This past February I had the wonderful opportunity to visit my alma mater and join a panel in discussing the publishing industry with English undergraduates at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan. As an English major myself, I would have loved to attend a discussion like this when I was in school. (I did attend a lecture called, “What the heck do I do with my English degree?” but that’s a story for another day.)
I was on the panel to speak about independent authorship. Other panelists spoke about academic publishing, traditional publishing, and Saskatchewan-specific publishing and resources.
Things I learned/realized:
Saskatchewan and Canada have some amazing resources for readers and writers.
Social media and the internet are great, but your most important connections are likely going to occur in person. An in-person connection is how I got this speaking gig!
I’m still just a newbie author with lots of room to grow.
The students had lots of interesting questions, leading us to discussing artificial intelligence in the writing industry, how they could publish specific works like textbooks and coffee table books, and how, as aspiring editors, they could get their foot through the door.
It was a wonderful time chatting with other publishing professionals and seeing other hopeful writers and editors.
Writing and publishing is alive and well in Saskatchewan. It’s growing and changing, keeping us on our toes, making room for new players and new ideas, and being generally awesome.
Interested in having me speak about self-publishing or writing? Visit my contact page.