It is nearly always beneficial to join a professional organization for support and information when one embarks on a career.  I am a member of the Popular Culture Association, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, and the Editorial Freelancers Association. I have enjoyed participating in conferences and reading the resources of each. The EFA, however, has been the most helpful to me as a freelancer.

It was so helpful to me, in fact, that I organized a chapter in Sacramento. Our members and guests have a wide range of backgrounds and specialties, and we have interest from EFA members as far away as Santa Cruz to the south and Reno to the north.

The organization meets on the last Monday of each month (holidays excepted– the website has the most current info) at Sacramento’s premier downtown co-working space, Thinkhouse Collective, 7 pm.

The topics of our meetings do occasionally engage writers of all kinds, not just freelance editors. September’s meeting, for instance, will feature an independent publisher talking about How to Start Your Own Press. October’s meeting will be about Generative Writing.

July NorCal EFA meeting will be on Marketing Oneself Monday, July 25, 2011 (7:00 pm) at our regular meeting space, the beautiful Thinkhouse Collective in downtown Sacramento. Kristin Singhasemanon, owner of Satin Web Solutions, and Chris Wilson, owner of Word Design and Get Healthy Copy, will be presenting on the topic of professional marketing strategies to solicit clients for our editorial freelancing businesses.

Join our Yahoo Group to be on the mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EFA-NoCal/?yguid=403201762