Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster Drops Blurbs, Encyclopaedia Britannica Eyes IPO, WH Smith Faces Uncertain Future: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

The second round-up of the week has an interesting common thread. Each of the three stories represents the end of an era in some way. The first is more an item of amusing good riddance—an amuse-bouche in every sense. Simon & Schuster has announced that it won’t be pushing authors and editors to paste puff quotes on their covers.
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Editing With Your Audience In Mind

Editing with Your Audience in Mind: The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast Featuring Matty Dalrymple

ALLi Campaigns Manager Matty Dalrymple speaks with Kathy Meis, founder and CEO of Bublish, about editing with your audience in mind. Kathy explains why authors should view their books as gifts to readers, designed to evoke specific emotions and experiences. She advises stepping back from the manuscript, studying the market, and understanding comparable titles to better position a book. Kathy also highlights the value of knowing your genre, reading reviews, and seeking editorial feedback to align with reader expectations.
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Human Authored

Authors Guild Launches Human Authored Certification; Copyright Office Releases AI Report: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

You may have noticed that AI is back in the news in a big way, with new discussions about what it means to create "human authored" work. And while I am not, strictly speaking, writing a column about DeepSeek, the entry of another hugely competent and vastly hyped generative AI platform into the fray clearly has implications for us all—not least of which is the demonstration of the vulnerability of whole marketplaces to activities in a single tech sector. As if we needed reminding after the whole FTX debacle and many others before it.
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Alliance Of Independent Authors | When Platforms Collapse: Authors Move To Diversify | AskALLi Team

When Platforms Collapse: Authors Move to Diversify

Authors who built their audience on TikTok got a harsh reminder on January 17: any platform can disappear overnight, and it is important to diversify. The brief shutdown sent authors scrambling for alternatives, forcing many to rethink their dependence on a single platform. While TikTok returned after twelve hours and received a temporary reprieve, the scare highlighted a bigger issue—Amazon, Meta, and other platforms have also suspended or restricted authors’ accounts without warning, often with little recourse.
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Self-Publishing Advice | & Inspirations Podcast | Inspirations | Inspirational | Indie Authors | Howard Lovy | And | Anne…

Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Anne E. Beall. From Market Research to Fairy Tales

My ALLi author guest this episode is Anne E. Beall, an author and entrepreneur who grew a successful market-research firm, then wrote a book that helped grow her business. She’s published a range of nonfiction works, from an in-depth look at the hidden messages in fairy tales to guides on how to find calm and self-compassion through meditation. 
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The Audies

Indie Authors Shine at The Audies; AI and Bookstore Events Make Waves: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

The Audies, run by the Audio Publishing Association, are the industry’s most prestigious awards for audiobooks. And they are of particular interest to us because they have no barriers to entry for indie authors. Indeed, as I have reported over the years, we are sometimes nominated and have even been known to win (2021’s Heroine by Mary Jane Wells). If I had ever been so bold as to proclaim, “The indies are coming!” I would be frustrated at the slow progress over the past few years.
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Audie Awards

Indie Authors Win at the Audie Awards and Creativity Shapes the Future of Work: Self-Publishing with ALLi Featuring Dan Holloway

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Dan Holloway celebrates indie successes at the Audie Awards, highlighting notable entries like Spotify’s audiobook Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood. He also discusses the World Economic Forum’s report on the future of jobs, which predicts creative thinking and lifelong curiosity will be among the most valued skills in the next five years, even as reading and writing are seen as declining workplace priorities. Plus, an update on the AI Summit planned for the Bologna Book Fair in April.
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Alliance Of Independent Authors | Self-Publishing News | January 30, 2025 | With Dan Holloway

Bookshop.org Expands into Ebooks, Opening New Doors for Indie Authors: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

Bookshop.org is, you will recall, the platform that enables people to buy books wherever they are based and direct a slice of the sales to a local independent bookstore of their choice. It gained publicity and traction during the pandemic, and that has continued—but until now, the focus has been on printed books. Now, Bookshop.org is moving full-on into ebooks.
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Alliance Of Independent Authors | European Accessibility Act: What Indie Authors Need To Know | ALLi Team

European Accessibility Act: What Indie Authors Need to Know

The European Accessibility Act (EAA), which comes into force in June 2025, will require publishers selling ebooks in the European Union to ensure their titles meet stringent accessibility standards. While most indie authors fall under the microenterprise exemption—applying to businesses with fewer than ten employees and annual revenue below €2 million—experts warn that accessibility is increasingly becoming a key factor for global distribution.
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LinkedIn For Book Promotion

The Power of LinkedIn for Book Promotion: The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast Featuring Dale. L. Roberts

In this conversation, Dale L. Roberts and LinkedIn expert Sue Ellson discuss the importance of LinkedIn for authors. They explore how authors can effectively build their presence on the platform, create standout profiles, utilize various features, and engage with their audience. Sue emphasizes the significance of networking, connecting with the right people, and leveraging LinkedIn's analytics to refine strategies. The discussion provides actionable insights for authors looking to enhance their online visibility and market their books effectively.
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Reading Skills

Creative Thinking and Curiosity on the Rise, but Reading Skills Decline: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

Last week saw the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, which brought some concerning insights about reading skills. I wish I could report that publishing was front and center of the global agenda—or even that a swathe of AI discussions zoomed in on copyright-adjacent themes. Of course, that wasn’t the case. But it was the case that one of the key annual reports to accompany the event has some interesting (alarming or encouraging or both, depending on which side of the fence you fall—or, indeed, whether you prefer your fence ride to be astride) findings for us.
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