The website of the historical fiction writer.

Historical Novel Society Conference 2014 – Part VII: Indie Best Place to Be

This final post is the second workshop I went to about independent publishing, presented by author Helen Hollick and Helen Hart of Silverwood Books.

Independent publishing is not the failed option and the world of publishing is not dying. It is evolving. There is a large amount of self-published material that is just as good, if not better than what has been published by mainstream companies (some of which appears on the Read Through History.) There are now awards for independently published books, including one for the Historical Novel Society, and a shortlist means the book is pretty good. Here is some useful advice I got from the workshop.

1) Independent presses cater for a range of authors and genres but are becoming more selective as they grow.

2) Publishers are partners in making a book successful so treat them as such.

3) As an independent author you are your own boss.

4) Have a good cover – matte covers are more professional for novels and cream paper is easier on the eyes than white.

5) There is coaching for marketing if needed.

6) Enjoy it!

This was a very interesting workshop and it is good to know there are a wide-range of options there for authors wanting to get books published.

After this session there was a historical fiction themed quiz which was very entertaining. After lunch and saying thank yous and goodbyes to the friends I made, I went to the Natural History Museum and was lucky enough to catch the Mammoth exhibition before it closed.

Drop by over the next week when you will find out how I got on at the York Festival of Writing!

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