Podcast

Why Indie Authors Should Ignore the Market’s Mood and Focus on Their Mission, with Joe Solari

On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Joe Solari draws a lesson from Jeff Bezos's early years at Amazon — when Wall Street was calling it amazon.bomb and Bezos kept building anyway — to make a case for why indie authors need to stop watching their competitors and start watching their readers. Using the philosopher René Girard's concept of mimetic desire, Joe explains how author communities, for all their value, can quietly install somebody else's North Star in your publishing business without you even noticing. He offers two practical tools to counter this: a one-page North Star document that anchors your publishing vision before you open any dashboard or social media group, and a one-week information audit that helps you identify how much of what you're consuming is signal and how much is just other people's noise.
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Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Muhammad Atique

Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Muhammad Atique. Author Explores AI, Algorithms, and Human Connection in the Digital Age

My ALLi author guest this episode is Muhammad Atique, an author and lecturer whose journey has taken him from Pakistan to China, the United States, and now New Zealand, where he’s connecting with the indie author community. His book explores how AI, algorithms, and digital media are reshaping the way we communicate, think, and relate to one another in an increasingly online world. 
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Audible Retires Legacy Royalty Model

News Podcast: Audible Retires Legacy Royalty Model; Oscars Rule on AI; Publishing Industry AI Survey

On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway breaks down Audible's decision to retire its legacy royalty model by the end of 2026, explaining what the new model means for audiobook authors and the separate decision about whether to enter the All You Can Listen pool. He also reports on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' new Oscar eligibility rules requiring human actors and writers, and examines a Book Industry Study Group survey showing that concern about AI-generated books in the marketplace has now entered the top four worries for publishing industry professionals.
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Guided Selling for Authors: Taking Readers by the Hand, with Orna Ross

In this episode, Orna Ross explores guided selling for authors: how indie authors can help readers find the right book or next step into their ecosystem without overwhelm or decision fatigue. Drawing on research into the ‘paradox of choice’ and online book-buying behavior, this episode asks how we can use our websites, stores, newsletters, book pages, and reader links more consciously to take readers by the hand, reduce friction, and make the buying journey feel less like a maze and more like a good bookseller’s recommendation.
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BookCon Returns

News Podcast: BookCon Returns with a Welcome for Indie Authors; Anthropic Settlement Class Reaches 91%

On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway reports on the return of BookCon to New York after a pandemic-era hiatus, where the Indie Alley proved a genuine hit with readers — a sign that the established book world is increasingly making room for independent authors. He also has an update on the Anthropic copyright settlement, where 91 percent of eligible titles were claimed before the deadline, putting the expected payout per title at around $2,931, with a reminder that traditionally published authors may receive less due to rights splits with their publishers.
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Bulk Sales

Audio Interview: Beyond Bookshops — Bulk Sales, Gifting and Alternative Distribution, with Anna Featherstone and Andrew Griffiths

On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, host Anna Featherstone speaks with bestselling business author Andrew Griffiths about the production and distribution choices behind his books. They discuss the trade-offs between traditional publishing and self-publishing, and how design and print decisions shape perception, pricing, and reach. The conversation also covers bulk sales, corporate partnerships, and strategic gifting as alternatives to retail, with a focus on long-term visibility and opportunity.
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Draft2Digital Introduces Fees

News Podcast: Draft2Digital Introduces Fees; Bookshop.org Reports Record Sales

On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway examines Draft2Digital's decision to introduce fees for the first time — a $20 account activation charge for new accounts and a $12 annual maintenance fee for low-activity accounts — and considers both the rationale and the concerns. He also reports on Bookshop.org's record $70 million in sales last year, a 55 percent increase, and explains why the two stories are closely connected.
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How Authors Can Work Effectively With Book Designers

Audio Interview: How Authors Can Work Effectively with Book Designers with Howard Lovy and Allyson Longueira

On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, host Howard Lovy talks to Allyson Longueira, associate director of publishing at the graduate program in creative writing at Western Colorado University, about what authors need to understand about book design, from typography and interior layout to covers and branding. They discuss how design choices signal genre, how authors can better communicate with designers, and where to draw the line between creative control and trusting the experts. Longueira also explains how thoughtful design supports readability and market positioning, giving authors practical ways to approach the visual side of publishing with more confidence.
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Amazon Retires Early Kindles

News Podcast: Amazon Retires Early Kindles; Publishing Scam Emails on the Rise

On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway reports on Amazon's decision to withdraw online support from Kindle devices released in 2012 and earlier, and what that means for readers who still use them—including a silver lining for indie authors distributing DRM-free books. He also sounds the alarm on a surge in sophisticated scam emails targeting authors, and reminds us of the enduring wisdom of Yog's Law: money flows to the author, not from the author.
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Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Darnnell Reese

Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Darnnell Reese. Desert Storm Veteran Breaks Decades of Silence on Trauma; Turns to Faith and Writing to Confront Bullies

My ALLi author guest this episode is Darnnell Reese, a Desert Storm combat veteran and former Military Intelligence analyst. During her service, she experienced trauma both on the battlefield and within her own unit, which she kept silent about for decades. With the encouragement and help of her daughter, she finally put that story into writing. Her work also draws on faith and focuses on confronting bullies in all forms. 
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