Self-Publishing with ALLi

Ep#75: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: indie author's David Penny & Debbie Young. Summary of our Ask ALLi Self-Publishing Member Q&A Topics: Q: How do we handle royalties for a co-writing project? Q: What's the best way to produce cover artwork for print? Q: How do I register by books with the Nielsen Database Q: How Can I access Waterstones' Distribution Channel Q: Can I offer free audio book downloads to gain reviews? Q: What are the benefits of InstaFreebie and BookFunnel for Book Giveaways? Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Member Self-Publishing Q&A is one of four regular shows, which include a more advanced salon, a beginners' salon and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About your hosts ALLi's Technical Manager David Penny is the author of the best selling Thomas Berrington Historical Mystery series set in the final years of Moorish Spain, and before returning to writing full time he worked in education, printing and publishing, and for 25 years ran his own software company. Connect with David on Twitter @DavidPenny_ ALLi's Publications Manger Debbie Young enjoys sharing best practice with our members around the world, as well as running two local authors' groups and the Hawkesbury Upton Lit Fest on her home turf. Small wonder, then, that her cosy mystery series, the Sophie Syers Village Mysteries, is set in a small English village populated with authors and booksellers. Connect with Debbie on Twitter @DebbieYoungBN

Ep#74: This week we're showcasing the session "Failing Faster To Succeed As An Author" hosted by Tara R Alemany. A little bit of market research can go a long way toward ensuring the financial success of your books. Learn how to test topic ideas and refine them into ready-to-sell titles for enthusiastic readers. Learn how to use Kindle Spy and KDP Rocket to research estimated monthly sales of Top 100 Paid titles in your niche, and settle on relevant keywords so that it's positioned for explosive sales. Tara also shows how she uses other author tools to achieve self-publishing success. Topics Discussed in this Session: 3 primary strategies for authors. Author Research Tools: Kindle Spy. Author Research Tools: KDP Rocket. Working on your book outline. Getting Reader Feedback. Choosing a Book Title. Cover Design Help. Author Design Tools: Help Me Choose A Cover. Author Design Tools: Bookalyzer, Back Copy Blurb. Author Marketing Tools: Connect Explorer. Our weekly Self-Publishing Advicebroadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Indie Author Fringe Highlight is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and an advanced self-publishing salon. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. If you're not familiar with our Fringe event, it's three-times a year, online conference for self-publishing authors, brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and fringe to the major global publishing fairs; London Book Fair, BookExp, and Frankfurt Book Fair. ALLi brings together the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available and broadcasts it to authors everywhere. Running 24 sessions over 24 continuous hours allows our members, and other authors round the globe, to attend sessions, no matter where they're located. For more information, visit our Conference Home Page Now, go write and publish. Host Bio: Tara R. Alemany is a multi-award winning author, speaker, consultant and publisher. She speaks frequently on book marketing and publishing topics and works with authors and speakers regularly to get found online, on stage and on-the-shelf using the services of her Connecticut-based business. Emerald Lake Books is a hybrid publishing company specializing in working with positive people wanting to make a difference in the world while creating visibility for their business or cause at the same time. Based in Sherman, CT, and founded by Tara R. Alemany in 2014, Emerald Lake Books is designed to help the busy author who would rather be writing than spending their valuable time learning the necessary steps to successfully position, publish and launch their work.

EP#73: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This is our monthly Beginners' Self-Publishing Salon, with advice, tips and tools for indie authors just starting out. And here are your regular hosts for the beginners' salon: Jay Artale and Michael La Ronn. The topics covered in this beginners session about Being a Part Time Author and Getting Full Time results includes: Writer's Mindset Challenges Reasons for Not Writing Author's Fear of Failure Conquering Mindset Challenges Finding Time to Write Work Life Balance Where and When you Write Essential Writing Tools Dictation Tools for writers Building an Author Support Network Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This beginners salon is one of four regular shows, which include a more advanced salon, a member Q&A and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About your show hosts: Jay Artale is a project manager who swapped corporate life for a nomadic existence as a non-fiction writer. She's written and self-published a series of travel guides, travel writing books, and poetry collections. Jay is also one of the co-organizers of the Indie Author Fringe, an online conference for indie authors who self-publish. Connect with Jay on Twitter: @BirdsOAFPress Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 science fiction & fantasy novels and author self-help books. To date, he has published over 1.5 million words of fiction and nonfiction. Since publishing his first book in 2014, he has produced a prolific writing portfolio while raising a family and working a full-time job in the insurance industry. Connect with Michael on Twitter: @MichaelLaRonn

