Now Launching… HARP!
SFWA Indie Leads Our Digitization Project for Back Catalogs

SFWA’s greatest strength lies in its community.

That’s why SFWA’s Independent Authors Committee is the proud home of our latest outreach initiative, the Heritage Author Republication Project (HARP), which is fully launching today with a call for mentees.

HARP pairs digitally savvy book creators with writers whose work was traditionally published and now lies out of print. Maybe you’d like to see it published as an ebook, or produce a new print version? Maybe you’d like it preserved for posterity, or made easier to distribute to local programs?

If you’re a trad-pub author with rights reverted and an electronic copy of the work, then HARP stands ready to help give your older SFF new life.

From now until October 23 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time, we are accepting applications from writers seeking skills training in the following domains:

• How to prep a manuscript for digital publication
• Layout and design essentials, on a variety of software
• Cover art theory and guidance for the digital marketplace
• Navigating distribution platforms
• The ins and outs of digital marketing campaigns

We’ll match you with a mentor who can walk you through the process, help you set manageable goals for the work, and support any number of questions you might have about the digital side of publishing.

As a broader team of mentors and mentees, HARP also stands ready to support all participants with general notes of caution about the perils of digital publishing – the scams and overpriced services; and how to recognize an AI product to make thoughtful choices about your tools – and to celebrate in community the joys of finding new readers for your older works.

The Team Behind the Scenes

SFWA’s Independent Authors Committee is a resilient team of digital creators that runs the spectrum in genre. As one of our most dedicated volunteer cohorts, SFWA Indie meets monthly to talk about a theme of relevance to Indie creators, and quarterly to touch base about what worked and what didn’t with the latest campaigns. All SFWA members are welcome!

With guidance from another excellent SFWA team – the Mentoring Initiative, which runs our annual career mentorship program! – HARP’s Indie volunteers have developed a three-month training cycle, which will run again in 2026. (So get those rights reverted when you can!)

Today, our inaugural cycle launches. Mentor/mentee matching will be announced at the end of October, and result in a showcase of our accomplishments – your work, given new life in digital form – in January.

So let’s work together, shall we?

Creators helping creators.

If you’ve got back catalog in need of a reboot, HARP is here for you.

Check the status of your publishing rights, get that electronic copy of your work, and sign up before October 23!