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• Enrolled: Self-Publishing 101 (7-week course)

  • Start
    11 Jul 2026
  •  
  • End
    29 Aug 2026
  •  
  • Schedule
    7 sessions
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  FBCW Enrolled: Self-Publishing 101

  With Jenn Sommersby, freelance editor and indie/trad published author

  Member price: $210 CAD (That's just $30 a session!)

  Non-member price: $280 CAD

  **This series will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to registrants each week after the session. The recordings will be available for 45 days.

  If you signed up after week one and are missing any recordings, please email hello@bcwriters.ca and let us know which sessions you are missing. 

  NOTE: Because this is a series of ongoing sessions, there will not be reminder emails about the individual sessions. This series uses the same Zoom link each week. We suggest saving the Zoom link in a calendar event, a Word Document, or the Notes app.
  

  EVENT DESCRIPTION:

  A seven-week, everything you wanted to know about indie/self-publishing but didn’t know who to ask course with Jenn Sommersby and guests! Join us on Saturdays from July 11th to August 29th for this informative and hands on series. 

  Dates and time, all via Zoom:

  Saturdays, July 11, 18, and 25, from 10:30 a.m. to noon

  Saturdays, August 8, 15, 22, and 29, from 10: 30 a.m. to noon

  (We are skipping the BC Day long weekend.)

  Self-publishing can be empowering, creative, and practical—but it can also be confusing to figure out alone. From editing and design to distribution, marketing, launch planning, and long-term sales, there are a lot of decisions between “I have a manuscript” and “My book is out in the world.”

  FBCW’s Enrolled: Self-Publishing 101 is a seven-week course designed to help writers understand the full self-publishing process from beginning to end. Led by longtime indie publisher and freelance editor Jenn Sommersby, with special guests bringing insight into key parts of the publishing journey, this course will give participants a clear, realistic roadmap for preparing, producing, publishing, and promoting their own book.

  This course is for writers who are considering self-publishing, actively preparing a manuscript, or looking for a better understanding of what it takes to publish independently. Participants will learn how to make informed decisions, avoid common pitfalls, understand publishing platforms and production needs, and build a launch plan that fits their goals, capacity, and budget.

  Over seven weeks, participants will explore the self-publishing landscape, develop a practical publishing plan, learn the basics of book production and distribution, strengthen their author platform, and prepare for marketing, launch, and post-publication opportunities.

  By the end of the course, participants will have a clearer understanding of the self-publishing process and a personalized roadmap for moving their book forward.

  Weekly topics may include:

  Week 1: Understanding Self-Publishing

  Explore the differences between traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing models; what authors are responsible for; common myths and scams; and how to define success for your book.

  Week 2: Publishing Strategy and Project Planning

  Develop a realistic plan for your book, including audience, comparable titles, budget, timeline, production needs, and what support you may need to hire.

  Week 3: Book Design and Production

  Learn what goes into creating a professional book, including cover design, interior formatting, ISBNs, metadata, print and ebook files, and key production decisions.

  Week 4: Publishing Platforms and Distribution

  Compare platforms such as Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, Publish Drive, direct sales via Shopify and WooCommerce, print-on-demand (Lulu, BookVault, Books.by), and other distribution options, including considerations for bookstores and libraries.

  Week 5: Author Platform and Branding

  Clarify your author identity, reader audience, website, newsletter, social media presence, book description, and public-facing materials.

  Week 6: Marketing and Launch Planning

  Build the foundations of a launch plan, including advance review copies, endorsements, reviews, media outreach, events, promotions, and realistic marketing strategies.

  Week 7: After Publication

  Look beyond launch day to royalties, sales tracking, updates and new editions, audiobooks, rights, awards, festivals, speaking opportunities, and planning for future books.

  Participants will leave with:

  • A better understanding of the self-publishing process from start to finish
  • A practical publishing timeline and production checklist
  • A clearer sense of budget, platform options, and distribution paths
  • Tools for thinking about author platform, marketing, and launch
  • A personalized roadmap for next steps

  Bio:

  Jenn Sommersby is a novelist, editor, publishing educator, and Superman nut. A graduate of SFU’s Writer’s Studio (2007), her YA debut, Sleight, was a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Book for Kids & Teens (fall 2018) and an Ontario Library Association Best Bets Honourable Mention Book for Young Adults (2019). Jenn was also awarded a BC Arts Council Grant in 2019 for a YA eco-fiction/dystopian novel about water scarcity. She’s written a baker’s dozen books as Sommersby and Eliza Gordon, including best-selling rom-com titles, and her most recent women’s fiction/dramedy novel, Wish Upon a Rosie, released in February 2026 and was chosen as a finalist in the 20^th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA).

  Jenn’s worked as a freelance editor since 2005 (via her company Plumfield Editing) for numerous internationally best-selling authors. Through her company, SGA Books, she supports indie authors with loads of publishing resources. Her first nonfiction advice/craft/confessional project in a new series, aptly titled Please Don’t Make Me Read This, is scheduled to publish in late 2026. She also works with FBCW as the Community Planning Manager. She is a tiny bit obsessed with writers and books.

  Visit www.jennifersommersby.com and www.sgabooks.com for more.

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• August Writers' Social

  • When
    11 Aug 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  
  

  Join us on Tuesday, August 11th, from 7:00 - 8:30 PM Pacific for our monthly Writers' Social. 

  
  

  Many of us strive for connection with other writers. This monthly members-only event is designed to help bring us together for casual chats, with breakout rooms for specific topics, genres, and niches. Join us for craft, career, and connection talk, with the chance to meet new people and get the most out of being a part of the FBCW. 
  
  Below are the proposed discussion groups for this month's meeting (subject to change). Email hello@bcwriters.ca to suggest a discussion topic for an upcoming Writers' Social. 

  
  

  Discussion Groups:

  • All about poetry 
  • Editing and revision
  • Children's books / picture books
  • What are you reading? Current reads, favourite books
  • Memoir writers connect
  • Non-fiction writers connect (travel writing, journalism/reporting, research, etc)
  • Connecting writers with chronic illnesses
  • Romance writers
  • Traditional publishing chat (publishers, queries, finding an agent, etc)
  • Self-publishing chat 
  • Writing and visual arts (film, theatre, photo essays) 
  • General writing discussion

  This event is exclusive to FBCW members. If you’re not a member yet, we would love to have you join us. You can find out more about membership on our benefits page. Email hello@bcwriters.ca with any questions about joining. 

  
  

  Digital doors open at 6:55 PM. Event starts at 7:00 PM Pacific.

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• August 2026 Member Orientation

  • When
    14 Aug 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Whether you’re a new FBCW member or a seasoned member who wants a refresher, join us for Member Orientation! We’ll be discussing member benefits, focusing on ways that the FBCW members can: Learn, Write, Connect, and Promote. Find out about the latest events, writing sprints, how to get involved, and where to get the information you seek.
  

  The orientation overview will take about 20 minutes, and then there will be 10 minutes for questions at the end (30 minutes total).

  Digital Doors Open at 11:55 AM, Event Starts at Noon Pacific Time

  **This event will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to registrants within a week of the session. The recording will be available for 45 days.

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• Writer Talk: With Eliana West

  • When
    19 Aug 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Writer Talk: With Eliana West, Award-Winning Author and Founder of Writers for Diversity

  Free or by donation

  Event Description

  WRITER TALK is our new live interview series designed to pull back the golden curtain on the publishing world. Casual chitchat—not a workshop or webinar—a low-key Q&A between host and guest where you can bring your writing and publishing questions.

  Digital doors open at 6:55 pm!

  **This event will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to registrants within a week of the session. The recording will be available for 45 days.

  About Eliana: 

  From small towns to close-knit communities, award-winning author Eliana West loves stories that bring people from different backgrounds together through the common language of unconditional love and acceptance. Eliana is an award-winning author and passionate advocate for diversity within the writing community. She is the founder of Writers for Diversity, teaching classes and workshops that encourage writers to create diverse characters and worlds with an empathetic approach.

  When Eliana isn’t plotting her characters' happy endings, she can be found embarking on adventures with her husband, traversing winding country roads in their beloved vintage Volkswagen Westfalia, affectionately named Bianca. Whether it’s traveling abroad or exploring locally, Eliana and her husband are always willing to get lost and see where the adventure takes them.

  Eliana loves connecting with readers through her website: www.elianawest.com.

  Connect with Eliana at the Fall Into Writing Retreat, where she will be the Writer in Residence. Join us November 23-27, 2026 at Loon Lake Lodge & Retreat Centre and unplug, get some writing done, learn new skills, feel inspired, and make connections

  Learn more and sign up: fbcwretreats.com/fall2026

  After the initial Q&A, attendees will have the opportunity to ask their own questions and join the discussion. If you’ve ever wanted to sit in on the kinds of conversations that usually happen behind closed doors, then we shall save you a spot!
   
