Creating Real, Strong Girls in Today’s Teen Fiction by YA Advisor S.R. Johannes
When writing for teen girls, I think it is critical for young adult authors show strong, flawed girls that readers…
IndePENdents.org: Offers Seal of Approval for Indie Books
Let no talent be lost to the chaos of the publishing explosion: that is the cri de coeur of IndiePENdents.org, "an…
Cracking Kobo: Read All About The ALLi Event
For those of you who missed tonight's online event on Shindig about Kobo's Writing Life Platform, here's a PDF…
Cracking Kobo: Free Self-Publishing Event for Indie Authors
Join us on Wednesday at 4pm EST (9pm GMT) for an online Alliance of Independent Authors event with Mark Lefebre, Director…
Indie Authors: Jack of all Trades But Master of None? By Sue Millard
An interesting thread came up recently on the ALLi Member-Only Facebook page. Authors going down the self publishing route have…
January 2013 Newsletter
The latest ALLi newsletter has details of the Alliance's upcoming publications and campaigns, including our "Open Up To Indies" Campaign.…
Vantage Press Suspends Operations
The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) is concerned about reported happenings at Vantage Press, a US-based self-publishing service which also…
Why 2013 Will Be A Great Year For Indie Authors
1. Ebooks. Recent research from Pew Research Center found that the number of Americans aged 16 and over who have…
Happy Holidays!
Wishing you and yours a very special, happy time this holiday season from all at The Alliance of Independent Authors…
Translation Rights for Indie Authors – Update for ALLi Members from Jennifer Custer
Dear ALLi Members It's been some months since we set out to explore translation rights for self-publishers together and I…
Book Reviewing Ethics and Etiquette for Self-Publishers
Where do Indie authors draw their lines?
Linda Gillard asks ALLi Members Where They Draw Their Lines
On Wednesday last author Joni Rodgers took Amazon to task for what she sees as their high-handed treatment of author-reviewers. Some believe the new policy amounts to censorship, but Amazon needed to respond to the many bogus reviews posted by authors – some well-known – who thought disparaging rival books with fake reviews or penning their own eulogies was all in a day’s work.
Such practices are indisputably unethical, but many think Amazon over-reacted. So what is acceptable when promoting your book? Where should we draw the line? Talking to a group of ALLi authors, I found the boundaries of their moral comfort zone varied. Authors are also readers and reviewers but, disappointed and frustrated, some have now given up posting on Amazon and have decamped to GoodReads.
When posting their reviews, do ALLi author-reviewers use a pseudonym? And do they post honest reviews? Richard Bunning rejected pseudonyms. “I really feel that authors need to be seen to be squeaky clean. Full disclosure and honesty demand the use of author name.”
Is Exploiting Self-Publishing Authors To Be The New Publishing Model?
Is the new business model for publishers to be selling over-priced and under-performing services to writers? That's the question that…