The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) was founded in 1948 as the Society of Magazine Writers, and is the professional association of independent nonfiction writers in the United States.
The organization was established in 1948 as the Society of Magazine Writers. [1] In 1978, membership was expanded to include book authors and the name was changed to ASJA. In March 2009, ASJA changed their policy regarding self-published authors. [2] In June 2015 the membership criteria were revised to include nonfiction writing in more kinds of markets, and non-bylined work as well. [3]
ASJA offers members benefits and services focusing on professional development, including confidential market information, meetings with editors, a referral service, seminars and workshops, and discounts. It also offers the opportunity for members to explore professional issues and concerns with their peers via conferences, regional meetings, online forums, and the membership directory.
ASJA represents freelance writers' interests, serving as spokesman for their right to control and profit from uses of their work in new media and otherwise. For example, in 2009, ASJA objected to the Google Book Search Settlement Agreement for authors. [4] ASJA is a member of the Authors Coalition of America [5] which repatriates foreign royalties and distributes them to American writers organizations on the behalf of American writers. All members are automatically enrolled into the Authors Registry. [6]
Services and resources available to the public include publications, events, and mentoring services. Editors and others can search the membership to hire experienced nonfiction writers. Other services include:
ASJA administers an annual awards program, judged by selected panels of members. In 2021, ASJA opened most of the competition to non-members, [13] A few categories remain open only to members. All submissions must be for work done on a freelance basis.
The following awards are open to both members and non-members:
The following awards are open only to ASJA members:
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. While SFWA is based in the United States, its membership is open to writers worldwide. The organization was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America. The president of SFWA as of July 1, 2021 is Jeffe Kennedy.
The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The National Book Awards were established in 1936 by the American Booksellers Association, abandoned during World War II, and re-established by three book industry organizations in 1950. Non-U.S. authors and publishers were eligible for the pre-war awards. Since then they are presented to U.S. authors for books published in the United States roughly during the award year.
John Tracy Kidder is an American writer of nonfiction books. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his The Soul of a New Machine (1981), about the creation of a new computer at Data General Corporation. He has received praise and awards for other works, including his biography of Paul Farmer, a physician and anthropologist, titled Mountains Beyond Mountains (2003).
Freelance, freelancer, or freelance worker, are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance workers are sometimes represented by a company or a temporary agency that resells freelance labor to clients; others work independently or use professional associations or websites to get work.
Edwin Black is an American historian and author, as well as a syndicated columnist, investigative journalist, and weekly talk show host on The Edwin Black Show. He specializes in human rights, the historical interplay between economics and politics in the Middle East, petroleum policy, academic fraud, corporate criminality and abuse, and the financial underpinnings of Nazi Germany.
The Writers' Trust of Canada is a registered charity which provides financial support to Canadian writers.
The Authors Guild is America's oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has counted among its board members notable authors of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including numerous winners of the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes and National Book Awards. It has over 9,000 members, who receive free legal advice and guidance on contracts with publishers as well as insurance services and assistance with subsidiary licensing and royalties.
The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) is a professional association for medical communicators, with more than 4,000 members in the United States, Canada, and 30 other countries. AMWA is governed by a board of directors composed of the elected officers, 6–8 at-large directors, and the chapter advisory council chair. AMWA has regional chapters and provides local networking opportunities throughout the United States and Canada. The association was founded in 1940 by physicians interested in improving the quality of medical writing and editing.
The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading across the globe.
Robin Marantz Henig is a freelance science writer, and contributor to the New York Times Magazine. Her articles have appeared in Scientific American, Seed, Discover and women's magazines. She writes book reviews and occasional essays for the Washington Post, as well as articles for The New York Times science section, op-ed page, and Book Review.
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people.
The Online News Association (ONA), founded in 1999, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Washington D.C., United States. It is the world's largest association of digital journalists, with more than 2,000 members. The founding members first convened in December 1999 in Chicago. The group included journalists from WSJ.com, Time.com, MSBN, TheStreet.com, and FT.com, among other outlets.
The Conscience-in-Media Award is presented by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) to journalists that the society deems worthy of recognition for their distinctive contributions. The award is not given out often, and is awarded to those journalists which the ASJA feels have demonstrated integrity to journalistic values, while enduring personal costs to themselves. Candidates are decided by an initial vote of the ASJA's First Amendment Committee, which must then be confirmed by a separate vote of the ASJA's board of directors.
Jonathan Green is an English author and investigative journalist specialising in narrative non-fiction. He is the author of two books Murder in the High Himalaya (2010) and Sex Money Murder (2018).
Charles William Henderson is a retired Marine Corps Warrant Officer and an author based in Colorado. Henderson is best known for his 2 biographies, Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills and Silent Warrior about Marine Corps Sniper Carlos Hathcock.
Lisa Collier Cool is an American journalist and author who writes on health-related topics.
James Nestor is an author and journalist who has written for Outside, Scientific American, Dwell, National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Men's Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, and others. His 2020 nonfiction book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, was an international bestseller, debuting on the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and spending 18 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers in its first year of release. Breath won the award for Best General Nonfiction Book of 2020 by the American Society of Journalists and Authors and was a finalist for the Royal Society Science Book Prize. Breath was translated into more than 35 languages in 2022.
Howard Eisenberg is an American author and journalist best known for his contributions to biography, self-help and children's literature. A magazine journalist since the early 1950s and recent playwright, as well as a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA).
Melinda Wenner Moyer is a science journalist and author based in the Hudson Valley, New York. She is a contributing editor at Scientific American and a columnist for Slate. Her book How To Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes was published on July 20, 2021 by Putnam Books and was excerpted in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Parents magazine.
Zach Hively is a humorist, poet, creative nonfiction author, and publisher. His most recent works include the poetry collections Desert Apocrypha, recipient of the Reading the West Book Award for poetry, Owl Poems, and Wild Expectations. He has written the Fool's Gold humor column since 2014, which has run in various alternative publications in the US American West.
Founded in 1948, the American Society of Journalists and Authors is the nation's professional organization of independent nonfiction writers. Our membership consists of more than 1,100 outstanding freelance writers of magazine articles, trade books, and many other forms of nonfiction writing, each of whom has met ASJA's exacting standards of professional achievement.
The new policy, which a short while ago appeared on the public section of our website, reads as follows: "In general, self-published books are not accepted as qualifying material for ASJA membership. An exception may be made on rare occasion for self-published books with substantial sales, reviews in well-known journals, or inclusion in a major book club."
Objections to the settlement have been raised by groups including the National Writers Union, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, ...