So You’re Getting Published: Publishing, Copyright & Marketing for Authors

Daphne Lee is a Malaysian writer and editor. From 2009 to 2025, she was Consulting Editor at Scholastic Asia, a division of Scholastic Publishing, the world’s largest publisher of children’s and young adult literature. Her short story collection Bright Landscapes was published by indie press Laras99 in 2019. She has curated and edited Malaysian Tales: Retold and Remixed (ZI Publications, 2011) and Remang: An Anthology of Ghostly Tales (Terer Books, 2018), and her short fiction appears in several collections. From 2002 to 2013, she wrote a column on children’s and YA literature for The Star. In 2010, she was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for her work as a promoter of reading.

So You’re Getting Published: Publishing, Copyright & Marketing for Authors
This is a relaxed sharing session for writers who want a clearer picture of how publishing actually works—beyond the manuscript. Drawing on years of experience working with authors, editors, and publishers, Daphne Lee will talk about publishing contracts and copyright, what writers are really signing up for, and how rights and responsibilities are usually divided. She’ll also touch on marketing: what publishers typically do, what authors are often expected to do themselves, and how to think about visibility without burning out or becoming a full-time content machine. Expect plain language, real examples, and plenty of room for questions and conversation rather than a formal lecture.