Media Info Home Page Our Vision Position Papers Member Benefits Health Insurance Writers Emergency Fund Join ASJA

CONTACT:
Alexandra Owens (212) 997-0947

February 7, 2008

Top Writers Offer Expert Advice in ASJA Mentoring Program

Freelance writers looking for advice on how to negotiate higher rates, approach new markets or find an agent for their nonfiction book can seek expert assistance through a new, year-round Personal Mentor program offered by the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Inc. (ASJA).

"I know of no other place where aspiring writers can turn to find the answers they seek – direct from highly successful authors and journalists," says Russell Wild, ASJA president. "This new mentoring service will undoubtedly help many unpublished writers turn into published writers."

ASJA mentors are drawn from the organization’s more than 1,300 professsional members throughout the country, who write for national and regional magazines, newspapers and other media, and are authors of nonfiction books. Those who sign up for the program are matched with an experienced mentor in the specific area of interest. Once matched, mentors arrange a 30-minute telephone consultation. The cost of each session is $50.

Amy Green, a freelance writer in Orlando, used the mentoring service for help in cracking the travel writing market. "I was a novice when I had a one-on-one session with a seasoned ASJA member one year at the annual conference," says Green, now a steady freelancer for Newsweek, PEOPLE, The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor. "She helped me think in new ways about how to market myself, and about how to strengthen my business by broadening my client list. It was extremely helpful."

The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), now in its 60th year, is the nation’s premier organization of independent professional nonfiction writers. Additional information about the ASJA Mentoring Program is available online at www.asja.org/mentoring or by telephone at 212 997 0947.