Eig is a former writer and editor for the Chicago bureau of the Wall Street Journal and former executive editor of Chicago magazine. He is the author of two best-sellers: Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig and Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season.

A brief business meeting and election of officers will precede the program.

The meeting will be held in Room 5033 (a change for September through November) at National-Louis University, 122 S. Michigan Avenue (across from the Art Institute) in Chicago. Networking with snacks and beverage begins at 5 p.m., followed by the program at 6 p.m. The meeting is free for all IWOC members. Nonmembers pay $15. Plan to stay for a buy-your-own dinner at the Exchequer Restaurant and Pub on Wabash, a haunt frequented by Capone. (He probably would have picked up the tab for everybody. He liked writers and reporters.)

IWOCFest Reprise

Though it had been a scorching day, the Pegasus rooftop was surprisingly comfortable as IWOCers and guests munched happily on plates of Greek delicacies, sipped wine, and exchanged war stories. There was a good crowd, though we missed a few of the usual familiar faces. We topped off the evening with a wonderful cake in honor of the upcoming wedding of our president Roger Rueff and our board secretary, Jennifer Lyng. The surprised couple — we think they were surprised — also received two bottles of French wine to commemorate their engagement, which took place in France. One bottle was ”dressed” as a bride, the other as a groom. (The object they're holding in the picture is a fondant ”playbill“ announcing a production by Roger starring Jennifer.) Our thanks to Sara Klose for arranging these additions to an already festive evening. Naturally, all these goodies called for a round of toasts to conclude a wonderful party.

July Meeting Reprise
IWOC’s July speaker, Amy Guth, is digital news editor for books for the Chicago Tribune’s Media Group, host, ChicagoNow radio at WGN Radio, and Managing Editor at So New Publishing. Guth gave a lively and entertaining presentation for an appreciative audience. She spoke about the online writing scene, using examples from her own background to tell how she parlayed a freelance career, using networking and online gigs among other techniques, into better and better situations, culminating in her present positions. If one googles Guth, one finds that she is on Twitter, LinkedIn, and a myriad of other sites. Her extensive — and varied — activities have provided her with numerous opportunities, and that fact wasn’t lost on the audience. Guth’s example gave more than one writer new resolve to get his or her name out there in the digital media.

June Meeting Reprise
Guest speaker Gary Glenn, an avid sailing enthusiast, spiced his carefully crafted presentation on how he grew his business in a down economy with nautical metaphors. Though at first blush it might seem that the how-tos of creating a thriving high-quality embroidery business would have little transfer to making a success of an independent writing endeavor, that proved not to be true. Glenn emphasized delivering top quality, giving the customer/client what he or she wants on time, and being able to shift strategies — “tack in a different direction” — when the situation warrants. Glenn accompanied his remarks with an entertaining visual presentation that reinforced the strategic details. Glenn's comment that he chose the embroidery business because "I knew absolutely nothing about it, and I wanted to learn" inspired more than one writer to ponder the possible rewards of learning about a new field of writing that might be in demand in this recessionary economy. Altogether, it was a very successful evening, and the audience left with the feeling that, with careful planning, they could stay the course and even venture successfully into uncharted waters.

May Meeting Reprise
In May, IWOCers and guests gathered to get answers to vexing writing problems they had enountered and to share their own tips on how they had found ways to jump the hurdles presented by work slowdowns, problem clients, billing, and other tricky issues almost all writers face. Led by moderator Jeff Steele, the excellent panel of our own experts included Michelle Beuscher, Diana Schneidman, and Stewart Truelsen. Tips on how to weather the current economic downturn included: “Don't get too comfortable with the current market. Always be on the lookout for something new/the next hot thing” (Truelsen) and “Make cold calls, as many as 50 a day” (Schneidman). From Steele: “Always give clients exactly what they want.” And from Beuscher: “Pitch to magazines that tie in with your background.” Inevitably, there were questions about how to handle slow- or no-pay clients. Suggestions here ranged from “Get upfront money” to “Use letters of agreement (or contracts)” to Place your efforts with clients who (you know) will pay.” Overall, it was a spirited and helpful meeting, and many attendees voiced the opinion that we ought to do this a lot more often. (Picture caption: back left to right: Jeff Steele, Stewart Truelsen; front left to right: Diana Schneidman, Michelle Beuscher.)

April Meeting Reprise
IWOC’s social media chair Jay Rodriguez spoke to a packed house at the April meeting. The audience came to hear how they could use Facebook to promote their businesses, and they were well-rewarded. In a fast-paced screen presentation, Rodriguez detailed the making of a Facebook fan page that can lure clients to our websites. (Rodriguez stressed that without a website, a fan page is not nearly as useful for business promotion.)

Facebook is the second-largest website in the world, trailing only Google, with more than 4M active users, so it is an ideal venue for writers to brand themselves. Rodriguez suggested that we make sure our websites are ready for the traffic before we build the Facebook fan page. Among his other tips: add a blog to your website, create a marketing calendar, get acquainted with people whom you do not know who visit your fan page, put relevant material on your fan page to generate discussions, sign up for Google analytics to learn about the traffic to your page, and so much more. He also gave us a preview of the soon-to-launch IWOC fan page. Everyone was thrilled with the terrific amount of imformation, and we left with a new resolve to launch our own Facebook fan pages.

IWOC Workshops/Seminars  IWOC periodically offers workshops and seminars to help writers advance their skills and/or to introduce them to new fields of writing. These professional development events are open to the public as well as to IWOC members. Nonmembers can get a reduced member rate if they join IWOC on or before the date of the workshop. Watch this space for upcoming offerings.

IWOC Greet-Meet-Eat Local Get-Togethers

IWOC welcomes nonmembers at these informal gatherings. Come and network with fellow writers in your community. It's best to get in touch with the contact person first, though, in case of a time or venue change.

First Thursday of every month: IWORP Monthly Breakfast (Independent Writers of Rogers Park). The Rogers Park and North Side IWOCers meet at 9:00 a.m. at the A&T Grill, 7036N. Clark St., Chicago. For more information, call Esther Manewith at 773/274-6215.

Fourth Tuesday of every month: IWOOP Monthly Lunch (Independent Writers of Oak Park). Join near western suburbanites at noon at Poor Phil's, 139 Marion Street, Oak Park. For more information, call Barbara Dillard at 312/642-3065 or e-mail her at bdbusiness@sbcglobal.net The Far North Group and the Streeterville Group are currently inactive. If you're interested in reviving them — or starting another group — check out your directory and find others who live in your area. It's easy to do via e-mail, and the get-togethers are a great way to get to know other IWOCers better. If you get a group going, notify webmaster@iwoc.org so we can post notices of your meetings.

Notices of Events of Other Organizations

Illinois Women's Press Association (IWPA)
Next event TBA.
email iwpa@comcast.net.

International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
Next event TBA.

Contact: Kathy Short, 773-262-2433, info@iabcchicago.com
Website: www.iabcchicago.com