ASJA 2026 Conference Day 2 Recap: Finding Your Next Opportunity

“You already have what it takes to be wildly successful.”

On day two of the 2026 ASJA virtual conference, “Freelancers’ Blueprint: Navigating a Shifting Landscape,” April 20-24, Ilyce Glink inspired attendees with her keynote on how ongoing reinvention led to resilience in her career. 

Glink, a journalist, nationally syndicated columnist, radio host, author, and serial entrepreneur, offered a guide to building a business that lasts.

“The question is not whether to adapt, it’s how fast you’re going to adapt and how deliberately,” she said.

Other sessions on the conference’s second day focused on such topics as advice from past winners of ASJA Awards for books, website refresh tips for 2026, and what publishers of children’s books look for in writers.

Keep reading to find out more.

How to Thrive in a ‘Broken’ Media Landscape

Glink began her keynote by urging freelancers to overcome an “identity problem” and shift their mindsets from being “just a writer” to a communication expert. 

“It used to be one thing. Now, if you want to thrive, it’s about a whole basket of skills that you can translate into an even bigger basket of products and services,” she said. “Here’s the single most important question I learned to ask. ‘What problem can I solve for you today?’ Business people want to solve problems. Your job is to solve their problems.”

Glink presented a four-pillar blueprint to help freelancers keep up with industry changes rather than being left behind:

• Identity
• Revenue mix
• Niche authority
• Relationship structure

She stressed that tackling just one task in each of the pillars weekly will enable writer entrepreneurs to find the next opportunity before their current one ends.

Glink also introduced attendees to the “Costco Principle,” which describes doing what you have to do work-wise to secure the benefits and financial security needed to pursue your creative endeavors. 

She also emphasized that relationships are the single best investment a freelancer can make, challenging writers to identify 10 people and reach out to one a week to make genuine connections.

Books: Advice from Winners of ASJA Awards for Books

For the session, “How ASJA Book Award Winners Create Masterpieces,” Stephanie Gorton, Wendy Lyons Sunshine, and Michele Weldon shared their creative processes with ASJA member Richard Eisenberg. The authors discussed their paths to publication, such as Gorton’s years-long research into reproductive justice, Sunshine’s application of neurochemistry-based parenting to dog training, and Weldon’s reframing of essays to focus on pandemic living.

When crafting a book, the panelists encouraged attendees to maintain a “beginner’s eye” to ensure that complex expertise remains accessible to readers. Weldon credited an editor with asking her to unpack dense material. Gorton recommends self-editing. 

“If you have time to put the manuscript away for a month or two, don’t even look at it for that length of time,” she said. “Then pick it up again. You will end up with a much stronger book because it’s your own beginner’s eye that’s returning to it. And you can compare the draft you have against the book that you’re hoping to write.” 

The authors also noted that modern publishing requires writers to be “multipreneurs” who handle their own marketing and SEO while building multiple revenue streams — like teaching, consulting, and speaking — to supplement declining advances and royalties.

Content Writing: Standout Websites, Show Up in Search

During a session called “Revamp Your Freelance Website: Stand Out as a Human Writer in the Age of AI,” Steph Walden and ASJA members Megy Karydes and Deborah Lynn Blumberg suggested that writers who want to update their sites should aim for brevity and a modern aesthetic. 

“Don’t go overboard with your featured projects,” Walden said. “You want it to be scannable. You might have 500 bylines, but you should choose (to show) 15. If you have bylines with top-tier publications, like the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, bylines like those go a long way.”

In the session, “SERP, SEO, GEO, AEO: Positioning Your Writing for Search,” Erin Hallstrom, director of content operations and visibility at EndeavorB2B, and ASJA member Charmaine Seitz explained how generative engine optimization (GEO) optimizes content to appear in AI search results powered by large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Claude.

“Put the human back into your writing, because that’s ultimately what website users and audiences want,” Hallstrom said. “They want the effect of, ‘Here’s the human who’s giving it to me straight, who’s giving me the information that I need to know.’”

Journalism: Writing for Children’s Publications

At a session called “It’s Not Just Child’s Play — Writing for Children’s Publications,” Allison Singer, Sarah Zielinski, and ASJA member Sylvia Whitman stressed that writing for children requires the same rigorous fact-checking and structure as journalism aimed at adults. They also advised writers to avoid condescending tones, make complex concepts accessible, and trust the intelligence of their young readers.

“It will actually make you a better writer in general if you write for these audiences,” Zielinski said. “When you start thinking about what your audience needs and how to explain it to them, you start to realize that you should be doing this for all your audiences, even the adult ones.”

Science News Explores focuses on health and science for kids ages 9 and up. According to Zielinski, freelancers who want to write for the publication should have experience in science writing, journalism, and writing for kids — or at least two out of the three. 

TIME for Kids produces K-6 content ranging from basic nonfiction to current events. Singer, TIME for Kids’ executive editor, said if writers don’t have bylines in children’s publications, they could submit clips of articles for adults that potentially could be adapted for kids.

The 2026 ASJA virtual conference and Client Connections 2026 continues through Friday, April 24. To stay up to speed with ASJA news and events, subscribe to the ASJA Weekly newsletter, read the ASJA Confidential blog, or follow ASJA on Facebook or LinkedIn. 

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Mitzi S. Morris is a freelance journalist, content writer, and copywriter helping editors and marketers execute content strategies in business, health care, and education. The Kentucky resident spent nearly 20 years in television news before starting her freelance career. You can view Mitzi’s work on her websiteand LinkedIn.