RIT writer takes her craft in a new direction

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A. Sue Weisler | photographer

Laura Cummings writes books about current-events icons such as Carrie Underwood.

Writer Laura Cummings was waiting for her biography of one of the most successful “American Idol” stars to publish when country music singer Carrie Underwood came to town earlier this month to play at Blue Cross Arena.

Cummings, who did not go to the concert, is by day a marketing communications writer and editor in RIT’s University Publications. She profiled Underwood as part of the Who’s Your Idol series for the Rosen Publishing Group, an educational publishing company that produces series of non-fiction books written for children and purchased by libraries and schools.

Who’s Your Idol: Carrie Underwood is Cumming’s first book, which she wrote under her maiden name La Bella. (“Laura Cummings” was already taken in the Library of Congress.) Who’s Your Idol, written for children in fifth to eighth grade, profiles the experiences of “American Idol” winners and popular contestants Fantasia Barrino, Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson, and the launch of their respective careers.

“The book was really easy to write because you hear about ‘American Idol’ constantly from the minute the season starts until the minute someone wins,” Cummings says. “It was easy to find sources because Underwood did so well afterwards, and because she was the only winner to ‘go country’—a whole new musical genre for ‘American Idol’ winners.”

As the main marketing writer at RIT, Cummings writes primarily for a slightly older age group—teens shopping for a university—than those who will read the Underwood biography. She produces the college viewbooks, program brochures and content for the RIT Web site and home page, among other responsibilities.

“When writing for RIT, I’m very aware of various messages RIT wants to get across. Marketing writing is strategic and message driven with a very precise outcome at the end. The books I write for Rosen are really for me. It’s a different outlet for me to exercise some creative muscles. Because I’m elevating my writing style all around, I think both benefit from each other.”

Rosen Publishing provides guidelines for each series and word count to their writers, who are required to use secondary sources instead of interviews with the profiled sources or their associates, leaving their biographies unauthorized, but legally unquestioned.

Soon after starting the Carrie Underwood biography, Cummings took on other assignments and now has three additional books in publication and another two in progress. Her second book due out soon is Celebrity Activist: Angelina Jolie—Goodwill Ambassador to the UN written for students in the seventh to 12th grade. Writing about Jolie led to more opportunities: Extreme Careers: Search and Rescue Swimmer and Contemporary Musicians and Their Music: My Chemical Romance.

Cummings is currently at work on two new volumes that are titled Extreme Environmental Threats: Fresh Water and In the News: Food Safety.

Tapping her own personal interests, Cummings has pitched an idea to her editors for a series about some of the more popular chefs featured on Food Network and other cable channels.