Date: Tuesday September 25, 2007
Time: 6 p.m. for 6.30 pm.
Venue:  AB Hotel, 225 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe NSW 2037, Phone 9660 1417
Speakers:  Editor, author and arts critic Diana Simmonds and leading freelance journalist and media consultant Chris Sheedy
Topic: Pitch and deal.

A successful editor and a highly skilled freelance journalist give different perspectives about pitches that work and how to clinch a sweet deal with a publication. The two speakers will give hot tips on the whole process from the art of preparing a winning pitch and approaching the right editor to the business of negotiating the best rate and tying down the contract.

Fee: $10 for Alliance members (On production of membership card)
$20 for non-members
$ 5 for students (on production of student card.)

Drinks: A cash bar will be open and snacks will be supplied free of charge
RSVP: Pamela Moriniere pamela.moriniere@alliance.org.au by Friday September 21 (Monday, September 24 last day for bookings).

Speakers

Diana Simmonds is an editor and freelancer who moved to Australia 21 from the United Kingdom where she worked on Time Out, Motorcycling Monthly and City Limits  and wrote for The Observer and the Sunday Times. Simmonds currently edits SAM – Sydney University's alumni magazine. She was previously TV guide editor for the Sydney Morning Herald, arts editor, features editor as well as arts contributor and columnist on The Bulletin; arts editor and critic of the Sunday Telegraph; book reviewer and feature contributor on The Australian. She does reviews for her own website: www.stagenoise.com and is author of nine books, including one on Princess Diana. She also lectures in journalism, writing and editing.

Chris Sheedy has worked in print, TV, book and web publishing in Sydney, London and New York. His features have been published in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Sun-Herald, Sunday Age and Sunday Telegraph newspapers, and in Australian Good Taste, Virgin Blue Voyeur, Australian Penthouse, Woman's Day, City Weekly, New Idea, Management Today, The Australian Magazine, K-Zone, Beyond 50, Good Medicine, Cleo and many other magazines. Sheedy is the Australian representative of Guinness World Records, writes for several corporate clients, and just finished his second book, published by Random House (Australia) and Viking Penguin (USA).

Venue
The newly renovated AB Hotel, 225 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe NSW 2037, Phone 9660 1417. Cnr Bridge & Glebe Point Roads. There is four-hour ticket parking on main roads, plenty of free parking in streets towards Glebe Point. The 431 and 370 buses stop right outside, light rail stop for Glebe two-minute walk.

Alliance members are being charged a basic $10 meeting fee to help cover the cost of snacks. Non-members are being charged for the venue plus snacks. The venue was chosen because it is more accessible by public transport and  has a good atmosphere.