily.
🎯 Roundups of themed pitch calls, with many paying the very top rates for freelance writers.
💰 Exclusive funding resources for writers, offering thousands of dollars to help you grow your writing career or business.
🗂️ Twice-monthly live sessions & 50% off masterclasses, plus access to an entire archive of classes, insight and insider resources.
✍️ Creative resources, including monthly and themed literary magazine roundups, plus all the opportunities to help you get paid for your creative writing.

Get 7 day free trial

Missed our last session with Sithara?

Turning Trending Topics Into Fresh Stories

Paid members can now watch Sithara’s live session in full, whenever they want.

What does the session cover?

You know the feeling: everyone’s covering the same topic, and you can’t find your way in. Sithara’s workshop fixes that.

Learn how to:

• Spot the angle: find the fresh, timely entry point everyone else missed

• Decide where it belongs: pitch, newsletter, or both

• Stretch one idea into multiple pieces for different audiences

This session has a strong Substack lens throughout, so it’s especially useful if you’re publishing here (or planning to).

Paid members can now watch Sithara’s live session in full, whenever they want.

Just hit the button below to start the recording.

Read more

(P.S. We shared 70+ new writing opps in today’s roundup, check it out here!)

Live tomorrow…

Turning Trending Topics Into Fresh Stories

Tuesday 4th August at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST.

You know the feeling: everyone’s covering the same topic, and you can’t find your way in. Sithara’s workshop fixes that.

You’ll learn how to:

• Spot the angle: find the fresh, timely entry point everyone else missed

• Decide where it belongs: pitch, newsletter, or both

• Stretch one idea into multiple pieces for different audiences

This session will have a strong Substack lens throughout, so it’s especially useful if you’re publishing here (or planning to).

Become a FWN member & save your spot!

And live on Wednesday…

Land a Non-Fiction Book Deal

Wednesday August 5th, 10am PDT / 1pm EDT / 4pm BST

Got a non-fiction book idea? This masterclass turns that from “someday” into “submitted.”

Tawny Lara, author of Dry Humping and The Sobriety Deck, co-founder of (parentheses) non-alcoholic spirits, spent years learning what actually gets agents to say yes. In this 2-hour session, she’s teaching you the exact playback, including the query letter that landed her an agent in 24 hours.

Tawny will break down:

• The proposal: how to build one that actually sells

• The agent search: finding and approaching the right fit for your book

• The query letter: how to write one that lands (including the exact one that landed her an agent in 24 hours)

Beginner or experienced pitcher, you’ll leave with a clear next step and answers to your specific questions in the live Q+A.

Grab my ticket!

Tuesday 4th August at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST.

Every freelance writer knows the feeling: a topic is everywhere, and you can’t figure out how to make it yours. In our next live workshop with Sithara, we’re going to help you fix exactly that.

The real challenge isn’t finding something to write about, it’s turning an over-covered topic into something original enough to sell.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Spot the angle: find the entry point into a trending topic that feels timely, fresh, and useful

• Decide where it belongs: a pitch, a newsletter piece, or both

• Shape it for the platform: a sharper, reported/editorial take for publications vs. a personal, reflective, or niche-focused take for Substack

• Adapt one idea, multiple ways: same core concept, different audiences, different formats

We’re bringing a strong Substack lens to this one, so it’ll be especially useful if you’re already publishing here (or thinking about starting).

Whether you’re chasing more bylines, building your own audience, or doing both, you’ll walk away with a practical framework for spotting angles, strengthening them, and getting more mileage out of every good idea.

Save your spot by hitting the link below.

Become a FWN member & save your spot!

Want to Land a Non-Fiction Book Deal?

Wednesday August 5th, 10am PDT / 1pm EDT / 4pm BST

Ready to turn your non-fiction idea into a published book?

Join our next masterclass with Tawny Lara (author of Dry Humping and The Sobriety Deck, and co-founder of (parentheses) non-alcoholic botanical spirits) for a 2-hour masterclass, How to Get a Non-Fiction Book Deal: Proposals, Agents, and Query Letters.

Tawny will break down:

• The proposal: how to build one that actually sells

• The agent search: finding and approaching the right fit for your book

• The query letter: how to write one that lands (including the exact one that landed her an agent in 24 hours)

Whether you’re a seasoned writer polishing your pitch or a curious beginner just starting out, you’ll leave with the tools and confidence to move your book from idea to submission, plus a live Q+A to get your specific questions answered.

Grab my ticket!

Ready to grow your writing career?

Members at the Freelance Writing Network get exclusive access to premium content designed to help writers thrive in their careers.

🔓 Become a FWN member and unlock…

• 📋 A writing job board that shares 200+ high-paying pitch calls and freelance writing jobs weekly, with new updates daily.

