Main responsibilities of a Self Published Author at Self Publishing Center
Erik's primary responsibility is guiding aspiring authors through the publishing process, particularly self-publishing, after realizing the therapeutic and transformative power of writing firsthand, stating that "I get to do that over and over with people." Beyond the self-satisfaction of assisting others, Erik finds reward in the positive impact on readers, highlighting the opportunity to "change the world a little bit, one letter at a time."
Self-Publishing, Authoring, Book Production, Creative Writing, Career Fulfillment
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Erik Seversen
Author, Business Owner
Innovative Educational Services; Thin Leaf Press; Self-Publishing Center
UCLA
Anthropology, University of Virginia, MA
Anthropology, Sociology
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Education
Consulting
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Assisting aspiring authors in navigating various publishing routes, including traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing, to help them achieve their publishing goals.
2. Facilitating a therapeutic writing process for individuals, enabling them to process thoughts and emotions, and ultimately create a fulfilling final product.
3. Guiding authors through the entire book production process, from initial writing to final publication, resulting in transformative experiences and the realization of lifelong dreams.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your role?
Right now, I mostly help people who want to get published, get published. There's the traditionally published route, the hybrid published route where you have a publisher backing you for ISBNs and Library of Congress numbers. You can also do a hundred percent self-published. That's where I've landed.
When I started working in the book field in 2020, I realized two things about myself when I was writing. I've written three solo books, and I realized that I think so differently when I'm writing. My thoughts come so quickly that I can't keep up with them. This forces me to process things differently, and I loved the results of that process.
Writing was also therapeutic for me. I realized that could be true for other people as well, so I started working with others to help them produce their books. I saw the exact same thing. People would say, "I've always dreamt of being a writer since I was nine years old, but everyone told me how impractical it is." So here I am, a lawyer, or in some business I'm not really excited about.
One person in particular I helped write her book. We met periodically during the writing process, and I showed her how to produce her book. She published it, and it did great. She literally called me in tears saying something she had wanted since she was nine years old had happened.
I get to do that over and over with people. I tell them about the different publishing ideas and let them choose their strategy. It's satisfying for me to change and learn through my writing and then help others do that.
The wonderful wake of all of this is the readers. I've had hundreds of thousands of readers for the books I've written or helped produce. The feedback from readers is heartwarming. It's rewarding to know that, one letter at a time, we can change the world a little bit. I don't care if I change the world in a big way, but if I can make one little sliver, helping people produce, write, and publish their books is a really big part of that right now.