Learn to Earn at the ASJA Conference • May 18–19, 2018
Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in New York City

This Year’s Conference Hashtag • #ASJANY18

Sessions for my “Captivate” track at the NY Writers Conference include:

FRIDAY • MAY 18 • MEMBERS-ONLY DAY

Polish Your Brand Workshop
I will kick off my first track by discussing your blog, social media, or website during this fun, interactive session. Plan to leave with the tools you need to boost your brand’s impact. (7:30–8 am)

The Big Book Project
ASJA President Sherry Paprocki, with authors Janine Latus, Milt Toby and Pat Ryan will talk about transitioning from journalism to writing books, including how to write proposals. (8–9 am)

Keynote Speaker Aimee Ross
This nationally celebrated educator and author (PERMANENT MARKER: A MEMOIR) is set to offer inspiration and lessons from her own successful career and writing journey (9–9:45 am)

Making Money in Your Sleep Passive Income for Writers
Damon Brown, Jeanette Hurt and Andrea King Collier will discuss the myriad ways to reharvest articles or adapt your skillset to make a better living off of work already completed. (10–11 am)

Editors Who Want Your Pitches
Wayne Hoffman, Tablet Magazine; Peter Catapano, The New York Times; Carolyn Malcoun, Senior Food Editor, EatingWell; and Lina Zeldovich, JSTOR Daily will discuss pitch Dos and Don’ts. Every editor has their pet peeves and preferences. The moderator (me!) will ask them to describe what they love and don’t love about pitches. This is a high-energy session (11:15 am–12:15 pm).

Beyond the Wall: Making the Leap
From Journalism to Content Marketing
Whether it’s called brand journalism or content marketing, companies need writers for blog posts, case studies, articles, video scripts. Agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and others seek writers with skills you’ve already honed as a journalist. Veteran journalists Christine Parizo and Court Stroud are ready to share the nuts-and-bolts moves that led to their success. Learn how to make it work for you. (2:15–3:30 pm)

Social Media: What’s Working and What Isn’t
Don’t miss Sree Sreenivasan, the most popular repeat speaker in ASJA conference history. This is an entertaining and interactive session to improve self-promotion, expand your audience and reach more career goals. Sree provides an astounding amount of cutting edge information and lets you know exactly where to go online to find what you need in the fastest way possible. (3:45–5:15 pm)

 Stay tuned for more…

#ASJANY2018  May Writers Conference • Saturday, May 19 • OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

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• Carolyn Crist
Beginning Track Manager, and Detailed Overseer

• Nancy Dunham
Mid-Career Track Manager and Volunteer Coordinator. She’s also ASJA’s new volunteer coordinator.

• Dorri Olds
Advanced Career Manager and nicknamed the “Social Media Guru” for the entire event.

SAVE THE DATE! May 18–19, 2018
ASJA’s 47th Annual Writers Conference

Note: The 2018 conference will be held at a new venue this year: Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Avenue at West 53rd Street, New York City. The conference Members Day is May 18 and the Open Day is May 19.
I am excited to be taking this work on! My dad always said, “If you want something done, give it to the busiest person and they’ll get it done.” ASJA is filled with hard-working freelance writers who are accustomed to nutty deadlines and being adept at multi-tasking. I’m honored to be part of this amazing team led by ASJA president Sherry Beck Paprocki.
I am thrilled — absolutely gleeful — that my proposal for the conference theme has been chosen! It is based on the three tracks: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels.
The 2018 theme is:

Navigate, Motivate, Captivate

I will be serving as the Advanced Track chair. It is an honor to have been chosen. ASJA has helped me find success as a full-time freelance writer. I work in my home office with my beloved dog Buddy James at my feet. Thank you, ASJA! 

