There's no shortage of doom and gloom stories about the publishing industry. It's enough to make you hang up your keyboard and give up before you've even started, right? In this two-day masterclass, Bim Adewunmi will give you the inside track – warts and all – on starting out in features journalism today. It's not easy (it actually never was) and you'll need determination and many strings to your writing bow.

Over the weekend, you'll cover: the do's and don'ts of pitching to commissioning editors; money and how to make a living out of writing; where did all the staff writing jobs go – the realities of modern-day freelancing; self promotion and why social media is all important; next steps, dissecting magazines and how to come up with new ideas.

You'll cover:
• Pitching to commissioning editors: the do's and don'ts
• Money and how to make a living out of writing
• Where did all the staff writing jobs go? The realities of modern-day freelancing
• Self-promotion: Why social media is so important
• Next steps: how to dissect magazines and come up with the sort of ideas editors are looking for

TUTOR PROFILE
Bim Adewunmi is a freelance journalist and blogger, specialising in pop culture, feminism and race. She blogs at www.yorubagirldancing.com. Bim is a regular contributor to Comment Is Free and also writes about television and the internet for the New Statesman. She has written for GRAZIA, Mslexia, ARISE, and Blackhair magazine, among others. She has also contributed to BBC radio programmes Woman's Hour and Broadcasting House and appeared on the BBC World Service. She very much enjoys the contours of Ryan Gosling's face, and indeed, body.

DETAILS
Dates: Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 February 2013
Times: 10am-5pm
Location: The Guardian, 90 York Way, King's Cross, London N1 9GU
Price: £400 (inclusive of VAT, booking fees, lunch and refreshments)
Maximum class size: 16