Stratford Public Library Introduces New Self-E Publishing Platform

Stacey Lapp, Digital Access Librarian at the Stratford Public Library, discusses the various tools the library offers to help writers self-publish and promote their writing. Not only are these programs incredibly easy to use, they do a lot of the hard work for you! The best part is that they are free to anyone with a Stratford Public Library card. If you’re in the Stratford area and plan on self-publishing your book, start your journey at the library!

Libraries are more than just places to get literature – they now help you create it, too! Stratford Public Library has purchased licenses to three amazing self-publishing resources, in an effort to support the local writing community. Pressbooks, Self-E, and Biblioboard all assist independent authors in different but related ways. And the best news: these resources are free of charge.

Hoping to get your writing into eBook or print-ready formats? Pressbooks is an easy-to-use online tool that creates professional-looking versions of your book in ePUB, MOBI, PDF, and other formats. The actual writing, editing, and formatting is all supported here – so that you, the writer, needn’t worry about coding or graphic design. Pressbooks also offers over 50 free themed professional grade templates.

Once formatted, Self-E provides an online platform to share your work. Create an account using your library card, follow the steps, and submit your eBook for possible inclusion in Library Journal’s curated modules on Biblioboard. Regardless of Library Journals’ attention, you can share it with readers locally and across the continent. Additional good news: if you submit an eBook to Self-E, you still retain all the rights and are free to publish it elsewhere. Indeed, these services allow publishers to find you.

Biblioboard is an online collection of self-published eBooks from our community authors, as well as authors from across North America. Whether you enjoy reading romance, non-fiction, sci-fi, or something else, there are a full range of genres to enjoy.

Self-publishing is a terrific way to get your writing into the public eye. If you’re already published, these services provide another venue to share your work. Spark interest for your latest series by putting the first novel in the series on Biblioboard, convert your book into an accessible format for all the places you plan on submitting it, or get inspiration from other writers of the same genre!

Using your library card, access these services through our website http://www.stratford.library.on.ca/SelfPublishing.

Follow the Stratford Public Library on Twitter: @SPLibrary