LAUREN SHAPIRO
Blogger
Author
Writing & Life Coach
LAUREN SHAPIRO
Lauren’s new book,
31 Days of fun, is One month of (mostly) screen-free activities, arts & crafts, science experiments, games, stories, recipes and random acts of kindness for kids aged 6-12
Lauren’s new book, 31 Days of fun is One month of (mostly) screen-free activities, arts & crafts, science experiments, games, stories, recipes and random acts of kindness for kids aged 6-12
About LAUREN
“I pride myself on personalised, quality service;
excellent, well-edited writing;
and absolute reliability
(including the ability to meet deadlines)”
Lauren Shapiro is a freelance journalist supplying newspapers, magazines, websites, businesses and individuals with creative, reliable content.
Based in Durban, Lauren works nationally and internationally with a range of respected publications.
Lauren has a wide variety of interests and enjoys taking on diverse projects. She will write to any brief, but specialises in easy-reading, informative articles, including soft news, features, columns and blog copy.
What Does Lauren Write?
Her speciality is personality profiles. Whether magazine cover models, family histories or professional bios, Lauren loves telling people’s stories.
A practicing Jewess, she enjoys writing about Jewish affairs. Her work has been published in the SA Jewish Report, Jewish Life Magazine, and Hashalom (Durban’s Jewish monthly magazine), as well as www.aish.com, www.myshtetl.co.za, www.collive.com, www.shmais.com, and www.chabadnc.com.
She also dabbles in the corporate field, creating press releases, newsletters and company profiles for various businesses. Creative projects such as brochures and books add an exciting dimension to her repertoire.
Lauren also provides additional services such as editing, proofreading, photography, speech-writing, ghost-writing and more.
Lauren's Valued Clients
Client Testimonials
“My experience with using Lauren for my website was nothing short of amazing. Her warm, welcoming, artistic spirit allowed me to fully trust in her abilities to transform my dream to reality.
Lauren listens to every detail and executes her work in a fun, inclusive way which allows for anyone’s dream to come to life. She delivers work of the highest standard and I highly recommend her as her passionate way of working is infectious.”
“Lauren helped proofread my dissertation and it was such a pleasure to work with her! Her editing and suggestions were helpful, informed and ensured my work was the best it could be. Additionally, having another set of eyes on my work assisted me in seeing what I may have been missing, which helped put me at ease.
I would highly recommend Lauren’s work; she is professional, efficient, thorough, and fantastic at what she does. Thanks Lauren!”
“I have worked closely with Lauren for many years. She was responsible for creating an important book commemorating the tenth anniversary of the DHGC. Lauren also wrote the script for our tenth anniversary video as well as created our original website. She has written many articles for us for magazines, the mainstream media, social media and more.
She listens intently and is able to interpret our vision with sensitivity and wisdom. She always maps out timelines with regard her intended delivery and is SO reliable.”
“It is an absolute pleasure to work with Lauren. She is extremely professional and well-spoken, attentive and very quick to follow up on new enquiries.
Lauren helped us to write web copy for our new division, and the quality of her writing is excellent. Her attention to detail is meticulous. She’s also helpful with advice on content and what we should say. She is a great writer. I trust her.”
“Working with Lauren was a pleasure. I found her very professional and efficient at all times. Lauren helped me with proofing my website, correcting typo errors and grammar.
I was delighted with the outcome. It directly upgraded the professionalism of my website and helped with my business. I would recommend Lauren and will certainly not hesitate to use her again in the future.”
“I reached out to Lauren only a few weeks before an important submission deadline. Despite the tight timeline, Lauren went above and beyond and did excellent work on my LLM dissertation. She has a deep understanding of editing that enhanced the content of the dissertation without losing the original meaning.
She is direct and straight to the point, and I was highly impressed with her integrity, insightfulness, and professionalism. She has a keen sense for detail and is a very efficient communicator. I learned a lot from her feedback.”
She is always a pleasure to work with and delivers work timeously. Lauren’s quality of work and editorial standards are excellent. She is always happy to accept new challenges and to help out on tight deadlines. I would have no hesitation recommending this journalist to other editors.”
Together with her friendly and intelligent disposition, the articles that she has written for us are always well researched and eloquent. We thank her for this, and look forward to partnering with her in many more projects in the future.”
Lauren has also written countless reports for Hashalom on the activities of the communal organizations and in-depth articles on major events.”
Lauren's Rates
WRITING
In accordance with the Southern African Freelancers’ Association’s Rates Survey, Lauren charges R4.25 per word, with a minimum charge of R1200 per article.
Depending on time requirements and where practical, this charge includes attending the primary event and/or interviewing the primary subject.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography of an event (including captions) is an additional R950, to be arranged in advance. This includes basic editing and the client’s right to single use of images.
Stock images may also be available from as little as R395 per picture, depending on size and content requirements.
EDITING
Editing jobs are assessed individually, with an average charge of R750/hour.
Click the button below to email and enquire about Lauren’s editing packages.
EXPENSES
Travel will be charged at AA rates. Research, related interviews and the like will be charged for on a time basis, at a rate of R200 per quarter of an hour, and reimbursive expenses will be billed separately.
COPYRIGHT
Terms and conditions for all assignments are in accordance with the recommendations from time to time of the Southern African Freelancers’ Association and will be confirmed in writing upon acceptance of a brief.
Rates are correct as of March 2022.
Lauren's Experience
Early years
It’s the old story: Lauren started writing “newspapers” for her household at age eight. The launch edition of The Household News featured a front-page story on her grandfather’s 77th birthday with a shorter scoop on her recent excursion to the dolphinarium. She sold three copies before lack of advertizing funds sent the paper into liquidation.
At fifteen, with a slightly more mature outlook, she founded Candid Crawford, a student newspaper for Crawford College Durban, which she edited for three years before Matriculating in 1999.
Career path
With journalism clearly in her blood, Lauren studied Journalism and English at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Between studying and the odd tipple for which varsity students are known, she contributed to Activate Student Newspaper, holding the positions of Features Writer, Content Editor, and Training and Development Officer.
Continuing her studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, she obtained her Masters Degree (cum laude) in Creative Writing whilst beginning her freelance career.
Life experience
Like most impoverished students, Lauren dabbled in other activities that taught her practical commercial and people skills. In addition to tutoring and waitressing, she held leadership positions in both SAUJS (the South African Union of Jewish Students) and ReTA (Rhodes Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). She also gained valuable business and life experience being employed for a four-year stint as Director of the KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council where she was responsible for office administration, event coordination and media management.
Balanced outlook
Marriage and young children gave her new insight into the human need for effective communication. (Some say that she returned to writing with new vigour to escape all the baby talk!) Being a parent has also taught her time management, negotiating skills, and how to meet a deadline with a baby on her lap (if necessary!)
In 2011 Lauren went freelance full-time.
Have a Project That Requires Lauren's Skills?
CONTACT LAUREN
M: 083 7888 108
E: lauren@laurenshapiro.co.za