Self-Publishing with ALLi

To mark the launch of the 2nd edition of ALLI's guide to Creative Self-Publishing, Sacha Black interviews Orna Ross about the things she wished she'd known about self-publishing when she was starting out and how to carve out your own unique self-publishing pathway. Our Foundational Self-Publishing Podcast is brought to you by sponsor Izzard Ink. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our  Self...

My guest this week is Tom Evans, a former BBC sound engineer who discovered that he could do much more than manipulate music and vocals. He can try to reverse-engineer the brain and figure out how to tap into creativity itself. The result was an indie publishing career that covers everything from hypnotherapy to metaphysics to fiction about the end of the world. And all with a cosmic soundtrack. I...

Draft2Digital vs Smashwords vs Streetlib vs PublishDrive: Which ebook aggregator is best? Our # AskALLi Member Q&A is hosted by Michael La Ronn and ALLi Director Orna Ross, and this month they'll be answering this question and more. Other questions include: If I commission an artist to illustrate scenes from my book as a giveaway for fans, who owns the copyright: me or the illustrator? Help! My pu...

Despite skepticism in some quarters, book publishing subscriptions look like they're becoming the next big thing in publishing. Subscriptions allow publishers to build direct relationships with readers, create new offerings based on consumption data, and build a steady, recurring revenue stream. But what do subscriptions mean for indie authors? How do we join the action and how will we be paid? An...

My guest this week is Lynda Hilburn, a psychotherapist by day and a paranormal fiction author by night. Lynda overcame a rough childhood and went through a musician phase before she found her voice as an author. Traditionally published at first, Lynda discovered that true freedom can be found through publishing her own stories her own way.  Find more author advice, tips and tools at our  Self-publ...

Online author events are here to stay. By going online, authors can reach beyond their physical location, find an audience primed to enjoy their stories, and raise their public profiles. Whether you're shy or gregarious, a hermit or a socialite, indie author and entrepreneur Cody Sisco will share strategies and tips for mastering online author events. This is a post from SelfPubCon (The Self-Publi...

Today, we will talk about Amazon's attack on libraries, pay homage to the late Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and answer the question, "What the heck are non-fungible tokens?" These are among the topics discussed on Self-Publishing News with Alli News Editor Dan Holloway and book editor Howard Lovy. Together, they will bring you the latest in indie publishing news. Find more author advice, tips and tools...

My guest this week is Charles Bolam, who is not an author himself, but indie publishers depend on him to sell books in the fastest-growing segment of publishing: audiobooks. Charles is a man of many talents, and many accents, as his voice makes characters come alive. He's traveled the world and come back with storytelling techniques that indie authors and listeners have grown to love. For a change...

Do you want to know how to launch a self-published book? It is the most exciting moment in an author's journey, but it can also be confusing, even overwhelming. The strategy options seem endless but which ones are right for you? How far in advance should you plan? And how much will it all cost? Join Orna Ross and Sacha Black in this month's #AskALLi Foundational Self-Publishing Advice podcast as t...

What are some book launch tips and how do I supercharge my sales? Our # AskALLi Member Q&A is hosted by Michael La Ronn and ALLi Director Orna Ross, and this month they'll be answering this question and more. Other questions include: Where can I find ALLi's Watchdog list of service providers? How do I vet a service provider that may not be listed in the directory? Is it worth entering my book for...

My guest this week is Alice McVeigh, who also goes by the pen name Spaulding Taylor when she writes science fiction. But those two names are only two aspects of a multidimensional talent. She's a ghostwriter, an editor, and a performer whose voice has peaks and valleys, like that of a musician. In fact the music you hear right now, is Alice McVeigh playing the cello. I'll let Alice begin to talk a...

In this #AskALLi Advanced Self-Publishing Podcast, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn explore the importance of literary prizes for self-publishing authors. As authors we may not like to see books competing with each other, but as publishers we have to admit that winning the right award can bring credibility, kudos and readers to a book and greatly strengthen an author's platform. Find more author advice,...

In this episode of the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast, we will answer ALLi members' most pressing questions about the art and craft of self-publishing poetry books. Trish Hopkinson is a poet and literary arts advocate, Orna Ross is a poet and director of the Alliance of Independent Authors.  Trish Hopkinson is a poet, blogger, and advocate for the literary arts from Utah, USA, where she runs the r...

Today, we're going to talk about Findaway Voices, an audiobook service that's an alternative to Audible, which is causing headaches for indie authors after the Audiblegate controversy. We'll also talk about something called social reading. And we'll look back on the legacy of Jeff Bezos at Amazon. These are among the topics discussed on Self-Publishing News with Alli News Editor Dan Holloway and b...

My guest this week is Pete Fu. You may not have heard his name before, but if you're a fan of indie romance novels, you've probably come across at least one of his many pen names. Pete combines his writing talent with knowledge of the genre, and an instinct for marketing to create a wildly successful indie publishing career. And, through his company called Publishwide, he's helping other indie aut...

Authors Sacha Black and Orna Ross l ook at what it means for authors to think long term. When you start out in indie publishing, it's hard to think past the mountainous goal of just publishing your first book. But thinking long term is what transforms the ability to write words into a prosperous business. Orna and Sacha dive into the wide publishing model, IP rights, investing your profits, owners...

My guest this week is Amy Rivers, who writes crime thrillers and mysteries that are very much based on real people and events. Amy's writing is infused with her lifelong curiosity over what makes people do the things they do, which can take her writing into very dark places. Although her books are fiction, they are never gratuitous or exploitative. Here's how Amy came to write her unique blend of...

Why do I need an author website? Our # AskALLi Member Q&A is hosted by Michael La Ronn and ALLi Director, Orna Ross, and this month they'll be answering this question and more. Other questions include: Will IngramSpark promotion for ALLi members continue in 2021 I published the same book on KDP and IngramSpark, but the prices are different. What do I do? Do I need a different ISBN for each format...

My guest this week is Helen Baggott, a UK-based author and editor whose love of history drives her unique books that feature historic postcards as a way to tell the story of individuals. And, to her delight, some of the descendants of those she has featured have contacted her. Helen is also an editor who has advice for writers in these stressful times. But first, I'll let Helen tell her story. Fin...

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly moving into the realm of writing with natural language generation (NLG) tools that encompass freelance writing and content creation, advertising and marketing copy, and creative works like novels and nonfiction books, poetry, and screenplays. How will AI writing impact authors? And how can indie authors work with AI tools to improve our writing process, and creat...

My guest this week is Helen Hollick, who writes historical fiction about fantastical topics like King Arthur, but reimagines the legend as if Arthur was a real man, without the magic, without Merlin. What she ended up with was a successful trilogy picked up by a major publisher. Then, after creative differences with Random House, she decided to go indie and hasn't looked back since. Today, she dev...

Do you want to get paid for your poetry? Orna Ross, director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, interviews Trish Hopkinson about submitting poetry to paying publications in this month's #AskALLi Self-Publishing Poetry Advice Podcast. Trish has cross-referenced several lists of outlets, including those that use Pushcart Prize Rankings, literary magazine reviewer expertise, other online writing...

My guest this week is Tim Lewis, who many of you might know as the host of the ALLi-sponsored #IndieAuthorChat on Twitter. What you may not know is that he's the author of time travel and fantasy stories, works on software to make people more productive, hates to see indie authors get ripped off, and he first became a self-published author more than a decade ago after tragedy struck in his life. B...

Authors Sacha Black and Orna Ross, using personal examples from their own experience running their author businesses, outline nine mindset principles that cultivate sustainable self-publishing success in this month's #AskALLi Foundational Self-Publishing Advice Salon. If you're not yet satisfied with your books or your book sales, changing how you think is your first step in 2021. Authors are ofte...

While the United States has been so absorbed with its own problems that Brexit seemed to be something happening in a land far, far away. But, of course, the divorce from the European Union impacts just about everything in the United Kingdom. Fortunately, we have Dan Holloway, who is exploring the labyrinthine implications Brexit has for indie authors. Also, Publishers Weekly is filling the BookExp...