Self-Publishing with ALLi

Alliance of Independent Authors
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The Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors provides a comprehensive guide for indie authors.

  1. Where Friction Hides in Your Author Business (And When It Might Be Useful), with Orna Ross and Joanna Penn

    4 HR AGO

    Where Friction Hides in Your Author Business (And When It Might Be Useful), with Orna Ross and Joanna Penn

    On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn explore the concept of friction in the author business — the stuff that stops readers from buying and stops authors from acting. They examine reader friction including decision fatigue, pricing signals, platform fragmentation, and the challenge of buying direct; author friction including tech overload, identity resistance, and fear of judgment; and the counterintuitive idea that some friction — a signed limited edition, a serialized novel released chapter by chapter, a live human conversation — is actually worth keeping, because it creates connection, commitment, and differentiation in an age of one-click AI convenience. Show Notes Bones of the Deep. A Thriller: Kickstarter ALLi's Indie Author Bookstore 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 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, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

    43 min
  2. News: BookTok Bestseller List Launches in the UK; Subscription Boxes Drive Charts; Have Special Editions Peaked?

    2 DAYS AGO

    News: BookTok Bestseller List Launches in the UK; Subscription Boxes Drive Charts; Have Special Editions Peaked?

    On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway examines three interconnected stories about how books get discovered and sold. He reports on the launch of the UK's first BookTok bestseller list, powered by Nielsen BookScan, and what its romance- and romantasy-heavy lineup reveals about how viral book conversations actually work. He also looks at two striking examples of subscription boxes driving books to the top of the charts — including Goldsboro Books' GSFF box and the fantasy service Fairyloot — and closes with the question of whether the special edition and deluxe edition market may have reached its peak, drawing a sharp parallel with the vinyl singles collecting craze of the 1980s. Sponsor Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by PublishMe—helping indie authors succeed globally with expert translation, tailored marketing, and publishing support. From first draft to international launch, PublishMe ensures your book reaches readers everywhere. Visit publishme.me. 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. 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, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is  available on Kindle.

    12 min
  3. Why Indie Authors Should Ignore the Market's Mood and Focus on Their Mission, with Joe Solari

    4 DAYS AGO

    Why Indie Authors Should Ignore the Market's Mood and Focus on Their Mission, with Joe Solari

    On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Joe Solari draws a lesson from Jeff Bezos's early years at Amazon — when Wall Street was calling it amazon.bomb and Bezos kept building anyway — to make a case for why indie authors need to stop watching their competitors and start watching their readers. Using the philosopher René Girard's concept of mimetic desire, Joe explains how author communities, for all their value, can quietly install somebody else's North Star in your publishing business without you even noticing. He offers two practical tools to counter this: a one-page North Star document that anchors your publishing vision before you open any dashboard or social media group, and a one-week information audit that helps you identify how much of what you're consuming is signal and how much is just other people's noise. Sponsor The Publishing for Profit podcast is proudly sponsored by Tertulia for Authors. Build a beautiful author storefront in minutes, showcase your books, send newsletters, and sell direct. Get started at tertulia.com/alli. 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. About the Host Joe Solari assists authors in developing successful businesses as the managing partner of Author Ventures LLC. In his role as a business manager, he supports his private clients, who collectively achieved gross royalties of twenty-two million in 2023, with an average pre-tax profit of 44%. This remarkable success results from implementing disciplined business strategies and maintaining an unwavering dedication to enhancing the customer experience.

    15 min
  4. Inspirational Indie Author Interview #209: Muhammad Atique. Author Explores AI, Algorithms, and Human Connection in the Digital Age

    10 MAY

    Inspirational Indie Author Interview #209: Muhammad Atique. Author Explores AI, Algorithms, and Human Connection in the Digital Age

    My guest this episode is Muhammad Atique, an author and lecturer whose journey has taken him from Pakistan to China, the United States, and now New Zealand, where he's connecting with the indie author community. His book explores how AI, algorithms, and digital media are reshaping the way we communicate, think, and relate to one another in an increasingly online world. 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. About the Host Howard Lovy is an author, developmental editor, and writing coach with a long career in journalism and publishing. He works with writers at many stages of their careers, with a focus on helping them develop their ideas and strengthen their work while preserving their unique voices. He lives in Northern Michigan. About the Guest Muhammad Atique holds a PhD in digital government and is a Fellow of Advance HE in the UK. He has spent more than fifteen years working across the media industry and academia, focusing on digital media, culture, and how people adopt new technologies. His work examines how rapidly changing technology is shaping the way people live and communicate. Originally from Pakistan, he enjoys exploring different cultures, traveling, and meeting people from all backgrounds. He is currently based in Auckland, New Zealand. His latest book, Algorithmic Saga: Understanding Media, Culture, and Transformation in the AI Age, examines how technology is reshaping everyday life and why it is important to maintain a balance between digital change and real-world values.

