Self-Publishing with ALLi

In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn discuss tips and tools for how to launch a book. The AskALLi podcasts are sponsored by Damonza: Books Made Awesome. Topics discussed this week include An update from Orna Ross on ALLi's activities. Joanna Penn updates us on her writing and editing process. Orna is working on her creativepreneur (creative entrepreneur) work. What's going on with EU copyright and what does it mean for indie authors? French/Israeli author wins award; French booksellers won't stock the book because Amazon published it. Orna is outraged. The importance of developmental editors: Get one! Challenge your assumptions about marketing. Don't keep doing what is not working. How much are readers willing to pay? Build profit into every transaction. And more! Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. For more information about Joanna, visit her website: http://thecreativepenn.com Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

How to Launch Your Book: Bump Up Sales with the Best Book Launch Ever Are you ready to have the best book launch ever? Shayla Raquel—editor, marketer, and publishing mentor—guides you through her one-of-a-kind plan to launch Amazon bestsellers for her indie authors. You'll learn how: to build a launch team to use social media as a lifeline to your readers to pitch to influencers and book bloggers to use your email list and preorder incentives to increase sales to plan an out-of-the-park online launch party to tell the world about your book without feeling salesy to stay on top of things after the launch and a few more marketing strategies! So are you ready to have the best book launch ever? This podcast is part of London Book Fair Self-Publishing Advice Conference (SPACon), an online author conference that showcases the best self-publishing advice and education for authors across the world — harnessing the global reach of the Alliance of Independent Authors' network. Our self-publishing conference features well-known indie authors and advisors, for 24 sessions over 24-hours, in a one-day extravaganza of self-publishing expertise straight to your email inbox.

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly IndieVoices' self-publishing salon with interviews conducted by ALLi Managing Editor Howard Lovy and updates from News Editor Dan Holloway. This Month's IndieVoices I'm about to say something with which just about every other person in the publishing industry will disagree. In fact, most will strongly, passionately, with much snooty sarcasm, disagree with what I'm about to say. Ready for it? Everybody has a memoir in them. Not only that, but everybody should write one. There, I said it. Every life is unique, and everybody has a story that only they can tell. As a journalist, what I enjoy most is getting people's stories in their own words. As a book editor, I can help them tell it in a way that brings out their own voice, that will invite others to relive their unique lives with them. With the rise of self-publishing, authors don't need to put up with rejection by acquiring editors who decide whether anybody cares about your story. Just write it. Oh, and hire a good editor to help you tell it. That's all. I'm Howard Lovy, managing editor at the Alliance of Independent Authors, and I'm focusing this episode of IndieVoices on memoir. I'd first like you to meet Indie author Leila Summers of South Africa, who self-published a memoir called It Rains in February, about a very personal, painful topic that she made universal. Also in this episode, ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway updates us on a self-published author who is winning awards in France (and a resultant uproar because he published it on Amazon's CreateSpace), what Amazon Storefront means for indie authors, and an update on European copyright law. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer, and is launching a new Jewish-themed podcast on Patreon. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter. Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include Amazon has made an error in my royalty reports. What do I do? Two part question: 1. In my book, I have included links to YouTube Jazz recordings by jazz greats like Dizzie Gillepsie. Do I have permission to do that? and 2. If I want to copy a website address into a link, does that infringe on copyright? How do I make it easy for a bookstore to carry my book without bearing the financial burden of returns? How do I convert a PDF to a fixed layout ebook? When I launch my book, should I change my spelling to American English? How long should my novel be? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn discuss the latest news in author-publishing, including the latest publishing trends and opportunities. Topics discussed this week include ALLi is getting ready for Digital Book World and its online advice conference. ALLi is in the middle of its Self-Publishing 3.0 campaign. Joanna is finishing Valley of Dry Bones. What's it like to co-write with your mom? Orna launching two books: poetry and GoCreative! What about Foreign Rights Deals? Is that significant income? CreateSpace is being rolled into KDP Print. What does it mean? Walmart partners with Kobo. How does this impact authors? How many platforms should you use? And more! Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. For more information about Joanna, visit her website: http://thecreativepenn.com Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

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: What is crowdfunding? Is it a good way to test the viability of your book? Will you get funded if nobody knows you or your work? Is there a financial risk in crowdfunding? What are the different crowdfunding services? How do extra incentives work for crowdfunding donors? And more! Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Jyotsna Ramachandran is the founder of Happy Self Publishing and author of the international bestseller Job Escape Plan. Tim Lewis is the author of three time-travel novellas in the Timeshock series and three fantasy novels in the Magpies and Magic series under his full name of Timothy Michael Lewis. He is the host of the Begin Self-Publishing Podcast and is currently working on the book Social Media Networking- a guide to using social media to find your dream job, find love and boost your travel experience.

