Self-Publishing with ALLi

My guest this episode is Kelly Chang Rickert, a family law attorney in California who is often asked to comment on high-profile celebrity divorce cases. But to Kelly, the airing of dirty laundry in public and couples who just cannot get past their disagreements can only have a negative impact on children. That's why she started writing books for divorcing parents and their children to read togethe...

Today on Self-Publishing News: Book bans vs. hate literature. Librarians are accusing the Hoopla platform of distributing antisemitic and other conspiracy theory books, including Holocaust denial titles. But where is the line between "banning books" and establishing standards?  Also, the Society of Authors released a report slamming all hybrid services. But do they all deserve to be painted with t...

Does your personal brand as an author match your books? When we've been publishing for a while, we can sometimes lose sight of our author brand and what it's saying to our readers. In this Advanced Self-Publishing Podcast episode, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn talk about pivots they needed to make to their author branding to make it more relevant and personal—and the lessons learned along the way. The...

My guest this episode is Jennifer Helfand, who writes under the pen name Jordana Chana Mayim. Jennifer specializes in writing stories for children and adults about people who don't quite fit in, who long for something more in their lives. It's a subject she knows well because she spent a childhood not really fitting in, herself, until she found travel, writing, and indie publishing. Jennifer hopes...

How do I write in multiple genres? That is among the questions answered on our #AskALLi Member Q&A hosted by Michael La Ronn, author of science fiction and fantasy novels as well as author self-help books; and ALLi Director, author, and poet Orna Ross. Other questions include: How can I find a reputable translator? What is the best way to get free editorial reviews for my book? When setting up an...

What is an author platform? If you're just setting out as an indie author, how do you build one? In this episode, ALLi Director Orna Ross and Content Production Manager Dan Parsons outline the fundamental pillars that uphold a good author platform—one that spreads your message and sells your books—without spending a fortune on advertising. This podcast is brought to you by specialist sponsor Dartf...

My guest this episode is Ivan Wainewright, whose second book, The Other Times of Caroline Tangent , recently won the 2022 Selfie Award for fiction. It was presented to him at the Author HQ corner of the London Book Fair in early April. He was so surprised that he had won the award that acknowledges the best self-published books of the year, he had to run across the hall to fetch his book. But, as...

Today on Self-Publishing News: Indie publishing is a great news story! I've given ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway the month off while I focus on the 10th anniversary of the Alliance of Independent Authors. I recently flew from my hometown of Traverse City, Michigan, to London to attend the London Book Fair, where my colleagues at ALLi were celebrating a decade since our founder, Orna Ross, launched...

On the Advanced Self-Publishing Podcast: Ten years of self-publishing. As part of its anniversary celebrations, ALLi has been looking back at the past decade —and forward towards the next. In this podcast episode, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn offer a personal perspective on how the unfolding trends of the past ten years affected their own writing and publishing and their hopes and intentions for the...

This is a special episode, looking at ten years of the team at the Alliance of Independent Authors. We've been celebrating ALLi's tenth birthday over the last few weeks. We wanted to take a moment to look at the team behind ALLi's success. This episode looks at where our team members were ten years ago, where they are today, and where they might be in ten years' time. 

My guest this episode is Dharma Kelleher, a trans writer who believes it is important, especially in these troubled times, to portray trans characters as just as human as everybody else. Since her childhood in Georgia, Dharma has known what it is like to be marginalized. Today, she has a great deal to teach about empowerment through her fiction and nonfiction. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author int...

How do I obtain photo permission in my book? That is among the questions answered on our #AskALLi Members Q&A hosted by Michael La Ronn, author of science fiction and fantasy novels as well as author self-help books; and ALLi Director, author, and poet Orna Ross. Other questions include: Should I hire a formatter? If I republish my book, do I need a new ISBN? When do I have to pay sales tax? What...

