National Association of Independent Writers & Editors
Member Benefit #24
NAIWE is pleased to promote Hilary Cadman’s online courses in PerfectIt and EndNote. Hilary has been editing and training for over 20 years. The courses combine videos, exercises, and quizzes, making it easy to track your progress. And lifetime access means you can return to the courses whenever you need to.
NAIWE members receive 25% off all courses!
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
Author: Namita Gandhi
Children are naturally very curious creatures, and they usually have many questions. Children often enjoy exploring and learning. And most small children enjoy learning about and discovering their bodies.
Namita Gandhi’s latest book, Immune Heroes, helps kids learn what happens inside their bodies when they fall and get an “ouchie.”
In the book, all of the cells have names that play on their technical names but are also much easier for children to say and remember. For example, Captain T, the helper thymus cell or T cell, leads the team, enlisting the help of the necessary cells to protect the body from the enemy bacteria.
The book describes the entire process of how the body protects itself from bacteria and which cells are called on to perform certain duties. The images in the book aid children in visualizing what they may have read about in textbooks and encourage children to enjoy exploring science.
Immune Heroes brings out the fun in learning with children!
Congratulations, Namita Ganghi’s Immune Heroes for being a NAIWE 2024 Book Award winner!
We wanted to get to know Jennia D’Lima (NAIWE’s Creative Nonfiction Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.
How do writers find out if their journey has an audience?
No matter what you’re writing, it never hurts to browse the bookshelves (at a bookstore, either an online or physical location, or the local library) and see both what’s already out there and what isn’t.
But first, ask yourself why the size of the audience matters; what do you hope to achieve by writing this piece? To share your unique adventures with close friends and family, to show others why this location shouldn’t be missed, or to make the bestseller lists? Doing further audience research after this question has been answered will guide you toward determining whether or not the chosen topic and/or format will need to be adjusted to reach your publication goals. For instance, if you dream of your book reaching bestseller status and a quick online search shows that the market is already flooded with books about hiking the Appalachian Trail, that might be a sign that your book would be lost amongst all the others—unless you have such a one-of-a-kind approach or experience that it’s bound to stand out.
The above question will also lead to the next question that will help determine whether your book has an audience: who is my ideal reader? If the answer is “everyone,” it’s time to niche down since there isn’t a single book that appeals to everyone (and it would be impossible to market, because how do you find out where “everyone” hangs out/what “everyone” is interested in and what appeals to them?). Once you’ve pinned down your reader, go to the places they go (hiking clubs, wine tastings, online forums) and see what the participation level is like. This could be an indicator as to the expected audience size of your published piece.
What style guide is the most conducive for travel writing?
That will largely depend upon the chosen structure of the writing. For example, a blog post doesn’t need to worry about style guides so much as basic grammar and spelling, while a travel memoir will likely want to refer to the Chicago Manual of Style.
Can authors of all genres expand their stream of income through travel writing?
Absolutely! The key is to be passionate about your chosen topic. After that, finding the right “home” for your work will ensure it reaches its intended audience. Maybe that’s on YouTube, where the text (which could be converted into a spoken component) is accompanied by photos and videos. Or perhaps you’ve created a series of shorter pieces that could be used on a pay-to-read platform. There are multiple opportunities out there, and we’ll be exploring how to find some of those in the webinar (including options for posting your work for free if turning it into a money-making endeavor isn’t your priority).
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Writers interested in recounting their journeys have various options available to them, including travelogues and multimedia accounts of globe-spanning adventures. But which form is the best fit for what they’d like to share? Does an account of cheese tasting across France need the same amount of depth and detail as a story about a six-month long retelling of a hike through each of Canada’s provinces? In this webinar, we’ll learn about some of the most popular forms of travel writing and look at how narrowing down your topic will help you choose a form and identify your audience.
You can join in this conversation on February 24 at 7:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on travel writing. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Nonmembers can join for $30. Register today!
