Just like our readers, indie authors are not limited to one territory. Your home region may well be your main focus, but understanding the wider world out there can really help benefit you as an author – and the ALLi news this week is all about going global with two new initiatives we had to share with you.
ALLi Street Team – Megaphone not as standard.
Introducing the ALLi Ambassadors
ALLi is always striving to offer advice, collaboration and expertise across the world. It’s a mission we are really focused on at the moment, as we work on our website upgrades and on adding new features that will be unveiled in September (Members: keep your suggestions coming, in the comments below or drop us an email).
As part of our expansion we are building an ALLi Street Team of local representatives in nine key territories across the world:
- Africa
- Australia and New Zealand
- Canada
- Eurozone
- India
- South America
- South-East Asia
- US
- UK
The team help facilitate an easier flow of information, both locally and between territories, so our members can be among the first to benefit in new territories as self-publishing rises across the world.
Thanks to the ambassadors, as an ALLi member you will have access to advice and support at a local level, no matter where you’re based. Your local representative will also advocate on your behalf, connect you with the right people, and champion your interests.
And for our ambassadors, you will also have your own area on the new website and be able to download graphics and information to bring to conferences, literary events, publishing partners and media interviews.
We’re really excited about strengthening our global presence. So, if you have any suggestions or would like to get involved – let us know!
We’re looking for ambassadors who are knowledgeable, experienced and professional ALLi members, keen to champion independent authors to forge new links and create a stronger organisation for us all. Dina Santorelli and Christina Nolfi (US); Rebecca Lang and Elizabeth Storrs (Australia) and Rasana Atreya (India) are a few of the authors who have already volunteered.
And all ambassadors are affiliates, earning 30% of the joining fee for each new member they recruit.
It’s a great way to consolidate your own profile as an indie in, and beyond, your own region. If you are interested or want to know more, drop us a line at nerys (at) allianceindependentauthors (dot) org.
Celebrate your readers with Digital Book Day!
It’s been hard to ignore the ongoing Amazon vs. Hachette dispute, and interesting to see how divisive it has become amongst authors. Regardless of which way you view the situation, we’re delighted to see something positive emerging, namely Digital Book Day, a reminder that in and amongst the industry politics, the most important thing is the growing number of ways in which authors and readers can find each other.
Devised by the ever-impressive CJ Lyons (a fantastic ambassador for indie authors), Digital Book Day is a simple and brilliant idea: on Monday 14th July, authors can come together in one place and offer free ebooks to their readers.
In CJ’s own words:
When I heard the news that World Book Night USA was over, it saddened me. And it came on the heels of so much upheaval and distress in the publishing industry that instead of addressing the issue with more rhetoric and empty words, I decided to take action.
After all, thanks to digital publishing, authors (traditionally published or self-published) have a less expensive and more efficient way to gift books to readers via e-books. I myself have given away over 50,000 print and e-books in the past five years—and it’s always, always, always led to new readers finding me, not to mention a ton of fun for me to do, kind of like Christmas all year round! So I thought, why not a self-funded Digital Book Day?
One day, one site, hundreds of authors and free books, all to celebrate our readers!
If you’re an author and want to get involved, simply go to the Digital Book Day site to register your interest and list your book (one book per author). Your giveaway can happen wherever you want it to – and make sure you download and share all the Digital Book Day graphics, so you can help spread the word.
Now fixed, Keith!
Hi Debbie – the link you give in your comment works, but the link in the article – “to register your interest and list your book” still leads to an Error 404 page (as of 8.50 GMT 10/07/14)
Thanks, Keith – this one seems a bit jinxed! I’ll check that one out now and fix it.
Just to say Your link to Digital Book Day did not work for me. You might want to check it?
Thanks, Philippa, the link has now been fixed! http://www.digitalbookday.com