From the President’s Desk – February 28, 2014

You don’t have to live in Canada to have experienced a brutal winter this year with record breaking amounts of snow and bitterly cold temperatures across the North, Midwest, South and East. Some experts say that it’s the result of the Polar Vortex. Whatever it is, I am sure of one thing: I’m ready for spring.

I’m also ready for the Catholic Writers Conference Online which will take place from March 10th to 21st. If you’ve already registered, great! If not, registration is now closed (and hopefully you can join in the fun next year). Take a look at the schedule here.

In other news…are you a self-published author? If so, have you ever heard of The Independent Author Network? I belong to IAN. They are a great resource as well as a good marketing tool for the independently published author. Starting on March 1st, they will be offering a special yearly rate, 20% discounted from their normal rate. If you’re interested, email me at fullquiverpublishing(at)gmail.com and I will give you more details (as well as a coupon code for the discount).

Have you written or contributed to at least one book? If so, your book is probably on Goodreads. Goodreads is an excellent marketing tool for both self-published and traditionally published authors. To learn more about the Goodreads Author Program, click here.

Volunteers needed! We have two positions currently open that need volunteers.

First, Sarah Reinhard, SoA Chairperson, has asked for one additional volunteer for the Seal of Approval committee (Evaluation Coordinator) whose duties are as follows:

1.Recruit evaluators by sharing the link to the Google Form
2.Follow-up to make sure evaluators have received books, are reading
3.Log denial points from submitted evaluations on current quarter’s Decline Notes document
4.Bring concerns and needs to Chair’s attention as needed

Second, the CWG blog needs a Virtual Book Tour (VBT) Coordinator, duties as follows:
1.Communicate with CWG members regarding new books and hosting them for VBT
2.Copy and paste the information for the VBT into a blog post (making sure that the books are appropriate for the blog) Note: VBT Books do NOT have to have the Seal of Approval
3.Schedule posts

If you feel called to do either of these two positions, please email me: president(at)catholicwritersguild.com

Last, but not least, my fifth book, A Subtle Grace, will be coming out on Kindle March 22nd and in paperback on April 6th. I recently received a proof copy. After years of work, it’s always very satisfying for me to hold the finished product in my hands. Special thanks to my husband for taking this cool photo of all my books (this represents ten years worth of writing, polishing, editing and nearly 500,000 words!)

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me: president(at)catholicwritersguild.com

Ellen Gable Hrkach
President, Catholic Writers Guild