Self-Publishing with ALLi

Alliance of Independent Authors
  • 4.3 (62)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Semiweekly

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

  1. 1d ago

    Inspirational Indie Author Interview #222: Mark Baker Defies Historical Fiction Conventions to Tell His Own Stories

    My guest this episode is Mark Baker, who writes historical fiction, fantasy, and travel memoir. After a career in technical writing, Mark turned to independent publishing because he refused to let traditional genre conventions dictate the stories he wanted to tell. He also writes a popular Substack about literature and storytelling. I'll let Mark Baker tell his story. 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 G. M. (Mark) Baker lives in Nova Scotia with his wife, no dogs, no horses, and no chickens. He believes that stories have a fundamental biological purpose: to make us wise and brave. He writes about kind abbesses and melancholy kings, elf maidens and shipwreckers and shy falconers, great beauties and their plain sisters, sinners and saints and ordinary eccentrics. In his newsletter, Stories All the Way Down, he discusses history, literature, and the nature of story. Learn more about his work on his author website.

    Inspirational Indie Author Interview #222: Mark Baker Defies Historical Fiction Conventions to Tell His Own Stories

  2. 3d ago

    News: Amazon Rebrands Kindle Unlimited and Adds Audiobooks; Sarah J. Maas Fans Line Up at Midnight

    On this week's Self-Publishing News podcast, ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway explains what Amazon's switch from Kindle Unlimited to Kindle Plus means for authors. That includes a separate royalty pot for audiobooks, pay per page listened, and which ACX and Virtual Voice titles qualify. He also looks at the midnight launch parties for Sarah J. Maas's latest book and what the bookstore revival could mean for indie authors. 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.

    News: Amazon Rebrands Kindle Unlimited and Adds Audiobooks; Sarah J. Maas Fans Line Up at Midnight

  3. 5d ago

    Editing Memoir: Turning Life Experiences into Compelling Stories, with Howard Lovy and Jacqx Melilli

    In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Howard Lovy talks with Australian author, playwright, and writing coach Jacqx Melilli about turning life experiences into compelling memoirs. They discuss the difference between memoir and autobiography, how to choose which memories belong in a book, and how to bring personal stories to life through scenes, dialogue, and sensory details. They also explore the challenges of writing about traumatic experiences, the role of editors in shaping memoirs, and why preserving personal histories matters. 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 Jacqx Melilli is an author, playwright, and writing coach who helps people tell the stories they have carried for years. She holds a Master of Arts in Writing and Literature from Deakin University and has worked across film, television, theatre, and youth drama education. Her award-winning stage plays led to the Lights, Camera, Action educational drama series, and she later produced and directed two of those plays as short films. She is also the author of the Australian historical novel When the Glitter Fades, inspired by showbiz history. Through memoir and creative writing workshops, Jacqx helps writers find their voice and leave a record of their lives.

    Editing Memoir: Turning Life Experiences into Compelling Stories, with Howard Lovy and Jacqx Melilli

  4. Nov 1

    Plan Your Book Sales Around Every Season, Not Just Christmas, with Orna Ross

    In this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Orna Ross talks about seasonal selling and why it's a smart strategy for indie authors. December is the biggest season for selling books, but Orna also covers Valentine's Day, summer holidays and other moments when readers are looking for books. She shares ideas for turning a book into a gift, explains why you need to plan at least three months ahead, and walks through the most common mistakes authors make. 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.

    Plan Your Book Sales Around Every Season, Not Just Christmas, with Orna Ross

  5. Oct 30

    News: PHP Flaw Threatens WordPress Author Sites; Kindle Unlimited Passes $5 Billion

    On this week's Self-Publishing News podcast, ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway warns indie authors about a major PHP vulnerability affecting WordPress.org sites and WooCommerce, and explains what to ask your web host. He then covers three platforms with new money-making options: Spotify's new Memberships for podcasters, Kindle Unlimited passing $5 billion in author payouts, and YouTube's plan to launch an audiobook offering in 2027. Show Notes Critical PHP Security Release 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.

