How to Publish Panel at the Regulator

(Left to right: Alice, Henry Hutton and Alex Sokoloff)

(Left to right: Alex Sokoloff, Stacey Cochran and Alice)

7/7/07 How to Publish Panel at the Regulator Bookshop

Last night, Stacey Cochran (Colorado Sequence) moderated a panel discussion titled "How to Get Published: Traditional Publishing and Self-Publishing" with Alex Sokoloff (The Harrowing), Alice Osborn (Right Lane Ends), and Henry Hutton from Lulu.com at the Regulator Book Shop on Ninth Street. We had a full crowd of fiction, nonfiction and poetry writers. Alex, who is from L.A., and was a screenwriter for 10 years, was asked many questions about how to acquire an agent and the benefits of traditional publishing, I was asked questions about why I did self-publishing and its advantages/disadvantages and Henry was asked many good questions about the Lulu.com's self publishing business model. It was great how Stacey made the crowd remember Alex's and my books, "OK, everyone," Stacey asked the crowd, "What' s the name of Alex's book again?" and he got a laugh when he announced that anyone who bought two of his books would get a character named after him/her in his next book.

The reason I self published Right Lane Ends was because as a poet, I know who my audience is and how I can get my words and my book before them through my various poetry and creative nonfiction workshops, as well as through my readings. I also am a good marketer and know what I need to do to get noticed by my audience -- (it's my Right Lane Ends T-shirts! -- thank you man at Kinkos who purchased my book on Friday when he saw me wearing my T-shirt -- I didn't even get your name) If you want to go the self publishing route, you need to know your target audience, how to reach them and be comfortable carving out a space for yourself as a lit star!

Till next time,

Alice