Nittany Valley Writers Network Self-Publishing Discussion Panel

The Nittany Valley Writers Network discussion on self-publishing at Schlow Library this past Tuesday went very well. We had a crowd of over twenty come out to hear Michelle Weisen, Cindy Keith, John Swisher and me share our experiences in the brave new world of self-publishing.

The meeting including a demo of how to format and upload a book to a self-publishing service. There were a lot of questions during and after the discussion. It became quite heated at the end with members of the audience disagreeing with each other over self-publishing in the world of academia. Some thought it was a career killer. One said that at her age, she couldn’t wait around for a publishing company and decided self-publishing might be the way to go.

Here are some useful links for those interested in self-publishing:

• Joe Konrath’s Newbie’s Guide to Publishing has everything you need to know from writing to pricing and tips on a good cover: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/
• CreateSpace.com has the best royalties for self-publishers that I could find.
• Amazon’s Kindle self-publishing site: http://kdp.amazon.com If you want to sell ebooks, you want to sell to Kindle readers.
• Lulu.com is an ideal site for the less tech savvy or for those who may only want to print a few copies of their work for friends and family.
• Barnes and Noble’s Pubit site: http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com

Below is some information about our panel.

Michelle Weisen, is English professor-turned-author. Lavinia’s Window is
her first novel and third children’s book. She self-published it in 2008. Michelle has since formed her own publishing company called Words of Mercy. A portion of the proceeds from sales of her books support
http://www.wordsofmercy.com/

Cindy Keith is the owner of M.I.N.D. in Memory Care. She consults with families nationwide who struggle to care for a loved one with dementia. She is the author of “Love, Laughter, & Mayhem – Caregiver Survival Manual For Living With A Person With Dementia,” as well as “Love, Laughter, & Mayhem In Eldercare Facilities: The Master Key For Dementia Training.”
http://www.mindinmemorycare.com/

John Swisher, a professor emeritus of Counselor Education at Penn State, is the author of Two Paths Crossing: Then and Now. The novel was stimulated during a tour of Greece that focused on ancient sites including Delphi. He wondered what happened to real treasures given to the Oracles.