Ep#72: This week we're showcasing the session "Author Tools to Reach Readers with Carla King" Carla King is the author of the Self-Publishing Boot Camp Guide for Authors. She has collated the best tools you can use to reach more readers and build your fan base, whatever your genre. These tools are easily integrated into your website and let you listen and respond to readers, attract and reward fans, and sell direct. Topics Discussed in this Session: Getting reviews with Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs). Giveaways tools for Authors. Selling your book direct. Selling your book as a subscription. E-Commerce Options for Authors. How authors can use Gumroad. Become a Content Curator using Aer.io. Beta publishing with Leanpub. Integrating HTML Widgets into Your Website. Our weekly Self-Publishing Advicebroadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Indie Author Fringe Highlight is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and an advanced self-publishing salon. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. If you're not familiar with our Fringe event, it's three-times a year, online conference for self-publishing authors, brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and fringe to the major global publishing fairs; London Book Fair, BookExp, and Frankfurt Book Fair. ALLi brings together the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available and broadcasts it to authors everywhere. Running 24 sessions over 24 continuous hours allows our members, and other authors round the globe, to attend sessions, no matter where they're located. For more information, visit our Conference Home Page Now, go write and publish. Host Bio: This session was hosted by Carla King who is the creator of the Self-Publishing Boot Camp books and workshops and founder of Author Friendly, a resource, education, and service center for self-publishers and small presses. Her comprehensive Self-Publishing Boot Camp Guide for Authors is now in its fourth edition. She has written for Bowker's Self-Published Author, Bookworks, PBS MediaShift, and hosts a popular blog at AuthorFriendly.com. Carla also penned the Book Formatting, Book Distribution, and Book Discovery guides for IngramSpark, where she is on the advisory board.

Ep#71: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: indie author's David Penny & Debbie Young. Summary of our Ask ALLi Self-Publishing Member Q&A Topics: Q: Should you use British English or American English? Q: Should a new version become a new book? Q: Can you gain the same visibility for a book on Amazon if you sell it directly? Q: What are some easy book publishing alternatives? Q: How can you check the reputation of a self-publishing service? Q: Is it best to use IngramSpark together with CreateSpace for print? Q: How can I make it seem like I'm a publishing company with a catalogue of books? Q: What's the industry standard for rights and royalties and what reimbursement arrangement should I use with my illustrator? Q: Where can I get a foreign rights contract template? Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Member Self-Publishing Q&A is one of four regular shows, which include a more advanced salon, a beginners' salon and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About your hosts ALLi's Technical Manager David Penny is the author of the best selling Thomas Berrington Historical Mystery series set in the final years of Moorish Spain, and before returning to writing full time he worked in education, printing and publishing, and for 25 years ran his own software company. Connect with David on Twitter @DavidPenny_ ALLi's Publications Manger Debbie Young enjoys sharing best practice with our members around the world, as well as running two local authors' groups and the Hawkesbury Upton Lit Fest on her home turf. Small wonder, then, that her cosy mystery series, the Sophie Syers Village Mysteries, is set in a small English village populated with authors and booksellers. Connect with Debbie on Twitter @DebbieYoungBN Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: indie author's David Penny & Debbie Young Summary of our Ask ALLi Self-Publishing Member Q&A Topics: Q: Should you use British English or American English? Q: Should a new version become a new book? Q: Can you gain the same visibility for a book on Amazon if you sell it directly? Q: What are some easy book publishing alternatives? Q: How can you check the reputation of a self-publishing service? Q: Is it best to use IngramSpark together with CreateSpace for print? Q: How can I make it seem like I'm a publishing company with a catalogue of books? Q: What's the industry standard for rights and royalties and what reimbursement arrangement should I use with my illustrator? Q: Where can I get a foreign rights contract template? Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Member Self-Publishing Q&A is one of four regular shows, which includes a beginners and advanced self-publishing salon and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, 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 allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. Visit our Self-Publishing Advice Center here: selfpublishingadvice.org About your hosts: ALLi's Technical Manager David Penny is the author of the best selling Thomas Berrington Historical Mystery series set in the final years of Moorish Spain, and before returning to writing full time he worked in education, printing and publishing, and for 25 years ran his own software company. ALLi's Publications Manger Debbie Young enjoys sharing best practice with our members around the world, as well as running two local authors' groups and the Hawkesbury Upton Lit Fest on her home turf. Small wonder, then, that her cosy mystery series, the Sophie Syers Village Mysteries, is set in a small English village populated with authors and booksellers.

