We will go through both paid and DIY options for:

• How to ensure your manuscript is the best it can be
• Adding extras (maps, illustrations, etc.)
• How to have it formatted (eBooks, paperback, hardback)
• The vital importance of cover design
• Which platforms to use (Amazon, iBooks, Google, Kobo, etc.) and how to upload to them
• Keywords so your book can be found by browsers
• The basics of launching and marketing (there is also a more intensive course available focused just on marketing your books but we will cover absolute must-haves)
• Managing your books over time (e.g. refreshes, series, etc.)

There will be a main presentation and then a lot of hands-on work so that you make the most of your time with us: you will leave inspired and with a clear set of steps to take to get your book published. Specific contacts will be provided (e.g. book cover designers, etc.).

Feedback from previous workshops run by Melissa Addey at the British Library:

• So much information – extremely helpful and also methodical. I appreciated all the resource lists. It was super helpful.
• Loved it - thank you. Very knowledgeable and experienced tutor, brilliant advice and tips.
• Engaging speaker: honest and real.
• Picked up so many great ideas – can’t wait to put them into practice!
• Concise, practical presentation, all good advice and delivered with enthusiasm and credibility. 

About the speaker

Melissa Addey spent fifteen years in business, developing new products for Sainsbury's Head Office and then mentoring over 500 entrepreneurs for a government innovation grant programme. In 2015 she became a fulltime self-published author and has a PhD in Creative Writing. She has been the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library and written and published thirteen books, including historical fiction (8), non-fiction and a picture book for children. Her novels have been Editor's Choice at the Historical Novel Society and won the 2019 Novel London Award.

Read more about her at www.melissaaddey.com