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January 2004

Writer Referral Service: Great Jobs, No Commissions

By Lisa Collier Cool

Need more writing income—or a new challenge? Your dream job could be waiting at ASJA's revamped Writer Referral Service, which now is completely free to members. Commissions that were formerly charged to members who got work through the service have been dropped for all listings posted after November 15, 2003. (Commissions continue to apply to jobs posted prior to that date, however.) Instead, WRS will be entirely supported by fees paid by job listers—making an already valuable member benefit a whole lot better.

WRS has a new director, Stan Steinreich. Stan has a long and distinguished background in public relations and marketing. Before starting his own consulting firm in 2001, he was an executive at Edelman Public Relations, Fleishman-Hillard, and Burson-Marstellar. He has been a freelance writer for ABC-TV, the Detroit News, the Jerusalem Post, The New York Times, and UPI. As a former freelancer, he's developed a keen appreciation of the needs and issues authors and journalists experience daily.

Stan's credentials made a very strong impression on the Writer Referral Service Committee, which has been working for over a year to implement dramatic changes in ASJA's job board. The committee—Ann Monroe (chair), Sandy Lamb, Margaret Littman, Mary Mihaly, Kristin Baird Rattini, and Minda Zetlin—began by surveying members about their experiences with WRS. After determining that the commissions were keeping many members from using the service, Ann's committee decided to abolish them in favor of a client-supported service. "It's a bit of a gamble, but one we feel is well worth taking," she says.

ASJA's ads to find an experienced marketer to head the revamped service drew dozens of responses. Although the WRS committee interviewed several of the top applicants, Stan immediately stood out. "Astonishingly, he was exactly what we were looking for," says Ann. "We felt he's just the person to make it all happen." Executive director Brett Harvey and I also interviewed Stan, and were struck by his intelligence, enthusiasm, and high ethical standards. ASJA's board of directors unanimously approved his appointment.

The WRS committee and the ASJA board thank Alexandra Owens for working as the director of the Writer Referral Service for the last three years. We are glad that Alex will continue to serve as ASJA's bookkeeper, and appreciate her dedication to our organization. She is assisting Stan with the transition, and will continue to collect commissions on the job listings she brought in during her term as director.

Along with an outstanding resume, Stan brings a fresh vision to WRS. "I was drawn by the size and scope of the opportunity," he says. "ASJA's roster of talented professional writers gives WRS tremendous credibility, but this was a very underutilized asset of the organization." Stan's goal is to ramp up a "more dynamic and active program that would increase both the quality and quantity of job leads."

As I write this, Stan has been on the job for two weeks. In that short time, he has been a whirlwind of energy. Not only has he been in touch with over 60 members who want to be considered for future WRS jobs, but he is working with seven prospective clients, and has set up meetings with C.E.O.s of five large PR firms that frequently employ freelancers. He is also exploring, with the help of webmaster Bruce Miller, the possibility of an e-mail notification system to alert members when new jobs are posted.

To aid in marketing, Stan is developing a press kit for WRS, and will revise both the public and private sections of the ASJA Web site devoted to the service. Please go online to www.asja.org and click on the Writer Referral Service button to see what's new. And there's a way you can help the WRS thrive: Any time someone approaches you with a writing project you're unable to take on yourself, suggest that the client post the job on WRS. That assignment could just be another member's dream job. And thanks for helping making the new WRS a success in 2004!