ALLi Blog

Your Mindset Changes Everything: Self-Publishing Conference Highlight

Join Becca Syme for a keynote presentation that will give you a comprehensive understanding of how mindset plays a foundational role in every aspect of an indie author's business, from the writing process to marketing, networking, and managing both successes and setbacks. Emphasizing the profound impact of mindset on productivity, creativity, and mental well-being, this session offers authors tangible strategies to cultivate a proactive attitude, to foster sustainable success for you and your books.

Exciting Updates to ALLi’s Children’s Book Writing Guide

We are delighted to announce the release of an updated and expanded version of our much-loved guide to writing for younger readers to include writing and publishing Young Adult books as well as Children’s book writing. This comprehensive guide now includes essential insights and strategies for crafting engaging stories not only for children but also for young adult (YA) readers.

Self-Publishing News: US Audiobook Revenue Climbs Again, But Fewer Creators Use Chatbots

How long has it been since I reported on another year of double-digit growth for audiobooks? Well, I can guarantee you that it’s as long as I have been writing this column because double-digit sales growth for audiobooks in the United States is as old as ALLi! But whereas ALLi is going strong, the rate of expansion of the audio market has finally, it would seem, succumbed to the inevitable. The Audio Publishers Association, in its sales survey, claims audiobook revenue climbed to an eye-watering $2 billion in 2023, which is a rise of 9 percent.

Study Confirms Ambivalence to New Tech, and How to Opt Out of Facebook AI: The Self-Publishing News Podcast with Dan Holloway

In this episode of the Self-Publishing News Podcast, Dan Holloway discusses the controversy surrounding Facebook AI, specifically Meta's decision to use user content to train its AI platforms unless users opt out. He highlights a helpful guide on how to opt out, examines a new study revealing authors' ambivalence toward AI, and introduces an app that helps users write their autobiographies. Dan also covers the legal battle between the New York Times and the creators of the game Worldle.

Self-Publishing News: Autobiography by AI Launched and Oxford University Study Reveals Writers Conflicted About AI

One of the interesting things about the recent Society of Authors survey on AI was that it captured the complexity and what I might call practical ambivalence we have toward this growing technology as a group. By complexity, I mean that AI is not just one thing. Generative AI, such as large platforms like ChatGPT and Midjourney, is only one part of a picture that includes grammar checks, metadata optimization, and even tools to help write an autobiography. By practical ambivalence, I mean that while many of us are very worried and actively critical about some parts of the technology (especially generative AI), we nonetheless use many other parts. Even some of us use the parts we also criticize.

Marketing Middle-Grade or Young-Adult Books and More Self-Publishing Questions Answered by Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black: Member Q&A Podcast

In the latest installment of the AskALLi Member Q&A podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors, hosts Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black discuss effective strategies for marketing middle-grade or young-adult books. They emphasize the importance of targeting parents rather than children and recommend networking with other authors in the same genre to maximize visibility and sales.

Self-Publishing News: NYT Sues ‘Confusing’ Puzzle to Protect Wordle; Other Media Companies Sign Deals with OpenAI

I’ve often said I find it fascinating how themes can emerge that make one week’s news different from another. This week, that theme is media being, shall we say, unchilled. And yes, I am very much aware that, in writing this, at the risk of evoking the spirit of Judge Dredd, I am the media. But whatever other parlousness I may succumb to, I hope I am guilty of neither of these. The first is something I’ve covered a few times and fear I will be covering a few more. And that’s the willingness of media companies to sign deals with OpenAI allowing their content to be used to train its generative AI. This week, Vox Media and The Atlantic signed deals. They join the likes of Axel Springer, News Corp, Le Monde, and the Financial Times.

New Cozy Mystery Launch, a Grand Prize Winner and a Kobo Award Nominee: ALLi Member Milestones June 2024

This regular post from the Alliance of Independent Authors celebrates ALLi member successes to inspire our indie author community. This month, our Member Milestones for June 2024 celebrates the successes of author members Dianne Scott, Kevin G. Chapman and Gianetta Murray

June 3, 2024
AskALLi Team
Process 3 & 4: Production & Distribution
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Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Roxanne Bland. Mixed-Genre Author Defies Tropes in Far-Out Stories About Real-World Issues

My ALLi author guest this episode is Roxanne Bland, a mixed-genre author who admits that her books are not for everyone. But if you're interested in stories that throw away all the old tropes and surprise you with elements of fantasy, science fiction, and romance, then you might want to check out her work. Not only that, but Roxanne writes with one eye on real-world problems such as bigotry.

Self-Publishing News: Facebook’s AI Policy Sparks Controversy Among Creatives

If a week is a long time in politics, then in the world of technology, Facebook's AI policy sparking controversy among creatives might as well be “living memory.” This means we’re going back to the times of the sagas since we last ran a story on AI. I didn’t even run a story when the whole furore following the launch of ChatGPT-4o (which I did cover) broke as Scarlett Johansson spotted that the voice of the demo sounded a heck of a lot like her, despite her having said she didn’t want to work with OpenAI.

How Would a TikTok Ban Affect Buoyant Print Sales? The Self-Publishing News Podcast with Dan Holloway

In this episode of Self-Publishing News, Dan Holloway explores the potential impacts of a TikTok ban on print book sales, particularly in the romance and fantasy genres. He also highlights the recent sale of a first edition of Tolkien’s "The Hobbit" for £31,000, discusses the latest print and eBook sales figures, and addresses the controversy surrounding OpenAI’s use of a voice resembling Scarlett Johansson.

Self-Publishing News: Romantasy Popularity Steadies Print Sales

Last week, we looked at the figures for electronic book sales and the ways in which they are notoriously misleading in their official format. This week, there’s an interesting glimpse into print sales, particularly the genres driving the healthy levels of those sales. Thanks to Porter Anderson over at Publishing Perspectives for outlining the details of an analysis of print sales by the entertainment analysis group Circana.

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