Blog

Days to Celebrate in May

May 3, 2019 Post a comment

May: National Get Caught Reading Month. Wherever you go, the campaign challenges you to get caught reading.

First Week in May: Small businesses account for half of America’s workforce, and more new jobs come from small business than any other source.

May 12: National Limerick Day. Celebrates the birthday of English artist, illustrator, author, and poet Edward Lear who wrote Book of Nonsense.

May 16: National Biographer’s Day. Commemorates the anniversary of the first meeting of Samuel Johnson and his biographer James Boswell in 1763 and honors all biographers.

May 30: National Creativity Day. Celebrate you and your creative pursuit!

May 31: National Speak in Complete Sentences Day. Dedicated to using proper sentence structure while speaking.

In Spite of Barriers, Women Make the Best Leaders

April 19, 2019 Post a comment

Studies show the ideal leader today is ethical, honest, trustworthy, and fair regarding employee expectations. These traits earn the respect of followers and are closely aligned with women leaders.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women comprise 47% of the U.S. labor force, yet lag substantially behind men when it comes to representing leadership positions. The good news is even though the gender wage gap has declined in most professions, the number of women climbing the ladder to management ranks has increased. But in spite of these achievements, women still face leadership challenges in the workplace.

Leadership Barriers Women Face

The glass ceiling metaphor and other limited opportunity metaphors like glass door and glass cliff remain as popular today as they did 10 years ago. When things go wrong and the group fails, women leaders are likely to get blamed even if the failure was caused by events that took place before they came on board. Women report having fewer support networks at work, not getting needed information, and not being acknowledged for their efforts.

Women are also more likely to experience burn out and become disillusioned with their jobs and organizations and may end up quitting as a result. Cultural expectations also work against women who aspire to become leaders. Many never seriously consider becoming leaders because the process of socialization has taught them leadership professions are only open to males.

Negative stereotypes and discrimination can lower the self-confidence for some women and make them reluctant to take risks or strive for leadership positions. And since our culture highlights nurturing roles of women, many enter service professions such as teaching, nursing, clerical work, or roles that support the larger organization.

Changes on the Horizon

Fortunately, attitudes toward women in leadership are changing, especially among the younger generation. As more women succeed in management roles, stereotypes will continue to erode. When this happens, women will experience less prejudice and more opportunities.

As global environments become more competitive, management styles are shifting away from old leadership styles to more transformational styles that emphasize communication, teamwork, and responsiveness. These leadership styles will benefit women in today’s workforce.

Gail McShan-Elly is a writer and blogger. She is married and believes greatness is achieved by serving others.

Brian Schwartz, NAIWE’s Self-Publishing Expert

April 12, 2019 Post a comment

Webinar: Building a Content Promotion Strategy to Promote Your Message and Sell More Books!

We wanted to get to know Brian Schwartz (NAIWE’s Self-Publishing Expert) better, so last month we sat down with him. Here are some things he shared.

What is one thing that you learned about your craft the hard way, and what benefits have you received from it?

I’ve learned that consistency is key and to stay the course and continuously build relationships. The self-proclaimed gurus make their living on selling this as something that’s easy to do (if you just buy their courses). You might get lucky and your timing plays a large part. There isn’t a single book out there that can teach you everything you need to know, nor enough time to learn it all. It takes a team and you have to take some risks. It’s never too soon to start building your personal brand, and you need to keep turning over rocks.

What I’ve discovered is that things aren’t often what they seem. It’s good to better understand what you are up against.

Can these benefits be broadened to include marketing?

Absolutely. I’ll provide attendees with actionable steps as part of a long-term plan to help them reach more readers, and I’ll explain the benefits of approaching marketing like a marathon, not a sprint. Successful marketers work from a training plan that allows them to consistently and incrementally increase their mileage through increased visibility followed by sales.

Tangible results come from planting many seeds and thinking like a farmer, rather than a hunter. I find that authors who take the long view can do very well if they stick with it and give the seeds time to grow.

I’ll cover specific tools authors can use to manage the content aspect of their marketing plan and how to create a marketing dashboard to stay on track.

What has been your most rewarding marketing avenue, and how was it rewarding? Self? Monetary? Clients?