• 🎯 Roundups of themed pitch calls, with many paying the very top rates for freelance writers.

• 💰 Exclusive funding resources for writers, offering thousands of dollars to help you grow your writing career or business.

• 🗂️ Twice-monthly live sessions & 50% off masterclasses, plus access to an entire archive of classes, insight and insider resources.

• ✍️ Creative resources, including monthly and themed literary magazine roundups, plus all the opportunities to help you get paid for your creative writing.

Access everything today with a 7-day free trial!

Get 7 day free trial

Writing a book proposal or query letter can feel overwhelming, but with the right guidance and tools, it’s entirely doable.

Our next masterclass is built to help you solve that exact problem (and as a FWN member, you can scroll down to get 50% off the cost of your ticket).

How to Get a Non-Fiction Book Deal: Proposals, Agents, and Query Letters

2-hour live seminar with Tawny Lara

Author of Dry Humping and The Sobriety Deck, and co-founder of (parentheses), Tawny brings a clear, approachable method to navigating the publishing process, from idea to agent.

How to Get a Non-Fiction Book Deal is a two-hour webinar that demystifies the publishing process tailored for both nonfiction writers and nonfiction card deck creators. While the challenge of writing a book proposal or query letter may seem overwhelming, Tawny’s approachable method assures you that with the right guidance and tools, you can confidently navigate through it.

Participants will emerge from this seminar with a comprehensive understanding of what a traditionally published book deal entails and how to submit your work to agents.

Sign up for Tawny's masterclass

SEMINAR TAKEAWAYS:

• Book Proposal 101: Learn what exactly a book proposal is and understand all the elements needed to compose one.

• How to Find an Agent: Discover how to find the right agent to represent your non-fiction project and how to reach out to them.

• Query Letter Overview: Take a deep dive into Tawny’s query letter that landed her an agent within 24 hours.

• Q+A: This course ends with 15-20 minutes dedicated to answering all of your publishing questions.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

This seminar welcomes a diverse audience, from seasoned writers seeking to refine their proposal skills to curious beginners eager to embark on their writing journey. Regardless of your experience level, this seminar promises to equip you with the insights, tools, and inspiration needed to craft a compelling book proposal that stands out to publishers and agents.

With Tawny’s guidance, you’ll shift your perspective on the publishing process. Prepare to feel empowered, inspired, and fully equipped to tackle your book proposal with confidence and enthusiasm.

Join us, and let’s start writing the future of your book together.

Sign up for Tawny's masterclass

Read more

Paid members can now watch Kathryn’s live session in full, whenever they want.

Just hit the button below to start the recording.

Read more

Tuesday July 14th, 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm BST.

There are a lot of ways for writers to earn money. And I bet most of you won’t be using this one, even if you should be.

Tomorrow, Kathryn will be breaking down one of the most underused income streams available to writers: affiliate marketing.

Kathryn is a marketing manager turned freelance writer, content creator, and author who manages an award-winning travel and wellness blog and currently earns affiliate income both on and off that blog.

She also serves as Social Media Chair for the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association, so she brings real, tested experience rather than theory.

Read more

As I was excited to share with you last week, FWN live events are now running twice a month, every month, as part of your membership perks. Plus, every session will be recorded, so you can always watch them back if you can’t make them live.

This is our way of packing even more value into your membership: practical, actionable sessions from real working writers.

Read on for details of our upcoming sessions (including a new masterclass & a webinar recording you can get access to any time, complete with a membership discount).

Meet Kathryn, our new event host

I’m so excited to introduce Kathryn Anderson, our newest event host.

Kathryn is an author, freelance journalist, and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. Based in Vancouver, BC, she’s the author of 100 Things to Do in Vancouver Before You Die and creator of the award-winning travel and lifestyle site Coffee and Mascara, where she explores travel through the lens of wellness and meaningful experiences.

She also serves on the Board of Directors for the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) as Social Media Chair, supporting the global community of travel writers and creators. When she’s not writing or speaking, you’ll find her savouring oysters on a sunny patio, wandering hidden corners of Vancouver, or planning her next adventure.

How Freelance Writers Can Earn Affiliate Income (Even Without a Blog!)

Tuesday July 14th, 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm BST.

Kathryn’s first event will take place next week, How Freelance Writers Can Earn Affiliate Income (Even Without a Blog!).

In this session, Kathryn will walk through the ways freelance writers can build affiliate income — six that need no blog or website at all, and eight more for writers who do have one. Expect practical, no-tech-degree-required tactics to help you earn more outside of your writing.

You’ll learn that you don’t need to be techy or salesy to earn affiliate income, just authentic and intentional about recommending things you already love.