We Are Seeking Conference Panel Proposals • Deadline is Nov 10th

The NYC Conference’s theme for 2018 is Navigate, Motivate, Captivate. This year, we’re featuring three tracks for beginners, mid-career writers and advanced storytelling techniques.
We are currently soliciting proposals for panels and workshops that will inspire, motivate and empower journalists, nonfiction and literary nonfiction writers at all stages of their careers. Emphasis will be put on professional development as it relates to these three tracks of freelance writing, such as workshops on pitching, making new career moves, finding increased income, querying book agents, and publishing in all aspects such as books and magazines.
What We Are Looking For In a Session Proposal
We prefer workshops that focus on craft and those with a “how-to” aspect. We want single session leaders who are experts in their field and savvy in social media. We’re seeking panels that offer real service to our attendees. In particular, we’re looking for diversity in panelists — racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, marital and parental status.
If you’re interested in speaking, please complete this form.
Please note that we are unable to offer monetary compensation for travel or presenting. All participants must be available during the entire two days of the conference, May 18 and May 19, as scheduling will be at the discretion of the conference committee.
Deadline: November 10, 5:00 pm ET
 

Writers: If you are interested in joining ASJA…

Visit the Society’s website:
• About ASJA
• Who is Eligible to Join
• Member Benefits
And, if you do decide to join, please mention that you heard about ASJA from me! I’ll be much obliged.

Track Chair Bios

Carolyn Crist, a freelance journalist with stories that have appeared in AARP, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Magazine, Anesthesiology News,  Reuters, Tales of the Cocktail, U.S. News & World Report and WIRED. She is also an adjunct journalism professor (of convergence journalism, photojournalism and travel writing) at the University of Georgia and co-owner of Pixel & Ink Studio in Athens, Georgia.
Nancy Dunham is a freelance writer whose clients include People magazine, AARP, Automotive News, USA Today, MoneyTalksNews/MSN, Woman’s World, A&E Real Crime blog and other national publications. Dunham was a newspaper reporter, magazine editor and publisher. She is also a founding board member of the Association of Healthcare Journalists and lives in Alexandria, Va.
Dorri Olds is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in book anthologies, newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Woman’s Day and The Forward. Her social media following includes over a million views on YouTube. As a full-time freelancer she divides her time between writing personal essays, pop culture articles, service pieces, movie reviews and interviewing A-List celebrities. She is currently working on a book about misogyny and rape culture.
“ASJA is so fortunate to have these prolific writers agree to work together to make this upcoming conference one of the most relevant conferences available to freelance writers and authors in the industry,” says ASJA President Sherry Beck Paprocki. “As ASJA moves to a new conference venue next spring, the tri-chairs promise to deliver important content for all writers—whether they are just starting out in the profession or they have long-time writing experience. We are looking forward to the months of planning that will create a must-attend conference next spring.”
 
Here is one of my personal ASJA Success Stories:
ASJA is so worth the cost of membership. Every year that I attend the annual conference in New York City, I make back much more money than I spent. Last year, during speed pitches, I met the lovely Woman’s Day editor, Maria Carter. We hit it off immediately. She has published three of my personal essays and is a dream to work with. Thank you, ASJA!

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Saturday, May 6 • Day 2

I will be on two panels this year at the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) annual writers conference. The first is on Friday, May 5 at 2:45. Its topic is “Using Smartphones To Tell Stories.” My second panel will be on Saturday, May 6. It’s titled “Tackling Tough Topics.”

ALSO SEE MY FRIDAY, MAY 5 PANEL: “USING SMART PHONES TO TELL STORIES”

In this workshop, moderated by ASJA member Candy Arrington with panelists Dorri Olds, Rudri Patel and Sharon Van Epps, writers will learn methods to craft tough topics through the power of story. We will be providing practical suggestions for coping and moving forward, and writing with a level of transparency that touches hearts and inspires hope.

Though many writers feel compelled to write about a difficult life circumstance, loss, or grief, it’s important to know how to structure content, what to include and what to omit. In writing tough topics, you have the opportunity to reach those who are hurting, feel alienated and alone, and are searching for ways to heal their pain. No matter what the situation, there are common threads that reach across gender, cultural, and ethical barriers to foster hope and healing.

