John Bohannon talks to the Scholarly Kitchen about his Science magazine investigation of open access journals and responds to criticism about his study's methods: "The 304 publishers that I probed in this investigation were not a small sample of the population of fee-charging open access publishers, but rather the complete set," he said. "There seems to be widespread confusion about this point." More from CJR.
Science writing news
It's ditched its paywall, given up on Kindle singles, and now wants to raise money through NPR-style membership drives. All in all, it's been a rocky first year for the online long-form site MATTER, and you can read the details in this unsigned update. Also, co-founder Jim Giles says it's been hard to find content: "I’ve talked to a lot of writers who say, 'Oh yeah yeah, I heard about you' … Well, we’re here and we have money — pitch us."
Jane Friedman offers a series of tips for getting the word out about your book — from working with bookstores to strategic giveaways of free copies: "Remember that a comprehensive book-marketing campaign uses a combination of tactics to reach readers. It would be unusual to focus solely on social media, or solely on events, to generate word of mouth. The best approach combines online and offline components, and if done right, each amplifies and strengthens the other."
Just in time for Black Friday, here's a list of gifts for writers, assembled by the people behind The Science Writers' Handbook. There are the obligatory caffeine-related items, plus surfing camps and yurts. On the more practical side, however, check out the plug-in charger that "lets a budding Hemingway charge his smartphone, tablet, and other devices and protects his computer from power surges while on the road or hanging about in cafes."
Freelancer Brenda Goodman saw a story about scientific research on human-chicken interactions, which led her to write on the ACHJ site about two databases for looking up health research grants: "In this era of sequestration cuts, what research projects have wrangled scarce public dollars in this country?" Goodman writes. She then explains how to use the Tracking Accountability in Government Grants system and the Research Online Grant Reporting Tools (RePORT) database.
The traditional ways of acquiring new clients for her consulting business still work, Denise Graveline reports, but her two blogs have become her most important tools: "Most of my business comes from referrals, but these days, the referrals come through my blogs as often as from satisfied clients. I easily get 50 percent and often more of my business from my blog readers. Even when a prospective client comes in via a contact, she has usually read either or both blogs."
Throughout the year, we will be releasing videos or excerpts of selected NASW professional development workshop session to share with those unable to attend [ScienceWriters2013](http://www.sciencewriters2013.org). The first session released is [The XX Question](http://www.sciencewriters2013.org/sessions/d1-xx-question.html), taped on Saturday, November 2, 2013.
From transom.org, "a showcase and workshop for new public radio," here are pointers from 25 correspondents, from stars like Susan Stamberg and Bob Edwards to others less well-known. Here's Faith Salie of the Sundance Channel on what not to ask: "In college we would roll our eyes at peers who asked 'flex questions.' Those were the kind of questions that didn’t seek answers but rather sought to demonstrate the insight and acumen of the questioner."
Josh Roiland bravely analyzes Hunter S. Thompson's "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved." When the gonzo master confesses that his notes are a mess, Roiland cheers his transparency: "I am not arguing in favor of exaggeration or fabrication, but I believe Thompson’s inclusion of the whiskey-stained notebook denotes an essential moment of self-accounting … Thompson’s facts may be blurry, but readers understand and recalibrate their expectations accordingly."