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly IndieVoices' self-publishing salon with interviews conducted by ALLi Managing Editor Howard Lovy and updates from News Editor Dan Holloway. This Month's IndieVoices You or your kids are going back to school now, but as we all know, the excitement comes with anxiety. Financial anxiety. Among the many costs of a college education, one thing that many parents fail to account for is the high cost of textbooks. My guest today is David Harris, editor in chief of OpenStax, based at Rice University, which has a solution to the problem. David and I discuss how more colleges and universities are using free, open-license textbooks. At OpenStax, they all go through a peer-review process. Students enjoy them because they're free and instructors like the way they can be tailored to individual lessons. Free, open-license textbooks are changing the way we think about educational publishing. News editor Dan Holloway, who just retained his crown as the European speed reading champion, talks about the piracy problem in book publishing, and the different ways to crowdsource your podcast. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer, and is launching a new Jewish-themed podcast on Patreon. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter. Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include How do I get other well-known authors to endorse my books? How do I build relationships with other authors? Is there a standard form and/or process for setting an embargo date when sending out ARCs for reviews? I'd like to translate my book. How would I go about that Crowdfunding my book: should I do it? What tools can I use to format my book for ebook and paperback formats? If I copy-edit my book, do I need a proofreader as well? What about apps like Grammarly for proofreading? Do middle-grade readers prefer to read ebooks or paperbacks? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

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: Publishing a series/catalog of books to become successful; The different kinds of backend businesses authors can have behind the book (coaching/ online courses/ affiliate products); Why it's not a good idea to leave your day job till you become successful; How to calculate the number of books to sell before you break even; How to check how well a book is doing using its Amazon sales rank. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Jyotsna Ramachandran is the founder of Happy Self Publishing and author of the international bestseller Job Escape Plan. Tim Lewis is the author of three time-travel novellas in the Timeshock series and three fantasy novels in the Magpies and Magic series under his full name of Timothy Michael Lewis. He is the host of the Begin Self-Publishing Podcast and is currently working on the book Social Media Networking- a guide to using social media to find your dream job, find love and boost your travel experience.

In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn discuss how to refocus your author business. Topics discussed this week include ALLi is pulling together a video and document explaining facts and myths about working with Amazon. Orna is engaged in a great experiment to treat her poetry as she would any work of fiction or nonfiction. Joanna is reading "time slip fiction" and writing a book based on Ezekiel's Valley of the Dry Bones." It's important, as creative entrepreneurs, to map out your time in advance. The challenges of becoming a screenwriter. Ask yourself what you want to be known as. What do you want them to say about you at your funeral? What are the tasks you should outsource? If you build your assets over time, success is inevitable. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. For more information about Joanna, visit her website: http://thecreativepenn.com Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly IndieVoices' self-publishing salon with interviews conducted by ALLi Managing Editor Howard Lovy and updates from News Editor Dan Holloway. This Month's IndieVoices Rachel Thompson is an author and book marketing expert. Her series of books, Broken Pieces and Broken Places, about coming to terms with sexual abuse she suffered as a child, has inspired many other survivors to come out of hiding and seek help. In this episode, Rachel talks about the abuse, but also how writing the books and helping others brought healing after almost a lifetime of guilt and trauma. Her books and online forums have been an inspiration to many other trauma survivors. Also, Dan Holloway discusses the news. Amazon replacing libraries? Also, trouble on Prime Day. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer, and is launching a new Jewish-themed podcast on Patreon. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter. Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle

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: Financial risks of self-publishing What about bookstore distribution? But don't you get advances with traditional publishers? Do you get the best of both worlds with hybrid publishing? Amazon imprints look for self-published authors Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Jyotsna Ramachandran is the founder of Happy Self Publishing and author of the international bestseller Job Escape Plan. Tim Lewis is the author of three time-travel novellas in the Timeshock series and three fantasy novels in the Magpies and Magic series under his full name of Timothy Michael Lewis. He is the host of the Begin Self-Publishing Podcast and is currently working on the book Social Media Networking- a guide to using social media to find your dream job, find love and boost your travel experience.

