What a night at TWB!
Zetta Elliott, Neesha Meminger and Vivek Shraya were our panel tonight to talk about publishing – how it’s changed, how it hasn’t, and how it’s affecting particularly under-represented readers and authors.
What an honour to host such a great panel and such a rich discussion!
All authors have self-published (Neesha has also been published “traditionally”), so the conversation focused on the path to publication, the considerations, the pros and cons. Each of them read from their work.
What struck me most was the fact that the leg-work is about the same for traditional or self publishing! For me, this has been the one perceived drawback to self-publishing, but now that veil is lifted. Onwards and upwards!
For the small percentage that authors get in the machine that is the publishing industry, for a book they have laboured over, I’d rather put out the money myself, have control over the process and then see that returned through my efforts.
Another sad fact? Of the 500 or so children’s books published last year in Canada, less than 1% were by black authors (3 to be exact). Sad, sad, sad. So the face of the published isn’t changing…
With so many options for publishing now (ebooks, other digital options, self publishing) as well as the amazing vehicle of social media to get the word out, book events, and sell, well…we COULD change the face of the published, and of publishing!
Thank you Zetta, Neesha and Vivek, for your insights, your candour and for sharing your journey and what you have learned with a full house at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore. It was my pleasure to host.
>via: http://twbfacingout.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/changing-the-face-of-publishing/
