Askalli: Self-publishing Advice Podcast

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 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’

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 should I put on the copyright page? 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 archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on

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 crowds of a book fair. 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, 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.

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, 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 already. You can do that at http://allianceindepende

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! Andrews will show you how deliberately mapping out four books a year can transform your author career, your income, and your life! 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 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-publi

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 latest in indie publishing news. 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 final at

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 had imagined. 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 organizatio

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, productivity, business models, and health. Plus, they will touch upon some of the big changes that have shaped the industry since the dawn of the self-publishing renaissance and the 2012 Kindle Gold Rush. 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 suppor

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 place to find reputable agents to query? How can I create Advanced Review Copies of my book? Should I include the price in my bar code? 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://selfpublishingad

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 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 already. You can do that at http:

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 Joanna Penn her first book, Stone of Fire. Join them for a deep dive into why, when to consider doing this, and the stages of developing your writing craft over time. 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

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://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 final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle. Howard Lovy has been a journalist for mor

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 Merryfield is only twenty-seven years old. 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

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 actually sell books without spending any money using influencer marketing—the process of leveraging trusted individuals’ audiences to build social proof for your books. In today's Foundational Self-Publishing Podcast, ALLi Director Orna Ross and Production Manager Dan Parsons discuss various ways you can develop an influencer marketing plan to sell your books with a minimal upfront cost. 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-publishi

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, is a cover required Do I need a writing coach? Does ALLi help authors with taking down pirated books? Where can I find ALLi's Service Ratings Directory? 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: http

My guest this episode is Rachel McLean, winner of the 2021 Kindle Storyteller Award who enjoys writing crime thrillers that also make you think. The key to Rachel's success, she says, is to strike a balance between what you enjoy writing and what you know readers will buy. I'll let Rachel explain in her own words. 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 already. You can do that at http://allianceinde

In today's Advanced Self-Publishing podcast, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn discuss the changing audiobook market. Audiobooks once again performed well in 2021 in the United States, UK, and Europe, with double-digit growth for the seventh year running. The opportunities of audio continue to expand with more distributors and improved discoverability so more listeners can find our work. But the rise of subscription models is impacting the profitability of audio, so how do indie authors use the services in the most effective way? Can AI narration expand the audiobook market even more—and will authors, narrators, and listeners embrace it? 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 a

Why are books disappearing from Amazon? Also, paper price hikes hit the publishing industry. 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 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 final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle. Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than

My guest this episode is Barry Nugent, who has been self-publishing and podcasting since the early 2000s, well before many people caught on to these trends. Barry is a mild mannered IT guy by day, but spends his early mornings writing action/adventure stories and making them widely available in many formats. His advice to other authors in an era of many choices: listen to your own inner voice. 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 sel

In this episode: How to build a publishing team. Self-publishing is a misnomer. A good book is always a team effort. As a beginner author, it can be tempting to either try to handle everything yourself or totally hand over control to a publishing service. Neither is most likely to bring you a successful publishing business. Today, ALLi Director Orna Ross and Production Manager Dan Parsons promote a best-practice approach that has brought success for countless ALLi members and other indie authors. 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, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a