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Topic: Should I join ASJA?
| Author | Message |
| pentup | Posted – 2/5/2006 1:29:38 PM | show profile | email poster I'm thinking of joining ASJA. I've been freelancing full time for a year and a half, and I'm thinking that a membership will help me expand my networking base. Anyone out there have insight on the benefits (or lack of benefits) of membership? Thanks! |
| maphop | Posted – 2/6/2006 10:01:07 AM | show profile Well, if your freelancing is for the non-fiction world, I'd recommend SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) and the NWU (National Writers Union) first. I have to tell you that I and a number of other full-time, pro freelancers have never found rhyme or reason as to how ASJA ''approves'' their applicants; in fact, one of us was turned down on an application when it was absurdly obvious that her clips more than met their requirements - and for over ten years! They simply don't seem all that friendly to non-fiction writers as opposed to fiction. So, for the membership dues and hassle required (you're still going to have to submit pieces to ther other two orgs, I think) I'd stick with the two that have the biggest punch in the world of journalism and who have the most freelance-friendly benefits for their members. |
| Village Gal | Posted – 2/6/2006 10:29:43 AM | show profile I was a member of NWU and don't think they offer many real benefits other than comraderie with good people. No, you don't need to submit to join. Most people I know in ASJA are journalists but I agree their criteria seems quite arbitrary. ------ Metaphors be with you. |
| belinda | Posted – 2/6/2006 10:48:33 AM | show profile I can't abide the thought of paying the big membership dues for things like a forum on which members beat up other members, with no consequences. Or the fact that, if you live outside NYC, you'll get soaked for the expenses of attending the annual conferences, which never leaves that city even though 99 percent of the speakers are ASJA members anyway. And, last, ASJA has zero standing among the other journalism groups; in fact, most full-time working journalists haven't heard of it. On the plus, the contracts review seems helpful if you don't like reading your own contracts. |
| activeverb | Posted – 2/6/2006 11:25:19 AM | show profile It's funny to see the varying comments on this board about the organizations. I almost spit up my morning coffee when I saw someone insist that ASJA was somehow slated toward fiction writers. That was a hoot. Anyway, I was a member of ASJA a few years ago. I actually got a lot of jobs through their refereral service. Don't think it's as effective anymore. ASJA is often branded as elitist, especially by people who applied and were turned down. Most of the top writers for big consumer magazines don't belong. The annual meeting is pretty worthless for anyone who isn't starting out. It's an OK way to meet other writers. The NWU is pretty good for contract reviews. I haven't interacted them for a long while, but from what I remembered there were no entrance requirements. SPJ is something I remember from college days. I may be wrong, but I think it's slated to newspaper writers. (But then I know so little about it I may have just committeed the same mistake as the person who thought ASJA was for fiction writers). |
| making cents | Posted – 2/6/2006 11:54:57 AM | show profile Now I'm curious... what are good professional organizations for freelance nonfiction writers? I work for magazines, and I haven't seen any that really speak this group... |
| lvanderkam | Posted – 2/6/2006 12:58:46 PM | show profile I joined in fall 2004. I've enjoyed using the online forums; I've gotten several sources off of it, both leads of people to call from other members, and members who had credentials in certain areas. So in terms of saved time, that makes up for the membership dues. I've also asked for more for reprint rights as a result of the paycheck databases. As it is, $200 isn't that extravagant for a professional organization membership. I'll check out SPJ as well, since other people here have found it helpful. |
| flipflap | Posted – 2/6/2006 3:57:19 PM | show profile Can't say anything about ASJA since it never occurred to me to apply & I'm not sure why. I'm a longtime member of the NWU & the Authors Guild. I'm also in NYC & there are events--workshops, readings, parties-- where I guess you could network, but I'm usually too busy. I joined not because of what these orgs could do for me, but because I feel strongly they help all writers when they bring legal cases to court, for example Tasini-NY Times & the AG's Google suit. I think it's really important to support these efforts. That said, both groups have an array of benefits. Why don't you visit their websites & take a look: www.nwu.org and www. authorsguild.org? Here are some benefits that I like & don't often get mentioned. First the NWU: When you get the NWU membership card you'll find out you're a member of the UAW/AFL-CIO! I get a big kick out of telling people I'm an auto worker, but joking aside, the benefits are that a freelancer can get a ton of discounts that are only offered to groups/big coprs. For example, Dell computers. I saved more a lot on my laptop than I would have on the Dell website. Also qualified for interest-free financing through the union-preferred plan. You can get DSL ($14.95/mo with a unionplus email address),discounts on travel, movie tickets, pet insurance, it goes on and on. I was able to get a Mastercard through the union, which is great because again it's tough to qualify as a freelancer. Ok, those are some perks. I am very grateful to the NWU's grievance & contract counselers who managed to get a check for me from a bankrupt publisher. Amazing! If you know of another group that offers that service, let's hear about it! |
