Debbie Young

Self-publishing expert Debbie Young is the author of thirteen novels, two of which have been shortlisted for the prestigious BookBrunch Selfies Award for best independently-published adult fiction in the UK. She now combines licensing selective rights for her books to various publishers including Boldwood Books, DP Verlag, and Saga Egmont, while continuing to self-publish. Debbie has seven years’ as Commissioning Editor of the Alliance of Independent Authors’ daily self-publishing advice blog. She is also an Ambassador for ALLi and has written several advice books and pamphlets for indie authors.

A renowned champion of indie authors everywhere, she now shares her passion for self-publishing and her enjoyment in supporting and nurturing other authors as a mentor and course tutor for Jericho Writers.

She is a frequent speaker at literature festivals other events for writers and readers, and she judges many writing competitions.

In 2015 she founded the ground-breaking Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival which showcases dozens of self-published authors every year. Originally a Londoner, for the last thirty years she has lived in a Victorian cottage in the Cotswolds, and she writes in a hut at the bottom of her garden, her “Little House in the Big Woods”, channelling Laura Ingalls Wilder’s pioneering spirit.

Specialises in: Self-publishing. Although Debbie’s own fiction is mostly a blend of cosy mystery and romance, with a touch of magical realism, she reads voraciously and widely and works with students of all genres.

Debbie provides tuition for our Mentoring Service and Simply Self-Publish course.

Having successfully established my own career as an author in the indie sector, I’m evangelical about the power of self-publishing to allow aspiring writers to achieve their ambitions of getting their books out into the world and in front of readers.

I get a great deal of pleasure out of sharing my experience of and knowledge, and of seeing writers transformed from nervous beginners to confident published authors.

Students appreciate my natural warmth, generosity, gentle manner and positive attitude, all of which ease them gently through the learning process. I get to know each student as an individual, tailoring my teaching to their personality type as well as to their practical needs. My lively sense of humour makes the course more fun and even the driest aspects entertaining, and no session goes by without sharing a laugh together.

Whatever genre the student writes in, I’m happy to help them explore the best course of action for their books, and to use my extensive network within the indie author community to connect them with like-minded authors.