Amazon teams up with Bestselling Authors to bring Independent Publishing event to Dublin

Amazon and Writing.ie have announced plans for a daylong author event, to be held on Saturday 19th November at the Davenport Hotel in Dublin. The event will be live streamed on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing YouTube channel and will also be shown in libraries across the country, meaning writers throughout Ireland will be able to participate in the conference and learn from authors who are succeeding in their trade at the event, in libraries or from the comfort of their own home.

The event will include a wide range of panel discussions and workshops and will be hosted by RTÉ 2fm Presenter and book enthusiast, Rick O’Shea. A host of authors, publishing experts and literary leaders will come together for the event, to help Irish writers showcase their work to global audiences with sessions including “How to Write a Bestseller” and “An Introduction to Independent Publishing”, including editing, cover design, marketing and more.

A number of world renowned writers are taking part, including Hazel Gaynor, author of bestseller The Girl Who Came Home and LJ Ross, who rose to fame with her #1 Kindle bestseller, Holy Island. Mark Dawson, who wrote the incredibly popular John Milton series, will also be sharing practical advice, having recently announced that he has seen more than one million downloads of his work.

Speaking on the launch of the event, bestselling author Hazel Gaynor said: “With Kindle Direct Publishing, I could publish for free at a time that worked best for me and the book. Within weeks, I had a #1 bestseller in the Kindle charts. A year later, 100,000 copies had been sold to readers around the world. Kindle Direct Publishing changed my life from one of a frustrated, aspiring writer to a New York Times bestselling author of three novels, with a fourth on the way.

“Kindle Direct Publishing gives authors a very practical alternative for getting their books into readers’ hands and that’s very much the focus of this event – to help Irish writers get their work noticed and read around the world.”

Top author Mark Dawson adds: “Amazon’s KDP has allowed me to reach millions of readers, all around the world. I was traditionally published at the start of my career, but independent publishing has been the most liberating and creatively satisfying experience imaginable. I now get emails and messages every day from readers who have enjoyed my work and my book sales have given me the means to secure my family’s future.”

Darren Hardy, Head of Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing Programme in the UK commented: “Ireland has produced some of the world’s great authors and we at Kindle Direct Publishing are keen to encourage the next literary giants to embrace their passion and publish their work. This event is part of our drive to help Irish authors get their work read by a global audience and we’re excited to bring this live streamed independent publishing event to Dublin in November.”

Writing.ie’s Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin added: “Kindle Direct Publishing offers huge opportunities to authors to reach readers in a global market place, but understanding how to achieve that is crucial. With Writing.ie’s experience in publishing, live streaming and in creating literary events, we are delighted to be working with Amazon to bring together authors and industry experts to guide and inspire Irish writers to become the next Kindle bestseller. Regardless of a writer’s genre or goal, Amazon can open the doors to success and this event will provide the keys.”

150 free tickets for the event are available now on Eventnrite and libraries who’d like to sign up to stream the event can do so by contacting vanessa@writing.ie.

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) enables authors to retain their copyrights, keep control, distribute globally, get to market fast and do it for free. With royalties of up to 70% many thousands of authors now earn a living through KDP.