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WMW 2022 Writing Challenge Day 5

March 11, 2022 1 Comment

The power of a written word may begin with the beauty of the color that word illuminates. Do you find a powerhouse of colors in one word?

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 #WMW2022 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 2022 Writing Challenge Day 4

March 10, 2022 2 Comments

How can you look at words differently to project their power?

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.

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 2022 Writing Challenge Day 3

March 9, 2022 1 Comment

The power of a word can move us emotionally as well as physically. Describe a situation where this happened.

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.

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 2022 Writing Challenge Day 2

March 8, 2022 2 Comments

What is another word for “power” that produces the same magnitude? Please explain.

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.

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 2022 Writing Challenge Day 1

March 7, 2022 1 Comment

Describe the energy behind what brings out the power in 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.

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.

Words Matter Week Begins Today!

March 6, 2022 1 Comment

Words Matter Week, which is in its 14th 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 #WMW2022, #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.

Marcia Rosen, The Public Relations and Book Marketing Expert

March 4, 2022 Post a comment

We wanted to get to know Marcia Rosen (NAIWE’s Public Relations and Book Marketing Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.

Is there one genre that’s more popular in audiobook?

I think all genres have become popular as audiobooks but in particular mysteries, romance, and nonfiction. As in books you can hold in your hand, readers go to the kind of books that have always appealed to them.

Was there a single event that led to the audiobook growth?

The pandemic had a big impact. Many bookstores stopped doing book signing events, book conferences were cancelled, and audiobooks gave readers and authors new options. The fun of audiobooks is they can be listened to anywhere and on so many devices these days.

Can any book be made into an audiobook?

Almost any book can. Of course, coffee table books and others perhaps academic with lots of graphs, etc. would not work. The market is huge and growing.

——————

The audiobook market is one of the fastest growing segments of the publishing industry. According to the Audio Publishers Association, it grew an estimated 24.5% from 2017 to 2018. This included self-published authors and small publishers who access numerous marketing actions and opportunities to create an awareness and enhance sales. And think of the millions of people who drive to and from work each day; many listen to audiobooks. They are just one audience since people can listen anywhere, anytime.

You can join in this conversation on March 22, at 2:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on the audiobook market. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Non-members can join for $30. Register today!

Double Your Outreach with NAIWE

March 2, 2022 Post a comment

Marketing on the internet has become one of the most effective ways to obtain new clients and customers, and NAIWE helps you make the most of this form of reaching out to others! NAIWE members can be found on the NAIWE website under the “Find a Professional” tab, and they can also be found under the “Member Sites” tab.

Under the “Member Sites” tab, the default is that the first page shows the 20 member sites that have been most recently updated, along with each of these members’ headshots. Some members do not have a headshot uploaded. This empty spot may result in a lost opportunity to attract a visitor to click their member sites.

The home page of member websites is a summary page of the posts on the member blog. Therefore, not ever posting to the member blog or not posting very often can deter a visitor from contacting the NAIWE member about their service or product.

Let’s start this year with a goal to market a little more! Let’s build or revamp our NAIWE member sites. Let’s write a post for our NAIWE blogs (or even write several posts and schedule them to go live periodically to help keep our member sites current.

Also, as a reminder, each time you post to your member blog, your post will be reposted on NAIWE’s social media pages, furthering your reach to potential clients and customers!

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.

Days to Celebrate in March

February 25, 2022 Post a comment

March: Small Press Month. Shine the light on many of the great authors, and publishing houses, around the world.

March 2: National Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Day). This day is a motivational and awareness day, calling all children and youth in every community across the United States to celebrate reading.

March 4: National Grammar Day. Some people might suggest that grammar is a set of rules for language, but it is a system for understanding language.

March 6-12: Words Matter Week. Words are the basis for communication, no matter the language spoken. Even babies make sounds, which eventually are formed into words. Here at NAIWE, we know the importance of words, and we want to celebrate it!

March 6-12: Read an E-book Week. This is an opportunity for book lovers and writers alike to share their passion in digital form.

March 8: National Proofreading Day. This day was created to bring awareness to the importance of proofreading.

March 14: National Write Down Your Story Day. This day challenges you to tell your story in written form.

March 30: National Pencil Day. Hymen Lipman received the first patent for attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil on this day in 1858.

Book Review: Write Faster With Your Word Processor

February 18, 2022 Post a comment

Write Faster, thanks to Geoff Hart!

Toiling for more than one master, many knowledge-workers give short shrift to their electronic interface. Besides wasting time, such a choice hastens data loss and repetitive stress injuries.

Wordsmith Geoff Hart has developed an answer to our prayers: a comprehensive and down-to-earth guide to harnessing the full powers of our workstations. The book is available in three formats: print, e-book, and PDF.

Based on Hart’s 30 years of teaching writers and editors, Write Faster builds on his Effective Onscreen Editing (4th edition, 2019). Hart offers nuanced answers for many of our nagging questions, including

Where are my files?
Why does my word processor hurt me? and
Isn’t there a way to automate this action?

Though the new work overlaps with Onscreen, Write Faster updates its guidance through Microsoft Word 2019 (both Mac and PC editions). Hart notes that most of his tips apply to any operating system and word-processing software.

Write Faster takes both experts and newbies by the hand, thanks to its engaging style. Readers will appreciate Hart’s glossary, which offers authoritative definitions of terms such as antialiasing, macro virus, and non-breaking space. Perhaps most importantly, Hart clearly informs readers on issues dividing writers; rather than taking sides in the Apple vs. PC debate, he lays out the merits of each side. Hart speaks his mind on software’s nagging limitations and offers fixes for many of Word’s challenges.

The advice offered by this book will help maximize writers’ efficiency. As part of the Write Faster site, Hart includes a “Things Not to Do” section, an indispensable resource for those of us who apprenticed on typewriters. Two strategies Hart offers are (1) eliminating the vestigial carriage return (ENTER key) and (2) creating your own page-numbering style. Appendix I advises adopting the Dvorak keyboard scheme in place of the less efficient QWERTY. Appendix II, devoted to the health aspects of our work, advises on our choice of lighting and keyboard.

Both writers and editors will enjoy Hart’s proactive approach to exploiting what our computers can do, warding off writing-specific trauma, and keeping manuscripts safe from prying eyes. To ensure the safety of our data, Hart advises us to buy an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which will secure our files even during blackouts.

Hart puts readers in touch with some of the best resources available. Hart’s hotlinks, provided in the electronic edition, point us to resources such as Eyesafe, a brand devoted to reducing the eyestrain of onscreen work, and StretchWare, a tool that regularly reminds us to limber up. Hart includes links to the work of peers such as Paul Beverley, author of Macros for Editors and Jack Lyon of Mastering Word for Publishing Professionals.

Hart’s #1 tip? Create Word styles for every occasion. That way, you won’t spend your time, and that of your teammates, fiddling with your ruler or space bar every time you begin a new document.

Based on Hart’s broad coverage, nuanced discussion, and abundant links to complementary work, we recommend Write Faster to writers and editors seeking to work more efficiently.

Jon Hartmann copyedits academic, business, and literary work, specializing in writing by non-native speakers of English.

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WMW 2022 Writing Challenge Day 5

WMW 2022 Writing Challenge Day 4

WMW 2022 Writing Challenge Day 3

WMW 2022 Writing Challenge Day 2

WMW 2022 Writing Challenge Day 1

Words Matter Week Begins Today!

Marcia Rosen, The Public Relations and Book Marketing Expert

Double Your Outreach with NAIWE

Days to Celebrate in March

Book Review: Write Faster With Your Word Processor

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