Soon after I became an independent author, I was asked by the president of our local Sisters in Crime organization to give a one day workshop on what it takes to be an independent author. The workshop covered both the good and bad parts of my journey into the world of self publishing. With almost 30 current and aspiring writers in attendance, it was a learning experience for everyone!
The workshop covered topics such as editing, paperback and Kindle formatting, cover creation, copyright, International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN), Library of Congress and other “paperwork”, along with tips on marketing.
At the end of the workshop I had a chance to talk one on one with attendees and my favorite piece of feedback came from a traditionally published author who said she had a much greater appreciation for her publisher! After sitting through a full day covering the amount of work it takes to get a book from idea to the printed/virtual page she realized just how much of the load is carried by her publisher. When the publisher does much of the work, it leaves her time to write and promote.
In order to create a great workshop, I rounded up special coupons/deals for attendees and I developed a manual they could take home and use when they were ready to publish their own book.
The manual is for writers who are eager to explore the world of self-publishing. Based on my experience, I covered the step-by-step directions on how I formatted my first book, both digital and paperback, including things like font style and size, what I did to market the book, where I went for support and inspiration, and information on the “paperwork” involved. The manual also identifies over 100 website links providing any aspiring independent author with useful information.
Quite a bit has changed since I first published Buying Time, but it still remained useful when I published my second book Borrowed Time, though I did need to make some revisions. Even more has changed with incorporation of CreateSpace into Kindle Direct Publishing, so my plan is to revise the manual to reflect the changing landscape of self-publishing. However, the list of over 100 links to places on the Internet is still useful as well as Q & A segment I posted after giving the workshop. I hope you enjoy!
Goodies
125+ Helpful Links for the Indie Author
Workshop Q and A – (LLCs, Marketing, Writeway Pro, Copyright, and more)