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In This Issue:
Message from Executive Director Ginny McCabe
A Word from Our President Lori Duff
NSNC's Annual Column Contest
Webinar "Indie Publishing: What's the Big Deal?"
Join Us for Student Press Freedom Day
Industry News
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Message from Executive Director
Ginny McCabe
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Greetings,
We are receiving a lot of amazing entries in our 2023 Columnist Contest! If you haven't entered yet, you can enter your work here: https://nsnc.submittable.com/submit. Good luck to all.
Also, there are several things coming up in Febuary that we wanted to let you know about. First, NSNC will present "Indie Publishing: What's the Big Deal?" with Jim Azevedo of Draft2Digital on Friday, Feb. 3, from noon to 1 p.m. EST. You won't want to miss this! Get your tickets here.
NSNC is also pleased to partner with Student Law Press Center in February. Join us for the fifth annual Student Press Freedom Day on Thurs., Feb. 23, as student journalists across the United States raise awareness of the challenges they face, celebrate their contributions to their schools and communities, and take actions to protect and restore their First Amendment freedoms.
All the best,
Ginny McCabe
Executive Director, National Society of Newspaper Columnists
NSNCdirector@gmail.com
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Message from National Society of Newspaper
Columnists President Lori Duff
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Welcome to 2023! I know—I have trouble believing it, too. I only just stopped writing 2021 on my checks.
We have an exciting year coming up for NSNC. We’re in the process of planning what promises to be a bang-up virtual conference, and we’ll have plenty of webinars along the way for those of you who can’t wait. In the meantime, be sure to polish up "the best of 2022" to submit for our annual contest.
I’m not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions. Most days, survival seems hard enough without adding the extra layer of self-improvement projects that aren’t likely to happen. I’m here to tell you: the efforts you’ve been making, they’re already extraordinary. As a writer, you’re doing the hard work even now. You’re throwing thoughtful ideas out in the universe, giving mental nutrition to a world which sometimes seems to be intellectually starving. This is no small task.
When you do this, you expose yourself. You poke trolls in the belly. You invite cyberbullies
into your home and workspace. Sometimes, they come in person and do real harm.
There’s no such thing as a non-controversial idea. If you don’t believe me, just post something simple like, “I’d like to take a trip around the world” on social media and wait for someone who believes the Earth is flat to criticize your use of the word “around.”
But you keep on keeping on, honing your craft, sharing it with the world, and feeding a hungry world the words and thoughts it needs. Good for you.
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Start the New Year with NSNC
- Are you the next Columnist Contest winner? Submissions are now open
- Don't miss our exciting webinar on indie book publishing
- Send us your news so we can highlight you in the next newsletter
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Enter the 2023
Columnist Contest
National Society of Newspaper Columnists Annual Column Contest
Opens: January 1, 2023 8:00 a.m. (EST)
Closes: March 31, 2023 11:59 p.m. (EST)
For Registration & General Guidelines visit: nsnc.submittable.com/submit
Email Adam Earnheardt, contest chair, with any questions at acearnheardt@ysu.edu.
"The NSNC Annual Columnist Contest gives us a chance to acknowledge our colleagues for their outstanding contributions. We look forward to receiving this year's submissions."
- NSNC Director, Ginny McCabe
Submit today! You could be this year's winner and get published in our newsletter and be recognized at the NSNC annual conference.
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Don't Miss NSNC's Webinar
with Jim Azevedo of Draft2Digital
Who Will Share a Firsthand Perspective
on the Rise of the Indie Book Market
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NSNC February Webinar
What: Join National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC)
for a Zoom webinar
with Jim Azevedo of Draft2Digital
When: Fri., Feb. 3, from noon to 1 p.m. EST
Session Title: Indie Publishing: What's the Big Deal?
Description: In the last 15 years, the publishing industry witnessed not one, but two sea change events. The first was the democratization of the industry, circa 2008. The second was the merger of the two largest indie publishing platforms, Draft2Digital (D2D) and Smashwords, in March 2022. The union of D2D and Smashwords created a self-publishing juggernaut overnight, added to the legitimacy of the indie author movement, and ensured that even more writers will achieve their dreams of becoming published authors. We’ll talk about why the merger happened and why it’s a “big deal” for indie authors and publishers.
Cost: Early-bird registration rate through Sun., Jan. 15:
$19 for NSNC members and $39 for non-members
Note: early-bird ticket sales end at 11:59 p.m. on Sun., Jan. 15.
After Jan. 15 regular registration rates:
$25 for NSNC members and $50 for non-members
Register Today for Webinar Feb. 3 "Indie Publishing"
registration link
Questions or more info., email: nsncdirector@gmail.com
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Jim Azevedo is the Corporate Communications Manager at Draft2Digital, having joined the company in March 2022 as part of the Smashwords acquisition. As marketing director at Smashwords since 2011, Jim helped the company grow from representing 35,000 indie authors and publishers who released 80,000 titles, to more than 150,000 authors and publishers who published over 590,000 titles. Draft2Digital offers a broad suite of free and powerful automated and self-serve tools that authors, and publishers, can use to build and manage their publishing businesses. This includes tools to simplify e-book and print publishing, distribution, metadata management, and marketing.
