ALLi Blog: The Self-Publishing Advice Blog

How Indie Authors Are Embracing Short-Form Audio

Short-form audio is becoming a meaningful new outlet for authors. As listening habits shift—and as tools for production become more accessible through human and AI narration—short audiobooks are gaining ground with both readers and platforms. From Spotify’s recent launch of a short-form program for independent authors to new experiments among ALLi members, this format is quickly finding its place in the indie publishing toolkit.

April 21, 2025
ALLi Editorial
Process 3 & 4: Production & Distribution
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Should You Hire a Marketing Company to Launch Your Book? The Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A Podcast Featuring Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A podcast, host Michael La Ronn discusses whether it's worth hiring a marketing company to promote your second book—and why many authors might be better off learning to market themselves first.

Amazon’s TikTok Bid Sparks Booksellers’ Opposition; Publishers File Brief Against Meta: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

We end the week with a round-up that begins with a story I seem to have missed when it first broke at the start of April. It’s an interesting and highly relevant twist in the TikTok ownership saga. You will recall that we are currently in a ninety-day extension to the time at which the TikTok ban is scheduled to come into force. The condition for avoiding the ban is that TikTok in the US is sold to a company not based in China and uses a different algorithm from the one the ByteDance-owned company currently operates everywhere it is available.

Printed Books Exempt from New US Tariffs, Canva Adds AI Tools, Ingram Launches MediaScout: Self-Publishing with ALLi featuring Dan Holloway

On this episode of the Self-Publishing News Podcast, Dan Holloway reports that new US tariffs will not apply to printed books, thanks to an information exemption, though the impact on printing materials remains unclear. He covers Canva’s launch of AI tools following a pricing change, a legal brief challenging Meta’s use of copyrighted content, and Ingram’s new MediaScout platform, which showcases indie books for film and TV adaptation.

Ingram Mediascout Offers Film Rights Exposure for Indie Authors: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

In my day job in higher education, I am, like many others, winding down for the holiday season. But in the book world, we seem to have stumbled into a particularly busy time for news. So expect more than one story from each column this week. I begin with particularly exciting news for indie authors looking to extract the maximum return from all of the rights they own in their work. Ingram has just gone live with its Mediascout program.

The Secrets of Successful Author Branding: Self-Publishing with ALLi Featuring Dale L. Roberts

Join Dale L. Roberts as he interviews self-publishing expert Bryan Cohen on the foundations of author branding. Learn how genre clarity, strong sales copy, and Amazon ads work together to grow your fan base and boost book sales. It’s a must-listen for new and mid-list authors.

Canva Unveils AI Tools, Including Image Generation; Law Professors Challenge Meta’s Copyright Use: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

This week’s AI news focuses on two issues of great interest to indie authors. I will start with Canva. In part because I haven’t talked about them for a while. And partly because this news picks up from the last time I did talk about them. Which was last year, when they made a lot of people unhappy by increasing the price of its Pro offering from a flat $120 per year for a team license to $10 a month per team member.

After NaNoWriMo: How Authors Are Moving on from the Challenge That Started It All

When news broke that NaNoWriMo is shutting down, it marked more than the end of a writing challenge. For many writers, it was the loss of a ritual, a motivator, and even a career-launching platform.

Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Ali Steed. Financial Journalist Turns to Award-Winning Crime Fiction

My ALLi author guest this episode is crime novelist Ali Steed. After decades in financial journalism, Ali is winning awards in fiction—exploring the darker corners of the human mind through her police procedural series. We talk about what it took to overcome the fear of releasing that first novel, how she brings her investigative skills to crime fiction, and how life in Mallorca—and a bit of shamanic training—helped her embrace her creative path.

The Untold Truth: Award Recognition for Children’s Books, Picture Books, and Low Content Books

In this Alliance of Independent Authors post, Book Award Adviser Hannah Jacobson explains how children’s books, picture books, and low content books are eligible for a wide range of awards, despite common myths to the contrary.

April 12, 2025
ALLi Editorial
Process 3 & 4: Production & Distribution
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Books Exempt from Latest US Tariffs, but Printing Materials May Be Hit: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

You will probably have noticed an absence of reporting on what has been an almost constant in the regular news media: the impact of the various new international trade tariffs. That is because there has been considerable lack of clarity on the impact this would have on the book business and our particular corner of it. This week we learned a lot more. Tl;dr: books are exempt from the latest round of tariffs imposed on trade imports into the US.

NaNoWriMo Shuts Down, AI Lawsuits Consolidated, and Amazon Adds Kindle Recaps: Self-Publishing with ALLi featuring Dan Holloway

On this episode of the Self-Publishing News Podcast, Dan Holloway reports that National Novel Writing Month, known as NaNoWriMo, has announced it will not officially take place this November, citing financial and reputational concerns. He also covers the latest in AI and copyright, including the consolidation of major lawsuits against tech companies, protests outside Meta’s London offices, and new research suggesting copyrighted materials have been used to train AI models. Finally, he discusses Amazon’s new AI-powered Kindle Recap feature and questions around whether authors have consented to its use.