Jennia Herold D’Lima is a full-blown logophile. She joined her high school’s newspaper in ninth grade, winning statewide awards for her writing, and expanded her journalism skills by continuing to write and edit throughout her high school years and as a college freshman. While earning her BA in psychology (and minoring in cultural anthropology with a focus on precolonial Mesoamerica) and her MA in applied developmental psychology, her writing and editing naturally skewed toward all things academic. Writing for and publishing in peer-reviewed journals, editing papers for classmates, and writing parenting resource guides honed her research skills. Jennia joined multiple professor-led research groups and completed four internships throughout her academic career. After graduating with a master’s, she worked at a national nonprofit in Washington, DC, and as an assistant researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle. Jennia gradually transitioned to full-time editing. As the host of the Writing & Editing podcast, she loves connecting with others in the community. Jennia enjoys traveling, volunteering, and taking creative photos of books and book-related items in those rare moments when she is not reading or editing.
February: National Self-Check Month. Take charge of your health, and increase your odds of avoiding chronic diseases or other preventable diseases.
February: Free and Open Source Software Month. Recognize the cooperative approach to computer programming, open licensing, and free distribution of software.
February: National Library Lover’s Month. Enjoy your library, but also consider volunteering your time this month in a library.
February 1: National Get Up Day. This is a day to persevere, to pick ourselves up when we’ve fallen. We never know when our efforts to seek a goal or overcome an obstacle will encourage another person.
February 1: National Play Outside Day. Spend a few minutes outside today enjoying the beauty and the fresh air.
February 4: National Thank a Mail Carrier Day. As a small business, you likely work your mail carrier a little harder. Let’s take time out of our day to thank the mail person who is responsible for getting your mail in your mailbox six days a week.
February 7: National Send a Card to a Friend Day. Send a note to a colleague or client to let them know you are thinking about them.
February 9-15: National Freelance Writers Appreciation Week. Celebrate these hardworking writers by showing some gratitude, highlighting a fun behind-the-scenes moment.
February 10: National Clean Out Your Computer Day. Over time, files and programs that are unused clog the memory of your computer. This is a day to take some time to do the needed care on your computers. Organize your files and folders. Delete junk files. Delete duplicate files. Delete old files and programs that are not being used.
February 11: National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day. Think positive. Don’t worry and don’t stress over the little things. Life is too short.
February 11: National Make a Friend Day. Get to know one of your clients a little better. Meeting new people can help sharpen your social skills and keep you from becoming lonely.
February 13: National Giving Hearts Day. Make a donation from your business to a charity that you love.
February 17: National Random Acts of Kindness Day. Write a note or do something nice for one of your clients today.
February 20. National Leadership Day. Throughout every day, someone influences another person in every interaction. Take a moment today to thank someone who has had a positive effect on your life.
February 20. National Comfy Day. Spend a few moments today to get comfy and enjoy a good book!
February 26: National Tell a Fairy Tale Day. Share a favorite fairy tale with friends or family.
NAIWE is open to all people. Our members are publishing professionals who have been in the industry for many years, and our members are also those just starting out or interested in joining the publishing industry.
All of our members are treated with respect and valued within the NAIWE community, and we are thankful to have all of these voices.
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.
Today’s podcast episode is a Book Award Winner episode, where we get to know a writer who won the NAIWE Book Award.
Our guest today is David Berner.
David W. Berner is the author of several books of award-winning personal narrative and fiction. The recipient of honors and awards from the NYC Big Book Award, the Paris Book Festival, the Hawthorne Prize, the Page Turner Awards, Readers’ Choice Awards, The Society of Midland Authors, The Chicago Writers Association, and the Eric Hoffer Book Awards.
His short stories, creative nonfiction, and poems have been published in The Ulu Review, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, Humans of the World, Red Noise Collective, Voices, The Lascaux Review, and others.
