Self-Publishing in the Digital Age

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF OUR CONFERENCE SCHEDULES.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITING LIST FOR FUTURE 'HOW TO GET PUBLISHED' CONFERENCES, PLEASE EMAIL WRITERSANDARTISTS@BLOOMSBURY.COM

Price: £95 - a full-day conference, followed by networking drinks.

Times have changed and self-publishing no longer means vanity publishing. With dozens of self-publishing authors finding bestseller success the face of publishing is in a state of change, but these successes don't come without their costs; self-publishing takes entrepreneurial spirit and absolute dedication.

Not for the faint-of-heart, self-publishing charges the writer with the role of author, editor, marketer, publicist and sales person, so where do you start?

Writers & Artists present the essential one-day conference on self-publishing for writers, offering invaluable advice on everything from editing your manuscript and choosing a distributor, to winning the Amazon game and building book buzz.

The conference offers insight and advice for every critical step of the self-publishing route, from choosing a provider and distribution route to editing your manuscript, surfing the tsunami of content to bring your book to the top of the Amazon list, building a social media platform, engaging your readers and building book buzz.

Discover what's happening at the cutting edge of digital publishing innovation with today's foremost digital publishing experts including Jon Fine, Amazon’s Director of Author and Publisher Relations, Lindsey Mooney, Vendor Manager of Kobo, Teresa Pereira, Director of Blurb, self-publishing guru Alison Baverstock, founder of the Literary Platform, Sophie Rochester and five of the UK’s most successful self-published authors, Mark Edwards, Louise Voss, Nick Spalding, Ben Galley and Joanna Penn.

With two panel discussions, Q&As after every session and an opportunity to network with self-published authors, Amazon experts and other writers with a glass of wine at the end of the day, you'll have plenty of time to network and get the answers to your every question.

Networking drinks with the speakers will be held afterwards, sponsored by Amazon.

Competition (THIS COMPETITION HAS CLOSED)

CreateSpace Competition Prize worth £1000  

CreateSpace are offering one conference attendee the chance to win a Total Design Freedom Essentials publication of their book which includes comprehensive copyediting, book cover design, custom interior layout, LCCN and ISBN assignment as well as online distribution worth more than £1000. The competition will be open only to those attending the conference.

To enter: Submit a 1-2 paragraph book blurb to writersandartists@bloomsbury.com by 14 November 2012, along with your contact telephone number. The winning entry will be chosen by Writers' & Artists' Yearbook Editor Alysoun Owen and the winner will be announced on 21 November 2012. N.B. To be eligible, entrants must have a completed manuscript. 

Terms: Each winner will be: (a) responsible for paying all costs and expenses related to the prize that are not specifically mentioned, including, but not limited to, taxes, and any other expenses that might reasonably be incurred by the winner in receiving or using the prize; and (b) required to submit to Sponsor (CreateSpace – ODP) the following in order to claim the prize: (1) his/her social security number or tax payer ID number and (2) a US Form W-8BEN (provided by Writers & Artists) with the Parts I and IV of the Form filled out and signed.  The Form W-8BEN is necessary to certify that the winner is not a US resident.

The strength of the conference is that it feels personal and relevant, though we seemed to be a diverse group.

Carola Asif

It was comprehensive, informative, very well presented and excellent. Thank you! 

Ikhtisad Ahmed

I would never normally have the opportunity to hear from so many professionals and authorities on the publishing world as I did.

Jon Freeman

Alison Baverstock is a hugely experienced publisher, trainer and writer on all aspects of publishing, marketing and reading. As a former publisher herself, Alison brings key insights into how independent authors can replicate the critical elements traditionally supplied by publishers in order to create successful ebooks. Her most recent book, The Naked Author – A Guide to Self-publishing is published by Bloomsbury.

Cressida Downing has over 20 years of experience in publishing and bookselling and has been a freelance editorial consultant for 13 years for a variety of professional clients and aspiring authors. She is a regular blogger for Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook and runs workshops with them and the Writers’ Advice Centre

Jeremy Thompson studied at the University of London and then worked in publishing in London until starting Troubador Publishing in the 1990s, and the widely recommended Matador self-publishing imprint in 1999. He is a regular speaker on self-publishing at author workshops and writing festivals.

