May is often a busy month, filled with sacrament celebrations, graduations, and resuming outdoor chores. If you have young children, there are field trips, spring sports, recitals, and more. Have you made time for writing?

Now is a great time to set some simple goals for summer. Is there a manuscript to clean up? Is it time to do that research on where to submit your work? Have you created a marketing plan? Are there several books you’ve been meaning to read? Maybe this is the year to go to that conference. (See below.)

After a couple years of imposed schedule changes and new obligations, my goals this summer are a little lofty. I think they need to be. How about you? How is God calling you to serve Him with your writing this summer?  Have you asked Him what your summer goals should be–even if that is to relax and restore?

Carolyn Astfalk
President

The Catholic Writers Guild is pleased to co-sponsor the Stock the Shelves campaign hosted by Chrism Press. This simple campaign is a boon to readers and writers. Its goal is simply to get more books by Catholic and Orthodox writers on your library’s shelves. How does that happen? You request them.

It’s as simple asking. Some libraries have an online form for you to use. You may have to inquire with the circulation desk on your library’s process, but your library has a system for receiving patrons’ recommendations and purchasing new books for its shelves. Why not make those good books that the whole community can enjoy?

Catholic Writers Conference Live!

Our 2022 live conference will be held in conjunction with Catholic Marketing Network’s Momentum ’22. All the details are available at our website.

Registration is being handled through the Catholic Marketing Network. When you register, remember to click on “Catholic Writers Guild Track.” This is the only way for CMN to properly credit the Guild for its registrations, which help to cover our expenses.

Volunteer Opportunity: Bigmarker Managers

Do you like tech and want to help the Guild? We need of a couple of volunteers to manage the Bigmarker system. (It’s as easy as Zoom.)

What you need to know:

  • To increase our webinar offerings, volunteers are needed for beyond the annual online conference.
  • Assistance is needed with setting up the online conference. (The next will be February 24-26, 2023.)
  • Webinar masters are paid (usually a percentage of paid registrations).
  • Training videos are available as well as assistance from our resident Bigmarker expert, Karina Fabian.

Interested? More questions? Ready to commit? Let us know.

Seal of Approval

The Seal of Approval application opens for the 3rd quarter on Friday, July 1, 2022 at Noon EDT. When open, 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.

If you’re a registered CWG member and did not receive this month’s newsletter in your inbox, please check your spam folder before emailing vicepresident@catholicwritersguild.com to let us know you did not receive the newsletter.

Barb Szyszkiewicz is a wife, mom of 3 young adults, and a Secular Franciscan. She is senior editor at CatholicMom.com. Barb enjoys writing, cooking, and reading, and is a music minister at her parish. Find her blog at FranciscanMom.com. Her booklets, The Handy Little Guide to Prayer and The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours, are available from Our Sunday Visitor.

By Catholic Writing and Publishing