I appreciate the opportunity to share what I know with people who have a shared interest. I know of an author who is also an artist who sold her artwork (to the tune of over $30,000) to someone who discovered her through her books. This event also led her to get a deal to have her artwork featured in a Broadway play. I know another author who is being paid to blog for a company. Many authors’ books have led them to paid speaking gigs and workshops. For a non-fiction author, a good book can become their most effective marketing tool.

What do you associate with marketing?

Marketing is the act of generating awareness for your work to your target market (those who can benefit). It’s about leveraging and amplifying word of mouth for your mission, book, or business. It fuels a continued effort to refine and improve your work based on the feedback from your fans (readers, students, and colleagues). Another less common perspective of marketing is to view it as creating an opportunity to gain feedback from your users (readers) to guide you toward how to improve your product and tune your pitch.

_____
You can join in this conversation on April 25, at 7 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a one-hour discussion on creating a marketing toolkit.

Getting your book found is a matter of having the right content in the right place at the right time. The good news is that it’s less about driving traffic to your own site and more about being visible where your target audience already exists. It’s wise to choose a few platforms to master before you spread yourself too thin, but which ones produce the highest return-on-investment? Learn to create content that gets the clicks on high-traffic sites including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Medium, LinkedIn, YouTube, Quora, Flickr, Huffington Post, and more.

The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! To register, send an email with your name and telephone number.

Days to Celebrate in April

April 5, 2019 Post a comment

April: English Language Month. A celebration of the uniqueness of the English language.

April: National Poetry Month. Celebrate the cadence and song of poetry.

April 7-13: National Library Week. Libraries provide us with books to read and valuable tools and resources.

April 10: National Encourage a Young Writer Day. Encourage a young person with a vivid imagination or one who likes to tell stories or read a lot to take the next step and put those tales on paper.

April 10: National Bookmobile Day. Honor the access to information and resources made available through bookmobiles.

April 11: National Support Teen Literature Day. This day showcases some award-winner authors and books to raise awareness that young adult literature is vibrant and growing.

April 17: National Haiku Poetry Day. This day encourages all to write in this Japanese form.

April 18: National Columnists’ Day. Columnists inspire a plethora of emotions that often result in action.

April 18: Get to Know Your Customers Day. Reach out to your customers and get to know more about them.

April 23: National Take a Chance Day. Break out of your comfort zone and try a new marketing technique!

April 25: National Poem in Your Pocket Day. Share the joy that poems bring by carrying one in your pocket and sharing it with others.

April 25: National Telephone Day. Call some former clients to see how you might be able to help them today.

April 25: National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Show a child what you do in your profession.

April 27: National Tell a Story Day. Share a story with another person, or listen to a story from someone from another generation.

April 28: National Great Poetry Reading Day. Take some time to read your favorite poetry.

Ruth Thaler-Carter, NAIWE’s Networking Expert

March 18, 2019 Post a comment

We wanted to get to know Ruth Thaler-Carter (NAIWE’s Networking Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some things she shared.

What is one thing that you learned about your craft the hard way, and what benefits have you received from it?

The importance of having a clearcut contract/agreement that’s as complete as possible, because that’s the only way to protect oneself against problems with a project or a difficult client. It would be nice if all business interactions could be conducted on a handshake, virtual or in person, but that sadly isn’t always possible. The benefits of using even an informal agreement via email include peace of mind, control over scope creep, and reasonable assurance of receiving payment as expected.

Can these benefits be broadened to include marketing?

Providing and working to contracts could be considered a facet of positioning an independent editorial business as a professional venture, which would contribute to marketing the business as one worth working with.

What has been your most rewarding marketing avenue, and how was it rewarding? Self? Monetary? Clients?

Doing good work that leads to being referred/recommended by current clients to new ones, even though that isn’t technically or formally marketing; at least, it isn’t a conscious marketing process. More in the way of actual marketing has been active participation and visibility in professional associations and online groups such as on Facebook, which has led to inquiries from prospective clients and recommendations/referrals from colleagues. The rewards have been new projects/clients/income for myself, as well as deep gratitude toward colleagues and clients who value my efforts, whether in terms of work or networking. Clients have benefited from receiving high-quality services; colleagues have benefited from advice and resources I aim to provide through various channels.

What do you associate with marketing?

Association membership and active participation, sharing resources, providing advice, announcing services and news, supporting colleagues and causes, doing public speaking/presenting webinars/teaching classes, hosting events, sending newsletters.