Teresa Pereira is the Director of Blurb UK. Teresa joined Blurb in 2009 and was responsible for the establishment of the London office, as well as building a marketing team to service Europe. In 2010, Teresa oversaw the launch of Blurb in France, and in 2011 launched Blurb in four additional key markets; Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Italy. Teresa’s career began at Whole Foods Market, Variety Magazine and Marvel Entertainment, before she joined Yahoo! in 1999. Teresa spent 9 years at the company, before leaving as the Director of European Trade Marketing in April 2008.

Ali Dewji, Sales and Marketing Director of Acorn Independent Press Ltd. Ali set up Acorn Independent Press Ltd. in 2010 with his sister, Leila. Both siblings had experience working within world-leading publishing companies and Leila had also worked at a top London literary agency. A testament to their quality is that they are now used and trusted not only by authors at all stages of their careers (from debuts to best-sellers and award-winners) but also by literary agents (such as: Ed Victor Ltd., David Higham Assoc. Ltd., Aitken Alexander Assoc. Ltd. and many more) who now recognise self-publishing as a legitimate and profitable way to bring their authors' old and new titles to market and reach a new digital audience.

Ben Galley is one of the UK's youngest self-published authors. Founder of SHELF HELP - a website dedicated to providing the finest advice about writing, self-publishing, and marketing, Ben is incredibly zealous about sharing his passion and expertise with upcoming writers. Ben is making it his goal to promote professional, affordable, and technology-driven self-publishing. An author and lover of fantasy, he has released two books two date, and two more are scheduled for release next year.

Jon P. Fine is director of Author and Publisher Relations for Amazon.com, focusing on Amazon’s publishing programs and author services, and coordinating outreach to the author and publishing communities, including Amazon’s author giving program for non-profit literary organizations. He joined the company as associate general counsel for media and copyright in January 2006, and subsequently led business development for Brilliance Audio following its acquisition by Amazon in 2007.

Joanna Penn is the author of bestselling thriller novels Pentecost and Prophecy in the ARKANE series, as well as non-fiction works. She is represented by the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in New York for her fiction. Joanna runs TheCreativePenn.com, voted one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers two years running. The site features articles, audio and video to help you write, publish and market your book. Joanna is also an international speaker on digital publishing and the rise of the author-entrepreneur. Connect with Joanna on Twitter @thecreativepenn.

Nick Spalding is an author who, try as he might, can't seem to write anything serious. He's worked in the communications industry his entire life, mainly in media and marketing. As talking rubbish for a living can get tiresome (for anyone other than a politician), he thought he'd have a crack at writing comedy fiction - with an agreeable level of success so far, it has to be said. Nick Spalding's Love... From Both Sides is one of Amazon's top 10 bestsellers in the last quarter, joining E L James and Suzanne Collins. It is currently 25 in the Kindle bestsellers chart.

If you fancy getting in contact Nick visit his website at spaldings-racket.blogspot.com or add him on Twitter: @spalding_author.

Mark Edwards and Louise Voss became writing partners after Louise saw Mark on a TV documentary about aspiring writers. They wrote their first thriller, Killing Cupid, while living 6000 miles apart, which helped prevent arguments. Catch Your Death followed, the first novel to feature virologist Kate Maddox, reaching No.1 on the ebook bestseller list. All Fall Down, the sequel to Catch Your Death will be published in February 2013. Louise and Mark pride themselves on writing lightning-fast page-turners and have their motto, ‘All Thriller, No Filler’, pinned above their desks.

Mark lives in Wolverhampton with his young family and works as a freelance copywriter, while Louise lives in Surrey, where she works as a concert administrator, with her daughter and a flatulent cat.
Mark and Louise are keen to chat to readers and can be found on Facebook (facebook.com/vossandedwards) and Twitter: @mredwards and @Louisevoss1.Visit their website to find out more about the crime-writing duo: www.vossandedwards.com.