Publishing Options - A Deep Dive Seminar

Holly Kammier, Patricia Marshall, Rick Shaw, Reg Van Hirtum

Thursday, June 25, 9-11:30 AM Pacific Ballroom

Facilitated by Yvette Keller

Four publishing experts will each cover in depth what is involved with both hybrid publishing, DIY self publishing, and small press traditional publishing.

Holly Kammier, co-founder and acquisitions editor of leading hybrid publisher, Acorn Publishing explains how hybrid publishing is a modern publishing option that fills an important gap. It combines elements of traditional publishing with elements of self-publishing and requires an upfront investment from serious authors who understand quality is critical to reach the widest audience for their books. One size does not fill all. Good hybrid publishers, vet the quality of manuscripts before they accept them into publication– and when done correctly, hybrid can offer writers the best of both worlds. 

If you are considering independent or self-publishing, you are not alone! Many savvy authors are choosing this path with remarkable success, but they understand that despite its name, it takes a village, or at least a competent team, to create a professional book. In this session, Patricia Marshall, founder and owner of Luminare Press, will take you through a range of services - from ala carte covers and interior designs to full publishing packages that include editing, design, and marketing – so you can understand what type of services you need to have a successful publishing experience.

Rick Shaw will provide more details as to how to accomplish publishing success if you have decided to be an author who has willingness to learn the many skills that are required to self publish and handle the range decisions needed to both produce a quality product and promote it well.

Reg Van Hirtum will share how small press traditional publishing could be the perfect fit for some authors who have worthy project, but prefer the feel of traditional publishing for their titles.

Holly Kammier is the bestselling author of Kingston Court, Choosing Hope, Lost Girl: A Shelby Day Novel, and curator for the anthology, Six Feet Apart… In the Time of Corona. Co-founder of Acorn Publishing, a highly respected hybrid publishing imprint to a growing collective of award-winning authors, she is also an accomplished writing coach who leads workshops at writers’ festivals and conferences. A former journalist and weather anchor with a resume that includes Channel 9 news in Los Angeles and CNN in Washington, D.C., the UCLA Honor graduate resides in her hometown of San Diego with her brilliant and often sarcastic teenagers.

Patricia Marshall is the owner of Luminare Press, a company she started 2010 to help authors with the process of independent publishing. She has a thorough knowledge of the bookmaking process and a passion for nonfiction book editing, as well as a strong desire to help authors produce a polished, professional book. Patricia has a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon, an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College in Baltimore, and a certificate in Digital Journalism from Media Bistro in New York. She’s a member of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild and the Eugene Chamber of Commerce and is active in civic events. 

Rick Shaw is fount of self-publishing wisdom. Rick Shaw will be taking appointments during the conference week, one-on-one or in small groups to consult on self publishing. He is a recently retired technologist, historian, data scientist, and now, a fulltime writer. He first attended SBWC in 2005 and has been a frequent attendee since. His short stories touch time travel, alternate histories, and dystopian worlds and can be found in anthologies by Bayonet Books and the Santa Barbara Literary Journal. He released two novels this past year  into the KDP/Amazon world and he is in discussions to co-author a dystopian series.

Reg Van Hirtum has been a lifelong avid reader of fiction with a businessman, including owning and managing The Café Luna in Summerland and launching a literary journal some years ago, The Café Luna Review. He opened an independent publishing house in Santa Barbara this year, Lazarus Media Publications. The first two books published by Lazarus were from local authors Shelly Lowenkopf and Max Talley. Lazarus is a small traditional house in Santa Barbara, filling a niche between authors who prefer not to go hybrid or DIY,  and who have worthy literary offerings that don’t fit into the needs of bigger publishing houses. A Santa Barbara native, Reg’s literary origin story opened when he was the editor of his high school newspaper, which led to penning short stories, then editing other authors’ work, and now he is full time building his local publishing company, taking on predominately literary fiction, both short story collections and novels.