Following its acquisition of Smashwords, Draft2Digital now serves more than 250,000 authors and publishers who’ve collectively published over 930,000 e-books and 24,000 print books.
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Join us for the fifth annual Student Press Freedom Day on Feb. 23, as student journalists across the United States raise awareness of the challenges they face, celebrate their contributions to their schools and communities, and take actions to protect and restore their First Amendment freedoms.
The Student Press Law Center (SPLC) created Student Press Freedom Day to give student journalists a platform to advocate for press freedom in their communities. We support the advocates with our legal and policy expertise, by educating them on their rights, and through a grant program that aims to make hosting an event easy.
The theme for Student Press Freedom Day 2023 is "Bold Journalism & Brave Advocacy."
Participate in expert-led training workshops, an op-ed coaching program, student-led community forums, and a letter-writing party on behalf of New Voices. Or get creative and plan your own Student Press Freedom Day activities! Your involvement is what makes the day truly impactful.
Op-Ed Boot Camp
A fan-favorite annual event, the virtual Op-Ed Boot Camp is the perfect opportunity for student journalists to take your op-ed writing and pitching skills to the next level! Tune in on Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT where you’ll learn from Steve Holmes (formerly of the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN) and get tips from fellow students who have successfully placed op-eds in major media outlets. Register here.
Student Press Freedom 101: Watch the recording, with surprise guest Cathy Kuhlmeier of the landmark Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988) Supreme Court case.
The best way to stay in the loop about all the exciting ways to get involved this year is by signing up for Student Press Freedom Day email updates. You’ll get first access to event registration, talking points, a toolkit, and more!
National Society of Newspaper Columnists is a partner of SPLC for Student Press Freedom Day.
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(Photo/John Partipilo)
Peter Cooper, Celebrated Nashville Music Journalist, Singer, and Country Hall of Fame Exec, Dies at 52
| Peter Cooper, an award-winning country music journalist and Grammy-nominated musician, passed away on Dec. 6, after suffering a head injury from a fall. He was 52. Cooper moved to Nashville in 2000 to join The Tennessean as a music writer. | | |
The Passing of Michael Lindenberger | The University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law and the Brandeis community are profoundly saddened by the loss of alumnus Michael Lindenberger, class of '06. Lindenberger, 51, was an active alumnus and recently won a 2022 Pulitzer for Editorial Writing in May for his work on the series The Big Lie, and two earlier pieces published in the aftermath of the 2021 January Capitol Insurrection. | | | |
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists would like to extended our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of these dear colleagues.
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Call for Newsletters, Podcasts, Book Announcements, and Good News
We're rounding up a list of ways we can feature you, your writing, your podcasts, your newsletters. Please send information about:
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Your newsletter (its link, how to subscribe, whether it is paid or free, etc.);
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Your podcast (how to access it, what it's called, its cover art, etc.);
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Your upcoming book release (title, how to buy it, book cover, and author headshot);
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Anything else you want to let us know about that doesn't fit into the above categories.
Our hope is to feature these items in newsletters and social media as space allows. Send your item(s) to Debbie West, newsletter editor, at westdeb7@gmail.com. Preference will be given to current NSNC members.
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Join Us in the NSNC Writing Space on Zoom
Join us! See our meeting times and details -- on Wednesdays and Sundays -- below.
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Sundays
Pacific Time: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (PDT)
Mountain Time: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (MT)
Central Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Eastern Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon (EDT)
Meeting ID: 958 8989 6420
Passcode: 940130
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Wednesdays
Pacific Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (PDT)
Mountain Time: 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (MT)
Central Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (CT)
Eastern Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EDT)
Meeting ID: 964 7713 8466
Passcode: 861637
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The National Society of Newspaper Columnists invites you to our Wednesday and Sunday “NSNC Writing Space” where friends get together, write quietly and get our projects done! Email Suzette Martinez Standring to be put on a reminder email.
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National Society of Newspaper Columnists | |
Editor
Debbie West
Copy Editor
Dave Astor
This Newsletter
The Columnist is the newsletter for members of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. By columnists we include bloggers, vloggers, indeed all writers of the serial essay, where the work is published in newspapers, magazines, and other print media, on personal and major websites, and in video and audio formats. The Columnist aims to educate, inform, and entertain as well as announce members' latest books and news. It is delivered electronically on a monthly basis.
Email Updates
Please email changes in address and other news items to NSNC Newsletter Editor Debbie West at westdeb7@gmail.com.
Postal Mailing Address
205 Gun Hill Street
Milton, MA 02186
Facebook
Twitter @NSNCgroup
Your Membership
NSNC remains one of the best bargains in membership in writers groups or other associations, $75 a year. Details are at our website's Join or Renew page.
NSNC Statement of Purpose
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists promotes professionalism and camaraderie among columnists and other writers of the serial essay, including bloggers. NSNC advocates for columnists and free-press issues.
Some Fine Print
The editor and NSNC board reserve the judgment whether to publish information in The Columnist, on the NSNC website columnists.com, and/or through one or more of NSNC's social media accounts, or at all.
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