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“Using Smartphones To Tell Stories”

• Editing
• Uploading to outlets from the field
• What gear to get
• Best editing apps
• Voice over narrations
• Downloading the video to your desktop

ALSO SEE MY SATURDAY, MAY 6 PANEL: “TACKLING TOUGH TOPICS”

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Sat., May 21, 2016 • 2–3:30pm • Writers Panel • New York City
American Society of Journalists & Authors  (ASJA)
45 East 45th Street at Madison Avenue

Transit: 7, F or M7 bus 

The Latest Social Media Tricks: What Works, What’s a Turnoff

Our panel of editors and social media experts will teach you what works and what doesn’t. There’s never enough time in a writer’s life. It can be overwhelming without tips and tricks for efficiency. Don’t waste valuable hours. We’ll cover ways to maximize your efforts with titles, tags, topics, keywords, SEO, naming images and how Google rankings work. Editors will tell you how and what to pitch.
HERE’S HOW TO REGISTER FOR #ASJA2016
Speakers
Sacha Scoblic Zimmerman, senior editor at The Atlantic and author of the memoir UNWASTED: MY LUSH SOBRIETY. Her work has appeared in The New Republic, The Fix, The Guardian, Reader’s Digest, and The New York Times, where she penned essays for the Times blog “PROOF: Alcohol and American Life.”
Marcelle Soviero, editor-in-chief for the award-winning Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers which publishes 20-plus essays per month at competitive rates. She’s the author of AN IRIDESCENT LIFE. She has published essays in The New York Times, Salon and more. Soviero is also a writing coach who teaches how to get published.

Estelle Sobel Erasmus, an award-winning journalist, author, editing/writing coach, and former magazine editor-in-chief of five publications. She’s worked as top editor at American Woman and beauty editor at Woman’s World magazine. Her work appears in Salon, Newsweek, Redbook, Washington Post and Marie Claire and she’s a 3-time BlogHer Voice of the Year.

Russell D. Bernstein is an author who expertly utilizes social media to expand his fan base and maintain a successful website at www.bullytalks.com. His mastery of social media has increased his sales tremendously and rocketed his books to bestseller status. His social media tips will include the powers of multi-tasking and pursuing your dreams.

And me: Dorri Olds, a freelance writer, webmaster, and social media expert, who has been published in The New York Times, The Fix, The Forward, Book Anthologies and more. Check out my social media stats!
• YouTube 736K views
• Twitter 35K
• Facebook 5K
… and interviewed on Dr. Drew, NY1, and 7 On Your Side

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Author and political activist Jennifer Finney Boylan has been busy as she continues to raise awareness and spread acceptance for the transgender community.

“What is a transsexual Republican, anyway? The answer, of course, is someone who thinks a little too much about their private sector.” — Jennifer Finney Boylan

Long before Jeffrey Tambor and “Transparent” or Bruce Jenner on Diane Sawyer, there was trailblazing writer and political activist Jennifer Finney Boylan.

Boylan has been a guest on TV and radio shows, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (four times!), “Larry King Live,” “Today,” the “Barbara Walters Special” and a documentary on CBS News’ “48 Hours.” So it is no surprise that Boylan is in great demand for speaking engagements; this month alone, she has had three biggies.

Boylan is the author of 13 books including “She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders,” a memoir that became the first bestseller written by a transgender author. She is a contributing writer for The New York Times Opinion page, and her articles have appeared in way too many top magazines to list here. Boylan’s books include three memoirs, three novels, a collection of short stories and six young adult novels. And, as if that isn’t enough, she is currently the inaugural Anna Quindlen writer-in-residence at Barnard College.

She was born James Boylan in 1958, and 30 years later, she married Deirdre “Deedie” Boylan and had two sons. In 2000, Boylan very publicly began her male-to-female transition. Her marriage has stayed strong and intact, and Boylan has played a huge role in educating the public about acceptance and support for the transgender community.

“The last year … has been remarkable in the changes that we’ve seen in the culture. We’ve seen Jeffrey Tambor in ‘Transparent’ [and] we’ve seen Laverne Cox on the cover of Time Magazine.” — Jennifer Finney Boylan

Following is a roundup of what Boylan’s been up to this month, including snippets of her never-ending inspiration.

