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

Oct 29, 2023 • 32min
Open Up to Indie Authors is About Inclusion: ALLi Campaigns Podcast with Orna Ross and Melissa Addey
This week, ALLi Director Orna Ross and Campaigns Manager Melissa Addey discuss ALLi's advocacy work, starting with the Open Up to Indie Authors campaign. This campaign encourages and aids (and occasionally calls out!) the publishing and literary industries to include self-publishing authors in their programs, events, festivals, prizes, listings, and reviews and educates indie authors on what we can do to help ourselves in approaching these opportunities. It's not all about what ALLi does: all indie authors can help with this campaign, find out what a difference three of ALLi's author members recently made by opening up a prestigious author-in-residence opportunity. 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. 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, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website. Melissa Addey has a PhD in creative writing and writes historical fiction set in first-century Rome, eleventh-century Morocco and eighteenth-century China. She runs writing workshops covering both craft and entrepreneurship, most frequently for the British Library. She's also ALLi's campaigns manager, a role in which she loves observing and supporting the vast diversity of self-published authors. Visit her at her website and pick up a free novella.

Oct 27, 2023 • 16min
European Writers' Groups to Call for the EU's AI Act to be Tough on Transparency: Self-Publishing News Podcast with Dan Holloway
Frankfurt Book Fair prompts European writers' groups to call for the EU's AI Act to be tough on transparency. 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. 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.

Oct 25, 2023 • 22min
There is no Marketing Magic Bullet: Reaching More Readers, With Dale L. Roberts and Holly Greenland
Today on the Reaching More Readers podcast: There is no marketing magic bullet. With the overwhelming options for marketing and promoting a book, what can indie authors do to get their books into more readers' hands? There might not be one magic bullet, but there are proven strategies and techniques indie authors can use to build a plan that works for you. Dale L. Roberts and Holly Greenland explore the many facets of book marketing. 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. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Dale L. Roberts is a self-publishing advocate, award-winning author, and video content creator. Dale’s inherent passion for life fuels his self-publishing advocacy both in print and online. After publishing over 50 titles and becoming an international bestselling author on Amazon, Dale started his YouTube channel, Self-Publishing with Dale. Selected by Feedspot and LA Weekly as one of the best sources in self-publishing of 2022, Dale cemented his position as the indie-author community's go-to authority. You can find Dale on his website or YouTube Holly Greenland is a self-published author, content writer and strategic communications consultant. She has worked in marketing and communications for nearly twenty years, including at the BBC, UK Parliament, and award-winning agency Social & Local. Holly is currently completing a Publishing PhD with Kingston University in London, investigating the factors that increase the likelihood of indie author success. Find out more about Holly's writing on her website or connect on LinkedIn.

Oct 24, 2023 • 16min
Spotify's Deal with Publishers, End of Screenwriters' Strike Show How Quickly Our Landscape is Changing: Self-Publishing News Podcast with Dan Holloway
Spotify’s deal with publishers and the resolution to the screenwriters’ strike illustrate how quickly our landscape is changing. 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. 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.

Oct 22, 2023 • 24min
Inspirational Indie Author Interview #145: Mary Ladd. Publisher Gives Voice to Those Suffering from Long Covid
My guest this episode is Mary Ladd, who began her career as a food writer and editor before she was hit with both cancer and long COVID, which changed the trajectory of her life. Now, she successfully crowdfunds books written by and for others who are facing severe health crises. 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 has been a journalist for more than 35 years and now amplifies the voices of independent author-publishers and works with authors as a developmental editor. Find Howard at howardlovy.com, LinkedIn, and X.

Oct 18, 2023 • 21min
How a Publishing Services Company Can Help Indie Authors: Creating Better Books, with Howard Lovy
On today's podcast: How a publishing services company can help indie authors. Every month, I'll feature an interview with an ALLi partner member who will help you at various stages in the self-publishing process, from getting the manuscript ready to ensuring it reaches your potential readers. My first guest is Michele DeFilippo of 1106 Design, which provides end-to-end book design, production, and publishing services for independent authors. 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 years, and now amplifies the voices of independent author-publishers and works with authors as a developmental editor. Find Howard at howardlovy.com, LinkedIn, and X.

Oct 15, 2023 • 28min
Metrics of Mastery — Measuring Your Writing and Publishing Progress: Creative Self-Publishing Podcast with Orna Ross
In today’s episode of the Creative Self-Publishing podcast: Metrics of Mastery. Orna Ross delves deep into the nuanced world of measuring creative progress in both writing and publishing. With insights drawn from her own experiences and ALLi members, Orna offers four metrics that reflect genuine growth for an indie author–productivity, platform, profits, and personal satisfaction. Learn how to set meaningful measures and celebrate every milestone. Plus, find out about the third edition of Orna’s book Creative Self-Publishing, out now, and her associated planning program. The Creative Self-Publishing stream of the ALLi Podcast is sponsored by Orna Ross's Creative Planning Program for Authors & Poets. If you’re feeling daunted by the enormity of your writing and publishing goals, or overwhelmed by your to-do list, or you’re just not sure what way forward is best, Orna can help with a proven planning process devised specially for writers. Check it out at Patreon.com/OrnaRoss. 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.

Oct 13, 2023 • 17min
Survey Finds Indie Authors Earn More Than Traditionally Published Peers: Self-Publishing News Podcast with Dan Holloway
In this podcast, Dan Holloway, Self-publishing News editor, discusses the findings of the Authors Guild of America income survey, which reveals that indie authors earn more from books than traditionally published authors. It also explores the income differences between indie and traditionally published authors, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive analysis. Additionally, it delves into Wattpad's new Wattpad Originals program and discusses various other topics such as Amazon's antitrust case and the changing publishing landscape.

Oct 11, 2023 • 50min
When to Work on Your Passion Project: Publishing for Profit with Orna Ross and Joanna Penn
Your first book is often a book of the heart—a book you must write—but once your publishing business is more developed, how do you know when to submit to the muse, when to "write to market," or at least consider business outcomes? In this Publishing for Profit podcast, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn talk about passion projects and why they are even more important for authors in an age of generative AI, plus tips for writing, publishing, and marketing these truly personal books. 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. 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 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.

Oct 8, 2023 • 18min
Inspirational Indie Author Interview #144: Carolyn Armstrong. Earth-Friendly Middle-Grade Fiction Author Finds Audience Through Parents, Teachers, and Pinterest
My guest this episode is Carolyn Armstrong, who enjoys writing books about and for middle-grade kids because they're just beginning to seek independence while still relying on adults. Carolyn writes earth-friendly fiction and discovered that teachers and parents find her books valuable as educational tools. And some of them discover her books via Pinterest. 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 years, and now amplifies the voices of independent author-publishers and works with authors as a developmental editor. Find Howard at howardlovy.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter.