16Mar 25
Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Joshua S. Narins. Former Cinematographer Brings a Visual Edge to Literary Fiction
My ALLi author guest this episode is Joshua S. Narins, a literary fiction author based in New England. Before turning to writing, he spent two decades as a cinematographer, specializing in aerial, underwater, and second-unit film work. Now, he brings that visual storytelling sensibility to his fiction, crafting character-driven narratives with a sharp, cinematic edge.
15Mar 25
Christie’s AI Art Auction and Mistral’s OCR Tool Spark Debate: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway
When the least teeth-on-edge AI story of the week is a sale at the world’s leading auction house, Christie’s, that consists solely of AI art, you know you might want to go and run your nails down a blackboard for some light relief (and who knows, you could sell it as performance art).
14Mar 25
ALLi Authors Sweep 2025 Selfies Awards, Libro.fm Sees Membership Surge, and Christie's Holds First AI Art Auction: Self-Publishing with ALLi Featuring Dan Holloway
On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway reports from the London Book Fair on the 2025 Selfies Awards, where ALLi authors won in all three categories. He discusses a surge in new members for audiobook platform Libro.fm, the rollout of a "look inside" feature for indie bookstores, and the first major auction of AI-generated art at Christie's.
13Mar 25
ALLi Authors Win Big at the Selfies Awards 2025: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway
It feels like just yesterday that I reported on the very first Selfies Awards, won by Jane Davis’s Smash All the Windows. It turns out it was more than half a decade ago, during which time the award dedicated to finding the very best books by indie authors has expanded into three categories: fiction, children’s fiction, and general nonfiction.
12Mar 25
Six Questions Every Author Should Ask: The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast Featuring Matty Dalrymple
Matty Dalrymple talks with Howard Lovy, a developmental editor and ALLi’s content and communications manager, about six questions every author should ask to improve their craft. They discuss maintaining narrative immersion, balancing detail with engagement, and ensuring characters drive the story. Howard shares practical tips on avoiding common pitfalls, keeping scenes purposeful, and writing from the characters' perspectives to keep readers engrossed in the narrative.
11Mar 25
Libro.fm Sees Rapid Boom as Indie Bookstores Grow in Confidence: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway
The article in Publishers Weekly, where I first came across this story, says that Libro.fm has a similar style to Bookshop.org (before I get too sanctimonious, I might add that a search reveals I said the same thing in an article in 2023). In actual fact, of course, Libro.fm has considerably more history than Bookshop.org. It’s also not “similar.” It’s actually Bookshop.org’s audiobook partner, enabling listeners to buy audiobooks from independent retailers.
10Mar 25
Howard Lovy Interviews Maggie Marr on How Indie Authors Can Get Their Books Adapted for Film and TV
In this interview, Howard Lovy speaks with Maggie Marr, ALLi’s book-to-screen advisor, a former ICM motion picture literary agent, entertainment attorney, and USA Today bestselling author, about how indie authors can get their books adapted for film and TV. Marr, who has worked on major book-to-screen projects, shares industry insights on what makes a book appealing for adaptation, the role of agents and attorneys, and common pitfalls to avoid. She is also the author of Books to Film and TV: What Every Author Needs to Know, a resource for writers navigating the adaptation process.
09Mar 25
How to Vet a Book Publicist Before You Hire One: The Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A Podcast Featuring Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black
In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A podcast, hosts Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black discuss the challenges of hiring a book publicist, including how to vet them, what questions to ask, and whether most indie authors even need one.
08Mar 25
Debut Award, Viral Sci-Fi, Historical Novel Recognition, and More: ALLi Member Milestones March 2025
This regular post from the Alliance of Independent Authors celebrates ALLi member successes to inspire our indie author community. Our ALLi Member Milestones for March 2025 celebrate the successes of author members Ali Steed, Jeff Probst, Helena Trooperman, Sara Sartagne, Elizabeth A. Estabrooks, Debbie Emmitt, and Nancy Stanfield Webb. Congratulations to all those featured in this month’s roundup and to everyone in our community who has hit a milestone!
08Mar 25
Publishers Face Backlash Over AI Rights in Author Contracts: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway
The ongoing case against Meta has highlighted the conversations publishers have and haven’t had with their authors about licensing AI rights.
07Mar 25
AI-Generated Audiobooks Gain Momentum with Eleven Labs and Spotify Partnership: Self-Publishing with ALLi Featuring Dan Holloway
On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway examines major developments in AI-generated audiobooks. Eleven Labs has launched direct audiobook publishing, offering authors new distribution options and competitive royalties. The company has also expanded its speech-to-text services, allowing authors to transcribe and produce audiobooks seamlessly. Meanwhile, OpenAI's video-generation tool Sora is now available in the UK and EU, and Twitch has expanded monetization features, creating new opportunities for authors to engage with audiences.
06Mar 25
TikTok and Twitch Expand Monetization; Eleven Labs Launches Speech-to-Text: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway
This week’s news seems to be all about tools that could help authors make more money. We started the week by looking at Eleven Labs’ big move into dealing directly with authors to create AI-generated e-books. Today, we are looking at a couple of other tools that caught my eye over the past week, including TikTok and Twitch, both of which are expanding opportunities for creators to monetize their work.
