Getting your new book written and published is one thing. Getting it read is something else entirely – especially for those books published by small presses and independent publishers.
That’s why Peachtree City Library is sponsoring its third local authors event Saturday, Aug. 27.
“The publishing industry has changed so much in the time I’ve been involved in the book world,” said Rebecca Watts, adult services librarian, who facilitates the library’s monthly writers group. “I spent many years prior to my life as a librarian working in bookstores and there was a definite bias against self-published authors on the whole. I think a lot of the issue was about shelf-space in the store. Small stores were reluctant to give over too much ‘real estate’ to authors whose works may not have seen rigorous editing or promotion. Larger stores often rejected the small due to larger centralized ordering systems that favored the national ‘big’ book.”
That was then, but this is now. The new reality is, while shelf-space is still an issue in both stores and libraries, the ease of publishing has increased significantly and authors still want the chance to be heard and read.
Watts encourages all prospective authors to get beta readers who will critique their work before it is published and seek professional unbiased editors before committing their books to print, whether that “print” is on paper or an e-book.
One of the round table authors at this month’s event is retired surgeon Jerald Lee Watts, who has penned and published his second book, “Military Medicine and Cold War: A Flight Surgeon’s Reflections.”
The other authors have approached the library in their efforts to promote their works.
Local personal trainer Jim Christian has written “Strength Training Beyond the Conventional: Physical Strength for the Game of Life.”
Sara Harris-Bowditch is author of “A Christian Doctor vs. Homelessness: From Tenthouse to Penthouse.”
Joe Chopko has written “Claudia’s Embrace: A True Story of Finding Love, Enduring Loss, and Building a Legacy.”
Sarah Smartt and Rachel Smartt cowrote “Modern Day Miracles: A Mother/Daughter Journey of Faith and Resiliency.”
Valerie Dickinson is the author of “When the Silence is Too Loud.”
The event will be held on the lower level in the Floy Farr Room. It is free and open to the public.
