The publishing world has gone through tremendous change in recent years, especially post-pandemic. Even established authors who have found great success being traditionally published have aired their grievances about the hardships and uncertainty in the industry moving forward. Self-publishing has become a popular alternative for writers who want more control and autonomy when publishing their work, but it can be expensive and there still seems to be a level of ambiguity that plagues the process. Both avenues have their pros and cons, but what does it really entail to have your work traditionally published? To self-publish on your own? Is one better than the other, or are they simply different? Are works that are traditionally published valued more? If so, why? Which route might be best for you? Join our panelists this September as they delve into the often polarizing topic of traditional publishing vs self-publishing.

About The Panelists

Lee Kvern is a Canadian author of short stories and novels. Her stories in 7 Ways to Sunday have garnered numerous literary awards including the CBC Literary Prize. Afterall was selected for regional Canada Reads and nominated for Alberta Book Awards and the Ottawa Relit Award. Lush Triumphant finalist and recent Best of the Net nominee, her work has been produced for CBC Radio and been published in literary magazines across Canada and the US. Her fourth novel Catch You on the Flipside, an international thriller, comes out 2025

Facebook: Lee Kvern
Instagram: @leekvern


Netta Johnson has always been taken with the written word, and in 2014, her passion for literature led her to take the rash step of opening a publishing house with her dear friend Julie Yerex. Over the years, Stonehouse Publishing has released acclaimed, award-winning and best-selling books, and Netta Johnson continues as the Publisher/Managing Editor. She is also currently serving as Vice-President on the board of the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. In addition to her passion for books, volunteerism and community work, Netta is a builder, a baker, and an amateur mason. In her spare time, you will find her in her backyard with her chickens, building experimental pizza ovens.

Instagram: @stonehousepublishing
Facebook: @stonehousepublish/
Threads: @stonehousepublishing


Karen (MacDougall) Barrow was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, where she lived for eighteen years. Her studies took her to Canada, while marriage to a geologist took her across the country and beyond. Several degrees later, while working as an audiologist, Karen succumbed to her love of storytelling and used her passion for travel to inspire her historical fiction novels. Palmyra is her first published work of fiction. She lives with her husband in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia.

https://www.kamabarrow.org

Instagram: @kamamacd
Facebook: Karen Barrow-MacDougall


Joel A. Sutherland is the Silver Birch Award-winning author of Screamers (Scholastic Canada), numerous volumes of Haunted Canada (a series that now has more than 500,000 copies in print, has recently been adapted into a graphic novel, and is being developed for television by 105ive Films and Goggle Boy Films), and Summer’s End (a Red Maple Award Honour Book). His series, Haunted, including The House Next Door, has been praised by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine. In 2023, Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Canada) released his debut young adult novel, House of Ash and Bone. He has a Masters of Information and Library Studies from Aberystwyth University in Wales and lives in southeastern Ontario with his family. Visit Joel at joelasutherland.com.

Socials: Joel is on X/Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok as @joelasutherland

Leanne Janzen
Starting her journey in the publishing world, Leanne began working as a Publishing Specialist – guiding authors through the self publishing process with care and attention. Her ability to form relationships and desire to continually improve and learn led her to the University of Winnipeg.

There, Leanne completed Leadership training shortly before transitioning to her new role with FriesenPress and now leads the sales team.

Her passion for educating others on the current publishing landscape and the benefits of self publishing led her to launching a successful speaking program at FriesenPress, where she and her team present to organizations and groups around North America.


FriesenPress is the world’s only 100% employee-owned publishing services provider. Since 2009, we have helped thousands of authors publish over 8,000 titles. Part of Canada’s largest independent book printer, Friesens Corporation, FriesenPress offers professional editing, design, distribution, and promotional support to those seeking to self-publish their books.

Facebook: @friesenpress
Twitter: @friesenpress
Instagram: @friesenpress