  If you have a WRITER TALK topic or guest idea burning a hole in your brain, drop us an email at hello@bcwriters.ca!

  Show details
• Sunday Webinar: Prepare to Shine at Markets and Events, with Bonnie Jacoby

  • When
    23 Aug 2026
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Sunday Webinar: Prepare to Shine at Markets and Events

  with Bonnie Jacoby

  Member Price: $18

  Non-Member Price is $28

  **This event will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to registrants within a week of the session. The recording will be available for 45 days.

  Workshop/Event Description

  Readers love meeting local authors. Selling your books at markets and events can boost sales and increase exposure.

  But how do you start, and what makes you stand out?

  Whether you’ve just published your first book or published many but haven’t ventured into the market space, this session will provide tips and a checklist of everything you need to sell your books and grow your brand. We’ll cover everything from how many books to stock and how to transport them, to finding a venue and setting up your sales display. You’ll leave this session with the tools needed to remove the stress so you can enjoy meeting your future readers and fans.

  Intended audience:

  Writers of any skill level

  Bio:

  Bonnie Jacoby writes science fiction and fantasy set in worlds inspired by the Pacific Northwest. She is the author of the YA fantasy series, Dragon Descendants of Drakkoia, featuring rebellious teen dragons and adventurous teens. Her debut book, Dreams of a Dragon Girl, was awarded 5 stars by IndieReader.

  Bonnie’s stories feature delightfully conflicted teens who discover their inner strength and fight for what they believe. Her books tackle themes of identity, self-worth, justice, equality, and making a difference. 

  Known for her engaging characters, immersive world building, and action-packed journeys, she creates stories that make readers laugh, cry, and feel hopeful for a better world.

  With a special love of dragons and spaceships, Bonnie’s stories will transport you to a world both familiar and fantastical, where anything is possible if you just believe in yourself.

  Find Bonnie online at bonniejacoby.com

  **Digital doors open at 1:55 pm, event starts at 2:00 pm**

  
  

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• Writer Talk (and BOOK LAUNCH!) with Gail Anderson-Dargatz

  • When
    25 Aug 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Writer Talk (and BOOK LAUNCH!): With Gail Anderson-Dargatz
  Free or by donation

  Event Description
  

  This special edition of WRITER TALK will include our usual casual one-on-one Q&A publishing chitchat, but it is also a BOOK LAUNCH CELEBRATION for award-winning author (and frequent FBCW instructor) Gail Anderson-Dargatz!
   
  Gail and Jenn will chat about publishing stuff—Gail's publication journey, the highs and lows of this business, the stark realities of getting a book published in 2026 and how to keep the creative fires lit—while also celebrating Gail's latest literary achievement, which has been noted as one of Indigo's Most Anticipated Books for 2026!

  Digital doors open at 6:55 p.m.

  **This event will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to registrants within a week of the session. The recording will be available for 45 days.

  About Our Guest: 

  GAIL ANDERSON-DARGATZ’s internationally bestselling novels The Cure for Death by Lightning and A Recipe for Bees were both short-listed for the Giller Prize. Her thrillers The Almost Wife and The Almost Widow were national bestsellers, and The Almost Widow was shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada. HarperCollins will release her next novel, The Atlas Keeper, August 25, 2026.

  Gail also writes hi-lo books for the educational market. She taught for nearly a decade in the CW MFA program at UBC and now works as a mentor and developmental editor. For more, visit her website: gailanderson-dargatz.ca

  After the initial Q&A, attendees will have the opportunity to ask their own questions and join the discussion. If you’ve ever wanted to sit in on the kinds of conversations that usually happen behind closed doors, then we shall save you a spot!
   
  If you have a WRITER TALK topic or guest idea burning a hole in your brain, drop us an email at hello@bcwriters.ca!

  Show details
• Evening Webinar: Your Book, But Better: Following IBPA Publishing Standards, for Indie and Self-Published Authors

  • When
    27 Aug 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Evening Webinar: Your Book, But Better: Following IBPA Publishing Standards, for Indie and Self-Published Authors

  with Jenn Sommersby

  Member Price: $18

  Non-Member Price is $28

  **This event will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to registrants within a week of the session. The recording will be available for 45 days.

