Professional freelance writers make a living through a variety of work but not all of that work qualifies for ASJA membership. We look for evidence of a sustained professional career--that you have written, on a freelance basis, full-length bylined articles in major publications over a substantial period of time, or have had nonfiction books published by established publishers, or other equivalent freelance activity as described below.

Many successful applicants submit a mix of credits, such as a book, a book chapter, and several online and print articles. Qualified materials must be written in English.

ARTICLES (Print, Web, or Both)

Qualifying standard: The Committee looks for a minimum of six full-length, by-lined articles written on a freelance basis (typically 1000 or more words in length). If you submit shorter articles, you should submit a greater number. Also, the Membership Committee looks for clips from a variety of markets, rather than all clips from the same publication.

Your articles should be primarily from major print or online markets. These may include national consumer publications (e.g. Smithsonian, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, Family Fun), major business publications (e.g. Inc., The Wall Street Journal, Bottom Line Personal), major regional publications (e.g. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles Times) and major trade publications (Advertising Age, Computer World, Industry Week, Fortune Small Business) as well as other substantial publications, including health (Men's Health, Self, Health), environment (Nature Conservancy, Audubon) and inflights (American Way, Continental, Southwest Spirit). Clips from online markets should be from paying sites comparable in stature, quality and circulation to those noted for print clips.

If you are submitting clips from a market with which the Membership Committee may not be familiar, please give a brief description, including publisher, circulation, readership, payment structure, and content.

If you have any questions about whether a market will qualify, we encourage you to ask. Because major markets may occasionally hold articles for future publication, the committee will consider, in lieu of some clips, letters of acceptance for articles that are still in "inventory."

BOOKS

Qualifying standard: If you write books, you may qualify if you have written two or more nonfiction books, or if you have written one nonfiction book and have a signed contract with a publisher for a second. (Book chapters are considered roughly equivalent to long articles.) Ghostwriting and collaborative qualify, if evidence (such as a contract) is submitted to to support the applicant's role as writer of the work.

If the publisher of your book is a small press or not widely known, please include information such as the kind of books they publish, the number of titles published each year, and their website or contact information.

In general, self-published books are not accepted as qualifying material for ASJA membership. An exception may be made on rare occasion for self-published books with substantial sales, reviews in well-known journals, or inclusion in a major book club. Proof of sales, inclusion in book clubs, or published reviews must be submitted along with a copy of the book. Without such documentation, self-published books will not be reviewed by the Membership Committee.

OTHER QUALIFYING MATERIAL

Nonfiction freelanced TV, film and radio scripts (e.g. The History Channel, NPR), and other bylined material may also count toward ASJA membership qualifications.

WHAT KINDS OF WORK DO NOT COUNT TOWARD ASJA MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS?

The following types of writing do not count toward qualifications for ASJA membership:

• fiction or poetry
• work written while on staff as part of employment
• work from non-paying markets, including self-published blogs
• non-bylined articles
• work from markets that direct writers to use their advertisers as sources
• work from small regional publications or local websites
• work from small special-interest publications
• most self-published or subsidy-published books and materials
• PR, advertising, or other writings for corporations, or articles published in trade magazines but paid for, in whole or in part, by the subject(s) of the article.

A NOTE ON WRITING TEAMS

Two individuals who write as a team as evidenced by a consistent (but not necessarily exclusive) dual byline may submit a single application, with a single fee. If accepted, the team will be treated in all respects as a single entity.

HOW TO APPLY

Use the online application to create your application record. Go to www.asja.org/join/online.php to create your record and begin the process. (You can save your application and return as many times as you need to before submitting. If it is not submitted within 90 days, however, the record will be deleted.)

Complete the application with the information requested, and submit URLs for any clips and other documentation that can be viewed online. Amazon links for books are fine; links to your own website are also acceptable if your credits are accessible there.

To submit clips or credits that are not available online, please so specify in the online application and e-mail your clips in PDF form to membership=at=asja.org in PDF format. You may also fax them to (212) 937-2315. (As a last resort you may mail paper copies to the ASJA office: Membership Application for [Your Name], ASJA, 1501 Broadway, Suite 403, New York, NY 10036.)

Once you are satisfied the application is complete, you submit the online application and pay the $50.00 application fee by credit card using our secure form. If you prefer, you may mail a check to the address below but: your application will not be reviewed until the application fee is received.

A note on the process: Each application receives thoughtful consideration by our Membership Committee, though on an irregular schedule. In addition, general information about each applicant will be shared with our current membership. (If there is any information you would prefer NOT like shared in this way, please alert us in the OTHER INFORMATION section of the application.) The entire process may take up to six weeks, and we greatly appreciate your patience.

MEMBERSHIP DUES AND FEES

Successful applicants are invited to join by paying a one-time initiation fee of $50. Also payable at that time are dues for the remainder of the current year. Annual membership dues are $210 and are pro-rated quarterly.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS

If you have questions or need further guidance on what types of materials to submit, please see our FAQ; if any questions remain, send an email to Lisa Jordan, ASJA Membership Application Coordinator, at membership=at=asja.org, or call the ASJA office at (212) 997-0947 during East Coast business hours. Also, if you have not heard from us within 6 weeks of submission, please call or email the office to find out the status of your application.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT JOINING ASJA

How do you define a book?

