Save the Date - NSNC 2024 Virtual Conference - July 19 and 20

Call for Entries - 2024 NSNC Annual Columnist Contest

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

Registration Open - Erma Home Schooling

Call for Entries - 2024 NSNC Annual Columnist Contest

Submissions Now Open - NSNC Annual Columnist Contest - Enter Today! National Society of Newspaper Columnists Annual Column Contest Open: January 15, 2024 8:00 a.m. (EST) Closes: April 15, 2024 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. Submit your best work! You could be one of this year's winners!

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

Hope your New Year is off to an amazing start. We are excited for What’s in-store for NSNC members this year. We will also be launching our annual contest in January, so you’ll want to be sure your membership is up-to-date. Also, if you have ideas, suggestions, etc., please share with our president, Lori Duff, at lori@loriduffwrites.com or myself at nsncdirector@gmail.com Blessings to all!

Registration Open - Erma Home Schooling

The Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop is sold out, but it’s not too late for writers to experience the conference’s special blend of joy and laughter, support, and inspiration. Registration is open for Erma Home Schooling, a package that includes five keynotes live-streamed from the in-person workshop as well as four exclusive workshops. Early bird rate: $199 by March 1. The fee is $225 after March 1. Go to https://udayton.edu/blogs/erma/2023/12/doordash_erma.php for details.

Food, Shelter, and Columns

President’s Message    By Ben S. Pollock NSNC President One morning I woke up presuming I could start this month’s column with, “Hello, I have a story to tell,” and wing it. I didn’t have a clue where to go from there, though. It’s OK not to have a story. I figured out a principle…

Son of Erma Bombeck has Kidney Transplant

Dayton Daily News reported that Matt Bombeck, youngest son of beloved humor columnist Erma Bombeck, recently underwent a kidney transplant. Erma Bombeck inspired people worldwide with her columns and books about life’s trials and tribulations. The polycystic kidney disease that made the transplant necessary is an inherited condition. This same disease is the one that…

Guide to Publishing Your e-Book

you, the columnist By Dave Lieber Fort Worth Star-Telegram Columnist www.YankeeCowboy.com Are you ready to publish an e-book? When I decided this summer to jump in to this rapidly-growing market, I searched the Internet for an up-to-date guide showing how to do it yourself, who to contact and what the difficulties are. Couldn’t find one.…

In the December Newsletter

Some holiday time gifts: no dues increase and a super, thoroughly-researched “Guide to Publishing Your e-Book” by Dave Lieber. Conference 2011 announcement: June 23-26 at the Westin Book-Cadillac in Detroit. President Ben Pollock tells why essayists and storytellers (i.e. both columnists) are necessary. News about the Bruce Cameron-Cathryn Michon wedding and other notable achievements by…

Astor: How to Lose Your Loyal Subscribers

Dave Astor scored again with his Huffington Post article on how a newspaper can alienate loyal subscribers. The basic steps are loosely listed below, but Astor tells it much better and much funnier. STEP 1 – Have a newspaper that is not bad as dailies go, and doesn’t cost much. STEP 2 – Buyout half…

Video: Suzette Interviews Zezima

Suzette Martinez Standring

It’s All Write With Suzette, Guest: Jerry Zezima – Humor Writing from Suzette Standring on Vimeo. It’s All Write With Suzette is a how-to writing program for novice and seasoned columnists covering various aspects column writing and book authorship.