Last night I attended the inaugural Self-Publishers Meetup here in NYC -- and saw proof of how a community can be a major resource when self-publishing a book.

Authors looking to self-publish gathered to hear two speakers; prominent editors Betty Kelly Sargent and Alison Brower, on the topic of “Finding the Right Editor”.

They both offered excellent advice, stressing the importance of using an editor in the first place, finding the right editor for your vision and standing by that vision. Sargent likened the relationship to that of a therapist, “You should feel comfortable.” She also recommends finding the right editor based on those who are experienced in the same type of market that you are writing for.

Interestingly, while Sargent made a point to say “go with your instinct” as a writer when finding an editor, Alison Brower offered a good counterpoint—you cannot change what the market demands. And that's where an editor can keep an author’s work relevant to a market.

There was a sense of excitement in the room, which led to the inevitable question: “How much money will it cost me”? Naturally, there is no simple answer, but both speakers agreed: “Hire the best editor you can afford, it’s worth it.”

Thankfully with a service like Vook, production and distribution costs are lower than ever, allowing authors to spend where it really counts—developing great content.

Chatting with the authors afterward, it was clear that e-publishing is the intended route for most of these self-publishers. Naturally their views were quite valuable to us -- they want easy production, (The Vook Tool!) , easy distribution (Auto-Distribution & Metrics!) and a good home with good exposure for their book. (The Vook Store & Reader!) And just in case, a real human being to help them (Love + Support!) I definitely had a few conversation starters.

Congratulations to the group for having such a successful first Meetup, and especially to Miral Sattar for hosting and organizing it. We’re really looking forward to their next topic, “Raise money for your book or book project”  on Monday, Sept. 10th. Location to be announced.