National Association of Independent Writers & Editors
Member Benefit #20
The National Association of Independent Writers and Editors has hundreds of recorded webinars that are available to you to aid you in building up your skills and opening new windows to expand your income streams. NAIWE members receive $20 off any on-demand training!
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
Author: Mark A. Prelas
This is a biographical and autobiographical story, primarily about the author’s parents through their struggles of hiding their true identities of Jewish ancestry.
Mark Prelas begins by describing what life was like during the Great Depression when his mother, Katheryn, who was born in 1921, was growing up. Life was hard — bartering was a regular occurrence and using money was a rare luxury — but it was good. And then at the age of 18, his mother was taken from her home to become a slave laborer in Germany.
The author shares a lot of historical information so the reader can understand what life was like for each of his parents growing up before and during the Great Depression, and then the effect of Germany invading Poland. The author describes each parent’s numerous near-death experiences and then the encounter of his parents meeting one another.
While not written in a narrative format, this journey relays important information about historical events that should be captured in time and in words for others to experience and learn from. This book provides remarkable details that the author was able to obtain before his mother’s passing in 2014.
As a special addition to the book, the author includes family photos and further holocaust resource information. The publication of this book is a wonderful tribute to the author’s parents.
Many people find the need to hire a freelancer, but where can they find one that takes their career seriously? At NAIWE, we offer a free searchable database, which can be accessed by members and nonmembers.
NAIWE members can be listed in NAIWE’s free searchable database once they have completed their business information! Instead of just hoping for traffic, NAIWE members have the confidence that anyone can easily find your NAIWE website. You’ll be able to communicate with readers and potential clients through the information on your NAIWE site.
April Michelle Davis has been the executive director of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE) since 2018. Prior to that, she was NAIWE’s Social Media Marketing Expert. NAIWE is an association that focuses on career building for writers, editors, and other professionals in the publishing industry by developing multiple streams of income; it helps its members market their products and services through social media, newsletters, and more.
She is also the coordinator for the Virginia chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association, a lifetime member of the American Copy Editors Society, and a freelance editor, indexer, proofreader, and author. April Michelle has taught courses through her own company, Editorial Inspirations, as well as for associations and colleges on topics such as editing, indexing, grammar, writing, and creating macros.
Her credentials include a master’s degree in publishing from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Messiah College, as well as certificates in editing (University of Virginia), book publishing (University of Virginia), and professional editing (EEI Communications).
April Michelle has shared her insights about her career development by contributing quotes and vignettes to several books. She has presented sessions on various editorial topics to many groups, including the Virginia Writers Club, the Communication Central conference, Randolph-Macon College, the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, the EFA, Copyediting newsletter, RavenCon, and the Hanover Book Festival. In addition, April Michelle has published four books.
Member Benefit #19
Each month, we feature a member of the NAIWE Board of Experts on a topic that is designed to help you grow in your field. Our experts are successful full-time publishing professionals, and they impart a lot of wisdom in an hour (or sometimes more).
Members attend at a discounted rate of $10 for each webinar. (Some webinars are even free to members!) Nonmembers may register for individual webinars at $30 each. Just attending the monthly classes without joining the association would add up to $360 for a year, so this is a benefit of great value.
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
The Scientist, the Psychic, and the Nut
A scientist is naturally filled with curiosity and a lot of questions, but when Beth discovers that her recently deceased Aunt Kathleen was her mother, Beth is filled with more questions and heartache about never truly knowing her biological mother, nor who her father was.
The Scientist, the Psychic, and the Nut is filled with suspense, history, and science — all happening simultaneously while Beth and her husband leave Colorado to go on a Caribbean vacation!
To escape the sadness of the loss of her aunt–mother (and honor a dying woman’s advice), Beth books a vacation to rekindle the love she had for her husband. However, Beth also plans to use the trip to look into the history of the area where her aunt–mother lived with her lover (and perhaps Beth’s father) for the last 50 years.
The author, Charlene Bell Dietz, captures the mundane in life while also adding a little bit of mystery to keep readers’ interest. She uses both dialogue and prose to show the bantering of two people who have been married for many years.
A book of love, loss, and change, The Scientist, the Psychic, and the Nut brings about mystery through Beth’s many questions and women’s intuition while her husband’s skepticism and the island residents aloofness keep her grounded in reality — but without any answers.
NAIWE believes that training is essential to keep your skills up-to-date and even to gain new skills to boost your success.
With this in mind, NAIWE offers webinars each month, which members and nonmembers may attend, to become familiar with new subject matter, learn new skills, polish existing talents, and get their questions answered by experts.
All of these webinars are also recorded so you can access them in On-Demand Training at a time that is convenient to you!
April Michelle Davis has been the executive director of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE) since 2018. Prior to that, she was NAIWE’s Social Media Marketing Expert. NAIWE is an association that focuses on career building for writers, editors, and other professionals in the publishing industry by developing multiple streams of income; it helps its members market their products and services through social media, newsletters, and more.
She is also the coordinator for the Virginia chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association, a lifetime member of the American Copy Editors Society, and a freelance editor, indexer, proofreader, and author. April Michelle has taught courses through her own company, Editorial Inspirations, as well as for associations and colleges on topics such as editing, indexing, grammar, writing, and creating macros.
Her credentials include a master’s degree in publishing from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Messiah College, as well as certificates in editing (University of Virginia), book publishing (University of Virginia), and professional editing (EEI Communications).