    27 min
  5. News: Audible Retires Legacy Royalty Model; Oscars Rule on AI; Publishing Industry AI Survey

    8 MAY

    News: Audible Retires Legacy Royalty Model; Oscars Rule on AI; Publishing Industry AI Survey

    On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway breaks down Audible's decision to retire its legacy royalty model by the end of 2026, explaining what the new model means for audiobook authors and the separate decision about whether to enter the All You Can Listen pool. He also reports on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' new Oscar eligibility rules requiring human actors and writers, and examines a Book Industry Study Group survey showing that concern about AI-generated books in the marketplace has now entered the top four worries for publishing industry professionals. Show Notes Audible's New Royalty Model Sponsor Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by PublishMe—helping indie authors succeed globally with expert translation, tailored marketing, and publishing support. From first draft to international launch, PublishMe ensures your book reaches readers everywhere. Visit publishme.me. 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. 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, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is  available on Kindle.

    11 min
  6. Guided Selling for Authors: Taking Readers by the Hand, with Orna Ross

    6 MAY

    Guided Selling for Authors: Taking Readers by the Hand, with Orna Ross

    In this episode, Orna Ross explores guided selling for authors: how indie authors can help readers find the right book or next step into their ecosystem without overwhelm or decision fatigue. Drawing on research into the 'paradox of choice' and online book-buying behavior, this episode asks how we can use our websites, stores, newsletters, book pages, and reader links more consciously to take readers by the hand, reduce friction, and make the buying journey feel less like a maze and more like a good bookseller's recommendation. Show Notes This episode grew out of conversations around the ALLi bookstore and the question of how readers discover books when faced with abundance. Research: The best-known research here is Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper's study, "When Choice Is Demotivating." Their work challenged the assumption that more choice is always better, showing that large choice sets can attract attention but also reduce action when the decision becomes too demanding. Later research adds useful nuance. Chernev, Böckenholt, and Goodman's meta-analysis found that choice overload is most likely when four factors are present: the choice set is complex, the decision is difficult, the person is uncertain about their own preferences, and they are trying to minimize effort. That maps very well onto online book buying. A reader may click with interest, then suddenly have to choose between an ebook, a paperback, a hardback, an audiobook, a signed copy, a bundle, a subscription, a direct store, Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Google Play, a library, or a local bookshop. Each extra decision can introduce hesitation. There is also book-buying research that supports the need for guidance signals. A 2024 Books & Consumers survey summary points to subject or genre, recommendations and reviews, cover design, special offers, character appeal, extracts, and gift suitability as influences on book purchase. ALLi members are encouraged to tick the box in their profile, which allows us to upload their books to the ALLi bookstore. Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by Bookfunnel. Do you have reader magnets, ARCs, and direct digital sales? Want to join multi-author promotions? Thousands of authors trust BookFunnel for seamless delivery and real human support. Visit BookFunnel.com. 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. About the Host 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, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

    20 min
  7. Legal Reviews, ISBN Ownership, and Pre-Order Pitfalls: Member Q&A with Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black

    3 MAY

    Legal Reviews, ISBN Ownership, and Pre-Order Pitfalls: Member Q&A with Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black

    In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A podcast, hosts Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black discuss whether authors of memoir and creative nonfiction should invest in a legal review before publication. Other questions include: Should you agree to a publishing services contract that assigns your ISBN to the company? When is the right stage to add references in a nonfiction manuscript? Are Goodreads giveaways worth the cost compared to other marketing options? What is the simplest way to build a functional author website with email capture and reader magnets? Should you revise and republish a bestselling book with low reviews or focus on new work? What should you do if you are about to miss an Amazon pre-order deadline? And more! 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. About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is ALLi's Outreach Manager. He is the author of over 80 science fiction & fantasy books and self-help books for writers. He writes from the great plains of Iowa and has managed to write while raising a family, working a full-time job, and even attending law school classes in the evenings (now graduated!). You can find his fiction at www.michaellaronn.com and his videos and books for writers at www.authorlevelup.com. Sacha Black is a bestselling and competition winning author, rebel podcaster, speaker and casual rule breaker. She writes fiction under a secret pen name and other books about the art of writing. When Sacha isn't writing, she runs ALLi's blog. She lives in England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son. You can find her on her website, her podcast, and on Instagram.

    59 min
  8. News: BookCon Returns with a Welcome for Indie Authors; Anthropic Settlement Class Reaches 91%

    1 MAY

    News: BookCon Returns with a Welcome for Indie Authors; Anthropic Settlement Class Reaches 91%

    On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway reports on the return of BookCon to New York after a pandemic-era hiatus, where the Indie Alley proved a genuine hit with readers — a sign that the established book world is increasingly making room for independent authors. He also has an update on the Anthropic copyright settlement, where 91 percent of eligible titles were claimed before the deadline, putting the expected payout per title at around $2,931, with a reminder that traditionally published authors may receive less due to rights splits with their publishers. Show Notes BookCon Indie Alley application Sponsor Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by PublishMe—helping indie authors succeed globally with expert translation, tailored marketing, and publishing support. From first draft to international launch, PublishMe ensures your book reaches readers everywhere. Visit publishme.me. 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. 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, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is  available on Kindle.

    10 min
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About

The Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors provides a comprehensive guide for indie authors.

Information

  • Creator
    Alliance of Independent Authors
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    897
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Alliance of Independent Authors 2017
  • Show Website
    Self-Publishing with ALLi

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