Self-Publishing Business and Planning Advice: Best Blogs 2023

Photo by Myriam Jessier on Unsplash

Yet again, this year has flown by! Throughout December,  we will be looking back at the top posts on the Alliance of Independent Authors blog. So, don't worry if you've missed some of our weekly advice, guidance, and case studies, we'll be rounding them all up this month. And this week, we're kicking off with a selection of the best self-publishing business and planning advice covered on the blog from 2023. 

The Ultimate Guide to Being a Hybrid Author

ALLi members have a range of business models for their author careers. For some, self-publishing is the goal, for others, it's a traditional publisher’s contract they hunger for. For hybrid authors finding the perfect balance between the two is the dream come true. This post gathered case studies from across ALLi members who have gone down the hybrid route to build a complete picture. Find out what it takes to license rights to some books, while self-publishing others in this ultimate guide to being a hybrid author.

Analytics for Indie Authors: Understanding Your Self-Publishing Business Success

As writers, we don't often realise the amount of data and numbers we need to crunch in order to run a successful business. Many of us shy away from numbers, preferring words. But understanding how to analyse data is critical for business success. In this post, Ricardo Fayet from Reedsy brings his experience to the ALLi blog to explain analytics for authors.

Embracing a Positive Money Mindset for Indie Authors

The rise of self-publishing has not only brought about creative freedom for authors, but also a new personal responsibility for financial control over our own writing careers. Here at the The Alliance of Independent authors, we believe that adopting a positive money mindset can turn what might feel like an overwhelming responsibility into an empowering opportunity. If you’re finding it tricky to embrace the financial elements of indie publishing, take a look at this post for ALLi’s top tips for building a positive money mindset.

How to Balance Being a Full-Time Parent or Carer and Indie Author

Managing time when you are a creative is tricky at the best of times. Many of us have responsibilities outside our self-publishing business; jobs, parenting or other caring duties. So how do you juggle it all in order to grow your business? In this post, the AskALLi team spoke to systems expert Katlyn Duncan to find out how she does it and what tips she has for others balancing different roles. Find out more in the post here: How to balance being a full-time parent or carer and indie author.

Successful Slow-Release Strategies for Indie Authors

Planning a strategy for releasing your books not only helps manage your writing timetable, but your business timetable too. This post supports those members writing to a gentler schedule, exploring the concept of slow-releasing books, including sharing tips from two ALLi members who have successfully built an indie-author living while slow releasing their work: Literary Fiction and Writing Craft author Roz Morris, and Fantasy and Non-Fiction author Russell Nohelty. Find out more: slow-release strategies for indie authors.

Successful Rapid-Release Strategies for Indie Authors

Following the blog post exploring slow-releasing as a self-publishing model, this post covered the opposite approach: rapid release. Here we explored why rapid releasing can be a powerful tool for independent authors, alongside outlining the challenges you may face when taking this fast-paced approach. The post includes inspiring examples of authors who have mastered the model. Take a read here: successful rapid-release strategies for indie authors. 

Self-publishing Authors Earn More Says ALLi Income Survey

A roundup of self-publishing business posts wouldn’t be complete without a reminder to take a look at the results of the 2023 Author Income Survey of more than 2000 authors commissioned by ALLi this year. The survey had many fascinating results, including the finding that self-publishing authors earn more than writers with traditional publishers. And that independent (indie) author incomes are rising, year on year. Take a look at the full results here: ALLi Income Survey 2023.

Find out more

looking to boost your business planning in the new year? Take a look at ALLi's Monthly Business Planner (also available for quarterly planning).

This planner is available for purchase in our bookstore. Members enjoy free access to the ebook.