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Jeanne Grunert, NAIWE’s Branding & Marketing Expert

November 3, 2023 Post a comment

We wanted to get to know Jeanne Grunert (NAIWE’s Branding & Marketing Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.

What is personal branding?

Personal branding is the art and science of developing a brand presence online. It’s an intentional effort to position yourself as an expert in a specific niche area to help generate positive awareness for your work, talents, and services. Just like a company builds a brand so that its brand recognition acts as a sort of shorthand for their products and services, your personal brand becomes a shorthand for what clients can expect from you.

 

What are the components of personal branding?

Many people think of branding as just a logo, or a visual identity, or a logo and a tag line — the slogan a company uses along with the logo. But branding encompasses much more than that. It is not just the visual representation or the written slogan, but the interactions and delivery on the brand promise itself that encompass a full brand.

There are many components of a personal brand, but the very first step is to understand yourself as a brand. Who are you? What do you deliver? What makes your services or writing unique? Who do you sell it to?

From there, you can develop your own “brand statement” and a “tag line” that sum up your brand promise, along with the ideas you wish to convey that accurately represent YOU. A personal brand must be a strong, clear, and true representation of yourself and your services to be effective. (If you put on an act, it won’t stick — it won’t feel right to you or to your customers if you try to be something you’re not or build a personal brand around attributes you just don’t have. I made this mistake for years until I learned how to find my authentic self and build a brand around it.)

 

What are the benefits of building a personal brand?

There are many benefits of building a personal brand as a writer, editor, or service provider in our industry. Whether you publish fiction, nonfiction, ghostwrite for others, or write commercial copy, personal branding will help you to:

  • Increased Visibility: Personal branding helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace, making it easier for people to notice and remember you, whether you’re a job seeker, entrepreneur, or professional.
  • Career Advancement: A strong personal brand can enhance your career prospects by showcasing your expertise and unique qualities, leading to more opportunities and promotions.
  • Trust and Credibility: Building a consistent personal brand builds trust and credibility with your audience, as they come to rely on your expertise and authenticity.
  • Networking Opportunities: A strong personal brand can attract like-minded individuals and open doors to valuable networking opportunities, enabling you to connect with influential people in your industry.
  • Monetization Potential: A well-established personal brand can lead to various income streams, such as speaking engagements, book deals, sponsorships, and consulting, turning your expertise into a profitable venture.

——————

Jeanne Grunert will lead Part 2 of the workshop. In Part 2, participants will be encouraged to review their results from Part 1 and identify their own unique personal branding “calling cards”. Then, through various exercises, participants will develop their personal brand profile and leave the workshop with several ideas on how they can share their personal brand profile.

You can join in this conversation on November 9, at 2:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on branding your freelance business. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Nonmembers can join for $30. Register today!

 

Jeanne Grunert is the president and founder of Seven Oaks Consulting, a business-to-business content marketing agency. She is an award-winning writer and direct marketing expert with over 30 years of writing, marketing, and business experience. Prior to founding Seven Oaks Consulting, Jeanne led marketing for divisions of McGraw-Hill Education, Teachers College Columbia University, The College Board, and retail, publishing, and financial service companies in the New York City area. Known worldwide for her exceptional leadership and communication skills, Jeanne works seamlessly across cultural and corporate barriers to achieve outstanding results. She holds an M.A. in writing and an M.S. in direct and digital marketing (awarded with distinction) from New York University, as well as certifications in social media marketing, content marketing, adult education, and personal branding. Originally from the New York City area, Jeanne currently resides with her husband, John, and many pets on a 17-acre farm in rural Virginia. When not leading marketing teams through her work at Seven Oaks Consulting, she enjoys gardening, reading, cooking, and writing mystery novels.

Categories: Board of Experts, Events, Professional Development

Days to Celebrate in November

October 27, 2023 Post a comment

November: Family Stories Month. Record or listen to stories from relatives of all ages.

November: National Family Literacy Month. Enjoy some family readings.

November: National Life Writing Month. Write about yourself and your life as you have experienced it thus far.

November: National Novel Writing Month. Use this month to write the first draft of your novel.

November 1: National Author’s Day. Celebrate your favorite authors and the books they have written.

November 1: National Family Literacy Day. Read a book with your family today.

November 1: National Stress Awareness Day. Develop a routine to help you manage your stress.

November 6: Job Action Day. Get the tools and resources to master a new job search and land the career of your dreams!

November 13-17: National Young Readers Week. The focus of the week demonstrates to youth the importance of reading.

November 24: You’re Welcomegiving Day. Share a “You’re welcome” with at least one client today.

November 25: Small Business Saturday. Support your local small businesses.

November 28: National Day of Giving. On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

November 29: Electronic Greetings Day. Send an electronic greeting to the clients you haven’t heard from in a while.

November 30: Computer Security Day. Help secure your computer by installing and running antivirus software.

Categories: National Days

Is Proofreading More Than Catching Surface Errors?

