The newsletter boom continues apace, as many journalists pivot from layoffs straight to your inbox. Sometimes, it can get you another job, as was the case with Steve Scherer, a former foreign correspondent who got hired after going viral with his story about driving an Uber to make ends meet. Others, like Marisa Kabas, who publishes the Handbasket, find a way to make a sustainable living as independent journalists. Last month during the IIJ Conference, Kabas shared lots of insights about how she’s been able to make that happen.
But the reality is that most newsletters will not provide enough income to live on. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start one, but it helps to have realistic expectations.
I began a newsletter myself in Nov. 2023, Seeing Sh*t in Books: A Lit Scholar Pontificates on Writing. The goal had been to build an audience for my historical novel-in-progress with related posts. I didn’t monetize it because I feared that might deter subscribers.
I stayed on track with weekly posts until Hurricane Helene knocked out our power for 13 days in Sept. 2024. The newsletter then pivoted into my experience of the storm and how it transformed my journalism. But when my stepfather was diagnosed with cancer last August, I stopped posting.
With that experience in mind, here are some insights I gained in my newsletter experience:
Make sure you have a clear point-of-view. The POV can change, mine did. But have a clear niche and perspective at the outset, which you can best outline in your About page.
The most financially successful and widely read newsletters deliver something indispensable and tangible to their readers. Here at the IIJ, we share opportunities and resources. More voice- or personality-driven newsletters may focus on sharp analysis, like Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American, or a niche like Anne Helen Petersen’s Culture Study.
Write consistently and have at least one regular section, so that your readers know what to expect from your dispatches and when to expect them. I found the self-imposed deadline particularly helpful when I was between assignments, because it kept my writing and research skills sharp.
That said, if you suddenly stop, THAT’S OKAY. People start, stop, and restart newsletters all the time. You have to enjoy the process. If you don’t, or life makes finding the time too draining, it’s not worth it.
Have a newsletter? Thinking of starting one? Let us know!
~ Sara
💥 Reflecting on an action-packed SEJ
We had a busy week at last week’s Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Chicago! Editorial director Ann Marie Awad was part of the conference’s first-ever freelance lounge, a dedicated space at the conference for critical information sharing on all kinds of topics relevant to freelancers. We also shared bites and drinks at Palmer House with Chicago-area freelancers, at a meetup co-hosted with the Association of Independents in Radio and the Chicago Audiomakers Collective. Major kudos to those who stuck with us after not one but two venue changes!
On Saturday, we were delighted to welcome seven brave journalists who presented live pitches to our panel of editors from the Associated Press, The Margin, Chicago Tribune, Sentient Media, and Inside Climate News. Thanks so much to journalists Eric Kasina, Meg Duff, Sara Hashemi, Karthika Gupta, Sarah DeWeerdt, Ann Davis, and Michael Zografos for stepping up to the mic!
And of course thanks to our incredible editors who generously shared their feedback and ideas: Peter Prengaman at the Associated Press, Michael Kodas at Inside Climate News, Bryce Cracknell of the Margin, Michelle Rowan of the Chicago Tribune, and Jenny Splitter of Sentient. Last but not least, the greatest thanks of all goes to SEJ for their collaboration to make this event a success!
If you weren’t able to join us for all the fun in Chicago, keep an eye on the Freelance Journalism Podcast feed in the coming months.
🇮🇹 Thanks for joining us in Perugia!
IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis spent last week at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, where we partnered with the Society of Freelance Journalists to carve out some much-needed space for freelancers at the event. Thanks so much to the journalists who came and packed the room at il Birraio! Thanks especially to our partners at SFJ: John Crowley, Laura Oliver, and Caroline Harrap.
🚨TOMORROW: Join the IIJ at ASJA!
The American Society of Journalists and Authors Virtual Conference is on! Join IIJ editorial director Ann Marie Awad, IIJ leader Katherine Reynolds Lewis, and IIJ members Clayton Gutzmore and Olga Lucia Torres for “Creating Entrepreneurship Systems That Work For You” on Wednesday, April 22 at 3-3:50 p.m. ET. Receive 15% off the registration fee with the code ASJA26GRP.
💼 Build a sustainable business with the IIJ at IRE!
Attendees of the Investigative Reporters and Editors Annual Conference in D.C. and area journalists are invited to join the IIJ’s all-day Freelance Business Workshop on Friday, June 19. Learn how to build a portfolio that balances passion projects with high-paying ones, pick up proven time and money management strategies, and hear what D.C.-area editors want in a pitch. The workshop is free with IRE registration, but those who wish to join for the $30 networking lunch should register here. Area journalists not attending IRE can attend for the early-bird rate of $59!
Pitch Calls and Other Opportunities
🪦 GraveSite wants stories about death
GraveSite is a new independent publication covering all things death, and they’re looking for stories. From policy to religious beliefs, death’s presence in pop culture to service pieces on handling the logistics, they cover it. 💰$200 for personal essays, $400 for quick news pieces of 800 words, $1,000 for reported stories of 900 to 1,300 words. Learn more in their pitch guidelines, and submit using their form.
