Corte Madera, CA – The Marin County Free Library (MCFL) is joining forces with libraries around the country to participate in the inaugural Indie Author Day by hosting a free public event October 8 at the Corte Madera library branch.
Local events will take place October 8 at the Corte Madera branch.
Visitors will get to meet authors who publish both traditionally and independently in a variety of genres and discover new publishing platforms and local support for self-publishing.
"This event provides an opportunity to be engaged with the rich literary talent of the area and find easy to use and powerful tools to become a published author,” MCFL Director Sara Jones said. “It also is a great example of fulfilling the library's mission to create connections for our community to explore, imagine and innovate."
Indie Author Day will help launch SELF-e, a digital self-publishing platform available to MCFL patrons. The innovative service, created by Library Journal in collaboration with BiblioBoard, offers indie authors and aspiring writers the opportunity to upload their e-books, expand their readership, and broaden their fan base. Content submitted on the SELF-e platform will be evaluated by Library Journal and, if selected, appear in a curated collection of self-published e-books showcased at participating libraries nationwide.
“With SELF-e, the Marin County Free Library can help writers gain a wider audience for their e-books,” said Jen Robinson, Digital Initiatives Manager for MCFL. “We welcome all authors and aspiring writers to visit and learn more about this new resource for our local writing community.”
Almost 300 libraries in North America are participating in Indie Author Day to help local authors get discovered and for readers to find new books from local writers. Organizers will offer programming on indieauthorday.com to help libraries and authors stay connected throughout the year.
MCFL’s event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Corte Madera branch at 707 Meadowsweet Drive. Speakers and discussion topics include:
- Jen Robinson, Marin County Free Library’s Digital Initiatives Manager, introducing SELF-e;
- Rhys Bowen, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Royal Spyness Series, Molly Murphy Mysteries, and Constable Evans; and Bette Golden Lamb and J.J. Lamb co-authors of the Gina Mazzio RN medical thriller series take the mystery out of writing and publishing mystery novels;
- Bay Area Independent Publishers Association board (BAIPA) members David Kudler, author and publisher, and Ruth Schwartz, “book midwife,” offer their perspectives on how to approach the independent publishing process in the most professional way possible, and share how BAIPA can be a powerful support system along the way;
- Carolyn Jewel, USA Today bestselling author of historical and paranormal romance, discussing the definition of the romance genre, its various sub-genres and how publishing is changing rapidly;
- MCFL librarian Laurie Thompson and local historian Dewey Livingston, author of In the Heart of Marin: A History of Kentfield and Greenbrae, will highlight the vast collection of resources available to the public, including oral histories, historic photographs and newspapers;
- Bay Area author Birgitte Rasine will discuss the experience of self-publishing her own book about chocolate. A chocolate tasting with Firefly Chocolate, a local socially responsible craft chocolate maker, will follow the author’s talk.
Speakers will be selling their books at the events (cash or checks only) and a percentage of the sales supports the Friends of Marin County Free Library.
For more details about the event, visit marinlibrary.org/indieauthorday.