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From the President's Desk:
Broadening Our Horizons
by Russell Wild

There was a time when the words "Made in Japan" were synonymous with shoddy and cheap. Any man wearing an earring was either a homosexual or a pirate. And any author who self-published was a loser.

Times change.

"Made in Japan" doesn't mean the same thing today, nor does an earring (left ear or right), nor does self-publishing. Many authors, including ASJA members, are self-publishing not as an act of desperation, or a final resort, but as a conscious decision. Let's face it: Traditional publishing isn't what it used to be. Advances are smaller than they once were. Royalties rarely happen. Shelf lives are over and gone in less time than it takes to read the 26-page contracts filled with clauses from hell. Self-publishing has become a way to gain both editorial and financial control.

"Self-publishing" no longer means "loser."

Which brings me to ASJA's membership requirements. It may be time for a change. I, for one, would like to see truly professional journalists who choose to self-publish see their self-published works count toward ASJA membership.

Although there are unquestionably many like her, I'll use Fern Reiss as an example. She is a woman from Boston, someone who has been writing for many years, who has applied for ASJA membership, several times, and has been repeatedly turned down.

Mind you, Fern does apparently have what it takes to become a member, including, she says, articles written for Parade, The Boston Globe and other publications.

But she refuses, out of principle, to submit those works to the membership committee. She is prouder of her self-published works than anything she has done for the traditional media, and she wants to be accepted on that basis.

Fern explained to me in an e-mail (reprinted with permission): "I've been reluctant to apply to ASJA on my traditional media merits as a freelance writer because I feel that your policy on self-publishing needs rethinking." She went on to tell me that all five of her self-published books have seen big sales, made her significant money, received glowing endorsements (Ted Kennedy and others), been reviewed in top journals, won prestigious awards and enjoyed long shelf lives. Her experience with traditional media: "Not nearly as lucrative or successful." She brings to our attention a conflict in our admissions criteria and the reality of what it takes to be a successful, independent writer in today's world.

The problem with allowing self-published works to count toward "professional achievement" is that anyone and everyone can do it … and some self-published authors are no more professional writers than I am the King of Siam. We are a society of professionals. We must maintain our standards. And we don't want our Membership Committee to have to spend hours and hours sifting through literary sand looking for an occasional pearl.

So how do we open the admissions gates—a little bit—to allow real writers like Fern Reiss and many other self-publishing professional writers in, without diluting our definition of professional achievement in independent nonfiction writing?

Here is one possible solution: Any self-published book that has been reviewed by a major trade journal (Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist) or review publication (The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Book World, etc.), or has been included as a selection in any of the major book clubs, may now be admissible, just as a book published by the traditional media is admissible, for meeting ASJA's membership requirements. I've talked this proposal over with the board and with several members of the membership committee, and both groups are, by and large, in support. So I'm now taking it to you, the membership, asking not only for your support, as well, but for ideas on specific criteria that we might use to qualify self-published works as criteria for ASJA membership.

I've given one possible solution for dealing with self-published books. But I'd also like to brainstorm other, broader solutions. Might there be a way, for example, to identify truly professional, talented and committed bloggers or e-zine publishers, and perhaps open the gate to them?

Please forward any comments you have to either me or to Executive Director Alexandra Owens (director@asja.org), to any member of the board or membership committee. Or, perhaps the best option, feel free to join the discussion on the Inside ASJA: Society Issues section of our online forum.

ASJA President Russell Wild, of Allentown, PA, has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books for the traditional media. He isn't proud, or rich. And, yes, he would consider self-publishing.