This message contains images. If you don't see images, click here to view. Click here to advertise in this news brief.   Mobile version    RSS    Subscribe    Unsubscribe    Archive    Media Kit Jul. 5, 2013 Home   About ASJA   How to Join   Our Members   Find a Writer   For Writers           How the most successful writers (and others) schedule their days By Laura Vanderkam I've spent the past several years writing about time management, writes Laura Vanderkam, author of 168 Hours and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. I've studied the schedules of hundreds of people — including my own. The best productivity tip I've gleaned from all these calendars? Match the right task to the right time. If you do this, it's amazing what you'll get done. I happen to be best able to focus in the mornings. When I sit down at my desk around 8 a.m. with a cup of coffee, I am a copy-writing machine. I can crank out an 800-word article before my first trip to the bathroom.    Share this article:   READ MORE   Penguin and Random House finalize merger Los Angeles Times Calling their union "the world's first truly global trade book publishing company," Penguin and Random House finalized on Monday morning a merger that brings together two legacy publishers, at a time when the rise of the Kindle, among other forces, threatens the dominance of the traditional publishing houses. Random House's parent company, the German media group Bertelsmann, is to control 53 percent of the new company, while 47 percent is to be controlled by Pearson, Penguin's parent company. Share this article:   READ MORE 4 things Star Trek can teach us about writing Writer's Digest Mr. Spock. Captain Kirk. Captain Picard. Bones. The Ferengi. Captain Janeway. And every red-shirted crew member who has ever gone on an away mission and never made it home again. That's right (cue the funky theremin music), we're talking about Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry's legendary space saga. And why not? Star Trek has some fantastic lessons to teach us about the craft of writing. Share this article:   READ MORE Freelance writing: Side-step these common mistakes Media Update A career in freelance writing is an exciting prospect. Forget all the doomsayers who predict bad clients and oversaturated markets. Yes, these are part of the job and you need to learn how to overcome/avoid them. However, that doesn't mean you'll always encounter them. Share this article:   READ MORE How to craft a happy ending Writer's Digest Our writing may be beautiful or plain, may want to sing itself along or proceed with the massive engine that is the great Russian truth-telling machine Anna Karenina. Whether aspiring to become art or settling into the more modest demands of the police procedural, our stories sober us with this thought: the rules are basically the same, and – when it comes to endings – these rules are rather inflexible. Share this article:   READ MORE How to pitch your book to online outlets GalleyCat Author and technology consultant Scott Steinberg visited our self-publishing course online today. GalleyCat caught up with Steinberg while he promoted The Modern Parent's Guide to Video Games, sharing timeless advice about he shared columns and essays on a number of sites–reaching out to new readers at major outlets like CNN.com, All Things D and ESPN.com. Share this article:   READ MORE The art of the overheard The Writer Recently, I took a break from writing and visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City, writes Alicia Anstead, editor-in-chief of the Writer . It was free Tuesday, and I wanted to see the June roses in full regalia. The garden was packed with school children on field trips, and they were richly enjoying the sunshine and flora. I watched their delight with wonder. Share this article:   READ MORE Caffeine: For the more creative mind The Atlantic Some say Sherlock Holmes' regular use of cocaine was Doyle's vehicle to illustrate the character's moral weakness. It likely began more simply as a window into the culture of the time, when hard stimulants weren't the taboo they are today. W.H. Auden apparently did believe his own dependence on the stimulant Benzedrine to be a sign of weak character, but he still took it every working morning and endorsed its creative influences effusively. Jack Kerouac and Jean-Paul Sartre offer similar testaments. Share this article:   READ MORE Have reports of the paperback's death been greatly exaggerated? Slate In 2009, Penguin Group, one of the most successful publishers in the world, printed a charming history called The Book of Penguin, in the slim, orange paperback format that the company made famous in the mid-20th century. It begins: "This is a book about the most advanced form of entertainment ever. You can pause it at any time. Rewind and replay it if you miss a bit … It'll fit in your pocket." Share this article:   READ MORE TRENDING ARTICLES Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.     Getting started in science writing (By Cameron Walker) How can the average writer make money self-publishing e-books? (The Writer's Digest) Falling short: 7 writers reflect on failure (The Guardian) How to make a book cover with public domain images (GalleyCat) 9 ways for journalists to continue their schooling while working (Mediabistro's 10,000 Words) Top 10 e-book best sellers (week ending June 23) (PBS) Don't be left behind. Click here to see what else you missed.   The ASJA Weekly Alexandra Cantor Owens, ASJA Executive Director, 212.997-0947 Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469.420.2601 Download media kit Yvette Craig, Senior Content Editor, 469.420.2641    Contribute news This edition of The ASJA Weekly was sent to ##Email##. To unsubscribe, click here. Did someone forward this edition to you? Subscribe here -- it's free! Recent issues June 27, 2013 June 20, 2013 June 13, 2013 June 6, 2013 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063