April Michelle has shared her insights about her career development by contributing quotes and vignettes to several books. She has presented sessions on various editorial topics to many groups, including the Virginia Writers Club, the Communication Central conference, Randolph-Macon College, the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, the EFA, Copyediting newsletter, RavenCon, and the Hanover Book Festival. In addition, April Michelle has published four books.
Member Benefit #18
The Member’s Library provides articles written by current and former members of our Board of Experts on many industry-related topics to help your business grow. Topics include
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
The primary focus of NAIWE is to support its members as they create multiple streams of income and develop the marketing components of their career.
Therefore, the members benefits that NAIWE highlights the most relate to marketing the products and services of its members.
Your NAIWE Website. You may have read about how a strong presence on the web can build your publishing-related career, but you may not have wanted to spend a lot of time and money creating a website from the ground up. As a member of NAIWE, a professionally-designed website will be available to you. Adding content to your new website is as easy as typing an email, and you will be provided simple how-to instructions to get you started.
Your NAIWE Blog. A feature of your NAIWE website is a blog where you can reach out to readers and potential clients with business breakthroughs, new books published, speaking engagements, articles, tips, news, resources, and more! Every time you post on your NAIWE blog, NAIWE will re-post it on its social media accounts, expanding your reach even further!
NAIWE Newsletter. Posts on your NAIWE blog may be promoted in The Edge: Success Strategies for People Who Work With Words, which is the NAIWE newsletter that has a subscriber list of over 9,000, as of January 2024. Both members and prospective clients subscribe to The Edge, so your blog posts promoted in the newsletter become calling cards to introduce yourself and advertise your books and services.
NAIWE Social Media Marketing. The posts you share on your member website are eligible to be promoted on NAIWE’s social media pages. Many post titles and links are posted on NAIWE’s social media to increase your readership.
Guest Posts on the NAIWE Blog. As a NAIWE member, you may guest post on the NAIWE blog. All guest posts will include a member byline and a link to the member’s active NAIWE website.
Guest Articles in The Edge. The Edge: Success Strategies for People Who Work with Words is the NAIWE monthly newsletter that encourages and equips publishing professionals. It features information about NAIWE, professional development opportunities, and engaging material written by NAIWE members.
NAIWE Podcast. Members have the opportunity to be interviewed on the NAIWE podcast. This benefit has great PR potential, as you can post the recording of your podcast interview on your own site. This interview will provide an opportunity for you to share your story with readers or potential clients and network with other members. And the positive press helps to build your career!
April Michelle Davis has been the executive director of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE) since 2018. Prior to that, she was NAIWE’s Social Media Marketing Expert. NAIWE is an association that focuses on career building for writers, editors, and other professionals in the publishing industry by developing multiple streams of income; it helps its members market their products and services through social media, newsletters, and more.
She is also the coordinator for the Virginia chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association, a lifetime member of the American Copy Editors Society, and a freelance editor, indexer, proofreader, and author. April Michelle has taught courses through her own company, Editorial Inspirations, as well as for associations and colleges on topics such as editing, indexing, grammar, writing, and creating macros.
Her credentials include a master’s degree in publishing from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Messiah College, as well as certificates in editing (University of Virginia), book publishing (University of Virginia), and professional editing (EEI Communications).
April Michelle has shared her insights about her career development by contributing quotes and vignettes to several books. She has presented sessions on various editorial topics to many groups, including the Virginia Writers Club, the Communication Central conference, Randolph-Macon College, the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, the EFA, Copyediting newsletter, RavenCon, and the Hanover Book Festival. In addition, April Michelle has published four books.
Member Benefit #17
Personalized consultations with an expert of over 20 years in the publishing industry. Get free confidential business advice, help with keeping on track with business and marketing goals, assistance with completing a business plan, and tips for managing the business of your business.
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
NAIWE offers a discussion list for its members to ask questions and talk about grammar, business, new book releases, and other publishing-related topics.
Our goal for the NAIWE discussion list is to provide a positive environment where publishing professionals can connect with one another, ask questions, and share ideas. It is a place for learning, support, collaboration, and brainstorming.
NAIWE members are automatically subscribed to the discussion list during the first full month of their membership, and they can remain a member of the discussion list as long as they are an active member of the organization.
On the discussion list, NAIWE members agree to the following standards:
April Michelle Davis has been the executive director of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE) since 2018. Prior to that, she was NAIWE’s Social Media Marketing Expert. NAIWE is an association that focuses on career building for writers, editors, and other professionals in the publishing industry by developing multiple streams of income; it helps its members market their products and services through social media, newsletters, and more.
She is also the coordinator for the Virginia chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association, a lifetime member of the American Copy Editors Society, and a freelance editor, indexer, proofreader, and author. April Michelle has taught courses through her own company, Editorial Inspirations, as well as for associations and colleges on topics such as editing, indexing, grammar, writing, and creating macros.
Her credentials include a master’s degree in publishing from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Messiah College, as well as certificates in editing (University of Virginia), book publishing (University of Virginia), and professional editing (EEI Communications).
April Michelle has shared her insights about her career development by contributing quotes and vignettes to several books. She has presented sessions on various editorial topics to many groups, including the Virginia Writers Club, the Communication Central conference, Randolph-Macon College, the Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, the EFA, Copyediting newsletter, RavenCon, and the Hanover Book Festival. In addition, April Michelle has published four books.
In the Time of Madmen