Apart from shark diving and parachuting, I’m generally open to new experiences. So, when the Cape Town Chapter of the Professional Speakers Association asked me to participate in a panel discussion on the merits of traditional publishing versus self-publishing, I leapt at the chance. What made it even more exciting was that two of us would be in Cape Town and the third would join us via Skype from Johannesburg.
I admit it was a little disconcerting sitting there with a super-sized version of speaker/author Douglas Kruger dominating the massive screen beside author/trainer Jill Ritchie and myself but it certainly didn’t impede the discussion in any way.
I’ve always believed that my decision to self-publish was the right one for me, but was fascinated to hear what Jill and Douglas had to say about their own experiences in both worlds. I found the open and honest discussion informative and thought-provoking as did the audience, based on the diverse questions they asked. I certainly learned a lot from the input given by Jill and Douglas, and hope that others did too.
Not only did I get a new experience but I also gained valuable information that’ll help me in the future. And once again I was reminded why I gain so much value from being a member of the Professional Speakers Association!
So, while I came away with my belief that self-publishing was the right decision for my current books, perhaps next time I’ll think differently! Who knows?