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include When it comes to CreateSpace, can I use my personal name or the name of my business instead? When it comes to including blurbs from other authors on book covers, should I use "Bestselling author of" or "author of?" How do I start landing speaking engagements? What are some tools I can use to give away my book? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn discuss publishing in different genres. Topics discussed this week include Orna talks about the "waves of concern" over Amazon reviews, rank stripping, and book stuffing. ALLi is having private and public meetings with Amazon officials to get to the bottom of the issues. Update on Joanna Penn's many projects, including ebook, print book, audiobook, workbook, and multimedia course … all at the same time. And she is 7,000 words into her next thriller. Orna launches a Patreon page for her poetry and is writing a book on how to write Haiku News update on Donadio & Olson literary agency embezzlement, bringing up the question: Do you really need an agent? Do authors need to pay attention to the business side? What's going on with Amazon reviews? Putting it in perspective, most ALLi members are very happy with Amazon's review system. Joanna and Orna describe the multiple genres in which they write. Why is this the best way to go? Do you need to use different names for different genres? Which genres sell best in print and in audio? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. For more information about Joanna, visit her website: http://thecreativepenn.com Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly IndieVoices' self-publishing salon with interviews conducted by ALLi Managing Editor Howard Lovy and updates from News Editor Dan Holloway. This Month's IndieVoices If you think your kids aren't reading books like you did when you were young, they may just be doing something more important: Reinventing the way books are written and read. It's collaborative, it's a need for instant reaction from friends, and, if you haven't already guessed it, it's Wattpad: A reading and writing and social network service that has your kids' attention, and increasingly, adult writers, too, along with major studios like Netlfix and Hulu, which are adapting Wattpad stories. Today, I'll feature an interview and a reading by Wattpad user Jandra Sutton, a special interview with Ashleigh Gardner, deputy general manager of Wattpad Studios, and of course an update on the indie publishing world with our news editor Dan Holloway. I'm Howard Lovy, managing editor of the Alliance of Independent Authors and you're listing to IndieVoices. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer, and is launching a new Jewish-themed podcast on Patreon. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter. Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle

This seminar from author AG Billig is from our Self-Publishing Advice Conference. Literary history abounds in authors who wrote books that stood the test of time. Nowadays, some successful authors launch book after book after book, and never seem to be out of ideas or inspiration. What do they have in common? They are authentic, go beyond the limits of their mind, and don't question their worth as writers, and their success. They follow their inner compass, enjoy the process of writing, and are happy to offer their gift to the world. If they can do it, you can do it. In this session, you will learn all about their tricks. You will be given practical tools and exercises that will help you to keep your creative juice flowing so that you never have to face writer's block again. Overcome self-imposed limitations and beliefs regarding your success as a writer, Learn how to use your five senses (and the sixth one, too) to find inspiration on the spot, Enjoy the process of writing (even when it feels lonely). Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish!

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: Introducing new co-host Tim Lewis, author of six books and the Begin Self-Publishing Podcast Do you need an editor at all? (Yes. 99.5 percent of all writers do!) Everybody makes mistakes There are different levels of editing, from developmental editing to copy editing and proofreading. Should you go through all the phases of editing? Each has its own purpose. Do beta readers cut down on editing costs? Most 1-Star Amazon reviews are due to typos and grammatical mistakes. If you don't have the money for an editor, try bartering. Does the author have to accept all editors' changes? What editing services are available? A checklist of things to look for in an editor. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Jyotsna Ramachandran is the founder of Happy Self Publishing and author of the international bestseller Job Escape Plan. Tim Lewis is the author of three time-travel novellas in the Timeshock series and three fantasy novels in the Magpies and Magic series under his full name of Timothy Michael Lewis. He is the host of the Begin Self-Publishing Podcast and is currently working on the book Social Media Networking- a guide to using social media to find your dream job, find love and boost your travel experience.

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include What is the best way to format bibliography/works cited at the end of my book so that it looks good in ebook and paperback? What is the best way to build a team of publishing professionals around me? Does Alli recommend PublishDrive? (Yes!) Is it possible to distribute a 4x6 book on CreateSpace? How do I go about getting permission to use a song lyric from a famous artist? If you publish books wide, what is the best way to build a readership on smaller platforms that don't offer advertising services? What is the easiest way to build an author website? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn discuss how to assemble a team of professionals. Topics discussed this week include News update from Orna Ross: Drowning in GDPR, but all ALLi sites are updated and there's a downloadable guide for members. Orna is also setting up for Self-Publishing 3.0, launching a Patreon for poetry, and is finishing up a script. Joanna publishes How To Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge Into Words, along with workbook, large-print editions, multimedia course, and audiobook. The difference between trademark and trademark. Has Amazon really banned ARC reviews? No, but there is a communication problem. Is traditional publishing shaking in their boots? When is an author ready to build a team of professionals? What are the different kinds of professionals you need to hire? Be prepared to cut your losses if one of the professionals isn't working out. What should you outsource and what should you do yourself? It is a relief when you find the right person to help you. You get your writing time back. What tools to use for collaborative work. Contracts are a very good idea to protect you both. Map your week. Make time for your writing and publishing. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish! About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. For more information about Joanna, visit her website: http://thecreativepenn.com Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

