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Words Matter Week Begins Today!

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Words Matter Week, which is in its 16th year, is a holiday that is celebrated annually the first full week in March by the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

Words are the basis for communication, no matter the language spoken. Babies make sounds, which eventually are formed into words. Here at NAIWE, we know the importance of words, and we want to celebrate it!

We may only celebrate it for a week, but we believe in the importance of words all year long!

 

Spread the Word

Join us in promoting Words Matter Week! You have NAIWE’s permission to reproduce the poster on your website, with a link back to this page, and you may also print and display it. Please invite your friends to participate in this year’s event and show your support for Words Matter Week by placing the poster in your newsletter, on your blog, or in your social media. Words really do matter, so let’s spread the reminders!

 

Prepare for the Writing Challenge

During Words Matter Week, we host a writing challenge. Each day we will post a question on our blog and various social media outlets.

Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WMW2024, #WMW, or #NAIWE in your response), and then link back to it in the comments of the corresponding article on the NAIWE blog. For each challenge you respond to, you will receive one entry (and a bonus entry for each response written on your NAIWE blog).

At the end of the week, we will have a drawing, and one person will win a fabulous prize, along with a mention and link in the next newsletter.

NAIWE On Your Side

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As a professional association, NAIWE is committed to helping its members succeed. All NAIWE members receive tools and training to help them grow in their profession, support as they meet professional challenges, and opportunities to develop their marketing skills so that they can create the kind of career they want.

No matter the service freelancers provide, they need to belong to a strong professional organization. NAIWE provides freelancers with an online presence, assistance in using their NAIWE website, and marketing support through our social media channels and our monthly newsletters. At NAIWE, we seek to provide the place where people come and receive the warm, personal touch that they deserve as they develop their career.

Your membership in an association demonstrates commitment, credibility, and professionalism.

You don’t have to be traditionally published before you join NAIWE. You don’t even have to specialize in just one area — we realize that professionals can find many ways to earn a freelance living. Most of us don’t have the luxury of writing only fiction, editing only academic monographs, or designing book covers only for New York Times best-selling authors. In fact, we encourage NAIWE members to create multiple streams of income because it’s your best guarantee of financial stability.

 

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 three books.

Illuminating My Profession

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I recently received a call from a woman looking to become a proofreader. She wanted advice to break into the field. It had been a while since I have received this type of call, but this is a call that I do receive periodically.

When I receive this type of call, I recommend they join at least one association and in the discussion list and any trainings the association may offer. While rarely is a degree or certificate involved with the completion of the training, these classes are beneficial because they are taught by professionals in the field who have direct, regular, and current experience and knowledge in the industry.

In addition, I recommend they attend in-person events so they can network with colleagues and pass out (and collect) business cards.

Finally, I recommend they review my resume. I don’t know their entire background, but I share my resume so they can see how I got where I am. Then they can use my resume to gain ideas about where to go next. My resume includes potential conferences to attend, classes to take, certificates to complete, or degrees to pursue.

When someone looking to enter your field contacts you, what are some recommendations you share?

 

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 three books.

 

Why Two?

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We encourage everyone in the publishing industry to belong to two professional organizations. The first is a large, general, career-building association such as NAIWE, and the second is a smaller craft- or genre-focused association that will help develop additional skills in the minutiae of your craft.

Each type of association offers different benefits, and the individual can benefit from both!

A large association can offer a wider perspective of a discussion topic with more people able to chime in from a variety of physical locations. The association can also offer training on topics with speakers you wouldn’t otherwise be able to learn from. Larger associations sometimes offer conferences as well, so take advantage of your ability to meet those speakers and network with your colleagues!

A smaller craft- or genre-focused association will have training that goes into a lot more detail on a given topic. Writers who write primarily in one genre, for example, may benefit from joining a genre-focused association in conjunction with a larger association such as NAIWE.

 

 

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 three books.

Design 101

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It is amazing that there are so many types of people in the publishing industry! While there are many people who love words, as to be expected, there are also many other people with a variety of other loves related to the written word.

When in graduate school, I took several classes on design and typography. I learned the mechanics of design, but I also learned that this was not a skill I innately have.

Typeface: a specific design of an alphabet.

Font: a complete alphabet of one size of one typeface.

Typestyle: a variety of styles for a specific typeface. The most common typestyle of a typeface is “roman.” Most typefaces are available in italic and bold as well, though some are available in a wide range of typestyles.

Type family: all of the styles and sizes of a given typeface.

Above are some of the mechanics I learned. Thanks to my graduate school classes, I can now spot good and bad design. As with many things in life, one either has the skill or one doesn’t. Mechanics only aid in the gift. Because of what I learned, I now have a greater respect for those who do have this skill.

 

 

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 three books.

An Author’s Co-Pilot

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Developmental editing, also known as substantive editing, structural editing, or heavy line editing, can begin even before the author starts writing. The developmental editor may help plan the organization, features, and other aspects of the work. Although the author is technically writing the text, the editor may work with the author to create an outline to help with organization as early as possible in the writing process.

For many traditional publishers, developmental editing is completed in-house, so the publisher can ensure the overall product fits within the brand the book will be published under. The developmental editor may help establish the goal for the book and define the goal for each chapter within the book.

Once the outline of the book has been refined, many publishers will then outsource copyediting to a freelance copyeditor.

To learn more about developmental editing, check out Editing 101’s Lesson 1.

 

 

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 three books.

How to Learn a Style Manual

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Learning a new style manual takes time, and part of being a copyeditor is thoroughly knowing at least one style manual. As you edit, you ask questions, often about the same types of changes, so knowing some items to look up when learning a new style manual can give you a head start in the familiarization process. You may even want to create a style sheet for the new style manual.

When choosing which style manuals to begin studying, keep the following in mind: For general trade books, use CMS. For academic writing, use MLA Style Manual, 3rd ed. or CMS. For journalistic writing, use the Associated Press Stylebook. For scientific writing, use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Here are some topics you may want to include.

  • Abbreviations
    • How do you introduce acronyms and initialisms?
    • Which state abbreviations do you use: two-letter or traditional?
  • Dictionary
    • Which dictionary does the manual use?
  • Hyphenation
    • AMA Manual of Style (10th ed.): Section 8.3
    • Associated Press Stylebook: Punctuation chapter, “hyphen” entry
    • CMS (17th ed.): Section 7.81
    • The Gregg Reference Manual (11th ed.): Chapter 8
    • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.): Table 4.1
    • The Yahoo Style Guide: Section IV, “Hyphens”
  • Names
    • Personal names
    • Titles of people
    • Organization and company names
  • Numbers
    • Numerals vs. words
    • Plural and possessive numbers
    • Dates
    • Fractions
    • Units of measure
  • Possessives
    • Singular noun
    • Singular noun that ends in s
    • Plural noun
    • Plural noun that ends in s
    • Exceptions to singular or plural rule
  • Punctuation
    • Serial comma
    • Em dash
    • Ellipsis
  • Titles of works
    • Capitalization rules
    • Rules for using italics, quotation marks, or nothing at all

To learn more about style manuals, check out Editing 101’s Lesson 2.

 

 

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 three books.

 

NAIWE Making a Difference

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NAIWE is always coming out with new on-demand training!

We are doing this to help you learn about new services you can offer to further expand your multiple streams of income. Whether it be fiction writing, nonfiction writing, journalism, proofreading, editing, designing, or more, we are working to expand your toolbox.

A new webinar that just became available earlier this year is Publishing Demystified, presented by NAIWE’s Fiction Expert Karin Beery.

NAIWE benefit partners have even led webinars to assist publishing professionals with new software and resources to increase member productivity and improve member skills. (And these webinars are FREE to NAIWE members!)

What on-demand training have you benefited from recently? What topic would you like to see covered in an upcoming training?

 

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 three books.

 

WMW 2023 Writing Challenge Day 5

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Books by well-known authors who have died are still read. Why do their words still matter to generations of today?

 

Prepare for the Writing Challenge

During Words Matter Week, we host a writing challenge. Each day we will post a question on our blog and various social media outlets.

Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WMW2023 in your response), and then link back to it in the comments of the corresponding article on the NAIWE blog. For each challenge you respond to, you will receive one entry (and a bonus entry for each response written on your NAIWE blog).

At the end of the week, we will have a drawing, and one person will win a fabulous prize, along with a mention and link in the next newsletter.

WMW 2023 Writing Challenge Day 4

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Have you heard insincere words that caused you to rethink the character of the speaker? Was it the tone of voice, the actual words? What made you doubt the sincerity of the words?

 

Prepare for the Writing Challenge

During Words Matter Week, we host a writing challenge. Each day we will post a question on our blog and various social media outlets.

Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WMW2023 in your response), and then link back to it in the comments of the corresponding article on the NAIWE blog. For each challenge you respond to, you will receive one entry (and a bonus entry for each response written on your NAIWE blog).

At the end of the week, we will have a drawing, and one person will win a fabulous prize, along with a mention and link in the next newsletter.

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