Writing Archives

How Good Prose Sells More Books, With Sacha Black: Self-Publishing Conference Highlight

Writing books is easy, writing good books is hard. Do you want to know how good prose sells more books? Getting every element of your story right is important. But it's the words that make readers come back. Good stories need good words.

Interview with Roz Morris — Ghostwriter Emerges With Her Own Haunting Fiction: Inspirational Indie Authors Podcast

My guest this week is Roz Morris. Roz is a literary consultant, a book doctor, an instructor, a blogger, and even a ghostwriter. But the one constant in her life, through all her incarnations, is her love of literature, and she's coming into her own as a fiction author, writing under her own name.

July 12, 2020
Howard Lovy
Business & Planning, Indie Author Interviews, Podcast, Process 1. Editorial, Writing

Twitterchat: Creativity vs Profitability

On the ALLi Twitter chat (#indieAuthorChat) this week we asked questions about Creativity vs Profitability. It was an open chat with no guest.

Interview with Lorna Fergusson — Storyteller Helps Other Indie Authors Chase Away Self-Doubt: Inspirational Indie Authors Podcast

My guest this week is Scottish author Lorna Fergusson, who has tried publishing the traditional way, but found that she enjoyed the control she had over her own work that comes with being an indie author. Lorna has also devoted her career to coaching other indie authors on how they can chase away self-doubt and join the indie publishing revolution.

June 21, 2020
Howard Lovy
Indie Author Interviews, Process 1. Editorial, Writing

Writing By Hand Vs DIctation Vs Typing With Debbie Young

TwitterChat: Writing books by Hand vs Dictation vs Typing with Debbie Young

On the ALLi Twitter chat (#indieAuthorChat) we asked questions about writing books by Hand vs Dictation vs Typing with Debbie Young.

Reboot Your Author Brand With Orna Ross and Joanna Penn: Advanced Self-Publishing Podcast

Is it time to reboot your author brand and reassess your business? As the world begins to tentatively unlock from social cocooning and quarantine, indie authors and others are reassessing what’s most important to them as writers and publishers. Both Orna Ross and Joanna Penn have used this as a time for reflection and reassessment, and they share what they’ve been doing to reboot their author brands.

June 12, 2020
Howard Lovy
Business & Planning, Opinion, Podcast, Process 1. Editorial, Process 5 & 6: Marketing & Promotion, Writing

The Ultimate Guide to Self-Editing your Manuscript

When you open your completed manuscript to start editing, it seems like a monumental task. But like any project, if you break it down into stages, the baby steps are much more manageable. Which is why today's ultimate guide is all about self-editing your manuscript. The Alliance of Independent Authors’ AskALLi team thanks all ALLi members and partners who shared their experiences, in particular Alison Shakspeare of Shakspeare Editorial, Kristina Stanley of Fictionary.co and Lisa Lepki of ProWritingAid for their in-depth contributions and advice.

Sell Books from Your Author Website, With Sacha Black and Orna Ross: Self-Publishing Fiction & Nonfiction Podcast

In this month’s Fiction & Nonfiction Self-Publishing Salon, Sacha Black and Orna Ross outline the advantages and downsides of selling books directly to readers from your own author website and consider the implications for exclusivity with platforms like KDP Select.

Interview with Lynda Edwards — Dreams of Jamaica Create ‘Redemption Songs’: Inspirational Indie Authors Podcast”

My guest this week is Lynda Edwards, an indie author who left her childhood home of Jamaica long ago, but whose writing is still flavored with the culture and magic of the Caribbean.

May 31, 2020
Howard Lovy
Indie Author Interviews, Process 1. Editorial, Writing

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Good Prose

There are no rules in prose, you can get away with virtually anything, even not using a full stop but there are tactics that sharpen your descriptions and improve your sentence-level craft and things to avoid when writing prose.

May 25, 2020
AskALLi Team
Process 3 & 4: Production & Distribution, Top 100, Writing

Should I Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish? Other Questions Answered by Orna Ross; Plus, News with Dan Holloway: Member Q&A & Self-Publishing News Podcast

Should I self-publish or traditionally publish? That's among the questions answered in this month's Members Q&A and Self-Publishing News Salon with Orna Ross, followed by Dan Holloway's news roundup.

May 22, 2020
Howard Lovy
Business & Planning, Campaigns, Opinion, Podcast, Process 1. Editorial, Process 3 & 4: Production & Distribution, Process 5 & 6: Marketing & Promotion, Writing

Interview with Liza Perrat — Novelist Uses French, Australian History as her Canvas: Inspirational Indie Authors Podcast

My guest this week is Liza Perrat, a truly international indie author—an Australian by birth who writes historical novels about France, her adopted country. In fact, you'll hear a combination of both countries in her voice.

May 17, 2020
Howard Lovy
Indie Author Interviews, Process 1. Editorial, Writing