In this seminar from our Self-Publishing Advice Conference in London this year, author and publisher Jane Friedman discusses "funding your writing career." Jane talks about scholarships and grants for writers and how to get organizations and patrons to support your projects. This Month's Highlights There are four different approaches to funding your writing. You don't get any money unless you ask. Grants and other "free money." Prove that you can be trusted by producing work. Get your work out there. Have a vision for what you want to do with your writing. What are the common types of grants? How to increase your chances of getting a grant. Identify a specific project. Calculate a realistic goal for crowdfunding. Crowdfunding by the numbers Creating a pitch video Rewards should be affordable and easy to fulfill Donations PayPal and TinyCoffee Recurring donations, such as Petreon. Sponsor-Patron Pay your taxes! Take a look at Jane Friedman's book, The Business of Being a Writer. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center: https://selfpublishingadvice.org, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish!

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly IndieVoices' self-publishing salon with interviews conducted by ALLi Managing Editor Howard Lovy and updates from News Editor Dan Holloway. This Month's IndieVoices Claire Baldry of East Sussex, UK, is 63 years old and recently launched a website and Facebook group focused on older readers. It's been increasingly popular as older people look for books that reflect their own experiences. Maggie Christensen, an Australian writer by way of Scotland, Oregon, and California, just wouldn't accept the notion that nobody wants to read about the lives of older people. Dan Holloway updates us on the news, including net neutrality, and the birthdays of Smashwords and Patreon. Dan promises poetry skydiving for June. We'll hold him to that. About the Hosts Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter. Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include If I publish a 2nd edition of my book, do I need to register the copyright again? How should I set up my publishing company (sole trader/proprietor, LLC/Limited, etc) Will my ISBNs transfer to my new company if I previously published as a sole proprietor/trader? What do I do if I get a "quality notice" from Amazon alleging that my book has too many errors? Help! If I contract a cover designer to do my cover, am I limited to how many books I can sell before having to pay them again? What is the best way to distribute ARCs to readers? What universal book linking site do you recommend to send readers to their local Amazon site instead of using Amazon.com or .co.uk links every time? How do I price my book? About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

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: Iain is on a "career high," selling more books than in the past years, mainly due to Facebook advertising. For nonfiction, Jyotsna recommends writing something related to your profession as your very first book. Above all, though, be clear about the reason you're writing the book. For fiction, Iain says the first book should be your passion project. Work on your craft. Not even Stephen King was born to be Stephen King. He worked hard at it. You can aspire to make a good living writing books. Odds are, you won't win the lottery like Stephen King or JK Rowling, but it's possible to earn a living. Jyotsna describes her process from idea to book. Iain talks about the discipline of writing a book. Iain recommends Scrivener as an ideal program for book writing. Switch off your WiFi and don't get lost in Google while you're writing. Just write your first draft without switching into editing mode. Just keep writing! Jyotsna recommends an "accountability partner" while you're writing to give you a "nice kick in the butt." About the Hosts Jyotsna Ramachandran is the founder of Happy Self Publishing and author of the international bestseller Job Escape Plan. Iain Rob Wright has written over a dozen novels. He's an active member of the Horror Writers Association and has also written a free self-publishing course for authors.

