The Indie Industry - A Breakdown | All Booked Out Fest 📕

Held in the InterClub Ballarat Drop In Centre, Coven Press had organised an indie literary festival delight! Along with many local self published authors, the festival ran a few other insightful panels. The panel I spoke on was a chance for me to talk about my own experience being a self published author, and also hear from other well regarded professionals in the Australian publishing space. Enjoy this presentation where we talk about our experience in the indie author and book publishing industry. Thank you so much for Coven Press for an amazing weekend!Featured guests from left to right* MG Hunt (me)* Paula Gleeson (Author of Original Twin and Boney Creak)* Paula Gleeson’s Website* Lauren from Hardy Audio* Hardy Audio Website * Stef from Coven Press * Coven Press WebsitePanel moderator: Liz McCracken from Coven Press Questions askedQuestion 1I’d love to hear from everyone with this question: What got you interested in the publishing industry, whether as an author or professional? Question 2 Paula, can you share your experience as a traditionally published author? What was the process of securing a publishing contract like, and what has your experience been with distribution and marketing? Question 3MG and Stef, this one’s for you: In your view, does indie publishing offer a difference in accessibility or inclusion compared to a traditional route, such as what Paula has done? Question 4Lauren, a question specifically for you: With your work at Hardy Audio, how have you seen indie authors approach audio production? What other possibilities are out there in the audio realm for authors to take advantage of?Question 5While we're on the topic of audio, MG, you're the host of the podcast Indie Author Life, where you speak with authors and vendors in the independent publishing space. How has this medium helped you build connections, and how do you think audio can be a valuable tool in an author’s toolkit? Question 6Stef, could I ask what advice do you have for indie authors trying to establish a brand or identity in such a saturated market? Market? Question 7A question for the entire panel: How much of your time is actually spent writing (or doing the fun stuff) vs marketing or managing the business side of your work? Quick fire questions (this or that) Okay, that’s the end of our structured questions, here’s a list of quick fire this or that questions to get to know our panelists: * Early mornings or late nights? * Quiet workspace or background noise? * Coffee or tea while working? * To read: Fiction or non fiction? * To read: Print books, ebooks or audiobooks? MG Hunt’s links 📚 * Instagram* TikTok* Goodreads* Facebook* WebsiteWhere to purchase Still Waters Run Deep 📚 * Etsy* Beventi* Amazon Paperback* Amazon eBookThanks for reading Indie Author Life! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mghunt.substack.com