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ASJA
If you are looking for new markets or have a burning story idea or book to pitch, then you won't want to miss our next Virtual Client Connections, Oct. 3-6 (between noon-4 p.m. Eastern each day). Sign-up is on a first-come, first-served basis on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. Eastern (yes, that's today!). At that time, a link will be available at the VCC page on ASJA's website.
Editors from The CostCo Connection, Midwest Living Magazine, ModernFarmer.com, MemoryWell, Care.com, SAGE Business Researcher and Pet 360 Media–as well as an agent eager to work with fiction writers and authors with journalism backgrounds–are searching for new clients. More details here.
Since spots fill up quickly, we recommend writing out your bio in 200 characters before the registration period and having your Skype ID nearby. Please only submit one registration at this time. If you submit two registrations, your second will not be valid. To give everyone a fair chance we only allow registration for one editor during the first 24 hours of registration. At 2 p.m. Eastern Time (New York City) on Wednesday, Sept. 20th, click on the registration link and sign up for any additional editor appointments that are open. Note that you can sign up for multiple appointments at this time. You will be notified on Friday, Sept. 22 by 5 p.m. Eastern regarding your VCC appointments. If you are on the waiting list, you will also be notified.
Note: If you are unable to register due to loss of power due to Hurricane Harvey or Irma, please contact JenniferGregory@nc.rr.com and the VCC team will register you during the registration period. Any registrations submitted before 2 p.m. Eastern will not be valid.
Be sure to read the VCC FAQs for detailed information on the event.
ASJA
The ASJA Educational Foundation is committed to helping professionals new to freelancing gain traction in a fragmented, often confusing market. That’s why all ASJA conferences offer tracks for new freelancers, and why we hope you’ll invite an aspiring freelancer to Content Connections, Nov. 18 in Chicago!
Along with panels of ASJA members offering practical tactics and tips, ConCon 2017 offers a unique opportunity for new freelancers to learn from the founder of Peerkat.com how to form their own peer mentoring groups, and they can get on-the-spot feedback on their elevator pitches. With ASJA’s Content Connections as a springboard, new freelancers will soon become new ASJA members, and that’s good for all of us.
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MasterWriter gives you Word Families, a unique reference dictionary that will open up a new world of possibilities for descriptive words, Phrases, Synonyms, Rhymes, Pop-Culture, a searchable Bible, the Definition and more. We recently added Figures of Speech, a new set of dictionaries which gives you instant access to Metaphors, Similes, Onomatopoeia, Idioms, Oxymorons, Allusions, Alliterations and Intensifiers.
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ASJA
Editor’s note: Banned Books Week is Sept. 24-30 and one of the great advantages of being an ASJA member is that you can do something about unnecessary censorship and protecting First Amendment rights! Click here to find out more about joining ASJA; details on connecting with the Banned Books Committee can be found at the end of this article. You can also learn more about Banned Book Week activities and ways in which you can directly participate, including possibly promoting your own work.
In August, the West Chicago Public Library Board voted overwhelmingly 6-1 against an effort made by a conservative organization to remove a book "This Day in June" about LGBT history from the library’s children’s section. According to a report published in the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald, more than 150 people attended the meeting to discuss the possible ban. Of the attendees, 138 people said they favored keeping the book in the children’s section while only 13 opposed it.
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ASJA
The Writers Emergency Assistance Fund helps established freelance writers who, because of illness, disability, a natural disaster, or an extraordinary professional crisis are unable to work. If you are in need due to recent natural disasters that have occurred in the Houston area, in Florida or in other states, please check out the WEAF application requirements here.
For those who would like to assist writers in need at this time, we encourage you to make a tax-deductible contribution to WEAF here. (WEAF is managed by ASJA's Charitable Trust.)
A writer need not be a member of ASJA to qualify for a WEAF grant. However, applicants must establish a record of past professional freelance nonfiction writing over a sustained period of years, which means qualifications generally similar to those of ASJA members. WEAF does not award grants to beginning freelancers seeking funding for writing projects, nor does it fund works-in-progress of any kind.
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ASJA
Member name: Ronni Gordon
Success story: Assignment from MedShadow Foundation
How I landed the gig: Met Jonathan Block at Client Connections at ASJA 2017 in New York and pitched a story idea stemming from my own experience and found that it overlapped with the foundation’s interests.
Net result: $500 with the potential for more work.