| flipflap | Posted – 2/6/2006 4:11:04 PM | show profile As for the Authors Guild--known as AG, way before there was an MB ''AG''-- the benefits include: --user-friendly software for building your own web site. It was specifically designed for writers, so it's easy to arrange excerpts, etc. on the pages. You dont need to know HTML & can make changes to the site yourself anytime. They will also host your site & even build it for you for a very small fee. visit www.authorsguild.net for details. Or visit members sites at http://www.authorsguild.org/membersites.html and you'll see the variety. --they offer phone seminars on a no. of subjects such as the sitebuilding and how to fill out those forms for the recent class actions suit against the databases. So it's useful if you dont; live in NYC & can't attend one of their events. --even if you're not a member, you can attend some of the workshops, panels, etc. in NYC. Some are free, such as a recent panel on freelancing. Panel transcripts are often reprinted in the AG magazine. - I know other members who recommend their wide choice of health insurance plans & also the book contract review seminar that if given periodically. |
| roxannekkb | Posted – 2/6/2006 4:29:50 PM | show profile I started going through the application process to join ASJA about 3 years ago, but I have to say, I was immediately turned off by their request for ''references.'' Namely, an editor from a publisher or consumer magazine. Now I can see providing references if you apply for a job, a fellowship, a grant, scholarship, etc, ie, things where you actually have to prove yourself, so to speak. But to provide references to join an organization, where my only responsibility will be to fork over dues every year? Give me a break. I have never met 99% of the editors I work with, and about 90% of them I know only through email. What kind of reference will they give? That ''Roxanne gets in her assignments on time and she will be an asset to ASJA?'' Or maybe that I'm a ''good Christian God-fearing woman who shuns alcohol, lewd men, and raunchy night life activity and who sits dutifully by her computer churning out articles?'' Sorry, but I refuse to bother any editors that I know for something this ridiculous. ASJA asks for clips to prove that you are a working non-fiction writer. That is enough. Needless to say, the attitude that they want an editor to 'vouch'' for me struck me as pompous and absurd, and I never applied. ------ www.nabeepchen.com |
| activeverb | Posted – 2/6/2006 6:03:45 PM | show profile Personally, I didn't mind that. I actually prefer a screening process to the many journalism organizations that let in anyone who wants to join. <<I started going through the application process to join ASJA about 3 years ago, but I have to say, I was immediately turned off by their request for ''references.'' Namely, an editor from a publisher or consumer magazine. Now I can see providing references if you apply for a job, a fellowship, a grant, scholarship, etc, ie, things where you actually have to prove yourself, so to speak. But to provide references to join an organization, where my only responsibility will be to fork over dues every year? >> |
| flipflap | Posted – 2/6/2006 6:21:55 PM | show profile I had the impression that SPJ was mostly newspaper journalists, too. Though I have no idea if that's true. Isn't this the group that gave the award to Judith Miller? The Authors Guild may sound like its primarily for book authors, but it's not A freind whose writing consists primarily of reviews in newspapers recently joined. |
| roxannekkb | Posted – 2/6/2006 6:42:41 PM | show profile >>Personally, I didn't mind that. I actually prefer a screening process to the many journalism organizations that let in anyone who wants to join.<< They have a screeening process. You have to submit quite a number of published clips, and they can only be from certain types of magazines and newspapers. Or proof that you've authored non-fiction books. That is a screening process I can live with. It makes sense. But references from editors? Sorry, that is snobby overkill. It is obvious that you are a working journalist of a certain caliber if you have clips that meet their criteria. So is the word of an EA who I met via email a day ago going to make me more credible? Vouch for my career? Sorry, but it was such a turn-off for me. Asking for two editorial references, after you've supplied them with a s**t load of clips is just nonsense. ------ www.nabeepchen.com |
| overthehillwriter | Posted – 2/6/2006 9:54:00 PM | show profile authors guild site defunct I just checked out the author's guild. Someone told me the group was defunct. Anyone know if this is true? Here's the link to the suit: http://www.authorsguild.com/ |
| flipflap | Posted – 2/6/2006 10:11:18 PM | show profile Authors Guild is thriving if you google Authors Guild it's the first hit The AG was founde din 1912 and is still thriving. you just also have the wrong url AG is an org not a com, that means not-for-profit www.authorsguild.org for general info www.authorsguild.net for website builder |
| overthehillwriter | Posted – 2/7/2006 12:03:47 AM | show profile Thanks! Checked it out -- looked interesting. Have also mulled membership in ASJA (met their criteria, apparently) and SPJ. Will probably seek membership in Author's Guild. |
