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…
News
Featured
Read
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…
ASJA Author Jack El-Hai on the Long Road from Page to Screen
We see our ASJA colleagues’ bylines on our computer or phone screens every day. It’s…
Outlets Praise Their 2025 ASJA Awards Article Winners
Before the 2025 ASJA Awards program season is over, we wanted to share all the…
How to Write Emails that Get a Response
Enjoy this post from the ASJA Confidential archives. With email traffic exceeding more than 293…
How to Complete Your ASJA Member Profile
Your profile in the ASJA member directory may be the key to getting into your dream publication or landing more clients. a recent webinar by ASJA’s Membership Engagement Committee offered step-by-step instructions on how to complete the ASJA member profile.
Free Speech, Banned Books and More: Join ASJA’s Democracy Advocates June 10
On June 10, ASJA’s First Amendment and Advocacy Committee will provide important updates on threats to journalists’ First Amendment rights and provide critical advice on how freelancers and journalists can protect and defend themselves.
One Week Left to Submit Your Entries for 2025 ASJA Awards
The submission deadline for the 2025 ASJA Awards is Friday, May 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Enter your best works from 2024 now!
Freelance Writers: How to Set Your Hourly Rate
Asking what the going rate is for freelancers is the wrong question. The right question is: What’s the hourly rate you need to reach your income goals? ASJA member and past president Jack El-Hai breaks it down.
3 Reasons People Don’t Know About Your Book (and What You Can Do About It)
One of the most common complaints among authors is, “I’m not selling enough books!” Low…
How to Write Obituaries
Pope Francis died today at 88, and obituaries and remembrances of the leader of the…
Meet the Member: John Hanc on Writing, Teaching, and Why He Loves the Freelance Juggle
John Hanc is the quintessential freelance writing multi-hyphenate. In a career that’s spanned more than…
Members Share How ASJA Helps Freelancers in Hard Times
Freelancing, by nature, can be a solitary profession. Sometimes, that can get lonely. Even we introverts…
To Sustain Your Mental Health, Schedule Time for News and Worrying, and Be Proud of Your Work
The first quarter of 2025 has been a lot. We’ve seen natural disasters like the…
Learn a New Skill Today the ASJA Way
If rough waters are ahead for freelancers because of the effects of a wavering economy…
How to Maintain Your Freelance Business in Bad Times
The US launched a tariff-based trade war that caused the stock market to record its…
Featured
Browse by topic
Writing Rituals that Make Things Work
I’ve always been fascinated by how creative people balance their work and personal lives. Recently…
The Trade of Trade Magazine Writing
I’ve taught “Succeeding As a Magazine Writer” for many years. Usually, my students’ main goal…
Speaking (and Signing) for the Work
What I’ve always liked about writing: it isn’t talking. But even in my earliest years…
Take a Hike!
I make this suggestion for two reasons. First, it removes you from your writing space…
Businesses are hiring writers who specialize
Recently I asked a technology executive if businesses value writers as much as lawyers or…
3 Ways Stats Can Screw Up Your Story
Whether you’re writing a non-fiction book or crafting a piece for one of the…
Sportswriting, anyone? 8 Tips from National Sports Editors
As a decades-long suffering Cleveland fan (read: no championships in my lifetime — yet), I’m…
An Impulse that Paid Off
I got a book idea over dinner with an opera star. My favorite Metropolitan Opera…
An Essential Tool for Writers: Building a Creative Community
I spent many years participating in career days at local schools, asking classrooms at every…
MFA Programs: What are they and how do they work?
You’ve been freelancing for years. Clients love your work. But something about your writing isn’t pleasing…
Small Writers Group Nets Big Results
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, FastCompany.com, Columbia Journalism Review,…
Take the Reins On Your Amazon Reviews
Your book’s Amazon page is part orchestration, part free for-all. Your publisher will set up…
Why I’m Glad to be an Office Nomad
For much of my freelance career I had a home office, a spare second-floor bedroom…
My Favorite Office Assistant: Freelancers have a special bond with their pets
When he was with me, my office assistant always let me know when a package…
No Tax Break If Client Stiffs You
Contrary to what many freelancer writers mistakenly believe, long-standing regulations usually prohibit most of them…
Writing a Children’s Book? Make It Predictable.
If you’re like many ASJA members, you probably write for adults. But have you ever considered…
Treasures in the Attic
Early in my writing career I attended a Golden Gloves championship on assignment for a…
Commitment or Obsession? When It's Time to Let Go
Where is the line between commitment to your pet project and manic obsession? It took…
Power of Memoir in Spotlight at ASJA 2014
Emma Brockes’ mother stood up against family abuse as a child in South Africa. Michael…
Negotiating a Publishing Contract
Identifying potential problem areas in publishing contracts is a primary focus of ASJA’s Contracts &…
No Sweat: Six Ways to Build Your Fitness-Writing Muscles
You don’t have to complete Ironman triathlons, bench-press your own body weight, or have washboard…
Inside the ASJA2014 Long-Form Narrative Panel
Anytime you assemble a crew like we had for the state of the long-form narrative…
Write Tweets People Read
What’s the secret behind a good Tweet? At this year’s ASJA conference, panelists Leslie Poston,…
A Ghost's Story: Can You Make a Living Writing Other People's Books?
The “Secrets of the Ghosts: Expanding Your Writing Horizons by Ghostwriting, Editing, and Promoting Books” panel for the…
Easy Ways to Market Yourself
As writers, we often don’t consider marketing our work as a way to secure new…
Finding Work You Love
Work advice that aims to reduce risk is all too common. We’ve all heard it….
The Basics of Online Retailers for Self-Publishers
Thinking about self-publishing and want to know about the biggest retailers for your digital and…
Baby Formula and Copyright Infringement
I woke up this morning thinking about copyright infringement, baby formula and Nigerian scam artists…
How to Maintain Momentum During Down Times
We all know this business is feast or famine, and when the down times hit,…