04Mar 26
Audio Interview: The Digital DNA of Your Book — Metadata Insights with Anna Featherstone and Abbey Clark
ALLi nonfiction adviser Anna Featherstone speaks with Abbey Clark of NielsenIQ BookData Australia about book metadata—what it is, why it matters, and how it shapes discoverability and distribution across the publishing ecosystem. Clark offers clear, practical advice on when to set up metadata, how to keep it updated, and the common pitfalls authors and publishers can avoid. The conversation prompted Featherstone to update her own metadata right away and offers useful guidance for any author who wants to give a book the best chance of being found.
03Mar 26
News Summary: The Selfies Expand Worldwide, Opening to Indie Authors Globally
Huge news to start the week. I have been reporting on the Selfies for a decade, and it is always one of my favorite tasks to highlight indie author success. The Selfies have expanded a little in that time and now have three categories: general fiction; children’s (and young adult) fiction; and memoir.
01Mar 26
Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Jerri Williams — How a Retired FBI Agent Created a Thriving Indie Publishing Platform
My ALLi author guest this episode is Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent who spent twenty-six years investigating major financial crimes before building a second career as an author and podcaster. Since 2016, she has produced a long-running FBI true crime podcast, written widely about FBI myths and misconceptions, and built a strong independent publishing platform.
28Feb 26
News Summary: Americans Listen to Podcasts More Than Talk Radio; Mass Market Paperback Phased Out
Audio has been the mainstay of the news of late, so of the two stories to round out the week, I'll start with the ear-related one. As the headline of this article in TechCrunch so informatively puts it, Americans now listen to podcasts more often than talk radio.
27Feb 26
News Podcast: ElevenLabs Launches Audiobook Platform; Audible Rolls Out ‘Read and Listen' Feature
On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway reports on ElevenLabs’ new end-to-end audiobook creation and distribution platform aimed at indie authors. He also examines Audible’s new “Read and Listen” feature, which allows users to switch between ebook and audiobook formats, and explores what this growing format convergence could mean for author royalties and reader expectations.
26Feb 26
News Summary: Mastodon Courts Creators with New Features; Snapchat Launches Creator Subscriptions
Social media stories in the news have tended to center on TikTok (whether that be BookTok-related items or anything and everything to do with the erstwhile-planned ban in the US, whether it would happen, what it would mean, how it is avoided, and so on).
25Feb 26
Meet ALLi at The London Book Fair 2026: Panels, Author Talks, and Drinks Party
In 2026, the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) returns to The London Book Fair for a week of insightful panel sessions, author talks, get-togethers, our popular ALLi member drinks party…
25Feb 26
Audio Interview: Why a Manuscript Assessment Can Save Authors Time and Money, with Howard Lovy and Tim McConnehey
On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, host Howard Lovy talks to Tim McConnehey, founder and CEO of Izzard Ink Publishing, about why a manuscript assessment can be a crucial first step before a full developmental edit. They discuss how clear, practical evaluations help authors focus their revisions, save time, and make smarter decisions about editing and publishing. The conversation also looks at how early feedback on structure, voice, and market fit can strengthen a book’s long-term prospects.
24Feb 26
News Summary: Amazon Launches Immersion Reading in Audible, Linking Audiobooks and E-books
Audio continues to dominate the news. And after Spotify and others hogged the limelight last week, Amazon is determined not to be left out of the frame. They have just launched what they are calling "immersion reading" in Audible.
22Feb 26
The Bookstore Indie Authors Deserve: ALLi Members’ Big New Shopfront, with Orna Ross and Melissa Addey
What if discovering strong indie books were as simple—and as trustworthy—as walking into your favorite bookshop? In this episode, Alliance of Independent Authors director Orna Ross and campaigns lead Melissa Addey introduce ALLi’s new Big Indie Author Bookstore. They explain why it was launched now, how it differs from a standard indie author book list, and how it helps members gain greater visibility and credibility. The discussion also looks at how ALLi will work with readers, librarians, bloggers, and booksellers to connect the right readers with the right books.
21Feb 26
Your Audiobook Deserves Its Own Awards Strategy
In this Alliance of Independent Authors post, Book Award Adviser Hannah Jacobson explains why audiobooks should be treated as distinct creative works and how authors can develop a separate awards strategy for their audio editions.
21Feb 26
News Summary: ElevenLabs Launches End-to-End Audiobook Production Tool Following London Summit
ElevenLabs is a company I've reported on a lot, but this time they really are in the spotlight following their recent summit. As a reminder, ElevenLabs is the tech giant that specializes in AI-generated voice production. It sells its services into various sectors, but the area of real interest to us is audiobooks, where the company offers various options for voice narration in different accents of different languages. Most significantly, ElevenLabs works with Findaway Voices by Spotify to enable indie authors (and others) to produce audiobooks for the streaming platform.
