#ASJACon24 Day 1 Recap: Don’t Be Afraid to Be Wrong

Krishan Trotman achieved a lot of her success by being wrong. It’s why in her keynote on the first day of ASJA’s 2024 conference she encouraged writers to go for it even when they think what they want is out of reach.

“I could be wrong,” has become her mantra, she told the virtual conference crowd.

Trotman was the only Black editor at Hachette when she pitched the idea to create a book imprint dedicated to underrepresented authors and issues. She didn’t worry about the pitch because she didn’t expect anything would come of it. It did. Today, Krishan is VP and publisher of Legacy Lit, and has published such bestselling authors as John Lewis, Stephanie Land, and Marisa Renee Lee.

“If there’s any doubt or question in your mind about your self-worth or ability to contribute on a magnificent level and weld great change in your industry, I’d like you to consider one idea: I could be wrong,” she said.

One thing that helped Krishan overcome self-doubt was surrounding herself with people who trusted and believed in her, people who became her village. She urged writers to find their village – peers, mentors, people who might have more experience than you and will push you to face obstacles. The more you make yourself part of other people’s villages, she said, “the more you will see your village grow.”

Take the Uncommon Path

The themes of confronting your fears and acting anyway, taking the uncommon path, trying something new threaded through other conference sessions.

Landing an agent. People might think there’s one way to land an agent – write a book proposal and shop it around. But a panel of authors set the record straight by sharing the uncommon paths they took to finding an agent and landing a book deal. Lexie Bean, a trans multimedia artist and author of the 2019 middle grade novel The Ship We Built, got an agent by pet sitting the cat of a friend of a friend. The cat’s owner shared a piece of writing Bean had shown her with a friend who was an agent who subsequently offered Bean a deal. “We might take on jobs that aren’t relevant” to writing, Bean said. Being open to life not only got them an agent, it “helps me be the writer that I am,” Bean said.

Jodi Savage, a lawyer, essayist, and author of The Death of a Jaybird: Essays on Mothers and Daughters and the Things They Leave Behind, found her agent on Twitter, now X. The agent used the platform to announce her first book deal, on a topic that was similar to the issues of caregiving and grief Savage wrote about. Savage immediately followed the agent on Twitter, sent her a query and book proposal not long after, and sent more pages when the agent asked for them. They signed not long after. “It was a match made in heaven,” Savage said. “Social media isn’t for everyone. But you have to find some place to connect with readers.”  

Writing podcasts and video scripts. For some content marketing writers or journalists, trying something new could mean writing in a different format – such as for video or podcasts.

Writing for video means turning more words into less, according to Kelly McSweeney an ASJA member, Massachusetts-based content writer, and one of several speakers on a panel devoted to the topic. Her big tips: learn how to show, not tell. Writing video scripts is close to copywriting. For that reason, “You shouldn’t get paid by the word because being concise is really hard. A good scriptwriter gets to the point without wasting words.”

Becca Farsace, a journalist and YouTuber, suggested writers approach writing scripts like stories, with three acts. Get down the major points, then go back and add voice and fun transitions.

With video, nothing is too creative, McSweeney said. But if you’re writing podcasts or video scripts for corporate clients, expect some creativity to drain away as drafts go through the review process.

ASJA Year in Review

The past 12 months brought immense changes to the field of independent writing – and to ASJA. ASJA President Emily Paulsen recapped some of the most significant in a year-in-review presentation to wrap up the first day of the conference.

Most significantly, ASJA cut ties with its former management company in summer 2023 and partnered with Cetera Services, initially on an interim basis and officially in early 2024. In addition, ASJA:

• Collaborated with Gotham Ghostwriters on the Gathering of the Ghosts ghostwriting conference and Andy Awards for ghostwriting collaborations
• Held more than a dozen educational webinars including one on updating your LinkedIn profile that attracted close to 100 attendees
• Awarded nine grants to freelance writers in need through the Writers Emergency Assistance Fund (WEAF)
• Stabilized our finances by cutting costs and refocusing resources
• Elevated the DEAI Task Force to a standing committee to show our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion in freelance writing
• Published an average 1.5 posts a week to the ASJA Confidential blog keeping members and the general public abreast of organization and industry news, events, trends, and tips for running a freelance business
• Expanded coverage and advertising in the ASJA Weekly newsletter, which reaches close to 4,000 subscribers
• Increased our social media presence through generous postings with upgraded graphics and videos on popular channels, including TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, FB, and X
• Continued to run an active, helpful, and supportive FB community
• Started a book club, retirement chat, and DEAI chat, and continued hosting weekly online coffee chats
• Received more than 400 entries for the 2024 ASJA writing and book awards, which gave out $3,000 in prizes to winners in funded awards categories
• Added member benefits, including free access to the Examine.com nutrition database, discounted legal services, and 20% off the AP Stylebook

Visit the Writers’ Lounge and ASJA Booths

If you’re attending the conference, don’t forget to check out the Writers’ Lounge and ASJA Booths in the Airmeet conference platform. The Writers’ Lounge includes non-hosted tables set up for people to continue talking about keynotes or the books, journalism, or content marketing sessions they just attended. Other tables are hosted – some by topic and some by region. Still others are available for anyone to grab and use to talk to a friend, have an impromptu brainstorming session, or just hang out. Read more about the Writers’ Lounge and see the schedule for hosted tables here.

Michelle Rafter is a Portland Oregon, business ghostwriter, ASJA’s publications chair, and part of the 2024-2025 conference planning committee.