Ep#66: This week we're showcasing the session between Pippa DaCosta and Susan Kaye Quinn. If you're wondering about the pros and cons of being exclusive with KDP or going wide with as many retailers as possible, our show hosts will explain which model works best in different scenarios. Susan is exclusively KDP and Pippa makes her books available in as many outlets as possible and they deliver insights and experience from both ends of the spectrum. Topics Covered in this Fringe Highlight Session: Perma-Free Book Promotion Strategy. Net Income on Kindle Select vs. Wide Distribution. Does your distribution model increase the risk of being pirated? What are the benefits of a mixed distribution model? Box Sets in Kindle Unlimited. Author Collaboration on Box Sets. Do the benefits of Wide vs. Kindle Select change depending on how many books you have out? Our weekly Self-Publishing Advicebroadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Indie Author Fringe Highlight is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and an advanced self-publishing salon. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. If you're not familiar with our Fringe event, it's three-times a year, online conference for self-publishing authors, brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and fringe to the major global publishing fairs; London Book Fair, BookExp, and Frankfurt Book Fair. ALLi brings together the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available and broadcasts it to authors everywhere. Running 24 sessions over 24 continuous hours allows our members, and other authors round the globe, to attend sessions, no matter where they're located. For more information, visit our Conference Home Page. Now, go write and publish. Host Bio: Pippa DaCosta @pippadacosta is a hybrid author. Before securing a traditional publisher, she published the Veil Series (a x5 book urban fantasy series) independently in 2014. She has also published two science fiction books, with more planned for 2016. Pippa is traditionally published with Bloomsbury and Random House Germany. Her work has been featured in the Galaxy Chronicles anthology, part of the Future Chronicles series. Pippa continues to independently and traditionally publish her work. Susan Kaye Quinn @susankayequinn is a rocket scientist turned speculative fiction author. She writes young adult science fiction, with side trips into adult future-noir and sweet royal romance. Her bestselling novels and short stories have been optioned for Virtual Reality, translated into German, and featured in several anthologies.

Ep#70: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. In a monthly salon type discussion, Orna Ross, Director of the Alliance of Independent Authors and Joanna Penn, of TheCreativePenn.com, talk about the latest tools and trends of interest to emerging and experienced self-publishing authors. Topics discussed this week include: Benefits of Co-writing with other authors Putting Your Audience First Avoiding Author Stress and Burnout The Evolving World of Audiobooks The impact of Supermarket Discounting of Books The Changing Face of Self-Publishing Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Advanced Self-Publishing Salon is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. Connect with Joanna on Twitter @thecreativepenn 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. Connect with Orna on Twitter @OrnaRoss

