Author Solutions to Introduce Author Educational Services with New Appointment

Author Solutions last week appointed Suzette Conway as Director of Author Education and will be tasked with developing programs and courses to help educate aspiring authors. Note here and the press release below that it does not mention writers, but ‘aspiring authors’. I am already thinking of the old saying – you need to learn to walk before you can run – and in this case, I would like to think Suzette Conway bears this in mind when she formulates these new programs and services, because you can bet they will be paid services.

Nothing so much wrong with that, so long as Author Solutions and Conway remember that an author is a writer first, and it is the craft of writing where they need education, not just the skills and services to move them directly into the world of book publishing. I would also like to think that these new author education programs will exist independently, be tutored by qualified people, and not just turn out to be vehicles to steer ‘aspiring authors’ in the direction of Xlibris, Trafford, iUniverse and AuthorHouse‘s publishing services.

But then, that might be just wishful thinking on my part.

The press release:

Author Solutions (ASI), the world leader in indie book publishing, announced Wednesday the appointment of Suzette Conway as Director of Author Education. In her new role, Conway will develop programs and courses to help aspiring authors reach their publishing goals.

Kevin Weiss, ASI president and chief executive officer, said Conway’s appointment is ASI’s first step in becoming a leader in author education.

“ASI has published more than 20,000 new titles in each of the last two years—firmly establishing our position as the leader in the indie book publishing revolution. It makes sense that we provide educational services to the growing number of aspiring indie authors who may need only a little guidance and encouragement to reach their publishing goals,” Weiss said.

Conway will be charged with creating educational workshops and programs—both online and onsite—that will help authors optimize their publishing, book marketing and book-selling efforts, with the first offerings to be rolled out in the fourth quarter of 2010. Conway, who has nearly two decades of instructional design and learning program leadership, said she looks forward to learning more about the diverse educational needs of indie authors.

“These are creative people, artists that in many cases need just a little guidance to make their works blossom. It will be exciting to work hand-in-hand with these folks to help them realize their dreams of being published authors,” Conway said.

Conway expects the curriculum to appeal to and benefit not only aspiring indie authors, but authors who’ve already published books through ASI and other publishers.

For more information on Author Solutions, Inc’s leadership of the indie book publishing revolution, log on to www.authorsolutions.com.