There was an enthusiastic roar from the crowd for Boylan after she opened her keynote speech at ASJA at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. It was a foreshadowing to the standing ovation she would receive at the end. Her speech, “Connecting Hearts: Storytelling & Social Change,” began:

“When I do events like this and speak to people, I often think back to a reading I gave at a bookstore in Martha’s Vineyard, now many years ago, when ‘She’s Not There’ first came out [2003]. As some of you know, Martha’s Vineyard is small. There are only two bookstores on the island, so I was going to give a reading at one of them … It was a beautiful day, and I spent the day riding a bike, then [I] show up at the bookstore … and there’s the owner of the bookstore with this kind of depressed, sad expression, and I said, ‘Why the long face?’ She said, ‘Wouldn’t you know, at the last second, [the other bookstore] scheduled a reading at this exact time.’ Of course, I thought, who is going to see that when they can come see me? She said, ‘It is Hillary Clinton,’ which made me think that the only people that would come to my reading would be transsexuals and Republicans. And, in some cases, transsexual Republicans, which raised the question, what is a transsexual Republican, anyway? The answer, of course, is someone who thinks a little too much about their private sector.”

The crowd went crazy.

Freelance journalist Randy Dotinga, the first openly gay ASJA president since the organization’s inception 67 years ago, told the room, “Jenny’s message is crucial for independent writers. As freelancers and authors, we often get distracted by the day-to-day grind and forget we hold tremendous power as storytellers. Our work can transform the world for the better.”

I was especially moved by Boylan’s remarks about feeling suicidal when she was younger. I can relate. Our reasons were different but, like Boylan, I, too, would like to tell my younger self, “It will get better. It will not always hurt the way it does.” At the end of the speech, with a tear in my eye, I told Boylan how much she inspires me. She gave me her warm, radiant smile, and we chatted for a while despite the long train of other people who wanted to thank her, too.

This year’s 26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards were held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. These awards recognize and honor the media for its fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives. The awards also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories from the LGBT community that build support for acceptance. While introducing “Transparent” stars Judith Light and Jeffrey Tambor, and in celebration of Mother’s Day, Boylan described her coming-out conversation with her mother.

“So, there I was, in the house I’d grown up in, coming out as transgender to my 85-year-old mother, an evangelical Christian, a Republican, a nice suburban lady who did needlepoint and drove a Lexus. She didn’t know the difference between a transgender woman and the Trans-Siberian railroad. I kind of had a feeling that my coming out as trans wasn’t going to be the high point of her week. Quite frankly, I had a strong suspicion that she wasn’t going to want to know me any more.

“When I started to cry, however, my little mother got up out of her chair and put her arms around me and said, ‘I would never turn my back on my child. I will always love you. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re gay, or lesbian, or, well, whatever you are. The important thing is this: Love will prevail.’

“And I said, ‘But Mom, won’t it be embarrassing for you when everyone finds out I’m your daughter now?’ And she said, ‘Well, quite frankly, yes. But I will adjust.’

“Later that night, as I headed for bed, she kissed me and said, ‘You need to tell your story. Because no matter what, it’s impossible to hate anyone whose story you know.’”

“My mother passed away five years ago at the age of 94, still Republican, still an evangelical Christian and forever a transgender ally.”

On Friday, I asked WTCI faculty member Anne Wennerstrand to describe the organization’s mission statement. “The WTCI is evolving as an Institute to respond to the needs of non-binary, gender-variant communities via our professional training programs, workshops and lectures for the public,” she replied.

On why Boylan was chosen as this year’s speaker Wennerstrand said, “We have an annual tradition of honoring Laurie Phillips, a beloved faculty member who died of breast cancer in 1995. As an organization dedicated to mental health, we also have an equally strong commitment to social justice and equality. Each year, we honor notable feminist thinkers and practitioners who have made significant contributions to our notions of gender. We invited Jenny this year to honor her for her advocacy, feminism and unwavering dedication to civil rights.”

Wennerbrand then shared the WTCI’s definition of feminism. “To practice feminism is to believe in basic human and civil rights and equality for all regardless of gender. Jenny, through writing and advocacy embodies the definition of social justice. Jenny expands our knowledge, but more importantly, our hearts and helps us understand how to be true allies for feminism and the trans community.”

“Through her writing and speaking, Jenny [Boylan] helps raise awareness of the extremely high suicide risk and other vulnerabilities of trans youth.” — Anne Wennerstrand, Faculty member, WTCI

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I just finished editing My ASJA Conference Notes! Now they are legible enough to share with you in a Google Doc. This Google Doc contains my “scribblings” from the panels that I attended at this year’s #ASJA writers conference. I also added a few post-conference bits. Please note, these were written for myself but it would take me too long to go in and delete all of my side comments (Like, “Hahaha” or “Weeeee!”) so those were left in. Please feel free to ignore those side commentaries. I promise you there is a ton of useful info for all writers in this doc.

This year, I spoke on two panels, which I’ve done for many years. One panel was “Use Social Media to Land Writing Gigs and Make Money” and here’s a link to my social media handout.

My second panel was “Secrets of Interviewing Famous People.”

For any writer who doesn’t already know, ASJA is the American Society of Journalists and Authors. It is a non-profit organization for writers to network with each other and with editors, publishers, agents. This org has been incredibly helpful to me and is a big chunk of what helped me become a full-time freelance writer.

The other great boost to my writing career came after I’d published a few short stories and a couple of articles. I decided to get serious about full-time writing and took Susan Shapiro’s “Instant Gratification Takes Too Long” essay classes. The idea is to write and sell a piece during the class to pay for the class. She’s a phenomenal teacher and I love to tell people about her.

Speakers quoted in my notes include:

Susan Shapiro, author and professor

Daniel Jones, Modern Love editor, NYTimes

Honor Jones, Opinionator editor, NYTimes (no relation to Daniel)

Rob Spillman, editor at Tin House literary magazine

and many more…

Laura Shin, Catherine Dold, Linda Konner, John Hanc, Susan Lennon, Beena Kamlani, Kirby Kim, Renee Zuckerbrot, Victoria Moy, Katia Bachko, Whitney Frick, Molly Langmuir, David Lidsky, Jessica Winter, Royal Young, Kate Walter, Gabrielle Selz, Kevin Scott Hall, Sharon Goldman, Alicianne Rand, Clare McDermott, Laura Lorber, Allison Mezzafonte, Jack El-Hai, Tina Traster, Laurie Chittenden, Tracy Bernstein, Shaun Dolan, Kathleen Napolitano, Sherri Amatenstein

Tutorials

Please contact me if you’d like to learn social media tips and tricks that can land you writing gigs and sell your books. I give classes in person or via Skype or telephone. If you email me with the subject line #ASJA2010 or #BEA15 and let me know that you are contacting me to set up a lesson, I will give you the discounted price of $80 per hour. My normal fee is $100/hour.

We will discuss your specific business goals and who your target audience is. Then I will provide you with instruction tailored to your unique needs.

In addition to social media, I teach branding, marketing and SEO (search engine optimization).

Click here for my Google Doc of ASJA Conference Notes

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CLICK TO REGISTER

ASJA 2015 Conference: Connect for Success at the Roosevelt Hotel (map)
May 1, 2015 • 11AM – 12:15PM

Use Social Media to Land Writing Gigs and Make Money (session: F06)

Most  hard-working professionals feel like there’s never enough time in a day. Between deadlines, creative pursuits, and trying to have a life, who has time to blog, update their website and keep up with social media?

In this session you will learn how to use your time efficiently to get the best results. You will be given tips and tricks based on hard-won experience. We’ll talk about the best tools to use for your specific goals and how to stand out online amidst worldwide competition.

You’ll learn about improving your website, blogs, and social media accounts. Find out the different language and etiquette for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Reddit, Google+ and YouTube. And, most importantly, you’ll learn how to use social media to make more money.