Today on the #AskALLi Foundational Self-Publishing podcast: Are book fairs the right place for indie authors? Recorded at the London Book Fair, this podcast focuses on how indie authors can make the most of publishing conferences like this one. ALLi Director Orna Ross and Production Manager Dan Parsons talk about networking for indie authors. What you should know before walking into the chaos and...

My guest this episode is Julie Bonn Blank, who suffered from domestic abuse during her first marriage, but now uses that experience to help others through the pain and recovery of abuse and human trafficking. Her indie publishing journey is part of her overall mission to show victims the way to a better life. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author interviews are sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global...

In this Self-Publishing Conference Highlight, Carissa Andrews discusses writing books for rapid release. Having a sustainable author career that's both fulfilling and profitable means setting yourself up for success from the start. All too often, however, our mindset hinders us from writing the first book, let alone prepare us for our long-term author goals. We're about to change all of that! Andr...

Brandon Sanderson, a sci-fi/fantasy author, raised more than $30 million on Kickstarter. And, for some reason, people are really, really outraged that an indie writer, of all people, should attract that much attention and money. This is among the topics discussed on Self-Publishing News with ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway and News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy. Together, they will bring you the...

My guest this episode is Orna Ross, director of the Alliance of Independent Authors. I'm having her on as a special guest to celebrate ALLi's tenth birthday. It was at the London Book Fair in 2012 that Orna announced the formation of a group to help, and advocate for, the growing number of indie authors who were demanding to be heard. And in the last decade, ALLi has grown far bigger than even she...

Today on the #AskALLi Foundational Self-Publishing podcast: What we wish we knew when we started as indie authors. To celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the Alliance of Independent Authors, ALLi Director Orna Ross and Production Manager Dan Parsons discuss all the things they wish they knew when they first started out as authors. Topics range from community and professionalism to marketing, pro...

What are the first steps for a new author? That is among the questions answered on our #AskALLi Members Q&A hosted by Michael La Ronn, author of science fiction and fantasy novels as well as author self-help books; and ALLi Director, author, and poet Orna Ross. Other questions include: When should I set up my publishing company? What should be my first steps in publishing a book? What is the best...

My guest this episode is Harriet Hodgson, who is eighty-six years old and spent most of her life as an educator. Then, one by one, she lost important people in her life. The way she coped with grief was to write about it. And then to create art. Since 2007, Harriet has specialized in writing literature on how to deal with loss. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author interviews are sponsored by Kobo Wri...

On the Advanced Self-Publishing Podcast: Stages of the writing craft. As indie authors, we can update our books whenever we want. For some authors, this feature of digital publishing is a curse, igniting perfectionism and endless tinkering. Even the most productive self-publisher can decide to do a major rewrite of an old project. Orna Ross is currently rewriting her novel, Her Secret Rose , and J...

Who makes money from subscription services? Also, Draft2Digital acquires Smashwords. These are among the topics discussed on Self-Publishing News with Alli News Editor Dan Holloway and News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy. Together, they will bring you the latest in indie publishing news. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our  Self-publishing Author Advice Center :  https://selfpublishin...

My guest this episode is Jim Merryfield, who lived what he called the British version of the Wolf of Wall Street. He was rolling in dough from his sales job for a company that really didn't care about the impact it was having on the world. Jim decided it wasn't a life for him. So, he bought a motorcycle, saw the world, and wrote about how others can do the same. Midlife crisis? Not quite. Jim Merr...

In this episode: Influencer marketing for beginner authors. Writing and publishing a book to a professional standard is a mammoth challenge, but it's only the first step in growing your author business. Next comes marketing. Some authors manage a huge budget and a savvy paid advertising plan to make a splash, but not all of us can do that when we start out, nor is it essential. In fact, you can ac...

The business of writing articles and short stories for magazines is among the questions answered on our #AskALLi Members Q&A hosted by Michael La Ronn, author of science fiction and fantasy novels as well as author self-help books; and ALLi Director, author, and poet Orna Ross. Other questions include: If I submit an article/short story to a magazine, who owns the copyright? When assigning an ISBN...