Got a blockbuster book inside you? Want to know how to get it published?

Kevin Markwell

Anyone who has been down the path of trying to get their first book manuscript published by a commercial publisher will tell you that you need to be prepared for lots of rejections. And probably no publishing contract at the end of the process, either.

Commercial, mainstream publishers are very choosy and sometimes they reject manuscripts that end up winning literary awards. Even Pulitzer Prize winning novel Gone with the Wind was rejected by 40 publishers before eventually being published.

These days there are a number of different publishing pathways to take besides the traditional commercial publisher route, and one of these is to self-publish.  But navigating the different options out there can be tricky and can put people off taking the first step towards getting their book into the bookshops.

To help budding authors, the Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival is running two workshops on Saturday, May 18 that will provide everything you need to know about publishing your own book.

Best-selling author Kylie Chan, best known for The Dark Heavens trilogy, is running a half-day workshop 9.30am–1pm called Basics of Self-Publishing.

Kylie will guide you through the basics of self-publishing, outline the differences between print and digital self-publishing, and explain distribution channels, marketing, discounts and regional restrictions.

Then, from 1.30pm–4.30pm, Melaina Faranda, who has more than 50 children’s and young adult books to her name, will run her workshop, Making It Good Enough to Publish.

The workshop begins with the question: what’s the difference between a good story and a good story that will be published?

Melaina will provide a dynamic self-editing workshop that she says will definitely get results. Some self-editing exercises will enable you to dig beyond stereotypical story slush to find true gold.

To attend a workshop you need to buy your ticket in advance and places in each workshop are limited, go to the Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival site for the program and tickets.