The business of the book world is changing at a rapid speed. Self-publishing, once dismissed as “vanity publishing,” is competing with traditional models and, some would say, overtaking it. Previously unknown writers are cracking the New York Times and Amazon best-sellers lists with their self-published books. The options for authors looking to self-publish continue to grow, ranging from complete do-it-yourself projects to partnering with a full-service publishing house. In a practical and informative seminar, writer and self-published author Monica Bhide covers the basics of self-publishing, following the process from completed manuscript to published work.
Bhide examines how the new types of self-publishing differ from more established models, looks at the advantages and disadvantages of each, and offers guidelines to best match the genre of the work with the most appropriate self-publishing method.
Other topics include the financial aspects of self-publishing; developing a realistic cost estimate and timeline for your project; and selecting and working with a copy editor, proofreader, and cover designer. Bhide examines the largest self-publishing platforms—Amazon Createspace for print books and Amazon Kindle Publishing for ebooks—and outlines the step-by-step process of creating a book and ebook using Amazon.
The program concludes with a panel of authors who have successfully self-published, as well as founders of local publishing houses. They share their experiences in self-publishing, how to find the right audience for your book, and online and offline marketing options for your self-published work.
Panelists include Dallas Hudgens, founder of Relegation Books and Stillhouse Press, who has written for large publishing houses and self-published; Danielle Tate, author of the self-published Elegant Entrepreneur: The Female Founder’s Guide to Starting & Growing Your First Company; and Richard Peabody, a poet, editor, and short-story writer who is the founder and co-editor of Gargoyle magazine.
Bhide is an award-winning author whose work has been published by Simon & Schuster and Random House. Her first self-published book of short stories, The Devil in Us, was a Kindle bestseller in December 2015.