Ep#69: This week we're showcasing the session "How to Market & Promote your Travel Memoir – 1:1 Interviews with Travel Writers hosted by Jay Artale". Jay interviews a trio of successful travel writing authors who have self-published covering the following topics: Hybrid Author Jack Scott: How to use your blog content to write and promote your book. Indie Author Karen McCann: The importance of defining your audience and how you use your blog to attract your target demographic. Indie Author Joe Cawley: The benefit of Collaboration: Cross-promoting with other authors. Topics Covered in this Fringe Highlight Session: Using your blog to write and promote your book. Defining your angle. Getting mileage out of your blog content. Using blog content to create freebies. Using competitions to reach new readers. Blogging a book. Evolving from blogger to author. Guest blogging. Building your audience. Starting a blog. Avoid over promoting your book. Making it easy for readers to buy your book. The importance of defining your audience. Using your blog to attract readers. Blogging in the moment. 3 things your blog audience wants. Dialogue vs. a monologue with your readers. Developing your brand. Advice for new travel writers. Building an audience connection. The benefit of collaboration. Cross-promoting with other authors. Our weekly Self-Publishing Advicebroadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Indie Author Fringe Highlight is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and an advanced self-publishing salon. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. If you're not familiar with our Fringe event, it's three-times a year, online conference for self-publishing authors, brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and fringe to the major global publishing fairs; London Book Fair, BookExp, and Frankfurt Book Fair. ALLi brings together the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available and broadcasts it to authors everywhere. Running 24 sessions over 24 continuous hours allows our members, and other authors round the globe, to attend sessions, no matter where they're located. For more information, visit our Conference Home Page. Now, go write and publish. Host Bio: Jay Artale is a project manager who swapped corporate life for a nomadic existence as a non-fiction writer. She's written and self-published a series of travel guides, travel writing books, and poetry collections. Jay is also one of the co-organizers of the Indie Author Fringe, an online conference for indie authors who self-publish. Connect with Jay on Twitter: @BirdsOAFPress

Ep#68: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This is our monthly Beginners' Self-Publishing Salon, with advice, tips and tools for indie authors just starting out. And here are your regular hosts for the beginners' salon: Jay Artale and Michael La Ronn. The topics covered in this beginners session about eBOOK COVER DESIGN includes: Working with a Cover Designer 4 Core eBook Cover Elements Author Role in eBook Cover Design Crediting Cover Designers Freelance Design Websites Investing in Cover Design Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This beginners salon is one of four regular shows, which include a more advanced salon, a member Q&A and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About your show hosts: Jay Artale is a project manager who swapped corporate life for a nomadic existence as a non-fiction writer. She's written and self-published a series of travel guides, travel writing books, and poetry collections. Jay is also one of the co-organizers of the Indie Author Fringe, an online conference for indie authors who self-publish. Connect with Jay on Twitter: @BirdsOAFPress Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 science fiction & fantasy novels and author self-help books. To date, he has published over 1.5 million words of fiction and nonfiction. Since publishing his first book in 2014, he has produced a prolific writing portfolio while raising a family and working a full-time job in the insurance industry. Connect with Michael on Twitter: @MichaelLaRonn

Ep#67: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: indie author's David Penny & Debbie Young. Summary of our Ask ALLi Self-Publishing Member Q&A Topics: Q: Do writers owe it to readers to give them exactly what they want? Q: Do readers owe it to writers to read respectfully? Q: Is it justifiable to re-write books or not? Q: Is the 20 Books to 50k trend a valid option for authors? Q: How far in advance would you do a pre-order? Q: How hard is it to sell foreign publication rights? Q: Is it time for authors to get physical? Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Member Self-Publishing Q&A is one of four regular shows, which include a more advanced salon, a beginners' salon and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.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 www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About your hosts ALLi's Technical Manager David Penny is the author of the best selling Thomas Berrington Historical Mystery series set in the final years of Moorish Spain, and before returning to writing full time he worked in education, printing and publishing, and for 25 years ran his own software company. Connect with David on Twitter @DavidPenny_ ALLi's Publications Manger Debbie Young enjoys sharing best practice with our members around the world, as well as running two local authors' groups and the Hawkesbury Upton Lit Fest on her home turf. Small wonder, then, that her cosy mystery series, the Sophie Syers Village Mysteries, is set in a small English village populated with authors and booksellers. Connect with Debbie on Twitter @DebbieYoungBN