NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Now Open

Sunshine Week March 15-21, 2026

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Now Open

Contest submissions now open! We are accepting entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists  for our 2026 Annual Columnist Contest (for work published in 2025). We will accept entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists published in 2025.  Everyone is welcome to submit. You don’t have to be an NSNC member.

Sunshine Week March 15-21, 2026

We’re counting down to #SunshineWeek 2026, March 15-21. Together, we champion #OpenRecords and #OpenGovernment nationwide March 15-21. #FOIA #transparency. Free resources: sunshineweek.org

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization [501(c)3] devoted to the education and training of new and experienced columnists everywhere. Donate here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/NSNCEdFnd

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

We are excited for What’s in-store for NSNC members this year. We are gearing up to launch the NSNC Annual Columnist Contest on January 15, so you’ll want to be sure your membership is up-to-date. Also, if you have ideas, suggestions, etc., please share them with our President Meredith Cummings at meredithcummings@gmail.com or Executive Director Ginny McCabe at nsncdirector@gmail.com. Thank you for your support of NSNC!

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.

Print Magazines vs. Internet

Major magazines have been attempting to promote the print version of their publications. They have been running an ad campaign to promote print versions rather than digital format according to an article in the New York Times. Ads seem to actually attack the Internet. For example, one part of the ad campaign says, “Magazines don’t…

A Question of Journalistic Ethics

Contest Entries Pile Up

Newspaper Guild President Bernie Lunzer questions a newspaper’s decision to seek corporate donations to fund a trip to Afghanistan. Lunzer reports, “A financial arrangement between The New Hampshire Union Leader – the state’s largest daily newspaper – and several Granite State businesses that has allowed the paper’s publisher to report from Afghanistan is pushing the…