Archives for 2015

‘Freelance Isn’t Free’ Bill Introduced

NEW YORK — December 7, 2015 — About 80 freelancers gathered on the City Hall steps in support of a bill introduced in the New York City Council that would protect freelancers against non-payment. The #FreelanceIsn’tfree Act would penalize clients who refuse to pay freelancers within 30 days, and would subject them to double damages, […]

NWU 2015 Highlights

NWU 2015 Highlights January 12-13: Talks in NYC with Zhejiang Provincial Writers Association, People’s Republic of China; March 8-10: NWU delegates attend UAW New York State Lobby Conference in Albany, NY; March 24-26: Our delegates participate in UAW Collective Bargaining Convention in Detroit, MI; May 1-3: NWU president attends PFUJ Conference in Karachi,Pakistan as part […]

Freelancers Break Laquan McDonald Story

  By now, almost everyone has seen at least a piece of the Chicago police video of the cold-blooded murder of 17-year-old African-American youth Laquan McDonald. He was killed by white Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in October, 2014, but police video of the shooting was suppressed until a court ordered its November 2015 […]

Libraries in Crisis

Citizens Defending Libraries (CDL), a group dedicated to preserving and developing libraries in New York—instead of selling them off to real estate developers—held a special night of entertainment on October 10 in Brooklyn. The evening honored libraries and looked at the forces behind the crises they face. Billed as “an evening of comedy and drama,” […]

We Are One: Celebrating Workers Stories

Labor activists and leaders joined rank and file workers recently to celebrate the release of a beautiful book of photos and oral histories featuring American union members. Actor and activist Danny Glover; former UAW President Bob King, NYS Commissioner of Labor Roberta Reardon; UAW Division 9A Director Julie Kushner; and PSC/CUNY Welfare Fund’s Larry Morgan […]

President’s Report ~ December 2015

2015 In Review We may look back on 2015 as a watershed year for the NWU: We made difficult decisions and long-needed changes that could give our union a new lease on life. For example, this year the national office cut expenses by more than $60,000, while our delegates approved a modest dues increase for […]

Hybrid Author: Self + Conventional Publishing

Writing, editing, and publishing a book with a publishing house is hard. You have to collaborate with your editor, cover designer, and production team. You have to follow house rules. You need to meet deadlines and be on time. Writing, editing, and publishing a book by yourself is also hard. Forget a pre-assigned editor and […]

Notes on Writing a Novel

Each morning I confirm my purpose as a writer with a ritual: My perpetually open bedroom blinds serve as a visual alarm. Checking the weather and tides app on my phone help me determine if the day’s exercise will be rowing or hiking. Reviewing news alerts confirm that life still exists outside of my door. […]

Are Websites Stealing Your Work?

We keep hearing from people who see their articles or book chapters reprinted in blogs, or offered for sale on various websites, without their knowledge or consent. One member recently demanded payment from such a blog, and got it. But if that fails, you can have the work removed by invoking the Digital Millennium Copyright Act […]

NWU Condemns All Terror Attacks

The National Writers Union condemns in the strongest possible terms, the brutal terrorist attacks that took place in Paris on November 13. We also condemn similar attacks that took place in Beirut on November 11, at a funeral in Baghdad the previous week, and the bombing of the Russian commercial flight traveling from Sharm al-Sheikh […]