Who we are cannot be boiled down to numbers, but sometimes it’s interesting to take a look at the figures that help describe us. In that spirit, we’ve got a special post for the holiday season, in which we wrap up the year with a look back. Check out ASJA’s hard data as you relax by a fire or sip some New Year’s champagne. We have a lot to celebrate!
Membership
Total membership: 1,172
Total new full members: 143
Total new associate members: 8
Bumping up our membership recruitment and retention efforts was a huge deal for our various volunteer teams, including the board. To that end, we encouraged renewals and referrals with a special raffle, introduced a new associate member level (for independent writers who weren’t quite ready for full membership), and evaluated our member benefits to encourage retention. These efforts paid off, with membership numbers well above those in recent years.
Virtual Professional Development
Total Virtual Client Connections (VCC) Events: 3 with 8-10 editors in each
Total participants: 304
Total Virtual Pitch Slams (VPS): 5
Total participants: 75
Total Special Interest Groups (SIG): 3 sessions with a total of 11 groups
Total participants: 117
Total Shop Talks: 12
Total member participants: 414
Total non-member participants: 36
Conferences
Total attendees in NYC: 278 members, 54 non-members, and 20 students
Total Client Connections editors: 49
Total attendees in Chicago: 79 members, 39 nonmembers
Total Client Connections editors: 18
Our conference chairs went all out in both New York and Chicago. Attendance was up in NYC, where we hosted three keynote speakers, a splashy awards event, dozens of panels and sessions, and mentoring for new writers and those of us who were moving into a different field. In Chicago, attendees spent two days learning more about two income streams: ghostwriting and content marketing. The crowning event for each conference was Client Connections, during which writers could pitch editors, agents, and publishers in a “speed dating” style forum.
Awards
Total entries for 2017 awards: 198
Awards given: 17
Honorable mentions given: 4
Entries for our annual awards nearly overwhelmed our team of readers and judges! Submissions of 2016 essays, articles, and books were carefully considered and the winners were honored at a special ceremony during the New York conference, where we not only met the honorees but also their family and friends.
Writers Emergency Assistance Fund
Total WEAF recipients: 14 grants
Total amount given to these recipients: $32,445
With devastating hurricanes and wildfires, 2017 was an especially busy time for WEAF, which fielded dozens of requests for grants and carefully selected qualified recipients. ASJA made particular efforts to reach out to those who were affected by natural events, as well as those who are unable to work due to illness or injury.