ALLi Blog: The Self-Publishing Advice Blog

Anthology or Collection? Yes, You Can Win Book Awards

In this Alliance of Independent Authors post, Book Award Adviser Hannah Jacobson explains how anthologies and collections can compete for book awards and how authors and editors can make the most of the recognition.

News Summary: US Agents Change Their Guidelines to Reflect New Ways of Working with Indie Authors

Indie authors are changing the publishing industry. It's a statement we have been making for well over a decade, and from time to time you will hear publishers on panels hint as much. But now the Association of American Literary Agents has acknowledged as much in writing in the 2026 revision to its delightfully named Canon of Ethics.

August 1, 2026
Dan Holloway
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News Podcast: Anthropic Settlement Gets Final Approval; Simon & Schuster Launches Two Indie Imprints; Canadian Ebook Prices Back KDP’s Rate Rise

On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway reports that the Anthropic settlement has received its final legal approval, with nearly half a million titles eligible for a payout of around $3,000 — and legal fees cut to just over $100 million. He covers Simon and Schuster's second new imprint for indie authors, Simon Stream, offering 50 percent net ebook royalties, alongside the previously reported Pocket Books relaunch. And he closes with Canadian survey data showing readers are already paying an average of US$8.74 for ebooks — neatly vindicating KDP's recent royalty cap rise to $12.99.

News Summary: Simon and Schuster Launches Digital Imprint Simon Stream; Canadian E-book Spending Falls to Five-Year Low

It feels like it was only a few days ago that I reported on a Big Five publisher launching an imprint to target successful self-published authors. Indeed, I assumed that I was reading more about the same story I had reported on earlier this month. But it's not. Earlier in July, Simon and Schuster announced they were relaunching Pocket Books, the erstwhile mass market paperback imprint, as a press to publish two or three bestselling titles by previously self-published authors per month, with an emphasis on romance. The intention that time was to work with forward-thinking hybrid authors, as they put it.

July 30, 2026
Dan Holloway
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Can You Really Revise or Retire a Book You’ve Already Published? Yes. Here’s How.

There's a quiet power indie authors have that rarely gets talked about: the book you've published isn't fixed. Not the…

News Summary: Can You Measure the Financial Impact of BookTok? (Apparently So)

We hear a lot about BookTok's positive influence on the creative world, especially among nascent young readers (alongside what we hear about its deleterious influence on the world's youth). In a scenario as old as Socrates, we have booksellers crediting BookTok with rescuing an industry as legislative crackdowns and curfews the world over would have us believe TikTok is an existential threat to the world's young (and some whisper from op-ed columns whether those two statements might refer to the same thing).

July 28, 2026
Dan Holloway
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Can You Use a Real Band’s Name in Your Book Title? Member Q&A with Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A podcast, hosts Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black discuss whether an author can safely use a real band's name in a novel title, including how to check for trademarks, why disclaimers won't shield you from lawsuits, and when it's worth consulting an intellectual property attorney.

News Summary: Judge Issues Final Approval for $1.5 Billion Anthropic Settlement; Copyright Office Proposes Fee Increase

For those of you waiting to receive some kind of compensation in the Anthropic lawsuit (and indeed those who are waiting on other potential lawsuits and wondering if anything other than hot air is ever likely to come of them), the wait is one step closer to being over. A judge has issued the final approval for the $1.5 billion settlement in the class action case of Bartz v. Anthropic. This will see each of the 91.3 percent of titles in the eligible class whose owners came forward receive payment.

July 25, 2026
Dan Holloway
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News Podcast: Perplexity Launches an Ebook Store; Library of Congress Acquires Indie Books; Spotify Passes 100 Million Audiobook Listeners

On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway covers three stories pointing in the same direction: books are everywhere. He reports on AI search engine Perplexity launching an ebook store, adding yet another major platform to the growing list selling books directly to readers. He examines the Library of Congress's initiative to acquire indie and self-published titles — and explains why copyright registration and deposit matter more than ever in the age of AI lawsuits. And he closes with Spotify's announcement that it has passed 100 million audiobook listeners, now dwarfing Audible in audience size.

July 24, 2026
Dan Holloway
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From First Book to Second: Production and Distribution Choices in Purpose-Led Publishing, with Anna Featherstone and Sarah Martin

Anna Featherstone talks with author Sarah Martin about the production and distribution of her two purpose-led nonfiction books, Dear Psychosis and Dear Carer. Sarah explains how she built a professional publishing team, changed her approach for her second book, secured consignment with a local bookstore, and used speaking engagements—including one that generated a 260-book order—to reach readers.

News Summary: Storytel Survey Links Audiobooks to Wellbeing; Edison Research Finds Listeners Prefer AI Narration after Sampling

We start the week with not one but two "they would say that, wouldn't they?" surveys commissioned by the audiobook industry, in a timely reminder that "that's really interesting" and following the money down a path of healthy skepticism can both be appropriate responses to the same thing.