Read more

Every freelance journalist has been through it. Sat, staring at a blank document, knowing you need to pitch something, but not quite sure where to start. Perhaps you even have plenty of ideas, but they never seem to land with editors the way you hoped.

In the Freelance Writing Network’s next live session with Sithara, we’ll be pulling back the curtain on how writers actually generate story ideas, and how these ideas turn into pitches that get accepted.

This is real, practical stuff that makes the difference between a pitch that sits in an editor’s inbox, and one that becomes a commission.

Here’s what the session will cover:

• The difference between a topic and a pitch, and why it matters more than you think

• How to find and generate ideas, and build the habit of doing it consistently

• Practical tricks and techniques for spotting pitch-worthy stories in everyday life

• How to get multiple pitches and stories out of a single idea

• How to identify the best outlet for your pitches, including how you can use the Freelance Writing Network to help you

Whether you’re just starting out with pitching or you’ve been doing it for years and want to sharpen your approach, this session will give you something to take away and use immediately.

📅 Tuesday 30th June | ⏰ 12pm ET / 5pm BST | 💻 Live on Zoom

This session is a paid subscriber perk!

Live sessions like this one are part of what your paid FWN subscription gives you access to. Sign up below to register your slot!👇

Read more

Last chance — our tarot workshop is tomorrow 🃏

Tomorrow afternoon, author Tawny Lara is running a 2-hour writing workshop unlike anything you’ve probably tried before — and there are still spots left.

Writing with Tarot: Symbolism as a Tool for Creativity uses Tarot cards as writing prompts and creative fuel. Not fortune-telling. Not woo woo. Think art history meets journaling — a genuinely relaxed, inspiring space to write, think, and explore.

Tawny is the author of Dry Humping and The Sobriety Deck, and she’s been using Tarot as a writing tool for years. In this session, she’ll walk you through Tarot imagery from the 1600s through to modern decks, paired with guided writing prompts you can use on your current project — whether you’re stuck, starting, or mid-flow.

Here’s what you’ll leave with:

• A working knowledge of Tarot imagery as a creative framework

• Personalised writing prompts tied to your own experiences

• A fresh way to get unstuck on any project

• An open Q&A covering writing, publishing, journalism, and creative goal-setting

🎟 Get your ticket here →

🎥 Can’t make it live? It’s recorded, so grab your ticket and watch back at your own pace.

Paid subscribers can get 50% off the cost of their ticket here.

Tomorrow only: a free day that could change your business!

If you’ve got one free day this week, make it tomorrow.

Harlow Homebase is a free virtual conference happening Thursday, May 21 (tomorrow!), and it’s built specifically for freelancers, founders, and creators who want to grow their revenue without burning out.

Six expert-led sessions. Real strategies you can act on immediately. Zero cost.

The speakers aren’t theorists, they’re practitioners doing the work right now, sharing the exact playbooks for building a business that’s profitable and sustainable.

You’ll leave with a complete action plan and the confidence to execute it. And it’s completely free to attend.

Reserve your free spot →

Whether you're staring at a blank page or mid-flow on a project you love, this workshop gives you a completely new way into your writing: one with 400 years of visual history behind it.

Writing with Tarot: Symbolism as a Tool for Creativity is a 2-hour online workshop led by my friend and author Tawny Lara, and it might be the most unexpected creative tool you add to your writing practice this year.

What’s in it for you as a writer?

Tawny isn't a fortune teller. She's a published author (Dry Humping, The Sobriety Deck) who uses Tarot imagery the same way you might use a mood board or a writing prompt: as creative fuel.

In two hours, you’ll:

• Use striking Tarot artwork (spanning from the 1600s to today) as guided writing prompts

• Learn to investigate your current project whether you’re stuck, starting, or midway through

• Build personalized prompts rooted in your own experiences

• Finish with a live Q&A writing, publishing, journalism, media, podcasting, and creative goal-setting

Grab your ticket here →

Got questions for Tawny before the workshop? She's in the FWN chat taking any questions you might have on writing, pitching, Tarot, and more! Say hi here.

Already a paid subscriber?

Paid subscribers can grab a discount for 50% off your ticket. Don’t leave that on the table!

Claim your discount →

How much can you actually earn as a freelance journalist? What does a sustainable income look like in practice? And how do other writers structure their finances so they’re not just surviving from byline to byline?

This time tomorrow, we’re answering all of those questions and more.

Read more

Money.

How much do freelance journalists actually earn? What work is worth your time? And how do you build a career that doesn’t fall apart because you couldn’t make the finances work?

Next week, we’re having that exact conversation.

On Monday 11th May, Isabel Woodford (freelance journalist and contributor to the FT, The Atlantic, and others) is going live to pull back the curtain on the real financial side of her career.

