This year’s Self-Publishing Advice Conference (SelfPubCon24) delivered fresh insights and tools for indie authors under the theme “Publishing for Profit.” With a focus on maximizing earnings and exploring innovative paths in self-publishing, the event provided valuable strategies for authors aiming to boost their publishing success.
A highlight of this year’s conference was the shift to SelfPubConnect, a new interactive platform that elevated the experience with more live events and real-time support over the 24-hour schedule. Attendees had expanded opportunities to connect with each other, engage with content directly, and make the most of every session—all within a dynamic, responsive environment.
Want to know how these changes were received? Check out the video below for feedback from attendees on their experience at SelfPubCon24.
Key Sessions from Our Sponsors at SelfPubCon24
This year’s Self-Publishing Advice Conference featured standout sessions from top sponsors, each sharing unique insights to help indie authors thrive. Here are some highlights from these sponsor-led sessions:
- Amazon KDP presented an expert panel on Profitable Publishing on Amazon KDP: Expert Tactics for Maximizing Your Income, offering advanced strategies to boost author profits on their platform.
- IngramSpark, a gold sponsor, explored Maximizing Profit with IngramSpark: Success Stories and Strategies, providing real-world tips on leveraging IngramSpark’s global reach and print-on-demand services.
- Digital Authors ToolKit, one of our silver sponsors, shared insights on how to Maximize Profit Through Effective Author Websites, with actionable advice on attracting more organic traffic and increasing revenue.
- Publish Drive, another silver sponsor, led a session on Publishing for Profit: Going Wide vs. Exclusive, guiding authors through the financial and strategic benefits of each approach.
- Sponsored by Bowker, the Pivot or Quit: Turning Setbacks into Success panel featured successful indie authors discussing when to push forward on a project and when it’s wise to change direction.
- The Rubery Book Award sponsored an engaging session, Proof is Profitable: Use Reviews, Contests, and Awards to Drive Reader Engagement and Sales, exploring how social proof builds credibility and boosts engagement.
- A panel hosted by Reedsy on Leveraging Professional Services for Profitability featured four Reedsy experts discussing the value of professional editing, design, and marketing services for self-publishers.
- Gatekeeper Press sponsored the keynote session, Evolving for Profit: The Indie Author’s Path to Sustainable Success, where Orna Ross shared a roadmap for building a profitable indie publishing career.
- BooksGoSocial introduced strategies for From SEO to AIO: Using AI Optimization to Build Brand and Book Sales, helping authors understand AI’s growing impact on brand building and discoverability.
- Finally, Publish Authority sponsored The Profitable Writer: Increase Your Output, Grow Your Income, with guidance on boosting productivity to drive more income and long-term success.
Access Passes: Get Full Access to Self-Publishing Advice Conferences
For non-members, access passes are available for purchase, unlocking all past Self-Publishing Advice Conferences. This one-time purchase of £299 provides access to invaluable resources and expert sessions from previous conferences. Get your access pass here.
For ALLi members, access is included at no additional cost—simply create a free SelfPubConnect account using the ALLi member plan. Sign up here.
Best Book Blurb Competition Winners at SelfPubCon24
In the lead-up to the Self-Publishing Advice Conference, the Alliance of Independent Authors hosted a Best Book Blurb Competition, challenging authors to craft blurbs that capture attention and promise an enticing read. The competition was fierce, but three entries emerged as the judges' favorites, winning a selection of prizes donated by ALLi partner members. Here are the winning blurbs:
Grand Prize Winner – Julia Miller
Julia Miller
We’re excited to announce Julia Miller as the grand-prize winner for her witty and subversive blurb for Crime and Prejudice. Julia’s blurb cleverly reimagines Jane Austen’s world with a twist of crime and intrigue, promising readers humor, adventure, and familiar characters in unfamiliar situations.
Julia's Blurb:
What if the beloved characters in Pride and Prejudice were lawbreakers?
The twelve stories in Crime and Prejudice imagine a deliciously seamy underside to Jane Austen's world. Arson, highway robbery, petty crime, and murder mingle with fox-hunting, bawdy-houses, gaming-tables, and transportation to Australia in these tales recounted to Elizabeth Darcy by her friends and family.
Discover why Mr. Bennet became a pug owner and a poisoner; how Elizabeth Darcy started a riot while agitating for women's enrolment at Cambridge; where Caroline Bingley found forbidden love; and, of course, when Mr. Darcy actually came by his wet shirt.
The Crime and Prejudice short stories are playful, subversive, yet faithful to the spirit of the original characters and their author's acerbic wit. These people are flawed, like us, but endearing in their struggles to overcome their limitations, particularly those placed on women in Regency England. For ultimately, it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of a good fortune has no want at all of a husband.
Prize: Julia receives a paperback of Orna Ross’s Creative Self-Publishing and a complete self-publishing package, including editorial, design, production, and marketing services—courtesy of ALLi partner members. Congratulations, Julia!
Runner-Up Winner – Jamie Crawford
Jamie Crawford
Our second runner-up, Jamie Crawford, captivated the judges with a poetry blurb that promises readers a poignant exploration of love. Jamie’s work in Lampshire uses a vivid, rhythmic style to portray the emotional highs and lows of a passionate romance.
Jamie’s Blurb:
Laughing, ageless, with sugar skulls and hair a lollipop red, she’s a girl in La Muerta guise on the Mexican Day of the Dead.
THE POEMS IN LAMPSHIRE chart the course of an intense shared love over two heady years…
no-one ever saw me really saw me like you do
They capture the wild joy of discovery…
those nights turning our blood to starsong
They face the pain of misunderstanding and conflict…
Your WhatsApp message read: Screw you I’m done. You held me so long in the April sun.
And they glimpse whatever may lie beyond…
where a full moon rose above the trees when we walked full circle hand in hand.
Prize: Jamie receives a paperback of Creative Self-Publishing and a self-publishing service of choice. Congratulations, Jamie!
Runner-Up Winner – Ross Brand
Ross Brand
Our first runner-up, Ross Brand, delivered a compelling non-fiction blurb for 100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions, Volume 4. The judges were drawn to Ross’s sense of urgency and his practical focus on AI's role in content creation.
Ross’s Blurb:
In today’s fast-changing digital world, where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how we create and connect, 100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions, Volume 4 is your essential guide to thriving in 2024 and beyond.
Compiled by live video expert Ross Brand, this award-winning series is more than a forecast—it’s a practical playbook for mastering the future of digital media.
With insights from 113 industry leaders—including Emmy winners, top YouTubers, and Hall of Fame podcasters—you’ll discover powerful strategies to elevate your content and make AI work for you. Learn how to harness AI tools to boost productivity without losing your unique voice.
Critically acclaimed for its depth and actionable advice, Volume 4 delivers exclusive predictions on emerging trends, arming you with the knowledge to stay ahead of the competition and shape the future of digital media.
Get ready to unleash your potential and lead the charge in the next wave of innovation. The future is here—don’t get left behind.
Prize: Ross will receive a paperback of Creative Self-Publishing and a self-publishing service of his choice. Congratulations, Ross!
