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Member Benefit: Webinars

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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.

Book Review: The Scientist, the Psychic, and the Nut

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The Scientist, the Psychic, and the Nut

Charlene Bell Dietz

 

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.

At-Will Training

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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, NAIWE Executive Director

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: Member’s Library

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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

  • What to charge
  • Why you need a marketing plan
  • Power proofreading
  • Low-cost marketing ideas that can build your business
  • How to work with editors
  • Why you may want to work with a business coach
  • And many more!

Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.

NAIWE Reinforcements Available to YOU

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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, NAIWE Executive Director

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: Personalized Consultation

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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 Promotes Virtual Communities for the Publishing Industry

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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:

  • Be respectful. Discussion list members are respectful, professional, polite, and considerate. They use positive words to build up or educate one another.
  • Stay on topic. Discussion list members help keep threads organized by making sure the discussion matches the subject line and hashtag.
  • Respect others’ privacy. Discussion list members refrain from sharing sensitive or personal information about others.
  • Include your name. Discussion list members use their names in posts.
  • Include the correct hashtag. Discussion list members use hashtags in the subject line to aid members in searching for specific discussions.

 

April Michelle Davis, NAIWE Executive Director

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: Book Reviews

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Member Benefit #16

You may mail an autographed copy of your published book to NAIWE headquarters to be read and reviewed by NAIWE staff. The review will be posted on NAIWE’s blog, as well as on NAIWE’s social media’s sites. Then, the book will be added to the Book Promotions pile for a new member to read and post a review!

Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.

Book Review: The Red Gondola and the Cova

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The Red Gondola and the Cova

Author: Patricia Crandall

Caroline Wilkes is a bright-eyed and independent nine year old facing her parents’ divorce, her mother’s alcohol abuse, and her father’s drug habit. She tries to understand her surroundings and muses, “Adults sure are weird.” Caroline knows she isn’t supposed to go to the state park alone, but she is constantly seeking her older brother’s attention and wants to surprise him with an unexpected gift. Therefore, she sneaks away from his graduation party to get a ticket for a gondola ride. Only to never return.

The Red Gondola and the Cova is an action-packed novel about the hard facts of life written in an introductory manner for young audiences.

The author Patricia Crandall quickly builds suspense to keep the reader involved in Caroline’s journey and kidnapping. With Caroline sneaking out of the house, the reader first wonders whether Caroline will make it home without getting caught, but then this suspense is quickly overridden by the buildup of Caroline trying to escape an attacker.

Crandall has a way with words, and she is quickly able to create vivid descriptions of the scenes making them come to life in the reader’s mind. A page turner. A thriller. A book the reader won’t want to put down without first reading it from cover to cover.

Member Benefit: Book Promotions

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Member Benefit #15

If you have published a book, you may mail autographed copies to NAIWE headquarters. When new members sign up to support a member, they will receive a copy of a member’s book, along with a request that they post a review online. This is a great way to build your book’s audience and reviews!

Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.

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