Caffeinate your career with “Pivot Publish Prosper,” ASJA’s annual New York conference on Saturday, May 6 and add a double shot of espresso on Member’s Day Friday, May 5. There’s still time – but not much – to apply for ASJA membership, until Sunday, March 12 to be exact. Membership qualifications can be found here.
The Member’s Day afternoon offers the hugely popular and wildly successful lottery-based Client Connections, one-on-one sessions with potential editors, agents, publishers and content providers which can garner assignments and book contracts. Or whet your appetite for increased income with a pre-lunch writing pitch slam that provides instant feedback and allows for on-the-spot assignments. Also in the afternoon are three separate sessions on building your own platform: “The Making of a Bestseller” moderated by Tim Harper; “How to Get Noticed on Social Media” with Nicole Feliciano; and “How Are You-Dot-Com Doing? Is It Time for a Website Overhaul?” with Eyal Solomon. Also Lisa Sharkey will moderate “Facebook Live and Beyond: The Future of Author Promotions,” a real-time online event with HarperCollins, which illustrates how technology can help boost your book sales.
Member’s Day rises with the chickens (although alarm clocks are far better bet, especially in the Big Apple). New members can report for duty at 7:30 a.m. with a half-hour breakout welcoming them to ASJA. Other options during that time period include presentation skills, science writing and contract issues while 8 a.m. sees breakouts on branding, blogging and interviewing, among others. Two – count ‘em – two keynote speakers, hour-long sessions on reviving a mute muse or stalled career, using the 80/20 rule for freelance writing success, harnessing the power of LinkedIn and many more round out a jam-packed schedule with emphasis on tracks such as Books & Beyond, Work/Life Pivot, Pro Tips and others. Keynoters Vanessa Hua will be speaking on “Shedding A Light on Untold Stories” and Lane Shefter Bishop will be talking on “Advice from the Hollywood Book Whisperer: Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence.”
But wait — to use the well-worn infomercial phrase — there’s more! A 5 p.m. awards presentation and cocktail reception for members and presenters allows further networking and contact-building. ASJA members also get access to a “Shop Talk” on Wednesday, March 15 at 1 p.m. Eastern featuring insider details on how to get the most out of the entire conference from chair Estelle Erasmus. While no actual operators are standing by, members can click here to register.
It’s like getting two (and then some) for the price of one…Along with offering the only professional association of independent nonfiction writers, during the other 364 days of the year, ASJA members continue to share expertise, ideas, opportunities and inside information. Through programs such as Freelance Writer Search which provides leads to potential clients; an active online Forum, another excellent source of informal leads and advice; access to professional resources such as queries and proposals that worked, information on contracts and conflicts and more; and a paycheck database, among many other things, ASJA gives writers the confidence and connections to expand and grow their careers.