Notes on New Directions in Self-Publishing

article, books, career, clients, digital content, editing, editors, finding work, freelancing, self-publishing, writers, writing 1 Minute

Editors Toronto paired with PWAC Toronto Chapter to present a panel on self-publishing. The following post is from freelance editor Michelle MacAlees’s blog Many thanks to Michelle for giving BoldFace permission to cross-post this post.

by Michelle MacAleese

“Self-publishing [used to be] a scar; now it’s a tattoo.”— Greg White

Last night [Tuesday, March 27, 2018]  four of Canada’s most savvy publishing professionals addressed the subject of new directions in self-publishing together with Editors Canada (Toronto branch), PWAC Toronto Chapter, and the U of T School of Continuing Education.

This morning I am reviewing my notes, and I share them here:

  • Many in the biz draw a distinction between self-published authors and hybrid-published authors; both are “independent,” but the self-published authors are a special breed, who understand art and business and (usually) gladly develop proficiency in all the technical and administrative details of the process.
  • Not surprisingly, options for authors continue to change rapidly. What worked best in 2011 is irrelevant today. Many quality companies offer publishing services and hybrid publishing deals. (Many companies will pretty much just steal your money. One must read up before signing up.)
  • The best publishing option for e-only genre fiction won’t be the same as for a debut hardcover business book. It’s a wide world of independent publishing.
  • Authors: If you don’t love technical things (formatting ebooks, working Amazon’s categories, tweaking descriptive copy), you probably won’t enjoy starting a publishing house of one.
  • Editors: Working with self-published authors is a specialty and those editors who are good at taking on that relationship and guiding the process are worth their weight in gold. (Isn’t it about time we begin to mentor each other in why this kind of author-editor relationship is unique, and how it borders on the agent role at times?)
  • Editors who already specialize in working with self-published authors: Let’s talk about how to partner with reputable publishing services companies as well as with other independent designers and book marketing professionals to launch great self-published books that sell!

Thanks to panelists Stephanie Fysh, Meghan Behse, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Nina Munteanu, and to my audience buddy Bronwyn Kienapple. Let’s keep sharing!

Published by Editors Toronto

We are the Toronto branch of Editors Canada — the only national association devoted to editors and the editing profession, with more than 1,300 members across the country and more than 300 in Ontario. Editors Toronto is an active, vibrant group of freelance and in-house editors who work with organizations and individuals in the corporate, not-for-profit, technical, government, digital, publishing, and academic sectors in Canada and around the world in a variety of languages. We meet on the last Wednesday of every month, except in June, July, August, and December, for an engaging program followed by discussion and networking opportunities.

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