Budding and prospective self-published authors have a chance to learn from a successful local writer, this 1 February, as part of the Bocas Academy’s Term Two curriculum.
Troy Hadeed will lead an online Zoom seminar on maximizing self-publishing potential. My Name is Love, his debut non-fiction book, combines personal anecdote, meditative practices, and guided techniques to speak about love beyond ordinary or expected terms. The book has earned praise from OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature prize-winner, Monique Roffey, who describes it as a title that “brings wisdom, and provokes contemplation of our wider horizons and our capacity for spiritual awareness and connection. Loving kindness leaps from every page. This book is a gem out of Trinidad, true soul reading.”
Hadeed reflected with enthusiasm on his upcoming seminar, saying that his road to being a published author was not conventional, but one he looked forward to sharing with attendees. “For me it was never enough just to publish a book and sell a few hundred copies, so the support from the local community and market is far beyond what I expected. To be recognized and acknowledged by Bocas Lit Fest as a local author with something worthwhile to offer was not something I ever imagined would happen. It is both humbling and encouraging” he said.
Participants can expect candid, accessible feedback and insights from Hadeed during the seminar, which provides ample time for questions and comments from attendees. Hadeed’s session is the first of three seminars focused on self-publishing, collectively titled Write a Book, Get it Published! On 8 February, award-winning graphic designer Melanie Archer will lead a session on the importance of book design to a publication’s success.
On 15 February, Alice Besson, Managing Director of Paria Publishing, will outline the role of a publisher in guiding a book to its final, saleable form. All three parts of Write a Book, Get it
Published! will take place virtually via Zoom. The registration fee per session is $300; participants attending all three sessions will pay a discounted fee of $800.
Participants in the Bocas Academy will also have access to free resource kits, alumni events, and certificates of completion.
For more information and to register, visit www.academy.bocaslitfest.com or email
workshops@bocaslitfest.com.
