Increasing Content Writing Revenue is My No. 1 Conference Goal
Learning new skills to expand my career opportunities – and revenue – has always been…
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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.
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My Fond Farewell to ASJA Confidential
I know I’m not the only ASJA member who likes to pick a word to…
Pitch Slams Are My Conference Jam
Pitch slams are my absolute favorite part of ASJA’s annual conference. That includes the pitch…
ASJA Offers Hotel Discount for 2025 Conference
Like the perfect pair of shoes completes an outfit, a discounted hotel room is the…
Thoughts on Thanksgiving Gratitude or It’s All Relative
As the Thanksgiving holiday arrives, ASJA Confidential re-shares a piece written by ASJA member Sandra…
Client Connections is a Labor of Love – And It’s All For You
The Client Connection Guidebook is more than 100 pages long. It’s our bible, if you…
ASJA 2025 Conference Black Friday Sale–Register Now and Save!
This Black Friday, freelance writers can give themselves a gift that keeps on giving by…
Meet the Member: Kim Kavin, Anti-Freelance Buster
If freelancing has a caped crusader, it’s Kim Kavin. By day, Kavin is an award-winning…
Renew Your ASJA Membership or Join Today
It’s membership renewal season at ASJA. By renewing your membership – or joining or rejoining…
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Cut and Paste
The other day I was revising an essay, moving paragraphs around with keystrokes and trying…
Last-minute holiday gifts for freelancers
Got a freelancer or two to shop for and missed getting something on Black Friday…
Showing, Not Telling, the Human Side of Science
I recently discovered one of the most thrilling – and terrifying – parts of book…
Why Join A LinkedIn Group?
Last time I looked, LinkedIn had 1,583,987 groups. I belong to 22 of them. Each…
Keeping the "I" in Inspiration
Starting at Home Plate In Little Women, Professor Baer tells Jo to “write what you…
Why Pro Writers Should Rock A Tagline
Everybody wants to be a freelance writer. The market is cluttered with wannabes willing to…
Why I Don't Have A Smartphone … Yet
It seems everyone has a Smartphone. Everyone but me. I’m holding out. I know the…
Inverse Wisdom for Authors
I came home from college after my freshman year and announced to my Mom that…
The Assignment That Saved My Life
“The Heart Fitness Test That Can Save Your Life” was, I’m reasonably certain, the first…
What Happens if the President Chews Gum? Or, Editors Hate Characters That Resemble Cardboard Cutouts
As a development editor, I come across many manuscripts that introduce every character with a…
Corporate Publishing vs. Traditional Freelancing: Author, Prepare Thyself
With freelancers bemoaning the present state of journalism, I can only offer the salvation that…
Wacky Writing Rituals: What's Yours?
It’s rumored that Victor Hugo wrote Les Miserablés in the nude (apparently he instructed his…
The Play's the Thing
During downtime from writing for the education market, I sometimes vary my time by working…
The 30-Minute Novelist
Novels, when abandoned, begin to stink. A journalist with a desk piled high with work…
Managing the Business Side of Your Freelance Career — Online
The freelance life comes with plenty of benefits. It also comes with the hassles of…
How to Organize Your Notes for a Round-Up Before You Tear Out Your Hair
Online publications such as travelandleisure.com and yahoo.com have always included round-ups and slideshows, but these…
It’s Never Too Late
Recently, there was a feature article in my local paper about an 80 year old’s…
So You Want to be a Foreign Correspondent
While serving an extended stint as president of the São Paulo Foreign Correspondents Club back…
Don’t Make These Mistakes that First-Time Self-Published Authors Make
I get a lot of authors coming to me for self-publishing advice and these are…
I Turned a Book Into a Health Technology Business
Single, with teenage daughters, I had to make a decision. Receive 10 percent royalties on…
Take a Break!
The main reason some of us became freelancers – which I’ve been full-time, again, since…
Freelance Writing Meets Online Education: How to Get Involved
The incredible growth of online education represents the largest financial opportunity for freelance writers in…
Pitfalls of Negotiating Your Own Book Contract
After hearing multiple friends talk about the benefits of having a literary agent when negotiating…
How the most successful writers (and others) schedule their days
I’ve spent the past several years writing about time management. I’ve studied the schedules of…
Getting Started in Science Writing
Science. It’s a word that strikes fear in some people’s hearts—and delight in others’. I’m…
Giving the Purity Test to Nonprofit News
“Non-profit news” has a special ring to it, an Ivory Soap patina of “99 and…
Another's Voice
When it comes to ghostwriting, one of the most challenging aspects of writing the manuscript…
The Help: How I Work with a Virtual Assistant
I started using a virtual assistant for one reason: sleep. After the last session of…
3 Reasons Why Making an App Could Boost Your Writing Career
About three years ago, my tech-savvy buddy Kurt Collins and I asked ourselves a question:…
Financial Writing Niche: Potentially Lucrative
When I started freelancing 14 years ago, I fell into a niche – financial writing…