April Michelle Davis, NAIWE’s Executive Director

We wanted to get to know April Michelle Davis (NAIWE’s Executive Director) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here are some thoughts she shared with us.

What does NAIWE offer its members to aid in developing multiple streams of income from their books?

To assist NAIWE members with increasing their sales and developing multiple streams of income, NAIWE offers eight benefits targeted to help market its members’ products and services. These benefits include a website connected with the NAIWE website to give visitors access to our members and their products and services, a blog where members may regularly post, and social media marketing where each blog post completed by a member will be marketed on NAIWE’s social media accounts. In addition to these benefits, NAIWE members have writing opportunities to showcase their writing and share their expertise on a given topic.

NAIWE’s focus includes a podcast, where NAIWE members are interviewed about their books or skills, and a discussion list, so that those who often work alone have access to join in the conversations of their peers to bounce ideas off and to add to topics of interest, both of which highlight members skills in the publishing industry.

Also, NAIWE’s authors may submit their published books for book reviews and book promotions, expanding their reach to new readers who will then learn about their writings. And all members strengthen and learn new skills through the articles in the Member’s Library or the classes in the On-Demand Training, furthering new income producing avenues.

To view a complete list of the NAIWE member benefits, please visit the NAIWE website.

 

Please share your own experiences with developing multiple streams of income from your books?

I began my freelance career as an editor while working a full-time job as a magazine editor. In addition to working two jobs, I took classes to add proofreading to my service offerings, and later took classes and added indexing, when a client expressed a need for this service. I also periodically taught classes. A few years later, I quit the full-time job, and I continued teaching classes at a community college. With the teaching experience, I began speaking at conferences and using my speaking material to write my own courses. I offered my courses in-person and online. In turn, I expanded on the course content to write several books. In addition and after being a NAIWE member for over a decade and on NAIWE’s Board of Experts for several years, I then moved into my current position as NAIWE’s executive director.

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Writing is no longer a lucrative career. The most recent study by the Authors Guild, a professional organization for book writers, shows that it may not even be a livable career. The people who write books usually have other sources of income, presenting it as a hobby as opposed to a valuable vocation.

In this webinar, we will discuss the theme of NAIWE membership: developing multiple streams of income. And we will discuss how to leverage your book to succeed in a career in writing!

You can join in this conversation on December 9, at 2:00 pm eastern, when NAIWE will host a discussion on developing multiple streams of income. The cost for NAIWE members is only $10! Nonmembers can join for $30. Register today!