  Workshop/Event Description

  A great book is more than just good writing—it’s a complete package that includes strong editing, professional design, and smart branding. How many times have you been turned off from buying a book because the layout or design was just . . . not great? It screams amateur, right?

  This session will cover the must-have elements of creating a well-designed, pleasing product so you’re taken seriously in the book world. We’ll discuss the importance of cover design, levels of editing, formatting, blurbs, metadata, and marketing as well as how to use the IBPA Industry Standards checklist to make sure you don’t hit a sour note when your opus makes her debut on the world stage. Readers really do judge a book by its cover (and pretty much everything else within the covers)!

  Intended audience:

  Writers of all genres and styles who are looking to independently publish their books

  Bio:

  Jenn Sommersby is a freelance editor, publishing mentor and educator, and author of a baker’s dozen books written under Sommersby and Eliza Gordon, including award-winning YA and best-selling rom-com titles. Her latest women’s fiction/dramedy, Wish Upon a Rosie, published in February and was a National Indie Excellence Award Finalist. Through her company SGA Books, she supports indie authors with publishing resources and hands-on teaching. Her first nonfiction series geared toward early-career writers will publish in 2026. And of course, she is the Programming Director for the Federation of BC Writers.

  Pick up Jenn's latest books:

  Here

  
  

  **Digital doors open at 1:55 pm, event starts at 2:00 pm**

  
  

  Show details
• Sunday Webinar: The Curiosity Mindset: Designing Experiments to Strengthen Your Writing Practice

  • When
    30 Aug 2026
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Sunday Webinar: The Curiosity Mindset: Designing Experiments to Strengthen Your Writing Practice

  with Cadence Mandybura

  Member Price: $18

  Non-Member Price is $28

  **This event will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to registrants within a week of the session. The recording will be available for 45 days.

  Workshop/Event Description

  What's the next step for your writing practice, right now? You might be struggling with practical considerations, like finding the time to write, or working on an aspect of craft, like honing your dialogue. In this session, we'll learn how to use a curiosity mindset to design custom experiments for facing challenges and developing our strengths—judgment free.

  Intended Audience:

  Writers of any skill level

  Bio:

  Cadence Mandybura is a writer and editor who joined the Federation of BC Writers in 2016, shortly after moving to BC from Alberta. She volunteered at the Federation’s 2022 Summit, then took the helm of WordWorks magazine for four issues between 2022–23 and helped launch the Federation’s Roots to Branches anthology series.

  Cadence’s speculative fiction has appeared in Metaphorosis, Pulp Literature, and Tales & Feathers, among others. She is a graduate of the Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University and a past associate producer for the fiction anthology podcast The Truth.

  By day, Cadence works for the people of BC as a stakeholder relations coordinator in the BC Public Service. She is grateful to live in Victoria on the land of the lək̓ʷəŋən People, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations.

  **Digital doors open at 1:55 pm, event starts at 2:00 pm**

  
  

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• Writer Talk: With Alix Kelinda

  • When
    2 Sep 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Writer Talk: With Alix Kelinda

  Free or by donation

  Event Description

  WRITER TALK is our live interview series designed to pull back the magical curtain on the publishing world. Join us for a casual chitchat—not a workshop or webinar—just a low-key Q&A between host and guest where you can bring your writing and publishing questions.

  Digital doors open at 6:55 pm.

  **This event will be recorded. A link to the recording will be emailed to registrants within a week of the session. The recording will be available for 45 days.

  About Alix: 

  Alix has been honing her craft for over a decade but reading furiously long before that. She enjoys helping her characters find love and humor amidst self-discovery and growth. When not writing, she works as a biostatistician analyzing healthcare data. She can also be found climbing rocks and drinking coffee, although not usually at the same time.

  Alix’s debut romance novel The Christmas Curse will be published October 20, 2026, by Doubleday Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House. She has short stories published both online and in print and holds an undergraduate degree in psychology, a master’s degree in medical sciences, and a certificate in creative writing.

  Visit Alix online: alixkelinda.com

  Preorder Alix's book HERE:

  
  

  After the initial Q&A, attendees will have the opportunity to ask their own questions and join the discussion. If you’ve ever wanted to sit in on the kinds of conversations that usually happen behind closed doors, then we shall save you a spot!
   
  If you have a WRITER TALK topic or guest idea, drop us an email at hello@bcwriters.ca!

  Show details