Dorri Olds, panel organizer, speaker and ASJA member • www.DorriOlds.com • @DorriOlds

Here are some of my social media stats (as of April 10, 2015): YouTube: 470,000 views (yes, that’s almost half a million!); Twitter: 33,5 followers; Facebook: 4,000 (likes and followers). My areas of expertise include freelance writing, social media marketing, web design and WordPress. I will discuss:

• Social Media Etiquette and the differences across platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube).
  Yes, there is a difference.
• Tips and Tricks: How to use your time efficiently and get the best results. Groups, hashtags, comments, blogging, linking, networking and the way money streams come my way all the time.
• How I’ve landed writing gigs through social media
• What to do and what NOT to do

Most Important Rule: Do not scream, “Look at me! Look at me!” Instead, pay attention to the people you want to connect with. Most editors are writers too. Google them, read some of their articles, compliment them. Share their posts and tag them, retweet their tweets, leave comments on their LinkedIn posts. That is the best way to introduce yourself. One of the biggest mistakes I see writers make is to contact me on Facebook or Twitter and tell me what book they wrote and to please like their page. It’s annoying that they introduced themselves by asking me to take time out of my swamped schedule to do something for them. Why would anybody want to stop what they’re doing for a complete stranger? But! If they’ve commented on my articles or shared my Facebook posts and retweeted my tweets, I will notice them and there’s an excellent chance that I’ll remember them and want to respond. That is how the best connections begin.

MEET MY WONDERFUL SPEAKERS:

Kirsten Koza, author, humorist, journalist and editor www.kirstenkoza.com • @KirstenKoza

Kirsten says: I will discuss Facebook Pages and how to target the right followers and attract publishers. Attend this panel discussion and you could win a waterproof, shockproof Nikon camera and memory card as part of a demonstration on how to quickly grow a Facebook Page of ideal followers using simple techniques such as raffles.

This editor admits it: I just finished reading thousands of stories to make my selection of 30 for a Travelers’ Tales anthology, and at times the writer’s social networking reach was a factor in my decision making process. Of course the story still has to be great, but if it comes down to a tie breaker and one writer has an audience of followers through social networking and I know they’re going to promote their work, then that will sway my choice. Publishers want their stories to be read. The writer is part of that process.

Hot Tips:

1. Facebook Pages have improved how you can target followers. But you still need to avoid click farms.
   See this video re click farms which are sometimes called the sweatshops of social media: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVfHeWTKjag.Avoiding fake accounts LIKING your page can be done easily by selecting the countries you target. You can also select specific interests and hobbies when attracting new followers, or when promoting a story or book.
2. If someone follows your page and you suspect they are a fake account, delete them. Facebook sends your posts out to a certain percentage of your followers and you want those followers to be real.
3. Keep your page interesting and alive. Find your angle. Share material that benefits not just you but your followers.
4. Be generous to other writers on your Page and they’ll promote you on theirs.
5. You don’t know when a story is going to go viral but you can help spread it with a catchy teaser and social networking. And, yes, it is possible to be your own pimp without looking like one by following step 3.

I have 8,600 targeted followers on my Writers’ Expeditions Facebook Page. They consist of travelers, writers, editors and photographers. Through these 8,600 I can reach 100,000. I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with you.

Tom Miller, Literary Agent, Greenburger • @ThomasWMiller

As an agent, I particularly look for writers who have substantial presences on Twitter and LinkedIn. If an author has 5,000 or more Twitter followers, and if he or she tweets interesting and on-point tweets 2–3 times a day, I take notice. So do publishers — believe me! I also notice an author who has a well-populated and impressive LinkedIn page. I’m not particularly impressed when an author says, “I have 1,000+ Facebook friends” about her or his FB personal page (nor are publishers), but I do notice when an author has an active and well-populated FB fan page with a lot of interactivity on it.

• Join Twitter and tweet about your writing 2–3 times a day. Follow writers you admire and retweet salient tweets from them. Use hashtags judiciously and strategically.
• Start a Facebook fan page for your writing. Invite the friends you think will respond and who can share your posts to their friends and contacts. It’s a matter of getting as many people engaged about your writing as possible.
• On LinkedIn, it’s actually OK to send LinkedIn invitations to people you want to connect with even if you don’t know them personally. Just don’t hound those people relentlessly or send them inappropriate messages. Upgrade to LinkedIn Premium if you want extra benefits.

