Askalli: Self-publishing Advice Podcast

My guest this episode is Maria Riegger, who has many moving parts to her career, some of which might even seem at odds with one another. For example, she's a lawyer who is also very much into astrology. She also used her own childhood trauma to launch a series of parenting books so other children would not suffer the way she did. And she uses her legal expertise to help other indie publishers navigate issues like copyright law. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author interviews are 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

In today's Beginners Self-Publishing Podcast: editing and proofreading. Writing a book is impressive but getting yours to a publishable standard is a whole other trial by fire. Doing so requires a stringent quality control process, a team of collaborators, and several editorial stages. In this episode, ALLi’s Product Marketing Manager Dan Parsons and Campaigns Manager Melissa Addey walk listeners through the major editing stages that authors must face to turn a written manuscript into a professional product. Together, they’ll discuss the whys, hows, and whens of editing, as well as insights from their own processes. This podcast is brought to you by Children's Literature. Children’s Literature holds the largest collection of children's and YA book reviews in the reviewing industry. Their reviews are licensed to booksellers, libraries, and literature databases. They review over 2,000 books per year from a variety of publishers and include self-published book reviews. Their website, ChildrensLit.com, is a great

On the Creative Self-Publishing Podcast, we'll talk about creative play to improve your work. Today's episode is the second of three parts in an integrative approach to creativity. Last episode, we discussed creative work. Now, we'll discuss something that sounds even more fun, creative play. But there's also some serious science behind it, helping to improve your productivity by as much as 20 percent. Welcome to the Creative Self-Publishing podcast with ALLi director, novelist, poet, and creative facilitator Orna Ross, and ALLi News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our self-publishing advice center. 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 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 pub

In this month’s Advanced Self-Publishing Podcast ALLi Director Orna Ross and Enterprise Adviser Joanna Penn discuss self-publishing values. All publishers care about craft, engage with readers, and harness the power of book retailer algorithms—but each publisher must also decide whether they are primarily a craft publisher (focus: creative excellence) an engagement publisher (focus: responsive to readers) or a volume publisher (focus: driving algorithms). Orna and Joanna address the differences between these publishing approaches, how they’ve shown up in their own work, and the difference it makes when you know which approach best suits your books. 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,

My guest this episode is Guy Windsor, who is also known as "The Sword Guy." He has taken his love for a very niche topic, which is researching medieval and Renaissance sword-fighting techniques and turned it into a successful career through books, online courses and crowdfunding campaigns. It's a model that other indie authors could follow. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author interviews are 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

Today on Self-Publishing News: Amazon has amended its returns policy after authors pushed back. Also, is BookTok always good for authors? And, in our Tech Corner, new AI helps readers discover your books.  These are among the topics discussed on Self-Publishing News with ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway and News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy. 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 collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle. Howard Lovy has been a journ

Today, we'll talk about how to get your creative work done. Welcome to the Creative Self-Publishing podcast with ALLi director, novelist, poet, and creative facilitator Orna Ross, and ALLi News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy. Every episode, we'll discuss how to become a profitable self-publisher while also retaining your unique, creative voice. There are many paths to self-publishing, and we'll help you discover yours. In today's episode, we'll talk about doing the creative work necessary to become a successful self-publisher.  Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our self-publishing advice center. 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 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 publishes poetry, f

How to handle book design plagiarism? That's among the questions answered in this month's AskALLi Member Q&A with Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black. Other questions include: What services are authors using to setup direct sales on their websites? What is the best way to get my indie book into bookstores? What is the best way to negotiate the rights to an audiobook to a publisher? If I am rebranding my series, should I release the new covers at the same time or can I stagger the new covers? How can I avoid scams? 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 po

My guest this episode is Jessica Bell, a book cover designer, author, singer/songwriter, publisher, and parent. Yes, Jessica juggles many moving parts in her career. In our interview, she tells us how she evolved from a songwriter to what she calls a multipreneur. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author interviews are 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 has been a journalist for more than 35 year

What are the reasons to self-publish? Despite the growth of the self-publishing industry, many inexperienced authors still choose to sign with a traditional publisher. That’s fine if that route is best for your business, but it’s not fine if you only do it because you don’t know any better. In this episode, ALLi’s Product Marketing Manager Dan Parsons and Campaigns Manager Melissa Addey discuss all the reasons why new authors should consider self-publishing, delving into financial, creative and personal benefits that make it the best option for many writers’ businesses. This podcast is brought to you by specialist sponsor Dartfrog Books. ALLi Partner Member DartFrog Books provides indie authors with opportunities for bookstore placement and promotion to more than 27,000 book clubs. Their self-publishing, hybrid,  traditional, and single-service publishing platforms are designed to engage authors of all types at every stage of their journey. We'd like to thank Dartfrog for their support of this podcast. And, i

