Author Panel Scheduled For Library's Beverly Branch

The Chicago Writers Association presents “The Road to Published: Authors Tell Their Stories,” a free panel discussion at the Chicago Public Library’s Beverly Branch, 1962 W. 95th St., Chicago, at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 20.

Moderated by CWA President Randy Richardson, the panel will feature eight local authors who will share their stories – the good, the bad and the ugly – about their own personal publishing experiences. 

Participating in the discussion will be four past recipients of CWA’s Book of the Year Award, James Finn Garner (“Honk Honk, My Darling”), Patricia Ann McNair (“The Temple of Air”), Renee James (“Coming Out Can Be Murder”) and Kelly Farley (“Grieving Dads”).  Joining them will be poet A.D. Moore (“Vignettes of Vietnam”) and fiction writers Libby Fischer Hellman (“A Bitter Veil”), Gracie Hill (“Saved-Sanctified”) and Samantha Hoffman (“What More Could You Wish For”).

“The road to publishing oftentimes is a bumpy one,” Richardson said, in a news release. “The authors on this panel have all gone down that road, so they can help to make it a smoother ride for the rest of us.  One of the authors had a best seller with a major publisher but is now strong advocate for self-publishing.  Another had a self-published book that got picked up by one of the big publishing houses.  They all have interesting stories to tell about their publishing experiences.”

The discussion will look at the pros and cons of traditional versus self-publishing, as well as the recent development of hybrid publishing, which combines aspects of both traditional and self-publishing. 

Following the panel discussion, audience members will have an opportunity to chat with the authors and purchase their books. 

-Submitted Information