How to Build a Writing Business Working With Retainer Clients
I started freelancing almost two decades ago after leaving a job in corporate marketing. I…
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It’s Time to Renew Your ASJA Membership for 2026–and Celebrate!
The world of entrepreneurial writing is going through some changes, as reports from the news…
Virtual Pitch Slam is Back
The Next VPS is Dec. 9 with Award-Winning Trails Magazine It’s back! ASJA’s well-regarded Virtual…
AI Is Changing Ghostwriting, and Other Top Takeaways from 2025 Gathering of the Ghosts
If you went to this week’s Gathering of the Ghosts conference and haven’t started using…
How Content Writers Can Make the Most of 2026 B2B Content Marketing Trends
The Content Marketing Institute’s annual industry forecast is a reliable barometer for gauging where content…
I’m an ASJA Member and Librarian: Here’s My Advice for Supporting Banned Books All Year Long
Librarians love Banned Books Week, which this year took place Oct. 5-11. I left my…
Meet the Member: Robert Lerose on Winning a 2025 ASJA Book Award and More
Robert Lerose has been writing for as long as he can remember, and has freelanced…
ASJA’s 2026 Membership Drive Kicks Off With Lower Dues, Free E-Book, and More
When I started my independent writing career, I absorbed everything I could about owning a…
Almost There: How to Position Yourself to Win ASJA and Other Writing Awards
Do you find yourself entering awards competitions and coming up short? We asked ASJA members…
Jack El-Hai on Writing for the Silver Screen
This November, the movie Nuremberg, based on the 2013 nonfiction book “The Nazi and the…
Applause, Please, for The 2025 ASJA Book Award Winners
After months of serious reading, the judges for the 2025 American Society of Journalists and…
Superman’s Editor Had a Super Power Too – He Was a Long-Time ASJA Member
Any research project can lead to serendipitous discoveries. One such discovery for me was how…
Use the ASJA Paycheck Database to Find Out Who’s Assigning and What They’re Paying
When new issues of ASJA’s former print magazine were mailed, one of the most eagerly…
ASJA Is Evolving Membership Requirements to Meet the Current Publishing Landscape
To say that the world of freelance writing has changed dramatically is a huge understatement….
ASJA Conference April 20-24, 2026 – Your Blueprint for Navigating the Future
Following ASJA’s pattern of alternating in-person and virtual conferences to best meet the needs of…
Tips for Cultivating New and Existing Writing Clients
Mid-August is that time of year when vacation season is ending, kids are going back…
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Adding Diversity: Reading and Writing in Black, White and More
When I was a kid, I absolutely loved to read. It was such a treat…
Tara Richter: An Unconventional Approach to Publishing
ASJA’S two-day Chicago conference is almost here! “Spotlight on Ghostwriting” on Friday, Nov. 17 is for…
Train Your Brain to Recognize Inadvertent Plagarism
Few people care to tackle it head-on, and no one wants to admit it, but…
Secrets of Their Success – Jenna Glatzer: Uncovering the Ghost Behind the Book
ASJA’s Chicago Conference November 17 (“Spotlight on Ghostwriting”) and 18 (“Boosting Your Content IQ”). Sign…
All ASJA Members Get Plenty of Benefits
Prospective members: Why join ASJA? If you’re serious about freelance writing, it’s more of a…
Membership Has Its Privileges: Putting the Kibosh on Banned Books
Editor’s note: Banned Books Week is Sept. 24-30 and one of the great advantages of…
How to Find Your Writer Tribe
We talk a lot in ASJA about networking. Some of us have seen life-long friendships…
Asking For “A Friend:” Content Marketing Post-Mortem
One of my very best “friends” whom I have known all my life—possibly my best…
The Flexible Freelancer: Interview with Chicago Conference Presenter Monica Eng
A native-born Chicagoan who started out in the newspaper business and is now a reporter…
Freelance or Full-time? Let's Duke it Out! (Part Two)
Editor’s note: Which is better—freelance or full-time employment? ASJA Confidential interviewed members Cheryl Alkon—who went…
First World Problem #176: The Freelance Juggling Act (Part One)
Editor’s note: Want to get the full inside scoop about what’s going on in the…
Busting Ghost-Writing Myths: a From-The-Hip Conversation with Leah Nicholson of the Jenkins Group
Editor’s note: On Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18, ASJA will be hosting a…
Membership Has Its Privileges. Austin Conference: 5 Reasons to Get Involved
Editor’s note: As Susan Johnston Taylor, co-chair of ASJA’s Austin regional conference in February, points…
Why We Do What We Do
Editor’s note: Sometimes somebody says something so well and in such a compelling manner that…
Spotlight On: Member Julie Patrick-Barnhill: Getting The Most From Your Cheese And Crackers
Periodically ASJA Confidential spotlights a member who approaches their work in a fun, unusual and/or…
Membership Has Its Privileges: Seven Ways the Members-Only ASJA Forum Is Better Than Facebook, Twitter and Tinder
This post offers information about an ASJA member-only service. Interested in becoming an ASJA member?…
Chicago Conference: Arming Yourself for a Changing World
How many times has a client asked you if you could take on a project…
A Little Something on the Side: Hustles vs. Jobs vs. “Micros”
While publications and even blogs are paying less these days, resulting in even more emphasis…
The Best of Both Words (Not a Typo): Getting Away from It All to Write
The author of Un/Masked, Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl on Tour, ASJA member Donna Kaz…
When Good Clients Curdle, Or How to (Mostly) Avoid Stepping in Doo-Doo
Dear Fellow ASJA Members: My daughter Amy lives in downtown Chicago and all the adventure…
Fresh Off The Grid! New Member Profile: Jan Bridgeforth Smith
Editor’s note: We are always on the lookout for fresh meat, er, new and veteran…
The Rodney Dangerfied of Research: Why Wikipedia Matters — Two ASJA Members Weigh In
Editor’s note: Wikipedia is like the kid nobody acknowledges at school but who everyone always…
$1 a Word? Accept No Less!
When Mridu Khullar Relph started freelancing from India some 15 years ago, she felt she…
2017 Conference Round-Up (In More Ways than One)
“Git along, little dogies” and “Moo,” were some of the thoughts flitting through my mind…
WTH Are Moral Rights and Why Are They Becoming So Important?
Every so often the question pops up on ASJA’s Forum: “I got a contract that…
Self Publishing: It Takes An Army
Over the years, I’ve written/co-authored and/or ghosted 16 books, all published in the traditional way—with…
A Holistic Approach to Conference Preparation: Shopping Is Involved
Dear fellow ASJA Members: While solid information about getting ready for Pivot Publish Prosper: ASJA’s…
NYC 2017: Keynoter Lane Shefter Bishop: Whispering A Few Well-Chosen Words For A Film/TV Deal
This is the last of a series of Q&As with the four featured keynoters for…
Membership Has Its Privileges: Shop Talk
Looking for a way to expand your career without removing your butt from the chair?…
When Tragedy Happens: Speak or Be Silent?
Editor’s note: Several weeks ago, ASJA Confidential posed the question: What would you do in…