Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly beginners' self-publishing salon with advice, tips, and tools for indie authors just starting out. Topics discussed this week include: How do I…
During the first quarter of 2017, ALLi's Watchdog Desk received several complaints about a company known as ProofProfessor. The complaints were not about the proofreading services offered by the company. Rather, they described a troubling and consistent pattern of behavior…
"What kind of edit does my manuscript need?" "What do editors actually do?" "What's the difference between editing and proofreading?" " Do I really need to hire outside help?" These are common questions among author-publishers who strive to make their…
When one of our author members asked on the ALLi Facebook forum for a straw poll of who pays both editors and proofreaders to perfect their manuscript, a lively discussion followed, sharing best practice and top tips useful to indie authors…
Professional editor Jessica Bell, an Australian author and poet living in Athens, Greece, shares her top tips for polishing your fiction writing. Her advice will help you make your book the best it can be, prior to publication. This post complements…
Sarah Juckes of ALLi Partner Member Completely Novel offers 10 tips to make your self-published book look at home alongside trade-published books, so your reader can focus on your words. Edit, edit, edit – Reading a book littered with mistakes…
Whether or not your budget will stretch to a professional proofreader or copy editor, writing coach Derbhile Dromey's down-to-earth advice will help you make your self-published book the best it can be before you hit the "publish" button. When I…
ALLi blog editor Debbie Young tests the online service Grammarly as a potential proofreading tool for indie authors. As an avid reader of self-published books, I know how galling it is to have the flow of a good story interrupted by…
Joanne Phillips, author of two novels and nearing the completion of her third, explains how to recruit and use beta readers to fine-tune your work before it's published - an invaluable service that won't cost you a penny. Put simply,…