Aspiring local authors had the opportunity to learn about independent publishing April 6.

An independent publishing panel — sponsored by Mission Creek, the Magid Center for Undergraduate Writing, the University of Iowa English Department, and Prairie Lights — featured individuals from a variety of publishers to discuss opportunities for submitting writing.

“I’m interested in the independent publishing panel, because I am looking for a publisher for a novel I’m currently working on,” author Hannah Leliv said, who plans on attending the panel. “I would like to hear more about the presses to be presented and their portfolios. I am also interested in the insights on how the indie presses work and what are their main challenges, especially compared to the bigger publishing houses.”

The publishers, including individuals from the UI Press, will aim to answer questions about the “ins and outs of independent publishing,” according to the event’s Facebook page. There will be a panel moderated by UI English Associate Professor Blaine Greteman, followed by a Q&A session.

“The publishers we have on the panel are university presses and small literary presses, and they both serve really key roles for artists and intellectuals,” Greteman said. “University presses have the freedom to publish important books that won’t sell 1 million copies, so it’s hard to imagine a university library or a discipline like English, history, or philosophy without them.”

The event took place at Prairie Lights from 1-2 p.m. April 6. Interested students and members of the general public of all writing experiences were encouraged to attend to learn more about the presses and to begin their publishing journeys, as seen on the event’s page.