Top 100 List, Debuts, and Book Awards: ALLi Member Milestones November 2024

This regular post from the Alliance of Independent Authors celebrates ALLi member successes to inspire our indie author community. Our ALLi Member Milestones for November 2024 celebrates the successes of author members Chisom Ezeh, Michele Howarth, Dale Rogers, Philippa Rees, Gary Feinstein, and Dr. Harry Somaraju. Congratulations to all those featured in this month’s roundup and to everyone in our community who has hit a milestone this month!

Do you have a member milestone to share? 

We are always looking to hear from our members about your achievements; from those of you who are just setting out, to our most experienced Authorpreneurs. Whatever your achievement, if you are a member of ALLi, please tell us about your success stories using this form. We will share a selection each month with our members and our wider indie author network.

Chisom Ezeh

Chisom Ezeh

Chisom Ezeh is the founder and CEO of The Publishing Pad Inc., a book publishing company designed to empower authors through expert publishing services and strategic promotion, helping them bring their stories to life and reach global audiences. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Member Milestone

On Saturday, October 26, 2024, I received an award as one of Canada's Top 100 Black Women to Watch of 2024. I’m proud of this award nomination because it reflects the impactful work we do at The Publishing Pad Inc., helping authors bring their stories to life and reach wider audiences. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to quality and the success of our clients.

What have you learned?

I've learned that many destinies are connected to ours, and when we give up, we may prevent others from reaching their full potential. The journey can be tough, but perseverance opens doors for both ourselves and others.

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Michele Howarth

Michele Howarth

Michele Howarth is a visual artist whose debut novel will be published Autumn 2024. You can find her on Bluesky.

Member Milestone

I built a website and set up preordering for my book, due November 24. I made more than fifty sales, which is about fifty more than I was expecting. I’m proud because it was a long slog, and I kept going.

What have you learned?

Tenacity is all.

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Dale Rogers

Dale Rogers

Dale Rogers is an author, designer, and educator trailblazing the cross section of comics, poetry, and spirituality.

Member Milestone

I've published my first book after being an associate member for three years.

What have you learned?

If i can do it once, i can do it again. I love the process. I feel more alive than i have in years.

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Philippa Rees

Philippa Rees

Philippa Rees’s published works have been primarily narrative poetry, but this time her courage has led her to biography to reach those wary of short lines. She aims to capture the extraordinary in ordinary lives and the perfection found in the commonplace. You can find her on Facebook and X.

Member Milestone

Finally, the publication of Safari of a Patchwork Pilgrim: A Life. It has taken ten years and six completely different drafts, mostly following the advice of early readers—each with entirely different reactions. Every reader offered an opinion, and this “cushion” tried to take on the ideas of the last person who sat upon her!

What have you learned?

However valuable advice can be, in the end, the book first conceived reasserts its claims and usually works better than the book others conceive! I am glad to have lived long enough to publish it, and I acknowledge the greater detachment of getting much older. It gave the work greater breadth. I also lost a few characters who might have been tempted to sue!

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Gary Feinstein

Gary Feinstein

Gary Feinstein is a young adult author living in Haddam, Connecticut, with his wife and fourteen-year-old dog. He can be found on X and LinkedIn.

Member Milestone

I just published my young adult novel, Under the Family Tree, on Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. I spent four years working on this novel. This mostly involved writing multiple drafts, getting feedback, editing advice, beta readers analysis and proofreading until the book was at the quality level where I was comfortable publishing it. Then there was the process of self-publishing, which was a major learning experience as well. So when I actually received a paperback copy of my book last week, it was an experience that made me proud of what I'd accomplished.

What have you learned?

Goals can seem insurmountable when you view them from a starting point. But if you're persistent, take advice, and are willing to learn from your mistakes, you can achieve them.

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Dr. Harry Somaraju

Dr. Harry Somaraju

Dr. Harry Somaraju is an author, researcher, and personal transformation facilitator. His first book, Anxiety to Ahh-mazing in 60 Days, guides readers in transforming psychological distress into sustainable happiness. You can find him on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Member Milestone

My book won the Literary Titan's Gold Book Award. I never expected an award because there are so many veterans out there and this is my first book.

What have you learned?

I have learned to continue to be optimistic and persistent.

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Not yet an ALLi member?

The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) is a global membership association for self-publishing authors. A non-profit, our mission is ethics and excellence in self-publishing.

Everyone on our team is a working indie author and we offer advice and advocacy for self-publishing authors within the literary, publishing, and creative industries around the world. All the membership options and benefits, including free access to our collection of self-publishing advice ebooks, are on our website. Take a look and join us today.

Thoughts or further questions on this post or any self-publishing issue?

If you’re an ALLi member, head over to the SelfPubConnect forum for support from our experienced community of indie authors, advisors, and our own ALLi team. Simply create an account (if you haven’t already) to request to join the forum and get going.

Non-members looking for more information can search our extensive archive of blog posts and podcast episodes packed with tips and advice at ALLi's Self-Publishing Advice Center.