Budding Writers Gain Self-Publishing Tips from Pros at Ocean County Library Little Egg Harbor Branch

October 05, 2023

LITTLE EGG HARBOR – A group of dedicated writers seeking ways to launch their works into the print and digital marketplace now have a valuable road map, courtesy of three local authors who shared their self-publishing experiences at the Ocean County Library Little Egg Harbor Branch.

J.C. Sutton, Sue Cummings and John Wojtowicz enlightened and entertained, providing sound advice for aspiring prose authors, poets, and memoirists. They fielded questions, engaged in group and one-on-one chats, and also signed copies of their books.

Sutton authored the historical fiction Until the Guillotine: A Tale of Two Royals and the contemporary novel Beau and Eros, both available at the Ocean County Library. Sue Cummings’s most recent published work is entitled PLC: A Writer’s Memoir.  Wojtowicz is the creator of Roadside Attractions: A Poetic Guide to American Oddities.

Sutton, an award-winning novelist, published poet and founder of WordsWorth Publications, has also achieved success in arts reviewing, magazine articles, and ghostwriting. She is active in ecology projects, community theater, and writing groups.

Cummings, a former research biologist and professor, started her new career with a Stockton University writing course in 2015 and went on to create two books through the online Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform. Today, Sue hosts the Barnegat Poets’ Society and LBI Poets’ Studio, conducts online workshops and is active in the Stockton Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA) Tour of Poetry and Great Books of Philadelphia.

Wojtowicz, who grew up working on his family’s botanical nursery, teaches social work at Stockton University. He has appeared on Rowan University’s “Writers Roundtable” on WGLS-FM, in the “Unique Minds, Creative Voices” exhibit at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, and in a half-dozen literary reviews.

Librarian Heidi Jannsch, who with Sutton organized the event, enthused over the flow of valuable information in the brisk discussions.

“I feel there was a terrific combination of perspectives and experiences on the panel,” she said. “Sutton provided an historical perspective of traditional versus. self-publishing, Cummings focused on the ease of using the direct publishing software, and Wojtowicz shared his methods of promoting and sharing self-published work with a wide audience.”

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