MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

The Alliance Of Independent Authors (ALLi) and the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency (EELA) have inaugurated a partnership to assist ALLi members in the management and licensing of their rights.

The Ellenberg Agency will provide three services: 1. an “ask me anything” style advisory service through the ALLi Member Care desk; 2. one-off representation on contract offers and 3. full rights representation to qualifying ALLI authors.  At the moment, the latter service is for ALLi members at Authorpreneur level only.

Rights covered include translation, audio, and more and advice is freely offered. This is a non-exclusive arrangement for the authors, there is no obligation to employ the Ellenberg Agency in any capacity, and all services are offered by member-request only. The aim is to empower authors to confidently manage their publishing rights on a selective licensing basis, rather than assigning or licensing all rights to a single publisher or rights buyer, as outlined in ALLi's Self-Publishing 3.0 campaign.

Members are already availing of the service, in which contracts with publishers and other rights buyers are assessed, sample agreements provided, and deals negotiated.  Welcoming the introduction of the service, ALLi Director Orna Ross said:

Orna Ross, Director of ALLi

As their income streams continue to diversify, independent authors have many choices as to how to exploit their intellectual property, from self-publishing to selectively licensing rights to trade publishers, TV, audiobook and film producers, and other rights buyers. If they choose to license rights to their work, it is crucial that they have access to the knowledge and services they need to protect their financial and legal interests. They also need access to the rights buyers that will help them grow their businesses. ALLi is very pleased to work with the Ellenberg Agency as one of a suite of services that assist our members in optimizing their income and influence, in the appropriate way at different member levels.

Ethan Ellenberg, President of EELA

Ethan Ellenberg, President of EELA, said:

We're very excited to add our expertise and experience to the services that ALLi provides independent authors. Book publishing and rights licensing are vast areas full of complex and difficult decisions. We've worked with every kind of traditional publisher and licensing company over our thirty plus years in business and we're eager to partner with members of the indie author community who are so quickly becoming vital members of the publishing business. We want authors to succeed, avoid serious problems, and create the kinds of careers that enrich them personally and professionally.
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The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency is based in New York and was founded by Ethan Ellenberg. It represents a wide range of commercial fiction and non-fiction and children’s books. Its most well known authors of commercial fiction include John Scalzi, Dennis E. Taylor, Shelly Laurenston, MaryJanice Davidson and Sharon Shinn. Its most notable children’s authors include Caldecott Medal winner Eric Rohmann, Candace Fleming and Marthe Jocelyn.

The agency also represents 7 literary Estates, including the estates of Bertrice Small and Andre Norton, considered the most important author of young adult science fiction ever. Four agents will be taking part in the program on behalf of the Ellenberg agency: Ethan Ellenberg, Ezra Ellenberg, Bibi Lewis, Evan Gregoy.

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The Alliance of Independent Authors is the professional business membership organisation for self-publishing authors. A non-profit, it provides trusted advice, supportive guidance, and a range of self-publishing resources, within a welcoming community of indie authors and advisors. ALLi widely champions the interests of author-publishers, within and outside the publishing industry.

For further details contact:
Orna Ross: [email protected]
Ethan Ellenburg: [email protected]