It’s a delight that you and Tina Gallagher will be teaching “Marketing for Introverts and Extroverts” at this years GLVWG Write Stuff Conference.
By Laurel Bruce
How has your work as an assistant features editor at The Express-Times influenced your writing?
Everything I learned at The Express-Times has had an effect on my work. We had daily deadlines, so I learned how to write quickly and accurately. Most articles were short, so I learned to write concisely. I had to do layouts, so I learned how to represent articles visually. I learned how to interview people—still one of my favorite aspects of journalism. Interviewing is an art, whether the person is an expert source for an article, such as a feature on a health topic, or a local or well-known subject for a profile or an event preview. Journalists are storytellers, which also impacts my children’s stories and fiction as well as my nonfiction articles.
You are currently an associate editor at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). What are the skills an editor needs to do his or her job well?
An editor must play well with others! Your job is to make a writer’s work better, but you have to do that tactfully and without taking away the writer’s voice. Of course, you need to have a command of style and grammar, but you also need to know how to use resources, such as a dictionary, stylebook, Google, and the library! And you need to have a sense of humor—that is not optional.
You have written many freelance articles for Lehigh Valley Style and other publications. Is there one story that stands out as your favorite? Why?
Too hard to narrow down! A sentimental favorite is the first feature I wrote for Baltimore magazine, an article about films set and filmed in Baltimore. I had envisioned writing that story for years! More recently, “Fashion & Beauty Awards 2014” for Lehigh Valley Style, which included three profiles of inspiring women doing great things and helping those coming up in the fashion and beauty fields. And “Christmas Traditions at Frueauff House: A Bethlehem Home with a College Pedigree,” was about the Moravian College’s president’s house, and is near and dear to my heart since I’m a Moravian graduate.
What was the motivation to start Libra Editorial Services?
These days, many writers are electing to self- or indie-publish. With our combined experience and expertise in editing and publishing, we can help authors make their books the best they can be before sending them out into the world. Writers who decide to go the traditional publishing route can also benefit from our services before submitting to agents or editors at publishing houses.
You and Tina Gallagher will be offering “Pitch Perfect Sessions” on Friday evening at Write Stuff. What advice would you give an author who is pitching his or her book for the first time at a writing conference?
Know your story and be able to describe it succinctly, but make sure you leave plenty of time for the agent or editor to ask questions. Be prepared to discuss your characters, their goals and motivation, and the overall story.
I was wondering if you could give us a teaser of what you and Tina will be covering in “Marketing for Introverts and Extroverts”?
Tina will present the Introvert portion of our program, where she’ll cover methods, including social media and giveaways, to market your writing without a lot of face-to-face interaction. I’ll take over for the Extrovert portion, with ways to market your writing through in-person events at traditional and unusual venues.
Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group 