    News: PHP Flaw Threatens WordPress Author Sites; Kindle Unlimited Passes $5 Billion

  6. Oct 25

    Inspirational Indie Author Interview #221: David Somerfleck Imagines a Dystopian American Future

    My guest this episode is David Somerfleck, who spent decades in digital marketing, journalism, and politics before returning to his childhood passion for science fiction. He moved to Portugal, where the stormy weather and isolation provided the perfect setting to write his first novel, a chilling vision of America's future. Now, he draws on a lifetime of experiences to build a new career as an indie author. 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 David Somerfleck is a speculative fiction author and poet based in Chesapeake, Virginia. He studied creative writing at Old Dominion University under poet Bruce Weigl and has worked as a newspaper reporter, copywriter, digital marketing agency owner, political campaign messaging writer and adviser, and teacher. His dystopian novel One Grain of Sand, the first book in the Shards of a Shattered Sky trilogy, is set in the United States in 2096. Kirkus Reviews called it "riveting and frighteningly plausible," while BookLife described it as an "inventive high-stakes thriller." The novel also won the 2026 NYC Big Book Award for Science Fiction. David is the author of four poetry collections and The Illustrated Guide to Digital Marketing. He publishes through his imprint, Boldly Blue Press, and is writing the second and third books in his trilogy back-to-back. You can find David on his website, learn more about One Grain of Sand, or purchase the e-book from major retailers.

    Inspirational Indie Author Interview #221: David Somerfleck Imagines a Dystopian American Future

  7. Oct 23

    News: Audible Lets Listeners Talk to Dracula; Plaintiffs Drop a Key AI Study Against OpenAI

    On this week's Self-Publishing News podcast, ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway shares what authors asked most at SelfPubCon 2026: newsletters and copyright, including why registering before the new year's fee rise could save you money. He also covers Audible's beta feature that lets listeners explore a story and talk to its characters, starting with Dracula. Then he reports that the plaintiffs in an OpenAI copyright case have dropped Tuhin Chakrabarty's market dilution study, and that Books by People has launched to certify human-written books. 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.

    News: Audible Lets Listeners Talk to Dracula; Plaintiffs Drop a Key AI Study Against OpenAI

  8. Oct 21

    Questions, QR Codes, and Quizzes: Producing a More Interactive Nonfiction Book, with Anna Featherstone and Maria Doyle

    In this episode, ALLi's Nonfiction Adviser Anna Featherstone chats with author and learning strategist Maria Doyle about the production and distribution decisions behind her book Everyone's a Teacher. They explore questions including: Might your nonfiction book serve readers better if it asked more questions? How can QR codes enhance the reading experience? How do you turn a book with visual elements into an audiobook? And what if you gave readers a quiz to see whether your book is really for them? This episode will give you fresh ideas for producing and distributing a book in a way that really engages readers. Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by Gatekeeper Press — your partner in premium independent publishing. Empowering authors with expert guidance, 100% rights, 100% royalties, and global distribution. From editing to marketing, their all-inclusive services help you publish professionally and confidently. Gatekeeper Press — Where Authors Are Family. About the Host Anna Featherstone is ALLi's nonfiction adviser and an author advocate and mentor. A judge of The Australian Business Book Awards and Australian Society of Travel Writers awards, she's also the founder of Bold Authors and presents author marketing and self-publishing workshops for organizations, including Byron Writers Festival. Anna has authored books including how-to books and memoirs, and her book Look-It's Your Book! about writing, publishing, marketing, and leveraging nonfiction is on the Australian Society of Authors recommended reading list. When she's not being bookish, Anna's into bees, beings, and the big issues of our time. About the Guest Maria Doyle, author of Everyone's a Teacher, has more than thirty years' experience in teaching, learning, teacher training, developing curriculum, and managing education projects in Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific, North America, and Scandinavia. Her areas of expertise include instructional design, curriculum and learning resource development, teacher training, project management, assessment and evaluation, and professional development.

    Questions, QR Codes, and Quizzes: Producing a More Interactive Nonfiction Book, with Anna Featherstone and Maria Doyle
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4.3
out of 5
62 Ratings

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
    965
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Alliance of Independent Authors 2017
  • Show Website
    Self-Publishing with ALLi

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