| caitlinkelly | Posted – 2/7/2006 7:49:27 AM | show profile News to me that ASJA now requires references. Sorry that's off-putting. I've been a member for about six years and think it's well worth the $200/yr dues -- less than $1 a day. The annual meeting is indeed best for novices but the members' day meeting the day before is aimed much higher and is planned with members' input to maximize value to experienced writers. I work in a staff job at the moment but have retained my membership for access to the newsletter and, of most value to me right now, the forums. Unlike this BB and others I've tried, it's consistently a place of fast, helpful feedback from people with decades of high-level professional magazine and book-writing, not the carping referred to above. No matter what sort of specific help you might need, someone is likely to offer it, and someone who knows their stuff who is happy to help a fellow member succeed. On the lone occasion someone got nasty toward me on-line, dozens of others immediately made clear such behavior was unacceptable. It is a board where everyone knows one another's name and, if you're listed in the annual directory, your credentials. Read these boards for a while and compare. I've never joined NWU or AG so don't know their members or their value. ------ Author of "Blown Away: American Women and Guns" (Pocket Books, 2004.) |
| maphop | Posted – 2/7/2006 10:49:20 AM | show profile I think what was so bizarre about my friend's application to ASJA was that she also met all their published criteria and was turned down without an appropriate reason...never got a written response, never a phone call. Only found out when she called to find out why her check hadn't been cashed in four months! She's written for some of the biggest names and groups out there - Conde Nast, TW, Meredith - in both newsprint and glossies and she was floored. I went through the process myself last year just for the heck of it, really, and got NO response from them after receiving a form letter saying that I also didn't meet requirements. Like her, I've written for some of the largest national magazines out there and sent them six clips that more than met their criteria. When I called them after receiving the form letter all they could tell me was that ''the panel'' didn't approve me. It's the most bizarre thing I've seen in a long time and when I speak at writer's workshops around the country and someone asks about ASJA, I can't help but laugh. As for those wondering about NWU, I recommend them highly. SPJ IS a bit more oriented towards newsprint but they're very, very strong with regional chapters and those chapters often have folks from television, online and radio. |
| overthehillwriter | Posted – 2/7/2006 11:05:45 AM | show profile | email poster I would love to be a member of all these groups, but there are only 24 hours in a day (and I have to sleep for 8) and enough demands on my time -- and wallet, for that matter. To me, it appears that the work boards of the NWU and the ASJA (in that order) are the best -- the NWU had current, solid assignments with legitimate pay -- the dues of the NWU are the most reasonable, the SPJ most scholarly/journalistic (seems very much about maintaining standards, ethics, and perhaps most likely to contain whole newspapers full of staff journalists, etc.) but the Author's Guild most applicable with all the advice and support for authors (as I write both magazines and books, but seek to do more books). I was REALLY impressed by the Author's Guild site, and membership requirements are minimal -- looks like you had to have written an American book or been published in three national mags. Also, if ASJA's conference is skewed to beginners, then why are their membership procedures so skewy? Sounds like the experienced writers listed above would have been great candidates for membership. Another idea for them would be to have a separate membership category, like the Author's Guild does. I like SPJ and the Author's Guild emphasis on regional activities and chapters. I appreciate that the sun rises and sets on NEw York publishing, and I love the town, but I wouldn't necessarily want to go to a conference there every year. |
| sdtex | Posted – 2/8/2006 1:10:00 PM | show profile as a member of ASJA I've belonged to ASJA for about a decade. While I can't address membership criteria, I have to say that the networking, advice, and friendships I've developed in ASJA have been more than worth the money. It was via a referral by another ASJA member that I got my first major book contract, and the help, advice and support I got from members while I was negotiating my next book contract resulted in my asking for -- and getting -- more than $15,000 than I was initially offered. I currently don't belong to any other professional organizations so I can't compare, but I have had a generally good experience with ASJA. |
| sdtex | Posted – 2/8/2006 1:10:42 PM | show profile I meant to say More than $15,000 MORE than I was initially offered. |
| anita | Posted – 2/8/2006 1:36:34 PM | show profile I'm a long-time member of ASJA. I chaired the membership committee several years back when we tweaked the criteria to make it easier for qualified writers to join. I have difficulty accepting that there are writers who applied with at least 6 full-length (1000+ words) by-lined, freelanced clips from major national or regional magazines and were turned down. I know the people who have served on the committee in the past few years and have seen them err on the side of acceptance where a writer seems to be on the border. However, anything is possible. If you'd like to provide more details, and it appears you were turned down in error, I would be happy to make your case to the powers-that-be. Also, those who assume that the conference is geared solely toward beginners have apparently not seen this year's conference schedule. I agree that a novice-focus has been a problem in past years but members complained and now, the conference has more panels for the pro than the novice. See for yourself at: http://www.asja.org/wc/2006/2006sat.php Each time period offers one session for the beginner and two sessions for professionals. Although I haven't been to a conference in a number of years, one look at this year's schedule convinced me to book my flight and hotel. I'll be there. As for what you can gain from membership, there is so much that simply cannot be quantified. We are a community and we help each other in all the ways that the closest-knit communities do. I have belonged to NWU, NASW, and Authors Guild, but there is nothing like ASJA -- worth the membership at any price. Anita Bartholomew |