He has also been honored as a former Writer-in-Residence at the Jack Kerouac Project in Orlando and at the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home in Oak Park, Illinois.
For many years now, David W. Berner has been a writing teacher at Gotham Writers, and the editor of the writing craft website at MEDIUM—The Writer Shed. David also writes regular personal essays at SUBSTACK: The Abundance.
He has recently published a book called: The Islander, which was a winner of the NAIWE 2023 Book Awards in the Literary genre.
Q: When did you first have the idea for this book? And what inspired you to actually write The Islander?
I have always been fascinated with what are called “thin place,” those natural places in the world where we are awed. The Irish coast has always been one of those places for me. And I have also always been fascinated with how the human connection can transcend age, background, culture, and much else. I wanted to write about this.
Q: What prompted you to publish the book when you did?
I had been writing and editing it for years. Novellas are sometimes hard to find publishers, but The Shortish Project from Outpost19 Books in San Francisco was taking on a new project to publish short novels, championing the great tradition of novellas in American literature. The Islander seemed a great fit. I was lucky enough that they accepted it.
Q: What did you learn while working on this book? And what were some challenges you faced during the writing or publication of this book?
The writing was a delight. I never plan or outline, the book is already somewhere inside of me, and I just have to keep writing to let it out. Publishing, I knew might be more difficult, as it always it, but mostly because this is a novella, and what I call a “quiet” book. It’s more about character than plot. Much of popular fiction is plot driven. I don’t necessarily write with plot in mind.
Member Benefit #23
Bowker offers a wide range of tools and resources authors can use to publish and promote their titles. We make books easier to discover, evaluate, and experience — connecting publishers, authors, and booksellers with readers. Wherever you are in your writing or publishing journey, Bowker has what you need.
NAIWE members receive 15% off select marketing and editorial products and services.
Visit the NAIWE website to see all of the member benefits.
We wanted to get to know Karin Beery (NAIWE’s Fiction Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.
Why do writers get caught in a telling cycle?
It depends on which type of telling you’re referring to, as there are two types, which I refer to as “big” telling and “little” telling. Big telling refers to info dumps — any time an author stops the story to explain something, usually back story. In most of those cases, I don’t think the authors trust themselves or their readers: they don’t trust themselves to weave the details into the story and they don’t trust their readers to notice and remember those details. Little telling is often a case of rushing. It’s faster (and easier) to write she was beautiful than to describe her through the point-of-view of the character’s eyes.
Do you recommend that writers develop characters before writing the scenes?
It depends on the writer. If the writer is okay making revisions to the story, then it’s okay to draft scenes before knowing all the details about a character (I’m a better editor than writer, so I rewrite a lot). If the writer doesn’t want to make a lot of revisions to the story, it’s crucial to understand as much as possible about a character before beginning to write the story. In either case, having a basic knowledge of characters is a must.
Would you suggest writers work with developmental editors to help fix mistakes?
Again, it depends on the writer and their goals. If writers are in a rush to finish a story and submit it, developmental editors can speed up the process, as it takes years to develop fiction-writing skills. I do recommend developmental editors to new writers who aren’t getting any responses to their query letters–a good editor can help them spot any plot/character issues that might be turning away agents and publishers.
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Take your self-editing skills to the next level.
Most authors will answer “yes!” to these questions. But then editors and readers tell them the descriptions don’t engage them, the characters are stereotypical, and the story dragged.
How do you fix it? By training your writer’s brain to read with an editor’s eye and by recruiting some outside help. In this workshop, we’ll look at common mistakes novelists make, then learn how to identify and fix them.
You can join in this conversation on January 13 at 7:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on improving your self-editing skills. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Nonmembers can join for $30. Register today!
Karin Beery is an award-winning author and editor with experience in traditional and self-publishing, freelance editing, and editing for publishers. She is an active member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Christian Authors Network, and the Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network. Karin’s specialty is substantive fiction editing with an emphasis in romance and women’s fiction.
