Meet the Member: Susan Johnston Taylor’s Big Pivot From Business Freelancer to Children’s Book Author
Working as a freelance business and personal finance writer isn’t the likeliest path to becoming…
News
ASJA Confidential
Welcome to the ASJA blog, where you’ll get current information about ASJA’s programs, as well as special features on the business and art of nonfiction freelance writing.
Featured
Read
A Perfect FIT: 2025 ASJA Conference to Take Place at NYC’s Fashion Institute of Technology
Whether you’re trying on freelancing for size, styling a new approach to an existing writing…
A Progress Report on ASJA DEAI Activities
May 1 marks one year since ASJA hired a diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI)…
Register for Your Racial Justice at Work Summit Press Pass
As an ASJA member, you have an opportunity to broaden your understanding of the diversity,…
Meet the ASJA 2024-2025 Conference Planning Team
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry…
2023 Most-Challenged Books Announced Amid Record Level of Titles Targeted for Censorship
Seven of the top 10 most-challenged books in 2023 are repeats, titles that were similarly…
Browse by topic
Video Calls for Writers (Or Anyone Who Is Not a Supermodel)
Writers don’t always like being in front of the camera. We’re more at home behind…
A Natural Overlap: Journalism and History
Journalism is the first rough draft of history, Alan Barth declared. Or is it the…
Cut Through the Networking Noise
Freelance writers have sooo many ways to connect with one another these days. On LinkedIn…
I Bet You Have Great Stories
Years ago I was called to a Beverly Hills hotel to care for a screenwriter…
Writing is Murder
According to Forrest Wickman at Slate, the term “murder your darlings” or “kill your darlings,”…
Revenge: A Cold Dish, Never Served
What motivates you to write? Are you driven to write by an inner fire, or…
Nice to Meet You!
Over the past week, I’ve been seemingly unable to escape the Adele song, “Hello.” (For…
What We Lose When We Spout Off Online
About a zillion years ago—in the early 1990s, to be exact—I worked as a rookie…
Staying Sane on a Book Tour
I’ve done many book tours over the years, most recently when my publisher, Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books, sent me on the road this…
Reasons for Rejection
You don’t like to be rejected—no one does. But it’s part of being a freelance…
What Was I Doing? Procrastination and the Writing Process
“Writing process: Hang out on Facebook until bored. Then hang out on Facebook more. Ignore…
Fitness Quickies for Deskbound Writers
How can busy writers find time for exercise with workdays filled with deadlines, pitches, and…
How Self-Publishing Looks Now – and You Should Explore It
Self-publishing, especially on the ebook front, seemed to go through a gold rush a few…
Banned Books Week Event at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
On September 29 a free-wheeling conversation took place at New York City’s Housing Works Bookstore…
How a Freelance Article Turned Into a Book Deal
Several years ago I wrote an article for a local newspaper. The pay wasn’t great,…
Why Would Anyone Want to be a Ghostwriter?
In a 2009 US News and World Report article, Marty Nemko labeled ghostwriting one of…
Why You Need a Writers Group
It sounds cliché but it’s true: every writer needs a writers group. I’m not talking…
Hiccups in Writing for the Theater
I enjoy writing for the theater. But I hate submitting my scripts. Every month, there…
Newseum Executive Paints Bright Future for Freelancers
It’s hard to be optimistic about the state of journalism today. Newspapers and magazines are…
Ready, Set, Re-launch the Peer to Peer Group
That empty feeling when you enter a crowded room – or join a group of…
Looking Forward to a Wider Reach for ASJA
A few years back, I stopped to eat at a truck stop outside Bakersfield. If…
How to Make the Most of a Writers Conference
With ASJA’s Washington, DC, conference on August 28, it’s timely to offer ideas from writers…
Career sagging like old socks? Join us in D.C.
You do have a personal get-work-I-love strategy, right? If you just flinched (or you know…
Think Strategically: Adding Content Strategy Can Help Boost Your Business
When it comes to industry buzzwords, arguably none is hotter for writers right now than…
Eight Yummy Tips from ASJA Conferences
With the Capital Event coming up in Washington, D.C. in August, I’m reminded of all…
ASJA DC: Learn the Best Markets in Your Nation’s Capital
When I came to Washington, D.C. two decades ago, a veteran Senate staffer gave me…
Simplified Content Calendars Can Work For Writers
My sociology professors taught me that I’m not quite the Rae Padilla Francoeur I think…