_____
You can join in this conversation on March 18, at 7 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a one-hour discussion of growing your business through networking.

We hear about networking all the time, but what is it and why is it valuable to independent writers and editors? Networking is simply interacting with colleagues to exchange information, resources, and support. Done right, it can create credibility, provide leads to new projects and clients, and bolster an independent business in many ways. Networking is a two-way process; it goes beyond joining a professional organization.

The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! To register, send an email with your name and telephone number.

Writing Challenge Recap

March 9, 2019 Post a comment

NAIWE is a professional association for writers, editors, and you! We exist to help members succeed, and our unique focus on creating multiple streams of income can make it happen.

NAIWE provides you with an online presence, assistance in using your website, and marketing support through our social media channels and our monthly newsletters.

NAIWE seeks to provide the place where you can come and receive a warm, personal touch as you develop your career.

All throughout your career, your membership in an association demonstrates commitment, credibility, and professionalism.

So no matter what kind of writing or editing you do, NAIWE is the professional association with you in the forefront!

View a list of our member benefits!

In honor of Words Matter Week, NAIWE is offering a discount for new and renewing members! New members who sign up for auto-renewal can use the code WordsMatter30 to receive $30 off their first year’s membership. Any member, new or renewing, can use code WordsMatter20 to receive $20 off a year’s membership.

Writing Challenge: Day 5

March 8, 2019 2 Comments

Writing Prompt: What word, said or unsaid, has or could change your life? How?

At NAIWE, the word that has had the most effect on us is “freelance.” We focus on benefitting our freelance members, offering them avenues to remain knowledgeable in the field and to increase their number of clients. The NAIWE goal is helping our members develop multiple streams of income, and we do this by promoting their products and services to people they might not have otherwise reached through our social media outlets and our newsletter, which reaches 6,000 publishing professionals every month.

Interested in participating in the NAIWE writing challenge? Each day we will post a question. Respond to the question on your blog or social media page (be sure to include #WordsMatterWeek 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.

Post in the comments below with a link to your response to today’s question.

Writing Challenge: Day 4

March 7, 2019 Post a comment

Writing Prompt: Writers craft words into memorable phrases, stories, poems, and plays. What writers make your heart sing? Why?

We at NAIWE have an eclectic taste, with every member receiving at least one vote for their writing style making our hearts sing, and we enjoy reading the posts members put on their NAIWE blog. It helps us to get to know our members better and to look for more ways to help them develop their writing careers. Thus, the writers who stand out the most are the members who regularly post on their NAIWE blog and inspire us so much that we want to learn more from them.

Post in the comments below with a link to your response to today’s question.

Writing Challenge: Day 3

March 6, 2019 Post a comment

Writing Prompt: What person in your life helped you understand the importance of choosing words carefully? What would you say to them if you met them today?

Our members make NAIWE choose its words carefully and responsibility and stand behind its words as the integrity and credibility of the association, as well as its integrity and credibility of its members. NAIWE would like to meet all its members face-to-face and presents this opportunity at the 2019 conference in St. Louis to that we can discuss the importance of choosing words. We also want o thank our members for their support and loyalty, and we would love to do this in person at the conference.

Post in the comments below with a link to your response to today’s question.

Writing Challenge: Day 2

March 5, 2019 Post a comment

Writing Prompt: Writers are artists with words as their medium. What author is your favorite word stylist?

NAIWE is proud to represent authors of all word styles. Because of this, NAIWE is always looking for new and more avenues to add revenue to our members’ bottom lines. We enjoy hearing about your own personal writing style as well because it helps us brainstorm new and better ways to help our members.

Post in the comments below with a link to your response to today’s question.

Search

Days to Celebrate in May

In Spite of Barriers, Women Make the Best Leaders

Brian Schwartz, NAIWE’s Self-Publishing Expert

Webinar: Building a Content Promotion Strategy to Promote Your Message and Sell More Books!

Days to Celebrate in April

Ruth Thaler-Carter, NAIWE’s Networking Expert

Writing Challenge Recap

Writing Challenge: Day 5

Writing Challenge: Day 4

Writing Challenge: Day 3

Writing Challenge: Day 2

Latest Posts

Days to Celebrate in June

The Last Word (and how to find your own)

Making Your Book Stand Out

Book Review: The Pale Flesh of Wood

Member Benefit: Business Assistance with Opolis

Days to Celebrate in May

Contact Us