You’ll come away with a clearer sense of:

• How to build a financial roadmap for your writing career

• How to think long-term about income, not just the next byline

• Transparency on how to charge, and what work is most lucrative

🎟️ Grab your ticket here

“I’m doing this because I’m not interested in advocating for a career that isn’t financially sustainable. I’ve seen so many talented writers burn out and leave because they couldn’t make it work.”

Every attendee also gets a discount on Isabel’s course on the business of freelance writing (usually £99), included with the ticket.

If this is the career you’re building, or trying to sustain, this is a session built for you.

FWN paid subscribers can get a 50% discount code using this link.

✍️ 64 paid pitch calls & freelance writing opportunities

Today we shared 64 new calls for pitches & freelance or contract writing gigs — tons of great stuff to start your week with. Be sure to have a read if you haven’t already!

Just scroll down for the discount!

Thursday 21 May | 1:00–3:00 PM ET | Online via Zoom

No fortune-telling. No woo woo. Just two hours of generative writing with author and creative Tawny Lara as your guide.

Using tarot imagery spanning centuries, from 1600s Italian card games to modern decks, Tawny turns each card into a writing prompt and a doorway into your own creative projects.

Think art history meets journaling in a zero-pressure space. Bring a pen, bring your curiosity, and bring your deck if you have one.

👉 Grab your ticket here

Read below for your 50% off code!

Read more

In this session, FWN event host Sithara shares the real, behind-the-scenes truths of freelance life. All of the unglamorous work that actually keeps a writing career running!

From chasing editors who haven’t replied, to finding sources when inboxes stay silent, to building relationships that don’t feel awkward or transactional, this session dives into the parts of freelancing no one ever talks about, but every writer deals with.

Whether you’re brand new to freelance writing or a few years in, this honest, practical workshop will help you build more confidence, resilience, and momentum in your work.

Watch and learn:

• How to follow up without feeling like a pest

• Tactics for finding and contacting the right sources

• Ways to build genuine, professional relationships with editors

• How to handle rejection and keep going

Ready to get a more realistic view of freelance life, and the tools to thrive within it?

Hit the link below to watch the full 60-minute session on demand.

Read more

There’s a lot more to freelance writing than just pitching and writing.

So much of what we do as writers is about the quiet, consistent work that keeps our freelance writing businesses running smoothly behind the scenes.

Things like following up when an editor hasn’t replied, finding sources when no one’s answering emails, figuring out how to reach out, and building positive, professional relationships without feeling awkward.

And, of course, learning how to handle rejection. That’s just part of the job, no matter how experienced you are.

In our next live session with Sithara on Wednesday 11th March at 1pm ET (10am PT / 5pm GMT — US DST ends this weekend, hence there only being a four hour difference for now), we’ll dig into all those unglamorous but essential parts of freelance life.

Sithara will share practical approaches, real-world examples, and honest stories about what works (and what really doesn’t).

Missed any of our previous events? Why not rewatch our Pitch Lab session (a live breakdown of real freelance pitches) and our first Write Your First Pitch session.

You’ll come away with a clearer idea of how to:

• Follow up without feeling like a pest

• Find and contact sources effectively

• Build genuine relationships with editors and contacts

• Deal with rejection without it destroying your momentum

This is a supportive, down-to-earth session for anyone trying to build a sustainable freelance career (not just a shiny one).

🎥 The session will be recorded, so you can catch up in case you miss it!

✅ You’ll need to register for this event, which you can do below.

Read more

In this session, FWN event host Sithara walks you through planning, writing, and sending your very first freelance pitch, complete with real examples, proven structure, and answers to common questions.

Never written a pitch before? Drafting emails but hesitant to send? Pitched before and yet to land your first paid assignment? This workshop is built for you, and you can now watch it whenever you’d like.

Watch and learn:

• Real pitch examples that landed assignments, with breakdowns of exactly what worked and why

• How to find the right publication and editor

• A proven pitch structure you can adapt to any publication

• The confidence to (finally) hit send!

Just hit the link below to access this 60-minute session in full.

Read more

On Thursday, January 22nd at 12pm ET / 5pm GMT, FWN event host Sithara will walk you through planning, writing and sending your very first freelance pitch. Complete with real examples, proven structure, and live Q&A for your specific questions.

Never written a pitch before? Drafting emails but hesitant to send? Pitched before and yet to land your first paid assignment? This workshop is built for you.

You’ll learn:

• Real pitch examples that landed assignments, with breakdowns of exactly what worked

• How to find the right publication and editor

• A proven pitch structure you can adapt to any publication

• The confidence to hit send (finally)

This is a live, interactive workshop where you’ll get direct answers to your specific questions about pitching. You’ll also have space to ask questions, workshop ideas, and get real-time guidance.

Register below and mark your calendar for January 22nd!

Read more