Meet the Team

Irish author and poet Orna Ross is co-founder and director of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) and a passionate advocate for self-publishing and author empowerment.

An international bestseller, her books have won many awards, including the Goethe Grand Prize for Historical Fiction, a Gold Literary Titan Award for poetry, and her work for ALLi has seen her named one of the Top 100 people in publishing (The Bookseller).

She was born and raised in Wexford, in the south-east of Ireland, and now lives in St Leonard's on Sea, in the south-east of England, within working reach of London. Her motto is: “When in doubt, be braver.” Find out more at AllianceIndependentAuthors.org

Before founding ALLi with Orna, Philip was a director at a large, corporate multinational. He left that work for a lifestyle of more freedom and independence. He brings 25 years of business management experience to ALLi and works on systems, strategy, and financial planning.

Although Philip doesn’t use social media, he loves receiving emails from members!

I’m delighted to be working for the democratisation of publishing through our not-for-profit community interest company, where technologies are empowering authors with new ways of working, and new routes to readers. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in this vibrant and mutually supportive community that’s so open to change.

Sarah provides business support services to small business owners worldwide. Diligent, smart and proactive, it’s her job to make the life of hard-working business owner’s easier.

When Sarah’s not supporting business owners, she’s travelling the globe and working on her passion – Eat Wag Play – a resource to provide nutrition and well-being advice to dog owners, ensuring fur babies everywhere lead a vibrant, healthy life.

After discovering ALLi in 2015, I was amazed at the wealth of resources it provides to authors, which grows more and more each year. Not only did this encourage my own meagre writing endeavours, but it introduced me to Orna and Philip who are so incredibly passionate and dedicated to helping authors succeed that it’s impossible not to be swept up in, and want to be a part of, this wonderful alliance.

Sacha Black is a bestselling and competition winning author, rebel podcaster, and professional speaker. She writes educational nonfiction books for writers and sapphic books for Young Adults. Sacha joined ALLi in 2017, and became a member of the team in May 2019. She is our Content and Communications Strategist. She lives in Cambridgeshire, England, with her wife and son.

I love ALLi because it makes a vast global industry feel connected by bringing authors and indie entrepreneurs from across the continents together. It’s an exciting team to be a part of because it’s grounded in forward thinking and more importantly, it educates its members to protect themselves and capitalise on their rights. ALLi is an inspiration to me and I’m proud to be a member.

Holly is an experienced content writer, producer, and communications strategist, working with organisations and charities such as the BBC, UK Parliament, Terrence Higgins Trust, and Barnardo’s. She is currently completing a publishing PhD at Kingston University, profiling the successful self-published author and exploring the
impact of indie publishing on the sector.

Holly has authored multiple guidebooks, educational packs, and short story collections as commissioned work, as well as self-publishing her own murder mystery and a middle-grade adventure book, the latter written in collaboration with her son during the depths of lockdown.

It's an exciting time to be self-publishing! When I started out, the advice ALLi could offer was invaluable to building my knowledge and confidence. I’m delighted to work with the team to continue to offer indie authors the information and support they need to achieve their goals.

John Doppler has an insatiable hunger for technology. A seasoned software developer, John’s quarter-century career in the tech industry comprises a smorgasbord of pursuits, including graphic design, game development, internet forensics, and digital publishing. He relishes helping authors turn new opportunities into their bread and butter.

John serves up humor, news, and resources to writers at Words on Words, and has been rumored to write biographies during lunch.

ALLi represents the perfect fusion of knowledge, experience, and a supportive author community. Not one day goes by without useful information being shared among its members; not one day passes without my referring authors to the ALLi blog for answers. It’s an incomparable resource for both novice and expert authors.

Dan Holloway is a poet, novelist, journalist, editor and performer. Dan loves the writing and research process but comes into his own when given a microphone. He is the rabble rouser in chief of The New Libertines, who have been touring the UK’s festivals and fringes since 2011.

In 2010, he won the international spoken prose show Literary Death Match and competed at the 2016 UK National Poetry Slam Final at the Royal Albert Hall. He also runs the editing and copywriting business Rogue Interrobang, working with academics and non-fiction writers. When Dan’s not doing writing things he runs ultramarathons and appears on cheesy TV game shows.

It is a real honour to have been involved with ALLi since being a panellist at its launch. I love that ALLi is able to support self-publishers of all types, whatever their reason for taking control into their own hands. In a publishing world that struggles time and again to acknowledge and challenge its own homogeneity, ALLi stands for diversity and the fundamental principle that everyone deserves to be heard in their own voice.

Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 science fiction & fantasy novels and author self-help books. To date, he has published over 1.5 million words of fiction and nonfiction.

Since publishing his first book in 2014, he has produced a prolific writing portfolio while raising a family and working a full-time job in the insurance industry.

When I started as an indie author, ALLi's self-publishing advice was invaluable in helping me make smart decisions. It is now an honor to serve on the team so that I can pay it forward and make a difference by giving other indie authors useful advice and encouraging them to be the best authors they can be.

Kayleigh is a virtual assistant specialising in customer support and social media. She started Admin Angels UK in 2013 with the aim of helping small business owners and authors achieve a better work-life balance. Kayleigh joined the ALLi team in 2018 as a social media administrator. She now works on ALLi comms and the annual Self-Publishing Advice Conference.

When she’s not working or spending time with her family, Kayleigh spends most of her time reading and reviewing books and working on her first novel.

I discovered ALLi when I first became interested in self-publishing. The sheer wealth of resources and advice is invaluable to any self-publishing author and I’m delighted to be able to give something back to ALLi and its members.

Author Melissa Addey mainly writes historical fiction, her PhD in Creative Writing explored the importance of fiction as well as fact in the genre. She’s been the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence for the British Library where she still runs workshops for writers and other creatives who want to develop their entrepreneurial skills.

I like that creativity can also be applied to the business side of self-publishing and that it gives authors a sense of ownership. ALLi’s advice and support gives confidence to authors who choose this route and I’m excited to see how many organisations are now opening up to indie authors, for mutual benefit.

Shanaya writes award-winning mystery books located in Scotland under the pen name Shana Frost. Born and raised in India, she is currently completing her MLitt Creative Writing in Scotland and mining the country for new story ideas. Shanaya joined the ALLi team in 2023 as a volunteer intern. She works on editing ALLi’s guidebooks and the Self-Publishing Advice blog.

When I took up self-publishing in 2020, I was studying to be an accountant—I knew nothing about the publishing industry or writing! ALLi’s blogs, podcasts and partner service directories helped me navigate my way from overwhelm to relative calm. Now as an intern with ALLi, I’m blessed to be working with a talented and helpful team of indie authors, and I can give back to the indie community who’ve always cheered me on.

A journalist for more than thirty years, focusing primarily on science, technology, and innovation, Howard has always gravitated toward independent thinkers.

He took this sense of mission to Foreword Reviews, where he was executive editor, guiding coverage of independent publishing, with a particular focus on amplifying the voices of publishers and authors that represent marginalized communities.

Now, as an independent editor, podcast producer for ALLi and host of ALLi's “Inspirational Indie Authors” podcast , Howard helps self-publishing authors find their voice.