Askalli: Self-publishing Advice Podcast

In this Self-Publishing Conference Highlight, Jeff Elkins discusses how to emotionally reach your readers. It's not enough to get a reader to pick up our books. We also have to reach them emotionally in order to keep them reading past the first chapter and to inspire them to tell their friends about our stories. The good news is, people are communal in nature. We are hard-wired to connect emotionally with one another, and authors can exploit that wiring with our storytelling by keeping our stories dialogue-centric. By the end of this session, you will learn: how humans connect with one another emotionally and how they can exploit that desire for connection with their writing how to write a dialogue-centric story how to build character partnerships that cause the reader to feel a sense of community This is a post from SelfPubCon (The Self-Publishing Advice Conference), an online author event, run free twice-yearly, in association with the Alliance of Independent Authors. Find more author advice, tips and too

My guest this episode is CJ Archer, an author of historical, mystery, and fantasy books, genres that the traditional publishing industry told her should not mix. So instead, CJ published them herself and hasn't looked back since. She writes about four books a year as her full-time job and has found a formula that works for her and her fans. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author Podcast stream is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide readership, create your account today! Thank you, Kobo, for your support of this podcast. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally, if you haven’t already. You can do that at allianceindependenta

A shadow library lawsuit shows the struggle subscription services face in tackling scammers. Welcome to Self-Publishing News with ALLi News editor Dan Holloway, bringing you the latest in indie publishing news and commentary. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. About the Host Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.  

In this first episode of the new Publishing for Profit stream: Leveling up your publishing and taking a new turn. Orna Ross introduces Indian author Shanaya Wagh, aka Shana Frost, also an intern at the Alliance of Independent Authors. Both authors, at different stages in their publishing businesses, are leveling up. They discuss what led to their decision, how to know when a change is needed, and how to build a more profitable structure from what you’ve achieved already. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller’s “100 top people in publishing”. She also publi

My guest this episode is Katlyn Duncan, an author who juggles many roles. She's a mother, a full-time worker, a writer of thrillers and nonfiction advice books for other indie authors. She is also both a traditional and self-published author. How does she keep up with her many roles? I'll let Katlyn Duncan tell her story. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author Podcast stream is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide readership, create your account today! Thank you, Kobo, for your support of this podcast. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally, if you haven’t already. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. About t

In this month's AskALLi Member Q&A with Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black: Help! My cowriter isn't pulling their weight. What should I do? Other questions include: Should I buy my own ISBNs or use the free ones given to me by book retailers? What are some pricing ideas for poetry chapbooks? Should I consign my books to a bookstore? How can ALLi members submit for a guest blog feature? And more! Our Members Q&A Podcast is brought to you by specialist sponsor Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide audience, create your account today! We'd like to thank Kobo for their support of this podcast.  Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-Publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organiza

As Amazon launches its new AI policy and the US Copyright Office refuses to register a copyright for an award-winning Midjourney artist, a consultation tries to untangle what is fast becoming the knotty mess of AI and copyright. Welcome to Self-Publishing News with ALLi News editor Dan Holloway, bringing you the latest in indie publishing news and commentary. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. About the Host Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.

My guest this episode is Darby Harn, a science fiction writer whose work Publishers Weekly called an “entertaining debut that uses superpowers as a metaphor to delve into class politics in an alternate America.” He also cohosts a pop culture podcast. It has been a long road for Darby to get where he is while also struggling with autism. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author Podcast stream is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide readership, create your account today! Thank you, Kobo, for your support of this podcast. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally, if you haven’t already. You can do that at allianceindependentautho

After a production break, Orna Ross, director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, introduces our new podcast lineup. There will be more news, more questions answered, and more inspiration! Take a listen.

My guest this episode is Russell Nohelty, a bestselling fantasy author and ALLi's crowdfunding adviser. He has helped authors raise over $1.5 million through crowdfunding, and nearly $500,000 for his own publishing projects. And, lately, he's a big advocate of the Substack platform for indie authors. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author Podcast stream is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide readership, create your account today! Thank you, Kobo, for your support of this podcast. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally, if you haven’t already. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. About the Host Howard Lovy ha

As you write, produce, and market a book, you’ll draw on different aspects of your creative energy along the way. In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn explore the difference between starting, pushing through, and finishing energies, and how to harness yours for optimal flow through the creative cycle. The #AskALLi Advanced Self-Publishing Salon is sponsored by IngramSpark: "Go Publish Yourself!" Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Joanna Penn writes nonfiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F.Penn. She’s also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. Orna Ross launched the Alliance of

My guest this episode is Ricardo Fayet, a cofounder of Reedsy, a marketplace connecting authors to editors, cover designers, book marketers, translators, and other professionals. Also, full disclosure, I am also a developmental editor for Reedsy. As for Ricardo, when he's not coming up with new and expanded services for Reedsy, he's writing books on an important part of the publishing ecosystem: marketing. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author Podcast stream is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide readership, create your account today! Thank you, Kobo, for your support of this podcast. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing al

Today on the Self-Publishing News podcast: It's authors vs. OpenAI as lawsuits and petitions seek compensation for content scraped by ChatGPT. But, as News Editor Dan Holloway and News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy report, the issue is not that simple. Also, USA Today relaunches its bestseller list, which is good news for indie authors. Howard and Dan discuss these and other stories making the news this month in indie publishing.  Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. About the Hosts Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest c

My guest this episode is EJ Fisch, a science-fiction author who spent fifteen years working on a series that merges sci-fi with mystery and thriller in a combination that has earned her devoted fans. Her writing journey began with role-playing games, then she transferred those stories to self-published books, which she also designs herself. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author Podcast stream is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide readership, create your account today! Thank you, Kobo, for your support of this podcast. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally, if you haven’t already. You can do that at allianceindependenta

In this month's AskALLi Member Q&A with Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black: where to sell your books. Other questions include: How do I remove my book for sale? Do I need an ISBN for ebooks? What happens if I have a problem I can't resolve with Amazon? How do I get reviews if I have no audience? And more! Our Members Q&A Podcast is brought to you by specialist sponsor Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide audience, create your account today! We'd like to thank Kobo for their support of this podcast.  Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-Publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org.

My guest this episode is Mark McGuinness, a poet who also writes books and hosts podcasts about how creative people can get over blocks in their productivity, motivation, and resilience, among other factors that can get in their way. Mark says his career as a poet and a creative coach employ the same kind of ability to listen carefully to language. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author Podcast stream is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide readership, create your account today! Thank you, Kobo, for your support of this podcast. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally, if you haven’t already. You can do that at allianceinde

In today's Beginners Self-Publishing Podcast: creating superfans. Studies suggest that readers must read 4.5 books on average from the same author before they even remember their name. But that’s without author intervention. Use a few tricks, and you can engage fans far earlier in the process. In this episode, ALLi Product Marketing Manager Dan Parsons and Campaigns Manager Melissa Addey explore a range of strategies any author can deploy to warm readers who enter their ecosystem. Together, they cover sales funnels, online communities, a quest to deliver extra value, and more.   Follow their tips, and you, too, can turn casual readers into superfans. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our self-publishing advice center,  http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Dan Parsons writes the Creative Business series fo

My guest this episode writes books that seem ideal for this summer beach-reading season. She is KC Savage, a romance author who decided to shake things up a little bit in her life by writing scandalous stories of cheating and reverse age gap relationships. And, along the way, she discovered that publishing these books began to cure her own shyness. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author Podcast stream is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide readership, create your account today! Thank you, Kobo, for your support of this podcast. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally, if you haven’t already. You can do that at allianceinde

Generative AI is improving rapidly, almost day by day, giving authors unprecedented assistance in writing and publishing books. In this show, Orna and Joanna give an overview of recent advances in generative AI for words, images, and audio, including Alliance of Independent Authors guidelines on copyright and ethical usage and how to use AI tools to improve quality and output. The #AskALLi Advanced Self-Publishing Salon is sponsored by IngramSpark: "Go Publish Yourself!" Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Joanna Penn writes nonfiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F.Penn. She’s also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speake

My guest this episode is Monique Dawkins, a career and life coach whose book is the culmination of years of experience as a leader. Monique rose through the ranks as a leader in the health-care field, but her advice can be applied to any line of work. And, in the aftermath of COVID, Monique says leadership has undergone a fundamental change. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author Podcast stream is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, a global, independent ebook and audiobook publishing platform that empowers authors with a quick and easy publishing process and unique promotional opportunities. To reach a wide readership, create your account today! Thank you, Kobo, for your support of this podcast. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally, if you haven’t already. You can do that at allianceindependent