A book is a publication of words, usually 35,000 words or longer. Some books, such as fitness guides, pop psychology, and children's books may be shorter. If you are the author of a shorter book, the Membership Committee suggests you include a word count with your application. The committee may consider a shorter book in combination with article credits.

In general, self-published books are not accepted as qualifying material for ASJA membership. An exception may be made on rare occasion for self-published books with substantial sales, reviews in well-known journals, or inclusion in a major book club. Proof of sales, inclusion in book clubs, or published reviews must be submitted along with a copy of the book. Without such documentation, self-published books will not be reviewed by the Membership Committee.

Does a co-authored or ghostwritten book qualify toward ASJA membership?

It depends. For some books co-authored by a writer and an expert, the writer writes the entire book. In other cases, both authors share the writing. For collaborative or ghostwritten projects, the Membership Committee may ask for clarification from the applicant or possibly contact the book's editor to verify the contribution of the applicant.

How do you define an article?

ASJA's membership requirements call for six articles of 1,000 to 1,200 words. Applicants can submit more, shorter clips to qualify, but the Membership Committee wants to see at least some longer articles from national or well recognized regional or trade publications.

What if I am submitting shorter articles, say 300 or 400 words?

You should submit more articles so they add up to six articles of 1,000 to 1,200 words. However, the Membership committee expects to see at least one or two longer articles.

Can I submit articles from only one publication?

You should submit articles from two or more publications, showing that you are a professional freelance writer.

Is it OK to submit articles published in a "freebie" publication?

It depends. The Membership Committee would like information about the publication. Some freebies are respected and publish good journalism. Others are merely throw-aways with puff pieces about their advertisers. If you are submitting articles from a freebie, please give us information about the publication, such as a copy of their writer's guidelines or their "about us" statement.

What is a "major trade publication"?

In general, this means trade publications with a wide circulation and trade publications that are often referred to or used as sources by editors and writers for the public. However, some trade publications are "controlled circulation" and are sent free to everyone who qualifies for a subscription. Other trade publications are highly respected but have a small circulation. Furthermore, some trade publications are highly respected but not widely quoted outside the industry.

The Membership Committee does not accept clips from publications where the writer is required to write about major advertisers. It also does not accept advertorials as clips. The committee is looking for trade publications that contain good journalism. Examples include Women's Wear Daily, Variety, and the New York Law Journal.

Because there are so many trade publications, many of them unfamiliar to the Membership Committee, we suggest you include information (circulation figures, audience, e.g.) about the publication with your clips.

What about old clips?

Some applicants to ASJA submit perfectly good but old qualifications -- two books published 20 years ago, for example. The Membership Committee asks that you submit some recent clips showing that you are back at work as a freelance. The committee realizes that it may take a year or 18 months after you return to freelancing before you have new clips to add to the oldies.

What about Canadian clips?

The Membership Committee recognizes that writers try to sign a First North American Serial Rights agreement, indicating the American and Canadian market is one.

Our Canadian members have noted that Canada is a niche market, about the size of California or other regional or specialized markets, so the committee usually accepts as qualifications articles published in major Canadian publications, such as Chatelaine, National Post, and Toronto Globe and Mail. The committee would like to see, but does not require, clips from major US publications.

What About English-language clips from elsewhere?

The Membership Committee usually accepts as qualifications articles published in foreign English-language publications that are widely circulated in the US, such as the International Herald Tribune, The Economist, and The Financial Times. It does not accept as qualifications articles published in foreign English-language publications that are major in the country where they're published but not widely circulated in the United States. In future, with expansion of the Internet, the committee may look at this issue again.

What about online publications?

Online-only credits qualify as long as they were produced on a freelance basis and paid for by the market. Unpaid blogs, opinion, or content produced for pay-per-click models do not now qualify toward ASJA membership. Since online clips tend to be shorter than those for print publications, a larger number should be submitted.

What about custom publications?

The Membership Committee does not accept as qualifications articles that must mention the advertiser or are part of magazines publicizing an institution or company. The committee tries to draw a line between publications such as "in-flights," which are published by airlines but have general informational content and publications that promote a company or institution. Smithsonian and AARP, for example, are accepted because they are general-interest magazines and widely available. Custom publications (sometimes called one-shots) from major publishers (for example Your Perfect Wedding, Your Perfect Kitchen Make-Over) are acceptable provided the assigning, writing, and editing are independent -- ie, the writer does independent research and is not required to mention advertisers) Advertising inserts (advertorials) are not acceptable as credits.

Must qualifying work be written in English?

Yes.

My articles are not by-lined. Can I qualify?

ASJA's Bylaws require that articles be by-lined. We regret that a few publications do not give writers by-lines.

I'm a staff writer, but I also freelance. Can I qualify for ASJA?

Yes, but only for the work you have done as a freelance--the books or articles you wrote on nights or weekends. We're sorry, but your staff work doesn't qualify. ASJA is a professional association of freelances and independent writers; staff work simply lies outside our area of concentration.

Does ASJA judge the quality of my writing samples?

The ASJA Membership Committee doesn't evaluate applicants' work. That's the job of an editor at a respected publication. The committee wants to see that you have published in several magazines, newspapers, or websites or have published books that meet the criteria described above.

What happens if I don't qualify?

If an application falls short of qualifying, we let you know why. The application remains accessible to you, and you're invited to add clips and credits at any time to submit it for reconsideration. There's never an additional charge. We don't want anyone to give up; it's often just a matter of adding a few more credits before a working freelance writer can qualify to join ASJA.