President’s Letter – August 2025

Greetings Writers!

Important conference-related deadlines (https://www.authorsoftheflathead.org/conference/

August 26 – agent/editor meeting submissions due to conference coordinator Claudia Bennett –  cacb3944@gmail.com.

September 3 – Hilton needs registration numbers for the food service. Please register by this date.

September 3 – deadline to book a Hilton room with conference discount. 406-756-4500 – use AUTHOR to receive discount.

September 15 – deadline to submit cover art (front only), brief bio (2 sentences), bio photo to Craig (craigtnaylor@gmail.com) for the author slide show. Only for conference attendees who are also AotF members.

September 15 – deadline to submit to Claudia (cacb3944@gmail.com) your request for book display table space. Only for conference attendees who are also AotF members.

October 1 – deadline to get books to Stephanie at The Bookshelf for our Saturday evening reception.

 

Authors of the Flathead President Search for 2026

In 2026 I will be moving into the role of past-president of Authors of the Flathead. A few years back, I inherited a strong organization from board members that had, in many cases, served for decades. In the years since we have continued to grow in membership, now almost 100, added liability and board insurance policies, added an accountant to work with the treasurer and board, added grant writing to enhance our bottom line, revised our website with additional features such as an author page, continue to offer and incredible fall conference—all while continuing to serve members in line with our mission of Writers Helping Writers. We have a wonderful board and have split the duties of our organization so each person has a minimal amount to take care of. The president mainly oversees the board, which is an easy job with the current members.

The board and I are looking for someone interested in serving as president in the coming year. I urge you to consider this opportunity.

The previous president, Betty Kuffle, recognized that I seemed to be good at organizing things and asked me to take over for her. When I was elected and accepted the presidency of Authors of the Flathead some years ago, I was an unproven writer. I had a few magazine articles in print but no books. I figured the gig would be a good way to learn the biz, get to know the folks in the know—and I was right!

Before I accepted the position, my submissions were met with silence or rejections, some of them unfortunately cruel. The title of president, however, gave me an in with agents and editors. They (so far) have declined my submissions, but they considered them and, in general, replied in a gracious manner. I am now self-releasing my first novel, have #2 in sensitivity reading, almost done with #3, and have multiple books of poetry awaiting a window to assemble them.

The AotF has become, in many ways, an extended family for me. I have watched books conceived, worked, reworked, and published by many authors in our truly extraordinary organization. I have attended funerals and other special occasions of our members. If I haven’t seen a member for a while, I send an email or call to check in, and have received in return some of the most heartfelt responses in my life.

It has been my honor to serve, but it has also been a springboard for me into a higher level of professionalism and professional respect. It has been one of the most valuable experiences of my life. I encourage you to consider tossing your hat onto the opportunity.

This is currently a volunteer position. One of my goals in the future is to offer the president some perks such as paid expenses to a writing conference or retreat of their choice. In my past-president role, I look forward to writing some grants to make this a standard part of the position.

If you are interested and want more info on what is needed, send me an email to craigtnaylor@gmail.com and I’ll be in touch.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you all as your president these past few years.

Sincerely,

Craig Thomas Naylor, DMA (novels penned as Thomas Craeg)