ALLi Editorial, Author at The Self-Publishing Advice Center

Book Awards for Co-Authors: How Partnerships Work in Competitions

In this Alliance of Independent Authors post, Book Award Adviser Hannah Jacobson explains how co-authored books are handled in award competitions, from submissions and fees to prizes and promotion.

Audio Interview: The Creative Process Through an Editor’s Eyes with Matty Dalrymple and Brenna Bailey-Davies

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Matty Dalrymple talks with Brenna Bailey-Davies about seeing self-publishing from both sides of the page, how editorial work shapes the writing process, and how to balance client work with creative work. They also discuss practical lessons authors can take from professional editing, how to handle editorial feedback with confidence, and what it means to understand the publishing process from draft to proofread.

January 28, 2026
ALLi Editorial
Podcast
0 Comments

‘Sell More Books’: Sneak Peek and Pre-Order with Orna Ross

Orna Ross, director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, introduces ALLi’s new guidebook, Sell More Books, now available for pre-order. The book focuses on practical, sustainable book promotion and challenges the idea that promotion is only for loud authors with big budgets. Ross explains how authors of all styles and temperaments can design promotional strategies that suit their work, their readers, and their energy. From direct sales and crowdfunding to newer AI-assisted tools, she looks at what’s changing in book promotion and why, even in an AI-driven landscape, human connection remains central.

January 25, 2026
ALLi Editorial
Podcast
0 Comments

New Takes on Marketing Must-Dos — Insights from ALLi’s ‘Reach More Readers’ Guidebook: Self-Publishing Advice Conference Highlight

In this Self-Publishing Advice Conference highlight, Orna Ross revisits classic book marketing must-dos and updates them for 2025. Grounded in ALLi’s Reach More Readers guidebook and the organization’s Ethical AI policy, the session cuts through content overload, shifting algorithms, rising ad costs, email deliverability problems, and growing concerns about reader trust. Ross offers a human-first, values-based approach to marketing that helps author-publishers make clear, ethical choices without burning out. Writers leave with a simple mini-audit of their current marketing and a short, realistic upgrade list to help them reach more readers on their own terms.

January 21, 2026
ALLi Editorial
Podcast
0 Comments

Advice Podcast: Three Trends for 2026 — Transformation, Trust, and the ‘Agentic’ Shift with Orna Ross and Joanna Penn

Orna Ross and Joanna Penn compare notes from the indie front line, drawing on Jo’s new novel and her renewed focus on business basics for ALLi’s Indie Author Lab at the London Book Fair, alongside Orna’s shift to Substack and a clear-eyed look at what is changing fastest for authors. In this forward-looking conversation, two self-publishing veterans unpack agentic AI, the challenge of staying discoverable in a sea of content, and how permission-based audiences, reader trust, and real-world connection can make authors harder to replace.

January 17, 2026
ALLi Editorial
Podcast
0 Comments

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.

January 11, 2026
ALLi Editorial
Podcast
0 Comments

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.

January 7, 2026
ALLi Editorial
Podcast
0 Comments

Audio Interview: Design Rules That Make or Break a Book with Matty Dalrymple and Sam Pearce

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Matty Dalrymple talks with publishing strategist and book designer Sam Pearce about the invisible design rules that shape a reader’s experience. They explore how readability, typography, layout choices, and genre conventions can make—or break—a book. Learn about how to create professional, reader-friendly interiors that strengthen your brand and boost your success as an indie author.

December 31, 2025
ALLi Editorial
Podcast
0 Comments

Audio Interview: Producing Affordable Audiobooks with AI Assistance — Anna Featherstone and Phil Marshall

In this episode of the ALLi Self-Publishing Advice Podcast, Anna Featherstone speaks with Phil Marshall, co-founder of Spoken, about the fast-changing world of audiobook production and how authors can now record audiobooks more affordably with AI assistance. They discuss using AI versions of an author’s own voice, as well as creating multi-voice audiobooks. Spoken is a newer ALLi partner member whose platform is designed specifically for authors, offering natural-sounding narration through custom-generated voices and licensed voice clones from human narrators. The conversation explores practical ways authors can bring both new titles and backlist books to life in audio without prohibitive costs.

December 24, 2025
ALLi Editorial
Podcast
0 Comments

Poetry Collection Awards: More Opportunities Than You Think

In this Alliance of Independent Authors post, Book Award Adviser Hannah Jacobson explains why poetry collections have more award opportunities than many poets realize and how to find competitions that align with their work.

Reaching More Readers: Being More Human and How AI Can Help, with Orna Ross

“Be more human,” we are told, if we want to thrive as indie authors in the age of AI, continue to sell our books, and remain relevant to readers. But what does that mean in practical terms? In this session, based on ALLi’s Reach More Readers guidebook, Orna Ross surveys how machine and human intelligences are becoming more integrated. She explores ways to strengthen and augment humanity in book marketing, offers tips on using AI assistance across three marketing models, and explains how to let go of what no longer serves your purpose as a writer and publisher while optimizing what does.

December 17, 2025
ALLi Editorial
Podcast
0 Comments

Award Wins, Audiobook Completion, a Special Edition Launch, and More: ALLi Member Milestones December 2025

This regular post from the Alliance of Independent Authors celebrates ALLi member successes to inspire our indie author community. Our ALLi Member Milestones, December 2025, celebrate the successes of author members William Brinkman, John C. A. Manley, Kevin Hwang, Ann Fairway, Brian Thompson, and Jennilynn Wyer. Congratulations to all those featured in this month’s roundup and to everyone in our community who has hit a milestone!