COEUR d'ALENE — On Wednesday, residents of Kootenai County will have the opportunity to get an inside look into the process of becoming a published author.

At 2 p.m., the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce will host an inaugural forum and trade fair for regional authors at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn. Chamber CEO Steve Wilson told The Press on Monday that the idea for the forum came from the chamber's business development committee, which is responsible for selecting sectors of the local economy to highlight.

"In one of their brainstorming sessions it was mentioned that certainly the arts community of Coeur d'Alene has been well discovered and documented, but there's a whole component out there that a lot of people don't know about," Wilson said. "And quite honestly, we didn't know about it either."

What the chamber committee discovered, Wilson added, is that Coeur d'Alene has a vibrant community of authors. By working with local bookstores, he said the committee was able to compile a list of approximately 150 authors from the region and was inspired to host a focused trade show.

"It blew us away," Wilson said. "We've got 23 of them that responded very quickly and said they wanted to be a part of the program."

Four local authors — Jim Grassi, Dan Gookin, Tony Rubleski, and Michael Koep — will be front and center for a forum to kick off the event. Wilson said the authors will discuss how they got started, give guidance on getting published and much more.

"The idea is to really spotlight a local industry — after we did that, our hope was that a lot of people who have the inspiration and don't know where to start get some good advice on where to start," Wilson said.

There will be an opportunity for questions and answers following the forum, Wilson added.

"I think this is the tip of the iceberg of an industry in our community that a lot of people don't know about," Wilson said. "I hope that it can grow beyond this, and that more authors and more members of the public become interested in participating in the future."

Tickets for the forum cost $25, and Wilson encouraged those interested to reserve a spot in advance. A wine and cheese social, as well as a book signing, is included in the ticket cost.

Those who cannot make the forum are still encouraged to attend a book sale and signing, which is free to the public and begins at 5 p.m.

For more information on the forum and trade show, or to purchase tickets, contact Brenda Young at (208) 415-0110, or by email at Brenda@CdAChamber.com.