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Self-Publishing Roadmap (Sydney) with Sherry D. Ramsey

Self-publishing is a strong choice for many writers today—but not a choice to be made lightly. Whether considering self-publishing for a first project or thinking of jumping from traditional publishing to independent, there are many implications—from financial to personal—that writers should take into account.

In this workshop, we’ll discuss the knowledge, skills, and resources writers need in order to self-publish successfully. We’ll explore the benefits, challenges, and potential pitfalls of self-publishing, as well as ways to determine if independent publishing is right for you and your project. And we’ll dig into the practical details of what’s involved in the process and what resources exist to guide you through it—from writing and editing, to book layout and design, to distribution and marketing.

Participants will leave this workshop with a better understanding of the path to self-publishing and resources to assist in the journey.

About the instructor: Sherry D. Ramsey writes science fiction and fantasy for both adults and young adults and is one of the founding editors of Cape Breton’s Third Person Press. She has published over thirty short stories nationally and internationally, and her novels range across the speculative genres, through space opera, urban fantasy, cozy fantasy, and beyond. She’s currently working on the second part of a new fantasy duology and a zombie apocalypse novel, as well as teaching English courses as a sessional instructor at Cape Breton University. She (rather obviously, if you’ve read this far) lives in Cape Breton, where she consumes far more coffee and chocolate than is likely good for her.

Recommended experience levels: Writers of all experience levels are welcome

Participant cap: 12

Location: On The Same Page Books (311 Charlotte St, Sydney, NS)
     This venue is wheelchair-accessible but does not have a wheelchair-accessible washroom.

Dates of 2-week workshop: Tuesdays, Oct 13 + Oct 20, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $105

Registration for non-members: $135 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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Experience Levels

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) uses the following terms to describe writers’ experience levels:

  • New writers: those with less than two years’ creative writing experience and/or no short-form publications (e.g., short stories, personal essays, or poems in literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks).
  • Emerging writers: those with more than two years’ creative writing experience and/or numerous short-form publications.
  • Early-career authors: those with 1 or 2 book-length publications or the equivalent in book-length and short-form publications.
  • Established authors: those with 3 or 4 book-length publications.
  • Professional authors: those with 5 or more book-length publications.

Please keep in mind that each form of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, writing for young adults, and others) provides you with a unique set of experiences and skills, so you might consider yourself an ‘established author’ in one form but a ‘new writer’ in another.

Occasionally, WFNS uses the phrase “emerging and established writers/authors” to mean ‘writers and authors of all experience levels.’

The “Recommended experience level” section of each workshop description refers to the above definitions. A workshop’s participants should usually have similar levels of creative writing and / or publication experience. This ensures that each participant gets value from the workshop⁠ and is presented with info, strategies, and skills that suit their experience. 

For “intensive” and “masterclass” workshops, which provide more opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback, the recommended experience level should be followed closely.

For all other workshops, the recommended experience level is just that—a recommendation—and we encourage potential participants to follow their own judgment when registering.

If uncertain about your experience level with respect to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca