NCSWHAT

NCSWA Newsletter, May 2004

Editor: Jane Stevens, jsteven@mmjourno.com

A few items of timely import that could not wait until July’s newsletter…

FOR ALL INTERESTED BOOK AUTHORS…OR AUTHORS-TO-BE
7:30 PM, June 9, 2004
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
North Gate Hall library

The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) presents:
"Forget New York, Part 2: The Books That Bay Area Publishers Buy”

Got an idea for a book with a distinctly left-coast perspective? Want to work with editors who share your orientation? Curious why some publishers choose to do business 3,000 miles from the capital of the publishing industry? Come to this year s hottest book forum as the American Society of Journalists and Authors brings you:

Eric Brandt from Harper San Francisco;
Alan Rapp from Chronicle Books;
Aaron Wehner from Ten Speed Press
Bill Newlin from Avalon Publishing Group/Seal Press

For the second in ASJA’s series of forums exploring the Bay Area’s literary culture, book editors will tell you what they re looking for -- and how their interests differ from the fashions and trends driving New York editors.

Admission to the panel discussion is free, but please RSVP to Laird Harrison with an e-mail to laird_harrison@yahoo.com or by calling Laird at 510-530-6699. There is no need to be an ASJA member to attend.

Also let Laird know if you’d like to schmooze with other professional writers over DINNER at 5:30 p.m. in a nearby restaurant before the panel.

Location: On the UC Berkeley campus at the corner of Hearst and Euclid. Directions are online.

FREELANCE WRITERS LIVING IN OAKLAND…BEWARE!!

The cash-strapped Oakland City Council voted to assess freelance writers $3.60 for every $1,000 in gross receipts. They are still deciding how far back to assess the taxes and penalties, and whether to exempt people reporting less than $5,000 or so in revenues.

You can read the whole SF Chronicle story online.

SCIENCE WRITER’S SUPPORT GROUP

Kathleen Wong, a science writer in Oakland, sends this invitation: Three professional science and environmental writers who meet twice a month in downtown San Francisco to critique one another’s work are looking for a few more professional scribes.

The work they share includes news articles, essays, book proposals, queries/pitches, and features, but not fiction. The idea is to sharpen writing and reporting skills, suggest possible publication outlets, and recommend good sources.

If you’re interested, please send an email that introduces your work and interests, and a couple of clips to katwong@nasw.org or bayariel@earthlink.net.