Nikki M. Mascali, Editor in Chief, TheBlot Magazine • @NikkiMMascali

My areas of expertise are editing, writing, setting editorial calendars and hiring and working with freelancers. I’ll focus on:

• Branding yourself as a journalist
  You could have the perfect pitch that leads to the perfect story, but does any of it matter if no one sees it? Social media gives writers the tools they need to freely reach out to people with similar interests in an effort to self-promote their work and those at their respective outlets.
• Does the initial size of your social reach matter?
  Not necessarily. Sure, I want a writer that has tens of thousands of followers because, let’s face it, we’re all gunning for clicks, but one of the main things I look for as an editor is diligence in cultivating a social presence. As a writer’s body of work grows, so will their following across social media platforms — so long as they continue to seek out new ways to gain valued viewership.
• The king of self promotion for writers
  Twitter, by far, is the most valuable tool, especially for digital edition stories. Its forced use of the 140-character format is helping to establish a new breed of headline writers looking to instantly capture an audience. In fact, I credit my Twitter activity in the site’s early days for helping me become a more concise writer and editor.
• The worldwide pitch generator
  With so many voices spanning the web, digital media is not only a prominent way to promote your work, but to expand on it as well. Use social media as a springboard for story ideas by following subjects that you are interested in. Although most of your legwork will consist of fact checking, there is no other time in history that news can break faster than today’s digital age. I love getting a pitch from someone minutes after I saw that topic trending on social media.
• Reaching Sources
  Now that you have an idea on how to find, write and promote your story through social media outlets, you can start on expanding those articles using the same media. Sure you may have to still deal with publicists and agents, both of which could put speed bumps on the completion of your projects, but people of interest are commonly reachable through their social media channels. Don’t hesitate to reach out to potential sources directly — it may be the difference between your latest scoop and yesterday’s news.

Jason Gross, Social Media Manager, TheBlot Magazine, journalist and author • @jgrossnas

My area of expertise is marketing, promotion and branding. The points I will focus on are:

• Remember that social media platforms have a long memory and that employers (including publishing companies, agents) might search your accounts to see what kind of things you post there. What you say there can stay there, even if you delete it. The rule of thumb is: “Don’t say anything there you wouldn’t say in front of your mom.”
• Choose the social media platforms that are right for your needs and don’t over-extend yourself there. Usually good to pick 3–4 places to concentrate on.
• Arguments and disagreements on social media are fine. Flame wars are bad because they make you look bad even if you’re right.
• You don’t have to be a social media expert but it helps to keep up on the newest features on SM platforms so you can use them to your advantage. Some good sources for this are Mediabistro Social Media Newsfeed, Mashable’s Apps/Software and Adweek’s Social Times

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ASJA PANEL • Saturday, May 2, 2015 • 2:00–3:30PM

Editors love to get exclusive interviews with top people in the field their publication covers. Writers who can deliver interesting Q&As or profiles continue to get assignments. The challenge is that the bigger the name, the harder it is to get to the celebrity/leader. The panel will explain how to get assignments to cover the famous, convince their gatekeepers to give you access, get fascinating answers, and write a sizzling profile.

SCOTT S. SMITH, ASJA
Scott S. Smith has had been published 1,300 times in 175 media, including interviews with high-achievers such as Bill Gates, Stan Lee, Meg Whitman, Quincy Jones, Kathy Ireland, Lee Iacocca, and Dean Koontz. His Extraordinary People: Real Life Lessons on What It Takes to Achieve Success was published in 2014.

DORRI OLDS, ASJA
Dorri Olds writes movie reviews and interviews celebrities for many outlets, including The Forward and TheBlot Magazine. Her Q&As have been with such notables as Steven Spielberg, Susan Sarandon, Julianne Moore, Angela Bassett, Daniel Radcliffe, Ryan Gosling, Patrick Stewart, James Franco, Evan Rachel Wood, and Kirsten Dunst. She has also been published in The New York Times.

BEVERLY GRAY, BOARD MEMBER, ASJA

Beverly Gray writes the popular showbiz blog “Beverly in Movieland” and has written extensively on theater for The Los Angeles Times and on movies for The Hollywood Reporter. Among her many interviewees have been Gwyneth Paltrow, George Cukor, Charlton Heston, and Beau Bridges. Her books include Roger Corman: Blood-Sucking Vampires, Flesh-Eating Cockroaches, and Driller Killers and Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon…and Beyond.

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