Custom Services for Authors with Disabilities
Welcome to the Wingwoman Program. I’m Caylah Coffeen, the founder of Creative Cornerstones. Everyone should be able to publish their dream book and see it climb the bestseller list!
But we all know it’s a competitive market, and publishing a book takes many skills and steps. For authors with disabilities, discovering an abundance of new, expensive, inaccessible publishing resources may dampen your excitement pretty fast.
The Problem with the Status Quo
One of our amazing team members, Anneliese Knop, is a talented writer and successful businesswoman. When she published her debut book, Jubilant, co-authored by Galadriel Coffeen, she was excited to build connections and market her book. But then she ran into a roadblock: so much of marketing is visual. And Anneliese is blind (I share this with her permission).
Did she have a striking, professional website and book reels to post on social media? Instagram and TikTok, the top author social sites, exclusively utilize pictures and videos. Should she hire someone to create all her social posts for her? But marketing is expensive and authors already have a tight budget. They have to pick wisely how to invest.
I was excited to help Anneliese market Jubilant, a book I had been involved with since early drafts! So I created a lot of visual materials for her for free, and she’s unlocked the potential of Twitter X and LinkedIn to network in her own way. But not everyone has such an option… until now!
My dear friend Anneliese says there are many government and nonprofit services which teach people with disabilities how to get jobs and develop skills. But none teach how to propel your career to greater heights. She says it feels like their message is, “we’ll teach you to survive, but not how to thrive.”
“We’ll teach you to survive, but not how to thrive.”
That is unacceptable. Each and every author, regardless of a disability, has created their own masterpiece which can move hearts and change the world – with such boundless potential, you should be limitless!
Our Proposal
If you are a writer or author with a disability, we want to partner with you to create a publishing plan that fits you, rather than you having to fit into a generic plan.
So here at Creative Cornerstones, we decided to create the Wingwoman Program to offer custom free or low-cost services to authors with disabilities.
Note: We named this the Wingwoman Program because Creative Cornerstones is a woman-owned business! But we do not restrict this program’s recipients or our team’s growth on the basis of gender.
Here are some services you may qualify for:
- Coaching
- Editing
- Design
- Publishing copy (author bios and back cover text)
- Assistance with self-publishing
- Marketing materials
Every Author Deserves to Have Their Story Told!
You have a unique perspective which can help you stand out in the crowd. As Anneliese likes to joke, us light-dependent people are at such a disadvantage – sometimes we don’t notice what’s right in front of us! Will you partner with us to brainstorm ways we can revolutionize the industry and make every author shine?
Perhaps you are hard of hearing, but want to create a rocking book reel with snazzy sound effects. Maybe you struggle with chronic pain and focus, and could use an extra push to complete your manuscript.
We don’t stop there. The sky’s the limit. Your unique angle can inspire a change that can improve the publishing industry!
So let us be your wingwomen, to give you a little extra power, so you can reach those greater heights!
Next Steps – Contact Us!
We consider requests on a case-by-case basis. As of now, we have no specific parameters which you must meet. Just let us know a bit about yourself, and we’ll brainstorm how we can partner together!
Additional Resources for Authors with Disabilities:
- Disability in Publishing – an advocacy and networking group run by and for authors and publishing professionals with disabilities
- Disability Arts Online – a magazine, community, and resource database for people with disabilities who engage in all forms of art (visual, performing, written, and more)
- “Writers with Disabilities” Facebook Group
- Goodreads list of books published by authors with disabilities
- The University of Pittsburgh: Dietrich II Institute for Writing Excellence – Writers with Disabilities Resource Page
- List of (global) organizations that support writers with disabilities
