Small Press, Big Five, or Self-Publishing: Choosing the Best Path for Your Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel

Publishing has gone through a quantum shift in the last five years and speculative fiction is one of the genres that has the flexibility to do well in a wide range of publishing options. While there is a lot of partisan rhetoric about the "best path," there isn't a universal best fit. There is, however, a path that an individual author will be better suited for. In this presentation, Michael J. Sullivan, veteran of all three paths, discusses the pros and cons of each, and how to determine which is the best for you. He covers everything from traditional publishing contract clauses to look out for, and what it takes to successfully self-publish. He also discusses the various publishing venues: print, audio, foreign language, and ebooks and provide quantitative information about the monetary value of each. Writer should leave the session armed with a wealth of information that helps them decide how to shape their careers now and into the future.

INSTRUCTOR BIO:

Michael J. Sullivan is the author of fifteen novels and writes stories of classic adventure with unlikely heroes. His best-selling Riyria Revelations series (Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire and Heir of Novron) and The Riyria Chronicle prequels (The Crown Tower and The Rose and Thorn) are published by Hachette's Orbit imprint. He has self-published a standalone time-travel science fiction thriller, Hollow World and the third Riyria Chronicle, The Death of Dulgath. His latest series, The Legends of the First Empire is a fivebook epic fantasy coming from Random House's Del Rey imprint in the summer of 2016. Michael's works have sold more than three-quarters of a million English language copies, been translated into thirteen foreign languages, and appeared on more than one hundred and fifty “best of" or “most anticipated" lists including those compiled by Library Journal, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and Audible.com.