🧑🧑🧒🧒 Business Insider wants family stories
Editor Jennifer Goldblatt is looking for personal essays on a variety of topics, including expensive and budget family vacations, parenting regrets, unique graduation gifts, dipping into your retirement savings, and more. 💰Usually $200-250 for 600 words. Send pitches to [email protected].
🚦Greenlight grants support work with freelancer-friendly publications
FIRE, the freelancer-focused arm of Investigative Reporters and Editors, invites applications for their Greenlight grants, which fund work with outlets that adhere to FIRE’s best practices for protecting freelancers. 💰$20,000 for the reporter, $5,000 for the newsroom. Learn more about qualifying newsrooms and the application process here. Deadline: Monday, April 27.
🕵🏻♀️ Get crash course in investigative reporting with Mother Jones
The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship at Mother Jones trains journalists in the fundamentals of investigative reporting through fact-checking. Applicants must be willing to report at least once a week to either the publication’s Bay Area or Washington, D.C. offices for the fellowship’s yearlong duration. 💰$49,446, plus benefits and sick days. Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Sunday, April 26.
💌 Pitch video package on love to Greater Good
UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center invites video producers to apply for their “Spreading Love Through Media” initiative, a video package focused on the science of love in both theory and practice. 💰$35,000 for shooting, editing, and producing. Read more here and send applications to [email protected]. For full consideration, apply by Friday, May 15.
Interesting Reads
📖 Kaitlyn Arford of the Freelance Opportunities! newsletter recently put together the Layoff Library, which contains a variety of resources that are just as helpful to independent journalists as those recently let go from their newsrooms. From communities like Freelancing Females to the IIJ’s Freelancer Quick Start Guide, there’s something for everyone. I just may sign up for Arford’s “Romancelandia Job Board,” which compiles jobs in romance publishing.
📖 Earlier in the year, we noted Mediaite’s launch of One Sheet, a newsletter digest of the most important media news each week. Well, One Sheet recently made the news for suspending its author Colby Hall after a number of fake quotes and misattributions. As Max Tani reports in Semafor, Hall claims his process, and not AI, was the main culprit: “Hall said he has a spreadsheet populated with dozens of newsletters, organizing the sheet with ‘columns for source, writer, topic, angle, summary, and takeaway.’ He said his recent errors ‘originated in the data entry process.’” Whatever the reason, Hall has been suspended.
📖 In some good news, independent booksellers are making a comeback, as originally reported in Fast Company (h/t to Joel Miller of Miller’s Book Review for the story). Between 2020 and 2025, the number of independent bookstores increased by 70%, with 422 opening in 2025 alone. Their unique combination of curated shelves and community events has made them the first big “shop local” success. “If you step back and try to understand what really happened from 2010 to today, it is a story of resilience,” Harvard Business School professor Ryan Raffaelli tells Adele Peters, adding, “It’s a story of hope. And it’s a story about the power of community.” Take that, Joe Fox of You’ve Got Mail!
Calendar
🗓️ THIS WEEK Wednesday, April 22 - At the American Society of Journalists and Authors’ 2026 online conference, the IIJ is presenting a panel on “Creating Entrepreneurship Systems That Work For You” from 3-3:50 p.m. ET. Hear from IIJ leaders Ann Marie Awad and Katherine Reynolds Lewis and independent journalists Clayton Gutzmore and Olga Lucia Torres. Register for the conference here and save 15% with the code ASJA26GRP.
🗓️ Wednesday, May 6 - Join us at noon ET for the first-ever IIJ Town Hall, a virtual event where members of our community will have the opportunity to hear about the latest industry trends affecting independent journalists of color, and to weigh in on future IIJ programming. RSVP here!
🗓️ Friday, June 5 - At the Education Writers Association National Seminar in Baltimore, MD, IIJ leaders Benét Wilson, Katherine Reynolds Lewis, and Shernay Williams will be presenting from 10:30-11:30 a.m. ET on entrepreneurship! Learn more and register here.
🗓️ Friday, June 19 - The IIJ will host a full day workshop on the business of freelancing at the 2026 Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference in Washington, D.C.! Join Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Shernay Williams from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. ET to learn sustainable business practices for all aspects of your career: balancing passion projects with profitable ones, negotiating with and recruiting clients, and top-notch organizational and time management systems. Free for IRE attendees, with $30 for lunch; register here. D.C.-area reporters not attending IRE can register here.
🗓️ June 24-26 - The IIJ will be at the Asian American Journalists Association conference in Minneapolis! Stay tuned for details.
🗓️ Wednesday to Friday, July 22-24 - Join the IIJ at this year’s Indigenous Media Conference in Portland, OR! IIJ leader Katherine Reynolds Lewis and independent journalists Taylar Stagner and Johnnie Jae will host a discussion on the reality of freelance journalism today. Learn how independent journalists are building sustainable careers in the face of mass media layoffs. Register here.
🗓️ Saturday, July 25 - The IIJ will present a panel on mastering the solo hustle at this year’s National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference and Expo in New Orleans. Speakers include IIJ editorial director Ann Marie Awad, Pizza Shark co-founder Carolina Murriel, Altavoz Lab founder Valeria Fernández, and independent journalist Silvia Canelón. We will also be hosting a freelance meetup! Stay tuned for details.
