Introduction to Authorpreneurship
Taught by Michael Allen Potter
Michael Allen Potter holds degrees in English and creative writing from Union College, San Francisco State University, and from The Nonfiction Writing Program at The University of Iowa. He has taught creative writing at Iowa and composition at Northeastern University in Boston, respectively, and currently works in The Writing Center at National University. In addition to these academic credentials, Michael has also worked for major publishing companies, including Pearson and McGraw-Hill, and has edited memoir, fiction, and multi-contributor anthologies as a freelance editor. He is the author of The Last Invisible Continent: Essays and the founder of The Hydroelectric Press.
The death of the book/novel/literature has been foretold for centuries, but with the advent (and near-daily refinement) of publishing technologies, it is, in fact, an incredible time to be a writer.
For those who’d prefer to take the reins of their own publishing careers, we will walk through the basics of what is available to writers who are considering authorpreneurship over more-traditional paths to publication.
This lecture and Q&A will answer the following burning questions about independent publishing (among many others):
- Can you eRead without an eReader?
- What’s the difference between an EIN, an EAN, and an ISBN? (And do I need any of them?)
- Is .mobi a DJ (or a whale)?
- “To [aggregate], or not to [aggregate]: that is the question[.]”
While the focus will be on digital publishing, we won't wrangle with InDesign or code anything in XML and will, instead, run through the basic file formats, platforms, and supply chains available to independent publishers that will put your work on the same virtual bookshelves with the likes of Tom Clancy, James Patterson, J.K. Rowling, and [insert your favorite author here] around the world.
