​🚨 Calling all indie authors, aspiring self-publishers, and creative hustlers! 🚨

Want to turn your passion for writing into a thriving author business? 📚💼 Join me, Amra Pajalić—award-winning author, educator, and indie publishing queen—for my upcoming course "Self-Publishing as a Small Business" with @WritersVic.

Learn the ins and outs of: 
✔️ Setting up your self-publishing imprint
✔️ Budgeting, pricing, and getting paid
✔️ Marketing that actually works
✔️ Treating your author career like a real business (because it is one!)

This course will also cover financial aspects, including pricing, royalties, and revenue streams like audiobooks.  

📅 Session 1, Tuesday 17 June 6PM-8.30PM (online): Understanding publishing options and exploiting your intellectual property 
📅 Session 2, Tuesday 24 June 6PM-8.30PM (online): : Preparing for publication and the process of publishing 
📅 Session 3, Tuesday 1 July 6PM-8.30PM (online): : Marketing and promotion and sustainable business practices 

Sessions will be recorded and available to watch later.
You Will Learn:
• How to self-publish books. 
• How to prepare your manuscript, including editing, formatting and cover design. 
• The way in which you can distribute you book in different formats. 
• How to set pricing and how royalties for self-published books work. 

💥 You’ll walk away with the tools and mindset to run your publishing journey like a pro.

🎟️ Spots are limited so book now via link below or in bio:

🔗 https://writersvictoria.org.au/calendars/events/event/?id=1328

I am celebrating my first international conference presentation.
First, some background. I have been doing a PhD in Creative Writing for seven years now. This is my last year. I have written a novel (which actually ended up being three novels) set in Srebrenica and my thesis is about non-Bosnian writers writing about Srebrenica.

In the process of writing my books I undertook a lot of research that I will be publishing as essays for those interested in the real story behind the fiction.
I have been struggling with my thesis, struggling to find motivation, and to see it through. So I have regular newsletters about conferences to present at and saw an invitation to submit abstracts to "Somewhere in Between: Borders and Borderlands" International Conference at Birkbeck, University of London / Online.
This fit in well with my research and so I proposed a paper "From Safe Zone to Mass Grave: How Srebrenica’s Borders Were Rewritten."

Yesterday I attended the conference online and watched speakers present their research which helped to prepare me for the process, and also watched some YouTube tutorials to prepare.

Today, I regretted very much submitting my proposal and actually doing it. And then came the moment of truth, and I did it, I presented. I had such a great experience hearing from other presenters that were in my session, and then taking part in the discussion afterwards.

I feel more confident in my academic journey and identity, and more importantly, I have the impetus and drive to do one more deep dive into my thesis and get it off my back.
​
There truly is something amazing that happens when you push yourself out of your comfort zone, survive, and thrive, and then feel confidence and a sense of accomplishment. Sigh. So happy!!!