- In Archive
- 2015-09-30 22:03:01
- 315 Views
In the midst of veteran clubs’ recruitment campaigns, the AUBG community is witnessing the formation of AUBG Writer’s Guild, a book publishing initiative of a second-year student Steven London. London came up with the idea of the guild over a year ago, and finally introduced the project to a group of writing enthusiasts at the info session on Sunday, Sep. 27.
AUBG Daily interviewed London to get an insight on the goals of the new student club.
AUBG Daily (AD): Steven, what are the criteria to be the part of this new micro society? What kind of skills are you on the hunt for?
Steven London (S): The Writer's Guild seeks to promote a spirit of authorship and learning; it is not just for writers. Its purpose is to engage other members of the AUBG community as well. It is not exhausting itself with pen-and-paper admirers — it will also target business junkies anxious to manage and promote a professional project. Designers and painters would expand their portfolio by committing to book covers and artwork inside the books. Computer science majors could help in the area of website development. Literature majors can gain hands-on copy-editing skills during the project(s). Who knows, maybe one of the next great writers of our time will have started his or her journey at AUBG through involvement with the Writer's Guild.
AD: How did you come up with the idea?
S.: I had the idea originally before I came to AUBG last year. I didn't pursue it because I wanted to take the time to familiarize myself with the campus and put in place the necessary steps to make the Writer's Guild a successful project.
AD: Does that patience of yours also suggest that you possess some clandestine memoirs?
S.: I might have some memoirs lying around in old journals and notebooks, but nothing that I would consider publishing for myself. Sometimes mystery is a little better.
AD: During the info session you introduced us to a professional publisher. How did you establish a stable connection with the company?
S.: Last year, as I was preparing to bring the concept of the Writer's Guild together, I researched both well-known and independent publishing companies. The partner I chose is called Dog Ear Publishing. I scheduled a meeting, drove a few hours to meet them in person, and they were very informative about the steps required for self-publishing.
AD: From what I understand so far, the initiative is basically a one-man show. Still, is anyone helping you with the project and are you cooperating with AUBG in any way?
S.: Right now, the club is going through the process of being formally recognized on campus. We have around 30 members so far who are willing to help make the Writer's Guild a successful and a fun endeavor. Although the Writer's Guild is a start-up project, I have begun talking to others about how we can use our projects as recruitment tools and PR for the university. I feel the idea of a publishing club on campus has been well-received by the community so far. Furthermore, Professor Ronald Wiginton will be our faculty adviser and has been extremely helpful with his insight into writing our club constitution. His knowledge will be a valuable resource to us and we appreciate his help.
AD: Are you planning on organizing any events throughout the academic year?
S.: Yes, though nothing is on a calendar yet. Ultimately, I think it would be great for the Writer's Guild to join with other campus clubs to host events. One of the events that I would like to see happen this year would be the opening of a student author's section at the library.
AD: As for the book that will be published, is just one person going to be the writer or it will be a compilation of prose and poetry by different members of the Guild?
S.: The decision of what type of project we choose to publish will be made as a club. An anthology with a common theme (such as poetry, short stories, or essays) would be a great way to maximize experience and exposure while keeping costs down. Books do cost money to be published. As for individual projects, I am very supportive of working with the author(s) who wish to pursue that type of project. Both individual and group projects promote teamwork and challenges to overcome along the way toward completing a successful book project.
AUBG Daily (AD): Steven, what are the criteria to be the part of this new micro society? What kind of skills are you on the hunt for?
Steven London (S): The Writer's Guild seeks to promote a spirit of authorship and learning; it is not just for writers. Its purpose is to engage other members of the AUBG community as well. It is not exhausting itself with pen-and-paper admirers — it will also target business junkies anxious to manage and promote a professional project. Designers and painters would expand their portfolio by committing to book covers and artwork inside the books. Computer science majors could help in the area of website development. Literature majors can gain hands-on copy-editing skills during the project(s). Who knows, maybe one of the next great writers of our time will have started his or her journey at AUBG through involvement with the Writer's Guild.
AD: How did you come up with the idea?
S.: I had the idea originally before I came to AUBG last year. I didn't pursue it because I wanted to take the time to familiarize myself with the campus and put in place the necessary steps to make the Writer's Guild a successful project.
AD: Does that patience of yours also suggest that you possess some clandestine memoirs?
S.: I might have some memoirs lying around in old journals and notebooks, but nothing that I would consider publishing for myself. Sometimes mystery is a little better.
AD: During the info session you introduced us to a professional publisher. How did you establish a stable connection with the company?
S.: Last year, as I was preparing to bring the concept of the Writer's Guild together, I researched both well-known and independent publishing companies. The partner I chose is called Dog Ear Publishing. I scheduled a meeting, drove a few hours to meet them in person, and they were very informative about the steps required for self-publishing.
AD: From what I understand so far, the initiative is basically a one-man show. Still, is anyone helping you with the project and are you cooperating with AUBG in any way?
S.: Right now, the club is going through the process of being formally recognized on campus. We have around 30 members so far who are willing to help make the Writer's Guild a successful and a fun endeavor. Although the Writer's Guild is a start-up project, I have begun talking to others about how we can use our projects as recruitment tools and PR for the university. I feel the idea of a publishing club on campus has been well-received by the community so far. Furthermore, Professor Ronald Wiginton will be our faculty adviser and has been extremely helpful with his insight into writing our club constitution. His knowledge will be a valuable resource to us and we appreciate his help.
AD: Are you planning on organizing any events throughout the academic year?
S.: Yes, though nothing is on a calendar yet. Ultimately, I think it would be great for the Writer's Guild to join with other campus clubs to host events. One of the events that I would like to see happen this year would be the opening of a student author's section at the library.
AD: As for the book that will be published, is just one person going to be the writer or it will be a compilation of prose and poetry by different members of the Guild?
S.: The decision of what type of project we choose to publish will be made as a club. An anthology with a common theme (such as poetry, short stories, or essays) would be a great way to maximize experience and exposure while keeping costs down. Books do cost money to be published. As for individual projects, I am very supportive of working with the author(s) who wish to pursue that type of project. Both individual and group projects promote teamwork and challenges to overcome along the way toward completing a successful book project.