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The Minnesota Library Publishing Project (MLPP) provides online publishing tools and training information to support independent authors and small publishers. We believe that libraries have a vibrant role to play in helping local communities come together to create and share books.
The MLPP is a pilot project coordinated by Minitex and Minnesota’s academic and public libraries. We are providing Pressbooks to Minnesota libraries to encourage conversation among libraries about and promote experimentation with open- and self- publishing. This is an experimental endeavor, and we welcome your feedback.
MLPP’s book design tool is Pressbooks: an easy-to-use online service that enables authors and publishers to create attractive content using a wide variety of templates and formatting options. Pressbooks allows ebooks to be kept private, shared with other authors or editors, or made publicly available. Templates are available that are specifically tailored for poetry, fiction, family history, dissertations, and many other content types.
Pressbooks assigns each uploaded manuscript a unique URL that authors and publishers can use to share their work. Pressbooks enables authors to export their works in formats that are essential to publishing including PDF, EPUB, MOBI, and HTML. Authors also have a variety of options to create print versions of their book(s). MLPP also offers training videos, best practices documents, and step-by-step instructions on how to get started with Pressbooks.
Public and academic libraries across the state are supporting MLPP by convening writing groups, supporting patrons as they work with the Pressbooks, and by providing an online collection of Minnesota independent author ebooks. Check with your local library to learn about the services in your community.
Funding for Pressbooks is provided by Minitex and academic libraries that have volunteered to supply financial backing for the project.
We hope you find the information on these websites valuable. We welcome your comments.