Today’s podcast episode is a Book Chat episode, where we get to know one of the books that has been published by a fellow NAIWE member.
Our guest today is Christine Benner Dixon.
Christine Benner Dixon and her co-author Sharon McDermott have recently published Millions of Suns: On Writing and Life, a collection of craft-of-writing essays. Christine Benner Dixon came to editing from an academic background, with a Ph.D. in English and years in the classroom. Since launching her editing and consulting business in 2019, she has also found more time to write than the teaching life afforded.
Here is a sneak peak of what we discussed.
Q: When did you first have the idea for this book? And what inspired you to actually write this book?
My co-author Sharon and I taught at the same school for several years. As creative writers and creative writing teachers, we had lots in common — even if our approach to our writing practice and instruction were vastly different. In the early pandemic days, Sharon convened a group of writers for an online workshop. It was a beautiful experience, giving us a means of connecting through writing in a fraught time. After one of these workshops, Sharon pulled me aside and asked if I would be interested in writing a book with her. I said yes immediately. We knew very little about what this book would be except for two things: it would be about writing, and it would not be a how-to manual.
Q: Please describe one of your favorite characters from your book.
Although these are nonfiction essays and so do not have traditional characters, it was a happy coincidence that both Sharon and I decided to write about our grandmothers. Mine was a very meek Mennonite woman who found one moment of boldness that became a family story. Sharon’s was a woman so audacious that even the great hereafter couldn’t stop her from coming back to visit her granddaughter and set her straight.
Q: What did you learn while working on this book? And what were some challenges you faced during the writing or publication of this book?
I learned so much during the writing and publication of this book, both about the act of writing itself and the publication process. Because this was my first book, I encountered every step with our publisher totally fresh: working with an editor at a university press, learning to read a contract, navigating permissions, etc. But of course the greatest learning really was about myself as a writer. It has been enlightening to put a finger on the role that writing plays in my relationships and my sense of self. It forced me to articulate something that has always been implicit in my life.
To learn more about Christine Benner Dixon and her new book Millions of Suns: On Writing and Life, listen to the podcast episode.
January 2: National Science Fiction Day. American author and Boston University professor of biochemistry Isaac Asimov was born on January 2, 1920. He was best known for his works of science fiction and his popular science books.
January 4: National Play Outside Day. Spend a few minutes outside today enjoying the beauty and the fresh air.
January 5: National Screenwriters Day. Inside the industry, screenwriters are well known for their ability to crack the story, create great roles for actors, and write memorable dialogue.
January 6: National Technology Day. From the wheel to smartphones, technology has been changing the world. Recognize those achievements and look to the future for more advancements in technology.
January 13: National Clean off Your Desk Day. This day is an opportunity to begin your new year with a clean and organized work space. Whether your desk is in a private or shared office, cubicle, home, or a make-shift desk on the counter, having your work space uncluttered, organized, refreshed, and clean will help you work more efficiently and give you a sense of serenity.
January 16: Get to Know Your Customers Day. When businesses get to know your customers, you also get to know more about what you need to grow.
January 18: National Thesaurus Day. Whether you are looking for a new word or trying to complete a sentence, the thesaurus can be your best friend. Expanding your vocabulary improves both written and spoken communication skills and creative writing abilities and can be helpful in advancing your career.
January 23: National Handwriting Day. Reintroduce yourself to a pen or pencil and a piece of paper. According to the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association, it is a chance for all to re-explore the purity and power of handwriting.
January 24: National Compliment Day. What a wonderful way to brighten someone’s day or to give credit for a job well done!
January 28: National Plan for Vacation Day. It takes planning to work hard, but many people forget to plan to play hard as well. Spend a few moments deciding where you want to go on vacation this year.
January 31: National Fun at Work Day. Many people spend a good portion of their lives at work, so why not enjoy it?
Immune Heroes