The Catholic Writers Guild 2024 Conferences and All the News You Need!

Since it’s November and, in the United States, we’ll soon celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to share a little game I play with myself. I often challenge myself to name 10, 15, or 25 things I’m grateful for in the moment or from throughout the day. (I’ve never not been able to exceed my challenge. God is good!)

Here’s an off-the-cuff list of 10 things I’m grateful for about the Catholic Writers Guild:

1. Camaraderie with members who share similar goals and missions.
2. People who get the “Catholic stuff” in my writing.
3. The online conference, through which I’ve learned so much during seasons where getting away for in-person events was difficult.
4. The live conference, through which I’ve met so many fantastic people – writers and others – in person.
5. The connections I’ve made with publishers, editors, authors, bloggers, etc.
6. The goodness of our members, who are quick to lift up others in prayer and with practical means of support.
7. The generosity of our members who, though busy, are willing to take on volunteer responsibilities to serve their fellow Guild members.
8. The Guild’s founders, who saw a need and invested the time and effort to make this organization a reality.
9. The dedication of our Board members, past and present, who truly have the best interest of the Guild at heart.
10. The retreats hosted. Would a Catholic writers retreat even be a thing if the Guild weren’t offering it? (And I’ll just take this opportunity to thank Guild member Margaret Rose Realy for all the work she did to make last month’s Guild retreat a success! Thank you, Margaret.)

See how easy it is? I bet you could come up with a list of your own.

There’s a lot going on in the Guild, so please read on for news about our online and live 2024 conferences and other Guild activities and opportunities!

Finally, according to our bylaws, November is the time for our annual elections! Look for a separate email for nominations within a week.

I’ve served the Guild as president since September 2021 and before that as vice president. As the list above indicates, I’m so grateful to the members who have been kind, supportive, and have stepped up to help in so many different ways. You are a generous bunch!

While I’ll be continuing to serve as the Evaluator Coordinator for the Seal of Approval and assist in transitioning to our new website for continuity’s sake (we are so close, and we can’t wait to share it with you!), I will not accept a nomination for president for 2024.

God is still laying stories on my heart over these past very busy years, and I want to get back to writing them. I won’t bore you with my list of other obligations and commitments beyond the Guild – we all have them! – but it’s time for me to scale things back a little bit.

To that end, I hope that some of you will be generous in considering who might be willing and able to take on this role and then submit your nominations.

Guild Member-Hosted Retreat in Sunny Florida!

Sorry, gentlemen. This one is for ladies only.

Longtime Guild member Karina Fabian is  hosting a writing retreat open to ladies of the Catholic Writers Guild.

When: January 5-9, 2024.

Where: The Fountains, Orlando, Florida.

How much: $300 includes accommodations, food, and transportation to Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of the Universe.

Limited to the first six paid registrations.

Questions? Email Karian Fabian at [email protected].

Registration is Open for CWCO 2024!

CWCO 2024 is scheduled for February 23-25, 2024, with pitch practice on February 26 & 27 and pitch sessions on February 28-March 1. Register at https://catholicwritersguild.org/online-conference

Here are some of the things you can look forward to:

• A greater emphasis on how our faith informs our writing. We have speakers who will discuss writing as a Calling, literature as evangelization, and even how genre fiction like horror and science fiction can still reflect our Catholic values.
• Practical advice and tips you can put to work immediately. From managing your time to reconstructing your plot, and developing great characters to building your social media presence, our experienced and well-published presenters share their best practices.
• Webinar format that incorporates audio and visuals. It’s easy – if you can handle Skype or FaceTime, you can do this! Or call in to listen to the presentations if your internet is slow. (Don’t worry, there’s still chat available for talking or “passing notes.”)
• Networking. We’ve built in time each year for open chat, sharing links and books, even reading and on-the-fly critique.
• Recordings! We’ll have recordings of each session available free for attendees.

Spread the Word

Help spread the word about CWCO 2024 to fellow Catholics by sharing the information below and the image above in your parish bulletin.

