Join The Alliance of Independent Authors: An Invitation

Thom Kephart & Amanda Sullivan Wilson of Amazon; ALLi Director Orna Ross; Brian Felsen of Bookbaby; ALLi Advisor Joanna Penn & Member Karen Inglis at London Book Fair 2013

Welcome back!

Lots of us in the Northern Hemisphere are, like Shakespeare's whining schoolboy, “creeping like a snail, unwillingly” back towards the desk after the summer holidays. Here at the Alliance of Independent Authors, we're easing  back in and the Self-Publishing Advice Blog will be back to full transmission next week, with a great feature on getting the most out of Amazon categories and why, yes, you DO need an ISBN.

And of course, our dazzling Member Showcase, which broadcasts each Wednesday, letting the world know the amazing things that members of the ALLi members are doing.

Speaking of ALLi, we'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to join, if you haven't already. Our alliance is now recognised by the media and, more importantly, by its own members, as the premier nonprofit  association for self-publishing writers,.

In the 18 months or so since our launch at London Book Fair, ALLi (pronounced ally, as in friend and supporter), has added a range of services and benefits to its offerings.

As a member you'll enjoy:

1. Monthly online education, including a /“How To Self-Publish & Sell More Books” monthly Google+ Hangout/;  a member Q&A audio in which Joanna Penn and I answer member's most pressing questions, and an Advisor Event (Coming up in September, it's Mark Coker on /Getting The Most Out of Smashwords/ and/Merchandising for Apple/)
2. Your own Author profiles which we promote, through our searchable ‘Find An Indie Author’ member database,  our online and offline Members' Showcases, and our Author Picks and Book of the Month
3. A “How To Self-Publish Well” education pack, with free ebooks, advice audios and seminal articles from  advisors and friends, including Mark Coker, Joel Friedlander, Jane Friedman, David Gaughran, Joanna Penn, Mark McGuinness and more.
4. Closed forums and other ways to connect with, and learn from, other members
5. Great discounts and deals e.g. our recent link with Pubmatch  offering a massive discount on their premier membership ($9.99 for our members instead of $79.99)
6. Access to  International Rights Services,  including a leading London agent, Jennifer Custer, International Rights Director at AM Heath, who assesses all our members' books for foreign rights potential.
7. Watchdog which alerts indies to rogue author services providers.
8. Rating of Author Services globally with findings summarised in our regularly updated Choosing A Self-Publishing Service (free to members) and vetted, trusted partners available in a searchable database in our member area.
9. Code of Standards for self-publishers and partners
10. Rights & Contracts Advice service.
11. Contacts in self-publishing, including  Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Book Baby, Pubmatch, Author Marketing Club and many others.
12. Contacts in trade publishing services, including publishers, agents, libraries, reviewers, industry insiders and book events like London Book Fair and Book Expo America.
13. “Open Up To Indie Authors” Campaign to persuade bookstores, literary and books events organisers, libraries and reviewers to open up and include author-publishers.

*** YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION & JOIN THE ALLIANCE HERE ***