Experienced Doulas–Call For Submissions for Doula Anthology

What do you wish you’d known when you were a beginning doula? This anthology, tentatively titled Round the Circle: Experienced Doulas Share What They Learned the Hard Way, brings together experienced and well known doulas who are eager to share with a new generation of doulas what they learned the hard way. The idea is to create a doula mentorship in a book! Hale Publishing will be releasing the anthology in late 2014.

Topics might include how to know when to accept prospective clients and when to refer, protect yourself against post-traumatic stress after attending difficult births, work with high needs clients, begin and expand your doula business, promote yourself using social media, practice excellent doula self care, and safe guard against burnout. Learn more about working with fathers to meet their unique needs, how to better serve same sex couples and twins families, improving your ability to communicate with staff and families, the advantages and disadvantages of forming a doula cooperative, mentoring, volunteer doulaing, and much more! I am also interested in considering essays on the doula related topics you are most passionate about. Experiences doulaing for clients during birth or in the immediate postpartum are also welcome, as long as signed permission from the families are provided.

Submissions are due January 31, 2014. I am looking for original, previously unpublished work of 1200-5500 words. Please submit your essay in Microsoft Word and follow APA style protocol in using other people’s ideas, words, and graphics. Please include a photo of yourself and a short bio. If your essay is accepted you will be asked to transfer all rights to Hale Publishing. Not all submissions can be accepted for the anthology, but those that don’t fit into the book, may, with your permission, be posted on the Round the Circle blog. Accepted authors will receive one free copy of the anthology and the right to purchase additional copies directly from Hale Publishing at fifty percent not for resale and thirty percent for resale of the list price plus postage charges.

Questions? Want to discuss an idea? Please email me at Julie@WellPregnancy.com.