LEWISTON and AUBURN — Publishing is seemingly easier than ever before. The rise of the internet and increasingly accessible pro-level publishing tools are changing the field. Independent, or indie, publishing is no longer a last resort but often the first choice of talented authors eager to market their own work. Having a manuscript is not the same thing as being ready to publish.

To help local authors overcome that hurdle, Auburn Public Library and Lewiston Public Library are presenting a series of free, one-hour workshops designed to help local writers hone their craft as well as judge whether self-publishing is right for them.

The workshops will be taught by instructor Melissa Walshe, who published her first book, “Autumn’s Daughter,” in 2014 and will soon be releasing the sequel, “Autumn’s Sister.” She is a professional copywriter for shines & jecker laboratories, where she is currently developing the website www.readmaine.com. She has a Master of Education degree in language and literacy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics from the University of Southern Maine.

There will be five workshops, and all sessions will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Fridays.

• The Five W’s of Self-Publishing: Friday, Jan. 22, at Lewiston Public Library.

• Research Matters for Writing Genre Fiction: Feb. 19 at Auburn Public Library.

• How to Format eBooks like a Boss: March 18 at Lewiston Public Library.

• The Only Good Hero is an Anti-Hero: April 22 at Auburn Public Library.

• Online Book Marketing for Humans: May 20 at Lewiston Public Library.

The SELF-e Indie Writers Workshops are part of an ongoing joint effort by the libraries to support local writers and promote SELF-e, the new library service that allows any Lewiston or Auburn public library cardholder to publish their original e-books through the libraries. Additional events will be announced in the coming months, along with opportunities for writers to upload their work to SELF-e with the help of trained librarians.

Detailed descriptions of each session are available at the Lewiston and Auburn public library websites.

FMI, Lewiston Public Library: 207-513-3135, www.lplonline.org.

FMI, Auburn Public Library: 207-333-6640, ext. 4, www.auburnpubliclibrary.org.