Comment: As a new member, I was nervous at my first Client Connections sessions (I had three) but the wranglers headed by Wendy Helfenbaum helped calm me down enough so that I could lucidly present my pitch to Jonathan about the challenges involved in treating neuropathy. I joined the ASJA this year after attending the Public Day last year and getting a new client (Richard Eisenberg of Next Avenue) and being impressed by how helpful and welcoming the members were. The camaraderie was even greater this year because I enjoyed two days of it. The panels I attended were informative, generating new story ideas and leaving me with valuable contact information for editors.
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ASJA
If you're like many freelancers, you know what you’re worth but might be too insecure, uncomfortable, or shy to ask for better money, rights, or deadlines. Speaking up for what you want takes practice and courage – along with an understanding of how to negotiate. Drawing from a panel on negotiating she moderated at the 2017 ASJA annual conference plus new material, ASJA member Michelle Rafter will share tips that freelancers can use to get the contracts and pay they deserve. Discover strategies guaranteed to make a positive difference in your writing business.
That's what we'll talk about in this month's "Shop Talk" event.
Join us:
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
1 pm. Eastern (calculate for your time zone)
Register here.
ASJA
Yes, another new group of applicants for ASJA has passed the Membership Application Committee's review and the list of prospective members has now been posted.
We invite active members to review the list and send any comments, pro or con, to the ASJA office at membership@asja.org no later than the comment deadline shown. Comments will be sent to the Application Committee for consideration. All comments will be kept confidential, for Application Committee use only.
Review the list of prospective members here.
ASJA
The newest, busiest topics in our members-only online forums
DEAR PR PERSON: HOW TO PITCH ME
A writer shares the guidelines she gives to story subjects and their PR people on how they should – and shouldn’t – pitch her to write about them. (Join the conversation)
A NON-CONTRACT CONTRACT
Members team up to interpret the words of an editor who brags that he doesn’t do contracts, but who proceeded to spell out a fairly onerous and ambiguous set of conditions. (Join the conversation)
FREELANCING GIGS FOR DUMMIES?
What are private forums good for? For sharing emails like this one from an editor for the “For Dummies” series, wherein he spells out a new deal structure way, way worse than the old deal (Join the conversation)
MEDIATION CLAUSES
Are mediation clauses now a thing? The fine-print waivers of your right to sue are common in other sorts of business transactions, but can we expect to see more in our freelancing writing contracts? (Join the conversation)
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS: This is the place to go for links to new freelance gigs. When you see work opportunities, please share them in this forum — it's a group effort.
Log in daily to see the latest discussions and check out tips on making the most of the forums. Remember, you must log in to the forums in addition to logging in to the members-only side of the ASJA website.
The National Writers Union
The National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981) announced today that they have reached an agreement with The Nation over a contract that covers freelancers for the publication’s print magazine and website. The contract is one of the first of its kind for freelance digital writers, who have so far been left out of the recent surge in organizing among staff writers of digital publications.
The agreement includes minimum rates for various types of freelance writing done for The Nation, kill fees, an expectation of payment within thirty days, and a grievance procedure for handling any disputes, among other protections.
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Forbes
There’s no denying how difficult it can be to make it as a freelancer. A lot of potential clients are out there to take advantage of you, and no one’s going to spontaneously offer you more money unless you ask for it.
If you want to succeed freelancing and earn income that make you happy, then you’ll need to toe a hard line. Here are four questions you should say no to, every time.
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Publisher's Weekly
When I decided to organize a book tour to promote my memoir, "Getting Naked for Money: An Accidental Travel Writer Reveals All," I worried that self-publication might work against me. This was all terra incognita. I'd done signings and readings for my four previous books, put out by traditional presses, but never planned a book tour for a self-published title. Now I was planning an ambitious trip covering four states.
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Business 2 Community
Work productivity can grind to a halt when you experience personal or family emergencies.
Taking “vacation” time to cope isn’t always possible for freelancers who get paid by their work output.
Ultimately, your best bet is preparing for the unexpected in advance. While work is important, taking time to deal with what’s going on in your life deserves attention as well.
Here are a few ways to make sure your business can continue flourishing while your mind is elsewhere.
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Phys.org
Journalists can help their readers form accurate views by "adjudicating" between opposing political claims in their articles, a new study shows.
Refereeing political disputes by clearly highlighting which facts are accurate can help to give the public a more coherent version of current events. This "assertive" reporting could help to reduce misperceptions among the public as they attend to coverage of political disputes in the media.
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The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) does not endorse any company, product, or service sold by any corporation, institution or member supporting our organization. Corporate partnerships, advertisers and sponsors are not an endorsement of a product or service and may not be represented as such, in any way. The use of the ASJA name and/or logo, or representation of such, without the written consent of ASJA, is strictly prohibited.
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