Monday, February 27, 2006

Today, self-publishing has become a legitimate and professional method of getting your book out into the marketplace. Whether you are establishing yourself as an expert to enhance a speaking career, to otherwise extend your credentials, or to simply sell books, self-publishing can be a smart choice.

Done right, self-publishing is cost-effective, quick compared to publishing houses’ normal timeframes, pays much better than standard royalty contracts, and lets you maintain control over the publishing process. Conversely, there are production costs, technical and software requirements that can take time to master, and distribution deals to strike. And, self-publishing also requires extensive self-marketing and promotion.

Our panel of experts will compare the pros and cons, risks and rewards, of mainstream publishing versus self-publishing, and reveal how self-publishing has worked for several authors.

What does it take to self-publish? How much money does it cost? How long does it take? How do you find your market? How can you protect yourself? And then what? What new technologies are available to produce a high quality book, and to broaden the scope of your self-publishing project? Ultimately, how do you decide if your book project is viable?

Join us and learn first-hand what the realities are in the business.

Our Panel

* Rob Schmidt, a former IWOSC Board member who established Blue Corn Comics to publish multicultural comics featuring Native Americans. Schmidt will discuss his efforts to self-publish comic books and graphic novels.

* Human potential expert John Seeley, M.A., is a life coach, speaker, and author of “Get Unstuck!  The Simple Guide to Restart Your Life.”  Seeley is respected and much sought after. He is in demand as a speaker by many of North America’s top corporations and professional associations worldwide. He will discuss creative marketing and how to focus your energy into your book.

* David Samson has self-published six books, and has had a dozen other books produced by major New York City publishing houses.

* Rennie Gabriel, a UCLA Instructor, Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and certified financial planner (CFP), also owns Gabriel Publications.

* Filmmaker, author, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur Joel Eisenberg will discuss his “Aunt Bessie’s How to Survive a Day Job While Pursuing the Creative Life” and the upcoming follow-up, “You’re Too Smart to Go Down Stupid.”

Moderator: Gary Young, IWOSC’s Director of Professional Development, will discuss his “Loss and Found: How to Survive the loss of a Partner,” and the interesting fallout from that project.