Who Should Attend

Are you a writer just itching to become an Indie Author but you don’t know where to start in the self-publishing game?

Are you a published writer through an Assisted Publishing service like Book Baby, iUniverse or Friesen Press but you’re ready to go into business for yourself?

Are you looking to cross another item off your bucket list but find the myriad of information about self-publishing overwhelming?

Are you short on time but long on want?

Self-Publishing by Yourself is the workshop for you.

Knowing where to begin and what to expect is half-the battle – the other half is actually getting published! This workshop provides you with the best of both worlds.

Workshop facilitator M.J. Moores, OCT. Author. Editor. will, over the course of 6 hours (two session of 3 hours each plus assigned homework) not only help you learn the basics of being an Indie Author but you will walk away with a published eBook.

The core focus of this workshop is to show you, step-by-step how to get a piece of writing ready for e-publishing and self-publicity via the internet.

The Course

1)  We will look at which print and e-resources will give you the best “bang” for your buck.

2)  We will “peer copy edit” your short manuscript & look at the fundamentals of formatting for e-publishing

3)  We will create our own book cover pages and discuss when to use professional designers

4)  We will look at legal issues, copyright, and “Meta Data”

5)  We will cover the basics of owning your own ISBN, Canadian tax law & the IRS

6)  We will consider “best practices” for publicizing yourself and when to delve into marketing

7)  You will receive a free copy of the eBook Publicizing Yourself: A Beginner’s Guide to Author Marketing

When you leave this workshop you will not only be the proud owner of a published eBook but you will have the knowledge to move forward and choose the best practices for publishing your full-length manuscript in both the print and e-world – you will be an Indie Author.

Course Prerequisites

A working knowledge of your MS Word Processing Program (not beginners please)

a) knowledge of inserting an image/picture

b) knowledge of where to access paragraph formatting

c) knowledge of where to access image formatting

d) knowledge of where to access page layout and text wrapping

1 Pre-Edited and Complete Short Manuscript (1,500 – 5,000 words) with a print and electronic copy:

a) a short story

b) a collection of poetry

c) a collection of recipes

d) an excerpt from a larger work

e) a non-fiction “informational” piece

f) “other” (be sure to check with me before registering)

Note: this must be an “original” work of your own creation

1 Laptop or Electronic Notebook (e.g. iPad, tablet)

a) Your own

b) Share a device with a friend who is also attending

c) Sign out a Library Laptop if you are a member & one is available

d) **I will have 2 Library laptops made available for the workshop on a first-come/first-serve basis

1 Memory Stick with 1 Gig (gigabyte) of available space

Note: also referred to as – jump drive, USB, and other names

1 Pen or Pencil (for jotting notes & peer editing)

Time to do “homework” between the two sessions

Agree to publish your eBook for FREE through Smashwords.com

Location & Time

The Newmarket Public Library

438 Park Avenue (just off Main Street)

October 17th & 24th 1-4 pm (fall 2015)

Call to register: 905-953-5110 ext. 4770

Please arrive at least 10-15 min. early.

Albion-Bolton (Caledon) Library

150 Queen Street South (just off #50)

November 7th & 14th 12:30 – 3:30 pm (fall 2015)

Call to register: (TBA)

Please arrive at least 10-15 min. early.

Registration & Payment

Call the library you’re interested in participating at to learn about pricing.

Let the librarians know if you require the use of one of the Library Laptops booked for the workshop. If they are not available and you need one you will have to find an alternate way of meeting this requirement in order to attend (borrow from a friend/sibling/parent/child).