Self-Publishing with ALLi

Book pre-orders are not a new idea, but the rise of self-publishing and ebooks have changed the way they work. Seeing new opportunities, indies have built avid readerships, improved their read-through and even found new ways to hit coveted bestseller slots by using pre-orders. You may be panicked by the idea of a looming deadline or intimidated by the logistics of setting a book launch months in the future, but using pre-orders could give you an edge as a self-publishing author. In today’s #AskALLi Foundational Self-Publishing podcast, Orna Ross and Dan Parsons explain why pre-orders are important and discuss a few creative ways indies can capitalise on them to reach more readers and sell more books. 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. About the Hosts Orna Ross writes and publishes historical fiction, inspirational poetry and nonfiction guides for authors. She is director of the Alliance of Independent Authors.  Dan Parsons writes the Creative Business series for authors, bestselling fantasy and horror novels (under Daniel Parsons), and a weekly blog for The Self-Publishing Formula. While pursuing his author career, he has worked for three traditional publishers, managed two bookstores and listened to an unhealthy number of podcasts. Now he manages ALLi’s book production schedule.

How can I set my first book up for success? This 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: Do I need to purchase barcodes for my paperback book? Offset printing vs. print on demand? Which is better? Is there any way to create a spine for a short book (32 pages)? Would ALLi ever consider doing a lootbox or a member-based box set? Who manages a traditional publisher's sales pages? What can authors learn from that? 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 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 Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. You can now find his new writing course on Teachable. 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 democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

My guest this episode is Phil Simon, who has written a number of books on collaboration. We all know that self-publishing is a misleading term because most self-publishers work collaboratively with editors, designers, marketers, and other specialists to produce a book. Phil not only writes about collaboration, but practices it in the way he publishes. 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://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. Howard is also a freelance writer specializing in Jewish issues whose work appears regularly in Publishers Weekly, the Jewish Daily Forward, and Longreads. Find Howard at howardlovy.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.

All businesses go through a life cycle and in this #AskALLi Advanced Podcast Orna Ross and Joanna Penn consider the three stages of the author-publisher business cycle. Highlighting the main goals, challenges and opportunities of each stage, they offer their top tips for taking your publishing business from startup through growth to maturity. 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 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 democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

The voice technologies powering Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant can transform an audiobook into a two-way conversation between the narrator and the listener. Chatables is pioneering a new type of conversational storytelling that uses voice technology to engage story lovers in exciting new ways. Amy Stapleton describes the market, the opportunities for authors, and how you can easily get your stories published on voice assistants. 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-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org.

Email newsletters are an increasingly popular way for authors to keep in touch with their readers. Are they for you? Indie authors know that it's wise to "go wide." It's not enough to publish a book and then sit back and let the money roll in. The book, and the authors, all need to be available on multiple platforms.  This is 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 30 years, and has spent the last eight years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a book editor to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance writer specializing in Jewish issues whose work appears regularly in Publishers Weekly, the Jewish Daily Forward, and Longreads. Find Howard at howardlovy.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Bradley Metrock, author, broadcaster and publishing thought leader, outlines the latest developments in voice technology, artificial intelligence and other important emerging tools for author-publishers. At the end of the session you will be informed about new possibilities and opportunities opening up for you and where your books fit in. 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-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org.

My guest this episode is Matty Dalrymple, a mystery and suspense author who discovered that her whodunnits sell very well the indie way. In fact, she's found so much success, she gives back to the community through her podcast called The Indy Author. Matty enjoys the personal connection with her fans that only an indie author can receive.  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://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. Howard is also a freelance writer specializing in Jewish issues whose work appears regularly in Publishers Weekly, the Jewish Daily Forward, and Longreads. Find Howard at howardlovy.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.

How do I protect my book from pirates? This 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: What are recommended WordPress themes for my author website? Who is the best self-publishing aggregator? Does ALLi recommend BookBaby? And a new scam that a member wants other ALLi members to be aware of. 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 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 Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. You can now find his new writing course on Teachable. 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 democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

What is the "nimble advantage" for indie authors? Are you feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about your author business? Fed up with technology and constant change? In this overview of what’s changing for indie authors Orna Ross and Joanna Penn focus on the mindset we need to adopt and the practicalities we need to know, so we can surf the change and benefit, instead of drowning in 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 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 democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com