Great Publishing Seminar @ The Writer’s Centre

It’s been a full on but incredibly interesting weekend spent at the NSW Writers Centre with tutor Jude McGee giving us an overview of the publishing/book selling industry in general, how it works and how to get your mss before an editor, with some frightening statistics about closing bookshops and declining book sales but also insights into the road ahead. It seems that the future lies with digital publishing and new technology – somewhat scary? Or a range of new and exciting possibilities? Freelance editor Nicola O’Shea gave us the good drum on how to edit and present your mss. Anna Maguire, who runs a digital publishing consultancy, Digireado, talked about digital publishing and the future – lots of possibilities there but you need to get out there and learn about them! Debbie Higgs spoke about how to market and sell your book once it’s ‘out there’ – of interest to those who are self-published as well as to authors with traditional publishers because it seems that the name of the game these days is sales and $$$. We also heard how books are distributed and sold into bookshops from Harper Collins Sales Manager, Michael White. I was on a panel talking about self-publishing, with Jacqui Vittles who has published a book about her battle with dyslexia, and also the prolific travel-writer (and hugely successful) Brian Lawrenson – it was fascinating to hear their stories. For me personally it was a pleasure to meet Nicola, who is about to copy edit my new book, A Ring Through Time – the title has been changed from Hearts in Chains. Also to meet Michael whose team will be marketing and selling A Ring Through Time next year before its publication in November. And it was heart-warming to meet Anna, who had worked at Random House during the publication of The Janna Mysteries and who told me how much she loved reading them. Plus it’s always great to meet fellow-authors and swap stories about writing and publishing. What an interesting weekend!