Alice Heiserman was the manager of publications and research for the American Correctional Association (ACA) for more than 20 years before launching her editorial business, WriteBooksRight. At ACA, she guided more than 200 books to publication.

Alice and I connected as she was helping some of her correctional authors generate buzz for their new books. One of these authors, Kenneth L. Faiver, received The National Commission on Correctional Health Care’s prestigious B. Jaye Anno Award of Excellence in Communication for Humane Health Care for Prisoners: Ethical and Legal Challenges (Praeger/ABC Clio, 2017).

Alice says, “Innovative correctional leaders often are too busy to document their programs or describe what works. I can be a prod to their writing so that their voices influence what happens in corrections. I get excited about helping people be change agents—both for themselves and for the benefit of the field. Their professionalism and depth of understanding of issues and solutions keeps me stimulated and eager to help them publish.”

Alice has been working with Kenneth Faiver on two more volumes on correctional health care, slated for release in 2019 and 2020 by Charles C. Thomas Publisher. She also worked with Major Evan R. Seamone on his forthcoming book: Rescuing Soldiers of Misfortune: A Full-Spectrum Approach to Veterans in the Criminal Justice System from Arrest to Reentry (Charles C. Thomas Publisher). Another important project is the 2019 revision of Stressed Out: Strategies for Living and Working with Stress in Corrections, by Gary Cornelius for Carolina Academic Press.

Two of Alice’s more controversial books are The International Medical Relief Corps in Wartime China, 1937-1945 by Robert Mamlok, M.D. (McFarland & Co., 2018) and Bodies in Beds: Why Business Should Stay Out of Prisons by Sue Binder (Algora Publications, 2017).

Alice now works with both correctional authors and authors of non-correctional content, such as memoirs and novels. She nurtures authors and potential authors to help them clarify their ideas, develop a strong outline, and keep un-stuck in the writing of their material. She can be coach as well as editor and can help authors find a publisher or self-publish and market their books. Her authors appreciate her wise words and excellent editing and credit her for making their books possible.

“Corrections is one of the few fields that does not want return customers,” Alice notes. She believes, “We can do a lot to advance the field of correction if we have some goals—both personal and professional. The corrections profession has come far in this country, even if sometimes progress seems incremental instead of advancing as quickly as we would hope. People starting their careers today have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. I am thankful for the support of the authors who have worked with me to create some thoughtful and useful books to make the lives of correctional staff and inmates better.”

Alice looks forward to helping more people achieve the book they want to write. She invites readers to visit her website: WriteBooksRight.com.

Alice’s profile first appeared on LinkedIn on January 10, 2019