
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
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Welcome to ALLi's Self-publishing Advice Center, a community outreach service from the Alliance of Independent Authors, offering advice and guidance you can trust, across the seven processes of publishing: Editorial Design Production Distribution Marketing Promotion Publishing rights management
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
16h ago
Author burnout leaves writers unable to write, overwhelmed by deadlines, and questioning whether they can keep going. The demands of writing, publishing, and marketing—often managed alone—push creative professionals beyond their limits.
The post How to Recover from Author Burnout appeared first on The Self-Publishing Advice Center ..read more
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
2d ago
Alexa Nazzaro, founder of the Axel Author Group, discusses how authors can monetize public speaking through podcasts, author events, and other opportunities. Drawing on her background as a Toastmaster, corporate presentation trainer, Dale Carnegie trainer, and TEDx selection committee member, she outlines strategies for identifying speaking engagements, crafting effective author pitches, and making the most of speaking appearances to support an author’s career.
The post Monetize Your Public Speaking: Podcasts, Author Events, and Beyond: Self-Publishing Conference Highlight appeared first on Th ..read more
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
2d ago
In this Alliance of Independent Authors post, Book Award Adviser Hannah Jacobson shares common critiques from award judges on self-published books, highlighting key areas—editing, formatting, and cover design—that authors should refine to improve their chances of success.
The post Feedback You Shouldn’t Ignore: Judges Speak About Self-Published Books appeared first on The Self-Publishing Advice Center ..read more
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
3d ago
Spotify is excited. And it clearly thinks we should be excited, too. The company has been around for seventeen years (I am sure I have mentioned this before, but if you have even a passing interest in Spotify, the relationship between tech and the arts, or just cracking good television, you should check out the Netflix series The Playlist, which tells the story of Spotify’s early years using some clever narrative devices). And 2024 was its first full year of profitability.
The post Spotify Celebrates its First Full Year of Profit: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway appeared first on The Se ..read more
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
4d ago
On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway reports on Bookshop.org’s new support for ebooks, giving indie authors more ways to reach readers while supporting local bookstores. He also covers the U.S. Copyright Office’s latest report on AI and copyright, which outlines how current laws apply to AI-assisted works, and the Authors Guild’s new Human Authored certification, designed to provide transparency about AI-generated content in books.
The post Bookshop.org Expands to E-Books; Authors Guild Launches Human Authored Certification: The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podca ..read more
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
5d ago
Can you write humour? Or humor, depending on where you’re reading this? My answer to that is . . . probably. Yes. Yes, you can. Why am I hesitating? Perhaps it’s because, for many people, there’s a slightly different question. It’s not “Can I write funny?” but more a case of “Do I want to?”
The post How To Sell Your Funny Fiction appeared first on The Self-Publishing Advice Center ..read more
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
5d ago
The second round-up of the week has an interesting common thread. Each of the three stories represents the end of an era in some way. The first is more an item of amusing good riddance—an amuse-bouche in every sense. Simon & Schuster has announced that it won’t be pushing authors and editors to paste puff quotes on their covers.
The post Simon & Schuster Drops Blurbs, Encyclopaedia Britannica Eyes IPO, WH Smith Faces Uncertain Future: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway appeared first on The Self-Publishing Advice Center ..read more
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
6d ago
ALLi Campaigns Manager Matty Dalrymple speaks with Kathy Meis, founder and CEO of Bublish, about editing with your audience in mind. Kathy explains why authors should view their books as gifts to readers, designed to evoke specific emotions and experiences. She advises stepping back from the manuscript, studying the market, and understanding comparable titles to better position a book. Kathy also highlights the value of knowing your genre, reading reviews, and seeking editorial feedback to align with reader expectations.
The post Editing with Your Audience in Mind: The Self-Publishing with ALL ..read more
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
6d ago
You may have noticed that AI is back in the news in a big way, with new discussions about what it means to create "human authored" work. And while I am not, strictly speaking, writing a column about DeepSeek, the entry of another hugely competent and vastly hyped generative AI platform into the fray clearly has implications for us all—not least of which is the demonstration of the vulnerability of whole marketplaces to activities in a single tech sector. As if we needed reminding after the whole FTX debacle and many others before it.
The post Authors Guild Launches Human Authored Certification ..read more
Alliance of Independent Authors Blog
1w ago
Authors who built their audience on TikTok got a harsh reminder on January 17: any platform can disappear overnight, and it is important to diversify. The brief shutdown sent authors scrambling for alternatives, forcing many to rethink their dependence on a single platform. While TikTok returned after twelve hours and received a temporary reprieve, the scare highlighted a bigger issue—Amazon, Meta, and other platforms have also suspended or restricted authors’ accounts without warning, often with little recourse.
The post When Platforms Collapse: Authors Move to Diversify appeared first on The ..read more