And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically interviews with or articles written by self-publishing authors and experts!

• Dyslexic fight turns teen into author, entrepreneur

Early this month, this article by Kathy Boccella went live on The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s website, and we haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Here, Boccella tracks the evolution of one teen’s quest to become self-published–and who, at 13, has already accomplished that particular dream. Blogger, founder of both SkysCars.com  and GenZInsider.com, and now an author, Sky Rota is quite the force of nature. Says Boccella, “It’s hard to imagine how he found the time among maintaining his Gen Z website;  filming videos of exotic cars, a hobby since he was 8; and advising clients such as an online handbag seller on e-commerce and an app developer trying to reach teen customers”–but as she goes on to show, he does, and he does so with insight and dedication, two qualities he brings to every aspect of his life, including his publishing. Rota is the author of The Gen Z Answer Key for Business, which he self-published earlier this year in the hopes of spreading his ideas as an inventor to a new generation. Rota has also, for better or worse, become something of a spokesperson for disability rights in this country: As recently as last year, he and his family went up against the school which expelled him in a landmark legal case. Says Boccella, “their high-profile loss in the courtroom is part of a much bigger narrative about how a child who has struggled with conventional reading and writing can also — aided by 21^st- century technology — find outlets for his energy and ideas.” Luckily, the closure of that case has done nothing to dampen Rota’s desire to advocate for others in and outside of the classroom. Of one thing you can be sure: we’ll be watching with eager interest as he continues to self-publish!

• Brockton mom publishes first novel, revealing her ‘Hidden Scars’

Not only can self-publishing provide a way forward for authors emerging from times of disappointment, as with Sky Rota, but it can also be a healing process in and of itself. This is the case with Brocton mother Michelle Marsh, author of a new self-published novel called Hidden Scars. In this piece published on the Enterprise website, contributor Marc Larocque tracks Marsh’s progress through the 13-year process which led to the book’s publication, a process which included marriage, children, and–here’s the hardest part–divorce. As Larocque records, Marsh found her feet in the act of writing: “To me,” says Marsh, “it was time to start a new chapter, and it was time to start something new [….] I started and I did not want to stop. Once I got off Facebook, I got into my own world, and really just got into my characters. I just wrote.” And we’re glad she did; Hidden Scars not only promises to be a fine novel, but it also launches a series of books. “My readers are waiting patiently for the sequel,” says Marsh. And they are … including us!

• Dancing all around the world

If you thought dancing was just a stay-at-home activity, boy, does author and dancer Mike Gomborone have some news for you! Gomborone, as the Batavia Daily News contributor Mallory Diefenbach reports last week, “has seen the world”–and all because of dance. He spent his high school years doing plays, then spent nine years on cruise ships honing his skills as a performer, and now he’s ready to talk about it: in February, Gomborone released his memoirs as a collection of 75 essays, a book called Singing My Way Around the World: An Entertainer’s Life at Sea. And as Diefenbach writes, it’s not your typical memoir: “Each of the essays he wrote turned into a chapter in the book, accompanied by a hand-drawn map of where it took place.” With such an experimental format, perhaps it’s no surprise that Gomborone would turn to self-publishing, which has always been friendlier to mixing visual art with the written word than the establishment. But then, Gomborone’s life hasn’t taken the ordinary path, either. Diefenbach writes that the entertainer has had to perform in some truly unusual–even frightening–circumstances. “We were from Japan and Hawaii and we had one day that was almost unbearable,” says Gomborone. “You couldn’t walk anywhere. You basically had to lie down and that was pretty scary.” But as performers the world over have gone on to say, the show must go on–and we’re incredibly excited that Gomborone’s experiences are now accessible to us thanks to the world of self-publishing!

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.