Traditionally, authors would have to battle against one another to get their work reviewed and published by publishing agencies. That is, until modern self-publishing became accessible and popular; offering freedom and opening floodgates enabling anyone to write and publish their own work.
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However, as the hundreds of thousands of wannabe authors appeared seemingly out of nowhere (but the diversity in quality became clear), it soon became evident that they desperately needed guidance, support, and services. With that, countless editors, cover designers, and many scammers appeared, all willing and able to assist. However, this suddenly created another class of writers, somewhere in between traditionally published writers, and self-published ones. These were the ones who had money to invest in this arduous process.
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Then came an unlikely duo from the UK, a Northerner, Rob and Southerner, Lee.
In the summer of 2018, following a family trauma, Rob Jones wrote a quirky novel. This was a fiction based in Tudor York. Despite having run a business for several years in which he wrote scripts, he remains unsure why he wrote the first book and did not know where it would lead. After the first three books in ‘The Micklegate Series’ sold well, he received requests to support other self-publishing authors, which led him to offer services, support, and some ghost-writing.
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Coincidentally, Lee Davies had begun his first solo voyage on the ocean of authorship with his book, ‘The Utopia Conspiracy.’ He found the journey to be somewhat lonely and soon desperately needed some guidance and support. Whilst searching an online marketplace for freelance writers and editors, he stumbled across Rob’s profile, which seemed to be a good fit. Lee had been prevaricating over his concept for ten years.
After overcoming the language (or should I say accent) barrier, Rob became Lee’s mentor, guiding his writing style and undertaking the editorial duties until around halfway through the book when Lee was confident enough to take on the challenge and complete it himself. Now he was ready. Rob had also helped with navigating the intricacies of publishing to KDP, formatting the book for e-book and paperback format, and providing a gentle steer on advertising.
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Within a year, Lee completed 'The Utopia Conspiracy' and Rob awarded him the accolade of Full Jedi Author.
This was an efficient, personable, and like-minded relationship, and they soon became friends. Lee had found the process invaluable and one day approached Rob with an idea.
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They both shared the same passion and drive to change the writing landscape and provide first-class advice and guidance to all levels of self-published authors, from new to experienced. They pooled their combined knowledge and experience as authors but also skills from their professional backgrounds to create a company called ‘Meet The Authors’. MTA was an initiative dedicated to providing affordable author services with one-to-one support and editing services, right through to author website design.
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However, this was not enough for Rob and Lee as they wanted….no, hang on, they needed to do more.
Reminding one another that they had initially set out to help those who really struggled with the self-publishing process and that they had been particularly worried about the isolating aspects of it. So, thinking that at long last they had finished building the MTA platform, they put a hold on this professional project and set about creating a new online community for self-published authors and so ASPA was born. The Association of Self-Published Authors offered FREE webinars, blogs, author forums, FREE downloadable resources including a 46-step guide to becoming a self-published author, daily author tips, a shop front (The ASPA Library for authors to market their books) and a safe space for authors to reach out and help one another. And everything is FREE.
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ASPA has already caught the attention of authors worldwide as something unique, and the feedback received has been 100% positive.
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We hope that you enjoy the site and please drop us a message and say hello!
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P.S. Rob and Lee have still to this day never actually met in person, showing the true potential of online collaboration, support, and friendship!