How do you build your publishing team? Welcome to the Creative Self-Publishing podcast with ALLi director, novelist, poet, and creative facilitator Orna Ross, and ALLi News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy. Every episode, we'll discuss how to become a profitable self-publisher while also retaining your unique, creative voice. There are many paths to self-publishing, and we'll help you discover yours. In today's episode, we'll talk about the three different kinds of self-publishers and who they'll need to help them achieve their goals. 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 http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts 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 peop

In this month’s Advanced Self-Publishing Podcast ALLi Director Orna Ross and Enterprise Adviser Joanna Penn talk about the importance of creative rest for indie authors and how it is a core part of the writing and publishing process. They share advice on different ways to give yourself a break while and lessons learned from their own recent downtimes. 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 http://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 launc

My guest this episode is Tanya Anne Crosby, who first found a traditional publisher, writing romance novels that consistently made the best-seller lists. Eventually, Tanya grew weary of the tropes she was expected to follow in her genre and longed to break barriers. That's when she decided to go indie. Now, she revels in the freedom this gives her as a writer. Not only that, she helps other authors achieve the same kind of success. I'll let Tanya tell her story. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author interviews are 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: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the

Today on Self-Publishing News: Spotify gets ready to go big on audiobooks, and they're working with writers to "innovate and create something that is different.” Also, IBPA has set new guidelines for hybrid publishers, and artificial intelligence is now creating cover art—making many artists nervous. These are among the topics discussed on Self-Publishing News with ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway and News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, 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 http://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

What does it mean to be creative? Welcome to our latest podcast, Creative Self-Publishing with ALLi director, novelist, poet, and creative facilitator Orna Ross, and ALLi News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy. Every episode, we'll discuss how to become a profitable self-publisher while also retaining your unique, creative voice. There are many paths to self-publishing, and we'll help you discover yours. In today's episode, we'll introduce the topic by defining what exactly Orna means by creative self-publishing. 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 http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts 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

The AskALLi Members Q&A Podcast is back with your most common self-publishing questions answered by authors Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black.  Questions include: Where can I find the IngramSpark discount code? Where is ALLi's resources on ISBNs? What does ALLi think about X service? I have a problem with my membership. Can you help? I signed a deal with a bad publisher. How do I get the rights back? Can I distribute my books with both Amazon KDP and IngramSpark Where is the best place to start for a beginner? 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: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge

My guest this episode is J. W. Judge, an author who writes fantasy novels while also holding down a busy day job as a lawyer and is very involved in family life. Judge says that to be a prolific writer, you don't necessarily need to let other aspects of your life suffer. In our interview, he'll tell us how it's done. I'll let J. W. Judge tell his story. ALLi's Inspirational Indie Author interviews are 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: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, 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 alrea

Orna Ross, director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, talks to ALLi News and Podcast Producer Howard Lovy about upcoming additions and changes to our twice-weekly family of podcasts. We took a little more than a month off to collect feedback from listeners and we're coming back with new hosts, new shows, improved content, all with the same commitment to giving you the news and advice you need as independent authors. Have a listen and learn what's new! Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, 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 http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as

Hello, everyone. A short broadcast from us today. It's Orna Ross here, director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, just here to tell you that we are taking a short production break. We will be back at the beginning of September. We are doing a major upgrade of the podcast, as well as the general Self-Publishing Advice Center, from our ratings pages, where we bring you the best and the worst of the self-publishing services out there, the awards page, where we look at and rate the awards and prizes that are available to indie authors these days, and all our advice pages. We're going to be making the site a lot more user-friendly, and we're going to have a section just for beginners and navigation, generally, just making it easier for you to find what you need. There's a huge amount of information on our website, as you know, between our almost daily blogs, our weekly podcasts, and all the different information in video, in audio, and in text, that we try to bring you about the fast-changing world of self-p

In this Self-Publishing Conference Highlight, Sacha Black discusses how to level up your side characters. All too often, side characters are afterthoughts for an author. Most writers spend their time focused on the hero and the plot, so their side characters are slapped on without much thought. But they shouldn’t be. Side characters are the pillars upon which your heroes and villains stand. By the end of this session, you will learn: The principles of creating captivating side characters The most common mistakes writers make with side characters... And how to fix them How to make your side characters represent your book’s theme If you want to level up your characters, story and craft, this session is for you.