| roxannekkb | Posted – 2/8/2006 2:22:08 PM | show profile Anita, perhaps you can tell me the reason for ASJA requiring ''references'' from editors. It merely seems like a stupid hoop to make someone jump through, and an annoyance on the part of an editor who may have to supply a reference. Like many writers outside of the NYC metro area, I haven't met most of my editors, or even spoken to them on the telephone. If a writer presents a nice portfolio of clips, why on earth does ASJA need an ''endorsement'' from two editors no less. My only requirement for being an ASJA member is to pay dues--it's not like a job, or a fellowship, or somewhere that I'm expected to perform a certain job. To me that smacks of silly misplaced elitism, especially since editors play musical chairs and it may be difficult to even locate an editor who actually knows you. That turned me off to applying to ASJA. Maybe it's silly, but I just refused to play that game, or to bother any editors with that kind of nonsense. ------ www.nabeepchen.com |
| anita | Posted – 2/8/2006 2:34:17 PM | show profile >>perhaps you can tell me the reason for ASJA requiring ''references'' from editors. It merely seems like a stupid hoop to make someone jump through, and an annoyance on the part of an editor who may have to supply a reference.<< I can only tell you that, when I chaired the membership committee, we based our decisions on writing credits. I doubt references play a part in the current committee's decision-making either. Why not contact the ASJA office and ask if these may be left off? If you're qualified, and you want to join, we'd love to have you. |
| execdir | Posted – 2/8/2006 3:13:28 PM | show profile | email poster Should I join ASJA? I'll let ASJA members themselves answer the question above, since, as executive director of ASJA, my answer would probably be suspect. So I'll confine myself to correcting some misinformation. First, not only does ASJA not ''favor fiction,'' it's an organization of ''freelance, nonfiction writers.'' This is not to say you can't write as many novels as you like as an ASJA member, just that you can't be accepted on the basis of your fiction. Second, someone mentioned the membership being ''soaked for the expenses of annual conferences.'' Not so. The annual conference not only pays for itself but conference income helps us keep dues at the same level they've been for the past 6 or 7 years. And the reason it's always in New York is that New York happens to be the center of the publishing industry. We revisit this decision fairly regularly because it's so ferociously expensive, but the consensus always seems to be: New York. As for ''99% of the panelists'' at the conference being ASJA members, that's not accurate either. Conference organizers try hard not to have more than one ASJA member on each panel. That isn't always possible, but I think if you check out this year's Saturday schedule at http://www.asja.org/wc/2006/2006sat.php you'll see that most of the panelists are not ASJA members (ASJA members are always identified). In fact, the guiding principle is to have as many ''assigning editors'' on panels as possible. I was interested in the strong feelings about editor references on the application. I hadn't realized people were so offended by that and will pass the information on to the membership committee. I believe it's been part of the ASJA application for a very long time, and perhaps it's time to revisit the question. As for why someone who apparently had all the right credentials wasn't accepted, I obviously can't answer that without knowing the particulars. I do know that 1) we want and need and encourage new members and 2) the membership committee tries to be as flexible and open as possible and gives each application a great deal of thoughtful consideration. We do have a form rejection letter, but it never goes out without my individualizing it. These days, people are more likely to get an email from me and that often leads to a correspondence about what's needed. Membership applications are kept on file for at least a year and applicants who've been turned down are encouraged to keep adding clips and may ask for a re-review at any time. Finally, it's true that ASJA's job bank has been on the skids for the past few years. It used to be called Dial-A-Writer in its heyday, then became the Writer Referral Service and eventually, the job listings slowed to a trickle. However, we've just launched a brand new job service called the Freelance Writers Search (http://www.freelancewritersearch.com/). It's too soon to evaluate but I think you'll be hearing good reports about it from ASJA members in the coming months. I encourage anyone interested in learning more about ASJA or joining the organization to contact me directly at execdir@asja.org. And come to our conference on April 29-30 and see for yourself why this is the 35th year we've been doing this! |
