Self-Publishing with ALLi

Orna Ross and Sacha Black outline the bare bone basics of book production and promotion. Yes, in an ideal world you hire a professional editor, cover designer, and marketing assistant. In reality, when starting out, most indie authors find both time and money are in short supply. So what’s essential, and what can you skip for now? Tune in to find out the minimum that an aspiring indie author must have in place to satisfy their readers—and the government. 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.  Sacha Black is a bestselling and competition-winning author of YA fantasy novels and non-fiction books that help writers develop their craft--and the blog editor at ALLi's Self-Publishing Advice Center.

My guest this week is Ankur Mahajan, who turned his childhood desire to travel into a career of working to help people who live in war zones like Afghanistan. Along the way, he learned all the rich subtleties of foreign cultures. In his book, Life Beyond Bullets, Ankur wanted readers to walk away with a sense of what it's like to live in these beautiful places, and perhaps get a feel for what they're like in peacetime.  Inspirational Indie Authors 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. About the Host 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.

Do I need sample edits for my book? This is among the questions answered on our #AskALLi Members Q&A is 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. Our questions this month include: Can I use someone else’s trademark in my book title? When I commission artwork, does the copyright belong to me or the artist? How can I design and format a book cover ready for printing? Or would a printer do that? How do I submit a book to IngramSpark without having to pay any fees? Join us to hear the answers to these 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

Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry books, research is a skill you need to master if your work is to reach its full potential. In this #AskALLi Advanced Self-Publishing Podcast packed with book research tips, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn explain why research is so important, how much you need, and how to know when to stop. From research of the memory and imagination at the beginning to writing appropriate credits and attributions at the end, they cover everything an indie author needs to know about book research. 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

My guest this week is Julie Gray, a writer who was fleeing grief after the death of a family member. In fact, she fled from California to Israel, where she found a new chapter in her life story and an unlikely friend in a Holocaust survivor. She decided to take a chance and write his story as kind of an extension of her own, and found not only great success as an indie author, but Netflix is producing a documentary about her. It's a fascinating journey that only Julie Gray can best tell. 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 Host 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.

Selling your poetry books is just one way to make money from poetry but publishing a collection opens other doors for poets. This month’s poetry podcast draws on ALLi’s 11 business models for authors, as Orna Ross and Trish Hopkinson discuss the opportunities beyond your poetry books. Trish Hopkinson is a poet, blogger, and advocate for the literary arts from Utah, USA, where she runs the regional poetry group Rock Canyon Poets and folds poems to fill Poemball machines for Provo Poetry. Her poetry has been published in numerous literary journals, online and off, including Tinderbox, Glass Poetry Press, and The Penn Review, and her most recent e-chapbook Almost Famous was published by Yavanika Press in 2019 and is free to download here. You can find her online at trishhopkinson.com. Tune in for discussions on a different theme each month with a focus on developing prosperity for poets through community building and self-publishing. 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 Host Orna Ross Orna’s work for ALLi has seen her repeatedly named one of The Bookseller’s “Top 100 people in publishing.” She launched at the 2012 London Book Fair, after taking her rights back from Penguin in 2011 and republishing her books herself, with the titles and treatment she’d originally wanted. Orna writes award-winning poetry and fiction, runs a Patreon page for poets and poetry lovers as well as an active author website. She is on a mission to help eradicate creative poverty through digital publishing and enterprise. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram: @ornaross.

In the news today, we'll talk about Amazon's new Kindle Vella serial subscription service and what this latest model means for indie authors. It's all part of our continuing coverage of the rise of the book subscription model and the opportunities and dangers they pose. We'll also talk about the London Book Fair's decision to go all virtual this year. These are among the topics discussed on Self-Publishing News with Alli News Editor Dan Holloway and book editor Howard Lovy. Together, we 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.

To mark the launch of the 2nd edition of ALLI’s guide to Creative Self-Publishing, Sacha Black interviews Orna Ross about the things she wished she’d known about self-publishing when she was starting out and how to carve out your own unique self-publishing pathway. Our Foundational Self-Publishing Podcast is brought to you by sponsor Izzard Ink. 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 Orna Ross writes and publishes historical fiction, inspirational poetry and nonfiction guides for authors. She is director of the Alliance of Independent Authors.  Sacha Black is a bestselling and competition-winning author of YA fantasy novels and non-fiction books that help writers develop their craft--and the blog editor at ALLi's Self-Publishing Advice Center.

My guest this week is Tom Evans, a former BBC sound engineer who discovered that he could do much more than manipulate music and vocals. He can try to reverse-engineer the brain and figure out how to tap into creativity itself. The result was an indie publishing career that covers everything from hypnotherapy to metaphysics to fiction about the end of the world. And all with a cosmic soundtrack. In fact, this is Tom's music you're listening to now. I'll let the author and composer tell you the rest.  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 Host 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.

Draft2Digital vs Smashwords vs Streetlib vs PublishDrive: Which ebook aggregator is best? Our #AskALLi Member Q&A is hosted by Michael La Ronn and ALLi Director Orna Ross, and this month they'll be answering this question and more. Other questions include: If I commission an artist to illustrate scenes from my book as a giveaway for fans, who owns the copyright: me or the illustrator? Help! My publisher returned my book rights to me and I don't know what to do next. What if I encounter a service provider ALLi hasn't heard of before? What does ALLi think of B&N paperbacks sold through their site? 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