October 20, 2023 Post a comment

Proofreading is usually performed on a manuscript that has already been through developmental editing or copyediting and has been laid out by a designer into page proofs. It provides a last review of egregious errors, such as basic grammar, punctuation, spelling, and inconsistencies, and any other errors that were introduced during the design process. Proofreaders may also check copy for conformity to type specifications and the style sheet and ensure attractive typography by checking kerning (spacing between characters), margins, word spacing, repetitive word breaks, and the like.

Proofreading is not editing. Some people expect proofreaders to lightly edit the text, while still being paid the proofreader’s rate. If the proofreader is doing more than catching typos, spelling errors, and layout mistakes, the proofreader is providing the service known as editorial proofreading.

An editorial proofreader should have strong grammar and editing skills because he or she may only be working with laid-out pages and not have an edited manuscript as a reference. However, editorial proofreading may be done before the manuscript has been laid out. Editorial proofreading combines proofreading with some copyediting tasks, such as correcting misspellings, typos, misnumbering or mislabeling, subject-verb disagreement, word usage, and incorrect or outdated cross-references. If copy (portions of the text) is missing, the proofreader should request it. Editorial proofreading may involve typemarking and making marginal notes to show the first citation of illustrations, tables, and other display elements. If so instructed, the proofreader may change single quotation marks to double quotation marks.

The proofreader also checks for incorrect word breaks at the ends of lines. Publishers often request editorial proofreading when previously published material is to be reprinted or when there are concerns about possible input errors in material that has been heavily edited or dramatically reformatted.

To learn more about proofreading, 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.

Categories: Proofreading

Member Benefit: Social Media Marketing

October 13, 2023 Post a comment

Member Benefit #8

The posts you share on your member website are eligible to be promoted on NAIWE’s social media pages. The NAIWE Member Activity Feed is scanned each week on Member Monday, and many post titles and links are posted on NAIWE’s social media to increase your readership. Member posts that are tagged with the #NAIWE hashtag can also be reposted on NAIWE’s social media pages for you.

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

Categories: Member Benefits

Suzanne Sherman, NAIWE’s Memoir Coach Expert

October 6, 2023 Post a comment

We wanted to get to know Suzanne Sherman (NAIWE’s Memoir Coach Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.

How is writing a memoir different than writing a fiction work?

Memoir is interested in the power of the personal. Memoir is a genre known also by the name creative nonfiction. Memoir is nonfiction; it is not fiction. Memoir does, however, share some of narrative tools fiction uses, such as the inclusion of both scene and narrative, the use of character development, plot that drives the story, and narrative arc (the protagonist, or author’s, growth journey from start to finish). Memoir is not autobiography. Autobiography is a story OF a life. Memoir is a story FROM a life, usually one with relatable aspects readers can learn from. Memoir has a theme, usually a focused topic or time period, such as overcoming an addiction (Drinking: A Love Story by Carolyn Knapp), coming to terms with the death of a loved one (Wild by Cheryl Strayed), carrying a child with Down’s Syndrome while in graduate school at Harvard (Expecting Adam by Martha Beck). Writing memoir is different from writing fiction in part because authors are drawing on their experience and animating that core truth with believable characters in unfolding scenes that move the story from beginning to end.

 

Does an author need permission to write about those who may have caused harm to the author?

Memoirists are not required to receive verbal or written permission by anyone mentioned or even featured in a book. In this webinar, Methods for Managing Exposure of Self and Others in Memoir, I will discuss this important detail, sharing information supplied by an attorney who specializes in self-publishing. Authors can choose one of several options if they are concerned about revealing someone’s identity in their book.

 

Why do some authors of memoirs use pen names?

Using a pen name is one of the ways authors sometimes publish to avoid revealing their identity if they are concerned about that, for personal or professional reasons. There can be relief for some in knowing their identity isn’t known when their book is published. There can, however, be drawbacks with this too. In the webinar, I’ll discuss the pros and cons of using a pen name.

——————

Different from fiction, memoir can often lead a writer into some emotionally challenging territory. Writers often have to spend time exploring material that is essential for their book but is uncomfortable to dive into deeply to craft scenes and write an engaging narrative that includes what’s needed.

How do successful memoir authors do it? Jeannette Walls (The Glass Castle), Caroline Knapp (Drinking: A Love Story), and Vince Granata (Everything Is Fine) are just a few writers who have published critically acclaimed memoirs with emotionally challenging material in recent years. Cheryl Strayed (Wild) and Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) wrote bestselling memoirs that showcased their vulnerabilities without shame.

Suzanne Sherman will give you helpful tips and tested methods for navigating the emotional territory that can come with writing memoir so you can successfully include what is essential if you want to write a memoir. She will address self-exposure and the exposure of others and show ways other authors work with it. Suzanne will provide information about relevant legalities and discuss the pros and cons of pen names.

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to benefit your writing.

You can join in this conversation on November 14, at 2:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on feeling vulnerable in writing your memoir. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Nonmembers can join for $30. Register today!

 

Suzanne Sherman is an author, book and magazine editor, and writing and publishing coach and consultant. She specializes in memoir and nonfiction and offers a weekly memoir writing class on Zoom. Her latest book is Girlhood in America: Personal Stories 1910–2010.

Categories: Board of Experts, Events, Professional Development

Days to Celebrate in October

September 22, 2023 Post a comment

October: National Book Month. Curl up on the couch with a good book.

October: National Reading Group Month. Gather a group of friends, and meet weekly to discuss a great book!

October: National Work and Family Month. Focus on one way to improve your work/life balance. The Be a Better Freelancer conference recordings include suggestions to help with this.

October: Self-Promotion Month. Promote your skills to gain some new clients. Some of the Be a Better Freelancer conference recordings are of sessions on this topic to help with this.

October 1-7: Mystery Series Week.

October 1-7: National Newspaper Week.

October 2-6: Customer Service Week. Take notice of other industries and the good customer service they provide and strive to provide the best customer service you can.

October 3: National Fruit at Work Day. Take a break today to enjoy a piece of seasonal fruit at work.

October 5: National Do Something Nice Day. Do something nice for one of your clients today!

October 11: National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work Day. Spend a day with a cuddly friend to make you smile. 🙂

October 8-14: National Work at Home Week. Reevaluate your home office for functionality and ergonomics.

October 15-21: National Business Women’s Week. Is there a woman in business who you have looked to as a mentor?

October 15-21: National Friends of Libraries Week. Use this week to support your local library.

October 28: National Make a Difference Day. Do something to make a difference in the life of someone else.

Categories: National Days

Design 101

September 15, 2023 Post a comment

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.

Categories: News

2023 Summer Challenge

September 11, 2023 Post a comment

This summer, NAIWE is challenging you and your fellow NAIWE members to be the best version of yourselves. You may personalize this challenge to fit your needs and summer goals. Choose a book to read that you classify as a self-help book even though its genre is far from that. Choose a project that has been nagging at you but will also produce great reward upon completion. And finish the challenge by spending some quality time with our experts learning how they mastered creating multiple steams of income. Throughout the challenge, be true to yourself and your goals!

There are three parts to this challenge:

  1. Read one book that will stretch your mind and inspire your creative spirit. The 2023 Summer Challenge is a great way for you to catch up on those business reads that have been piling up.
  2. Finish one project that’s been nagging at you for longer than you care to admit. This is not so much about the length of time to complete the project as it is about finishing what you started. (For some motivational tips, listen to NAIWE’s Productivity Expert Meggin McIntosh’s teleclass on How to Complete Your Projects, Especially the Ones that Have Been Bugging You.)
  3. Brainstorm a new project that will bring you an additional stream of income, then take the first step to make it happen. NAIWE is willing to be your partner and advocate to bounce ideas off of.

As you brainstorm your new project, leave a comment below and we will help you with some ideas.

Categories: Events

Member Benefit: Job Board

September 8, 2023 Post a comment

Member Benefit #7

NAIWE members receive alerts from people looking to hire freelancers, along with specifics about the job postings. Members can then apply for the jobs by contacting the person directly.

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

Categories: Member Benefits

MJ Courchesne, NAIWE’s Copyright & Permissions Expert

September 1, 2023 Post a comment

We wanted to get to know MJ Courchesne (NAIWE’s Copyright & Permissions Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.

How can one identify when content is AI generated?

This is still difficult to do. The best practices I have seen so far include running a manuscript (or content) through plagiarism software like ithenticate.com or other such tools. Other than that, a well-read human or editor is likely to catch non-sensical statements and grammatical errors that don’t make sense. I’m sure the proper technology will be developed to make this easier.

 

Are AI and authors, and AI and editors competing for the same jobs?

I would say not. From what I have learned, authors and editors are generally using AI for ideation and some initial work. With that said, at the moment AI is not wholly replacing anyone.

 

We hear about all the negative news around AI and the publishing industry. Is there any positive news to share?

Of course. Publishers are looking at ways to make sure that the author’s voice comes through, and that it is a human author. Importantly, the US Copyright Office has posted guidance that AI-generated materials cannot be copyrighted. As the human requirement is necessary for copyright, publishers are seeking ways to ensure they are not publishing wholly-AI generated materials. I do not see the industry becoming wholly AI very soon.

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Join us for this round-up of current issues surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and the world of creative content. We’ll review pending cases, as well as what the Copyright Office, publishers, creators, and some of the major associations representing creators and publishers have to say about generative AI. We’ll also explore some language you might see in contracts going forward and review some tips, tricks, and tools that may serve you as we move into a future where AI-generated content becomes more ubiquitous.

You can join in this conversation on September 26, at 7:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on artificial intelligence and author works. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Nonmembers can join for $30. Register today!

 

Mary Jo (“MJ”) Courchesne is the owner and principal consultant of Gryphon Publishing Consulting. A publishing veteran with more than 20 years of experience in trade, academic, and direct-response publishing, she has spent nearly two decades specializing in licensing, subsidiary rights, and permissions. MJ is a frequent and polished presenter on licensing and copyright, instructing future publishing professionals in the George Washington University’s Masters in Publishing program for the last 16 years. She currently serves on the Board of Experts for the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors, serves on the Advocacy Committee for the Independent Book Publishers Association, and holds memberships with the Book Industry Study Group and the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators.

Categories: Board of Experts, Events, Professional Development

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