The Catholic Writers Guild is hosting its annual online writing conference February 23-24. It features presentations on faith and writing, chances to meet fellow authors, and opportunities to pitch to Catholic publishers like Ave Maria and Chrism Press. It’s totally online—no travel!—and costs $60. Learn more at https://catholicwritersguild.org/online-conference

CWG Live Conference 2024

The Guild is excited to announce that our live conference will once again be hosted in conjunction with the Association of Catholic Publishers (ACP) meeting in Chicago, Illinois!

Our conference dates are Tuesday, May 28 through Thursday, May 30. We have an invitation to attend the ACP’s breakout sessions on Thursday afternoon, and we look forward to the chance to get to know their members. You’ll definitely want to plan your departure for Friday morning to take advantage of this opportunity to meet and learn from Catholic publishing experts. We’ve also invited the ACP members to consider joining us as attendees, speakers, panelists, and mentors!

Consider sharing your expertise as a speaker or panelist: to apply, fill out our Speaker and Panelist Application.

Last year’s conference was our first time working with the ACP, and we’re grateful to be invited back and to have the opportunity to integrate better with their conference. Mark your calendar now; we’ll open registration in February.

Job Opportunity

Catholic Book Publishing, located in Totowa, New Jersey, has served the Catholic community for 112 years. We are currently seeking an experienced editor.

Description

As an editor, you will join a dedicated team that is committed to the publication of timely and timeless Catholic resources that achieve the highest quality of content and production. Our extensive line includes Bibles; Missals; Prayer Books and Devotionals; Spirituality, Marian, and Saints Titles; Liturgical Books; Spanish Resources; Communion Gifts; and Children’s Books.

The successful candidate for this position will possess a strong command of the competencies and requirements listed below.

Competencies:
·      Solid knowledge of the Catholic Faith and familiarity with liturgy
·      Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills
·      Well organized, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
·      Attention to detail
·      Excellent communication skills
·      Capable of demonstrating resourcefulness in problem-solving
·      Strong initiative
·      Marketing capabilities

Requirements:
·      Proven editorial work experience for a minimum of 5 years in the Catholic publishing sector
·      Work in office (no remote or hybrid)
·      Collaborative, cooperative spirit
·      Dedicated, hardworking, adaptable
·      Willingness to travel occasionally
·      Knowledge of Spanish a plus
·      Trade and consumer show experience a plus

Qualified individuals for this full-time, salaried position should send a cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to carla@catholicbookpublishing.com.

Heartbeat

Whether you’re a new member or you missed the email invitation in your inbox, we’d like invite you to join the Catholic Writers Guild Heartbeat community!

More than 280 of our members have joined, and it has become a lively place for our members to discuss, chat, critique, plan meet-ups, and more!

If you are an active member (meaning your dues are paid up) and have not received or have lost your invitation, reply to this email, and I’ll be sure you receive an invitation. (If you’re not a member, you can still access our Sunday night chats and the public portion of our community.)

• If you missed Guild member Kate Frantz’s (Thy Olive Tree) free Heartbeat talk in January, “Self-Publishing a Good, True, and Beautiful Book – The Three Non-Negotiables,” it’s now available here.
• July’s free Heartbeat talk by Guild member Maureen Platt is now available.
• Coming in January, “How to Be a Good Interviewee” with A.J. Cattapan!

Seal of Approval

Currently seeking an Author Coordinator!

The Author Coordinator prepares the Main Spreadsheet before the start of each quarterly submission period, communicates with submitting authors as to whether their submission has been accepted or if they are waitlisted, updates the Main Spreadsheet to reflect new applications, and uploads book files to the appropriate SOA folder. To volunteer, email [email protected].

Application dates for 2024:

• Monday, January 15
• Monday, April 15
• Monday, July 15
• Monday, September 16

During the 24-hour application window, you can access the Seal of Approval application form. Reminder: If your book has received an Imprimatur, it is ineligible for the Seal of Approval but receives all benefits associated with the Seal. More information on the Seal of Approval process.

Reminder: Books designated with an Imprimatur or nihil obstat are not eligible for the Seal of Approval but automatically enjoy all the benefits of that designation.

To become a volunteer evaluator, email the SOA committee at [email protected]. Training is provided.