I sat on the patio of my favorite coffee shop. It was lovely; the skies overhead were azure, not a speck of cloud. I slowly absorb my latte and browse social media. Suddenly, my fingers stopped on an Instagram post about a Mississauga Literary Festival. The post read:

Attention authors: We’re holding our first-ever Mississauga Literary Festival on September 14. If you are interested in joining us, please fill out our form.

I am an author who lives in Mississauga. I would love to showcase my work at the festival. So, I began to complete the Vendor Application. Then I saw this:

SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHORS NEED NOT APPLY

It is not a secret that individuals in some literary circles discourage self-publishing. I am here to say that many of the myths about self-published authors have already been debunked. We have come a long way in making ourselves relevant in the publishing industry.

Public Libraries should not ban authors who have independently published their work. We should not be blocked from taking the next steps on the ladder of writing and publishing.

I will accept no excuses from the Mississauga Library for not accepting self-published authors at their Literary Festival.

“Scrap the old idea of looking for a “Mainstream” Publisher to accept your work.”
― Olive Rose Steele. https://www.blackwoodselfpublishingmadeeasy.ca/

Olive Rose Steele is the author of AFTER ALL THI TIME, Still (A Novel)