News Summary: ALLi’s Indie Author Lab Returns to London in March
I am always thrilled to report on ALLi-related news, and today I bring especially exciting tidings. Tickets have just gone…
News Summary: Audio Platforms Embrace Video, Audible and Spotify Expand Visual Features
This week begins with a decided sense of déjà vu. I was just entering secondary school when the cultural world turned on its axis and entered a new phase, as MTV launched and Buggles proclaimed that video killed the radio star.
Should Authors Copyright Their Audiobook Performances? Member Q&A with Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black
In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A podcast, hosts Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black discuss whether authors who narrate their own audiobooks should file for copyright registration of the performance rights in addition to registering the text.
News Summary: Kirkus Acquires AudioFile, New Leadership at Publishing Perspectives
Reviews are one of the most important factors in enhancing the visibility and appeal of our books. And while one side of the coin is acquiring the numbers of Amazon reviews necessary for whatever the algorithm has decided to do that morning, or meeting the requirements of the likes of BookBub, the other side is securing a few high-profile, highly respected reviews. And for that, writers turn to one source more than any other: Kirkus.
News Podcast: Nebula Awards Reverse AI Policy and Authors Challenge Amazon’s ‘Ask This Book’
In this episode of Self-Publishing News, Dan Holloway examines the Nebula Awards’ abrupt reversal on AI eligibility rules, moving from disclosure to a blanket ban and sparking debate across the science fiction and fantasy community. He also looks at growing concerns over Amazon’s “Ask This Book” feature, including a rare public response from Amazon and renewed questions about licensing, derivative use, and author consent in AI-powered reading tools.
News Summary: Nebula Awards’ AI Policy Sparks Debate on Authorship and Process
The use of AI in competitions and beloved public literary events has become its own subgenre in a crowded news field. The two highest-profile instances have been the announcement by the Grammys that they would allow the use of AI in eligible tracks and albums and NaNoWriMo's statement that it would allow AI and criticizing those who would oppose such an approach.
AI for Authors: Ethical & Practical Guidelines
When you hear the words "artificial intelligence" it usually evokes one of two responses, either excitement and curiosity at the prospect of new technologies, bringing more books and products to the world, or fear because the only experience of you have of AI are movies like I, Robot, the Matrix and the Terminator. But the Alliance of Independent Authors is here to show you the plethora of opportunities AI brings authors and how to work with AI ethically. This article is brought to you by Orna Ross. With thanks to Joanna Penn, Laurence O'Bryan of BooksGoSocial, Amit Gupta of Sudowrite, JD Lasica of Authors AI.
Taking It Easy — Seven Ways to Create More Time for Your Writing: Self-Publishing Advice Conference Highlight
In this Self-Publishing Advice Conference highlight, discover practical ways to reclaim time and focus for your writing in an age of constant distraction and AI-driven tools. Troy Lambert breaks down seven realistic strategies for using your tools more deliberately and managing your time more efficiently. The session offers grounded, actionable ideas to help writers protect their creative energy, reduce overwhelm, and make consistent progress on their work.
News Summary: Authors Guild Pushes Back on Amazon’s ‘Ask This Book’ AI Feature
The news starts 2026 as it ended 2025, with Amazon's new Ask This Book feature for Kindle books. When I first reported on this, I had yet to see the response from authors. Thanks to a link in Jane Friedman's newsletter, I have now been able to read and digest a very robust response indeed from the Authors Guild.
Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Dale Rogers Brings Poetry and Comics Together
My ALLi author guest this episode is Dale Rogers, an indie author, illustrator, and former assistant professor who retired after eighteen years in higher education to focus on his creative work. Based in Nashville, Dale blends poetry, visual storytelling, design, and spirituality in what he calls Poetry Comics, a genre he’s developing as an indie publisher. We talk about his early creative life, his years as an educator, and what it means to start something new later in life.
News Summary: TikTok Secures Its US Future, Social Media Rules Shift for 2026
As I write, it is deep into the “off season” of the literary world, and news outlets in most places are slumbering in a post-Christmas haze. But not me (in part the result of finally recovering from a long bout of flu). Amid the midwinter quiet, I have dug my way to a couple of interesting stories about the shape that social media might take for us in 2026.
News Podcast: Public Domain Opens New Doors as Authors Rethink AI Copyright Battles
On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway opens 2026 by looking at newly released public domain works, including titles by Agatha Christie, T. S. Eliot, and other major crime and literary writers, and what authors should watch for when reusing characters and stories. He also reports on the launch of the Copy Might Coalition, a new effort to support indie authors in AI-related copyright disputes and collective licensing, and examines a fresh legal challenge to the Anthropic settlement that raises questions about how the value of books is judged in AI training cases.