Dan Holloway, Author at The Self-Publishing Advice Center

News Summary: New Works Enter the Public Domain, Opening Creative Possibilities for Writers

One of the most exciting things about a new year in the literary world is the entry of a slew of new works into the public domain. Which means, in essence, that fan fiction, “homage” fiction, or simply using those characters in your own work is now a free-for-all and can be used for commercial purposes.

January 1, 2026
Dan Holloway
News
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News Summary: Authors Reject $3,000 AI Settlement, Seek Higher Damages in New Lawsuits

If the literary year 2025 could be summed up in a single figure, that figure would be $3,000. The amount, of course, scheduled to be paid for each eligible title in the Anthropic AI piracy settlement.

December 30, 2025
Dan Holloway
News
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News Summary: Copymight Coalition Forms to Tackle AI Copyright Challenges

Thank you to a fellow ALLi team member for passing along what will be the penultimate story of 2025. One of the things that has been so notable about the news this year has been the sheer number and diversity of copyright issues and lawsuits I’ve covered.

December 27, 2025
Dan Holloway
News
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News Podcast: Amazon’s ‘Ask This Book’ Feature Sparks Debate as 2025 Wraps Up

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway closes out 2025 by examining Amazon’s new “Ask This Book” AI feature for Kindle and the backlash over its always-on use with no author opt-out. He reflects on a year shaped by AI controversies, including the Anthropic class action, contrasts Amazon’s approach with Spotify’s push for greater transparency, and looks at wider industry shifts, from romance’s continued dominance to the rise of Bookshop.org as a meaningful alternative for both print and e-book sales.

December 26, 2025
Dan Holloway
Podcast
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News Summary: The News in 2025, Part 2 — Romantasy, Audiobooks, and the Rise of Bookshop.org

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Many of you will no doubt be marking the occasion by cracking the real or virtual spine of a new book. And as my reflection on the year moves away from AI, that’s the perfect segue into thinking about what kind of book most people are likely to be receiving from Santa.

December 25, 2025
Dan Holloway
News
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News Summary: The News in 2025, Part 1 — How AI Reshaped the Landscape for Indie Authors

As the year draws to a close, I have the opportunity to reflect on some of the news stories that have shaped the landscape for indie authors this year. I don’t want to fill your Christmas stockings with AI, so I will get the big AI news of the year out of the way today.

December 23, 2025
Dan Holloway
News
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News Summary: Amazon’s ‘Ask This Book’ Feature Sparks Author Backlash over AI Use

Call it the Triple Crown, Trifecta, or any other phrase associated with things coming in threes, but the week ends with the third big story from Amazon in a single week. And it’s also about a new feature. This time that feature is “Ask This Book.” For the moment it’s only available in the US, but there will clearly be momentum toward rolling it out more widely.

December 20, 2025
Dan Holloway
News
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News Podcast: Amazon Changes Kindle Download Options and Audible Taps TikTok Book Trends

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway breaks down two major Amazon stories, including a controversial change to Kindle’s DRM policy that will allow DRM-free books to be downloaded as EPUB and PDF files, raising fresh concerns about piracy. He also looks at Audible’s new partnership with TikTok to surface trending BookTok titles inside the Audible app, and examines Australia’s new ban on social media use for under-sixteens and what it could mean for book discovery, especially in YA and New Adult markets.

December 19, 2025
Dan Holloway
Podcast
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News Summary: Blurb Marks Twenty Years; Media Giants Enter New Battles

The sense of wistfulness, slight melancholy, and looking back through the archives of this post comes not just from the time of year. Following the shocking news of Porter Anderson’s death, this week the literary world said goodbye to two more incredibly high-profile stars, Sophie Kinsella and Joanna Trollope. It really does feel like a time of great change.

December 18, 2025
Dan Holloway
News
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News Summary: Audible Partners with BookTok, Raising Questions about Influence and Reach

Amazon has announced a major partnership with TikTok in an attempt to tap into the influencer-led popularity of all things literary.

December 16, 2025
Dan Holloway
News
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News Summary: Amazon Shifts DRM Rules for KDP E-Books, Allowing Wider File Downloads

Amazon has just announced a major change that affects everyone who self-publishes e-books made available through KDP. The change relates to Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology—specifically what happens when it is not applied to an e-book.

December 13, 2025
Dan Holloway
News
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News Podcast: Remembering Porter Anderson and Spotify’s Year in Audiobooks

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway reflects on the death of Porter Anderson, longtime editor in chief of Publishing Perspectives and a respected, sharp-witted voice in the book world whose influence reached far into both traditional and indie publishing. Dan shares tributes from colleagues and friends before turning to Spotify’s year-end audiobook trends, where romantic and “spicy” fantasy continue to dominate and darker genres like dystopia and horror are showing new momentum.

December 12, 2025
Dan Holloway
Podcast
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