In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn discuss self-publishing 3.0. Topics discussed this week include Update from Orna on London Book Fair and associated live events. LBF is among the most author-friendly book fairs. ALLi launched its new member magazine called The Indie Author, which will be released quarterly. ALLi launched white paper on Blockchain for Books, to start the conversation about the future of indie publishing. Joanna posted a massive roundup of her time at LBF on https://www.thecreativepenn.com/ Replays of live LBF events can be found at http://selfpublishingadviceconference... Orna planning a number of self-published book projects. Amazon released Great on Kindle program, with features that include a 50 percent royalty plan. Joanna wonders why they can't do it more and isn't crazy about the branding. Orna outlines Self-Publishing 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. Going through giant "siren servers" like Amazon prevents authors from thinking more creatively about how to reach readers. Blockchain and other 3.0 technology will make it easier to reach readers directly, but we need to start thinking about it now. * Author confidence is growing exponentially. Nonfiction authors have been doing direct and bulk sales for a long time. Still a digital divide. Not everybody has access to digital publishing and payments. Above all, be you in your writing. What is your unique take on the world? Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. For more information about Joanna, visit her website: http://thecreativepenn.com Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly IndieVoices' self-publishing salon with interviews conducted by ALLi Managing Editor Howard Lovy and updates from News Editor Dan Holloway. This Month's IndieVoices A brief tour of a cryptocurrency mining operation, and its owner's mission to fix the Internet through a better-connected, decentralized world, one where transactions will be secure. It will be just about every industry, including publishing, that will be built atop the blockchain A commentary by Howard on the problems with giant middlemen like Google or Amazon coming between author and reader An interview with ALLi Director and Founder Orna Ross on Self-Publishing 3.0 and how authors can learn about it now. An interview with ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway who has some advice on how authors can be vigilant against corporate control over blockchain. Dan updates us on the news, including banditry at Amazon, the London Book Fair, and Google's "Talk to Books" tool. Dan also promises to work on a poem to read in the next episode. About the Hosts Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter. Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle

Welcome to AskALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Questions this month include: Should I attempt to query a book reviewer even if I know they won't accept me? How do I find an audience for a how-to parenting book? Is Babelcube a good service for authors looking to translate their works into foreign languages? Quick update on Kindle Scout (it is no longer accepting new submissions) Is it advisable to use an agent for foreign rights sales? What are the benefits of Smashwords Interviews? If you have a title up for pre-order do you see pre-orders in your dashboard, or do you only get to see them as sales when the book goes live? Is it possible to have a separate author page for each pen name you have? Should I use a female pen name for romance? How much plot/detail should I include in my author bio and book description? About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction & fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book "Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience."

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: The 90-day hot new release window and how to manipulate it with a staggered launch effort over several days. Using ads and mailing list along with Bookbub-type services to boost launches. How to assemble a street team as a new or established author. Pricing strategies About the Hosts Jyotsna Ramachandran is the founder of Happy Self Publishing and author of the international bestseller Job Escape Plan. Iain Rob Wright has written over a dozen novels. He's an active member of the Horror Writers Association and has also written a free self-publishing course for authors.

In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn talk about the creative and business mind-set. Topics discussed this week include: Orna updates us on her Go Creative! book series to be launched at the London Book Fair. How creative people apply the creative process to business. A preview of the London Book Fair and all of ALLi's activities there, including seminars, book launches, and consultations. ALLi will hold an online event in conjunction with the London Book Fair and launch of a new self-publishing advice quarterly. News update on Facebook and other big data changes. It's important for authors to understand the value of their data. Self-Publishing 3.0 is all about direct selling from author to reader. Take a look at your security settings on Facebook and look at what data they have on you. The rise of audiobooks. How to merge the creative and business mind-set. The world is changing, and so must the way you think. This is an incredible time to be an author. You can earn a living from books, but to do that, you're going to have to apply your creative skills to business. Joanna says set aside a time to put on your "creative hat." For her, it's early in the morning. You can get what you want out of social media like Facebook. "Good stuff in, good stuff out." Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. For more information about Joanna, visit her website: http://thecreativepenn.com Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction and fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. After a near-death experience in 2012, Michael decided to dedicate himself to writing, and he hasn't looked back. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals, and amazing organizations who support creative people such as Penguin Random House, Sesame Workshop, Hachette Book Group, , Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others. Dan's work has been featured by Poet's & Writers magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, and 99u. You can find Dan on his blog at or on Twitter and Instagram at @DanBlank Questions answered this week include: What services does Alli recommend for outsourcing podcast editing/show notes? What tips do you have for using a service like Fiverr? Are box sets an effective marketing tool? Is Kindle Scout worth it? What is the best way to determine if a self-publishing service provider is reputable? What's the step-by-step process of obtaining book reviews? Do you miss out on sales if you don't go all-out during your book launch? Should I copyright my work? Is it truly possible to keep a pen name secret?

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly IndieVoices' self-publishing salon with interviews conducted by ALLi Managing Editor Howard Lovy and updates from News Editor Dan Holloway. Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter. Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle This Month's IndieVoices Guest Cari Noga, author of Sparrow Migrations and The Orphan Daughter, discusses her path from NanoWriMo to CreateSpace to an Amazon imprint, and what she learned along the way. Her book touches upon themes of grief and second chances, and the current issue of immigration. Guest Claire Rudy Foster discusses her upcoming book, Shine Shine Shine, being crowdfunded by Unbound. Claire talks about her journey as an author and on writing about addiction and the LGBTQ community. Claire also reads a passage from her new collection. Dan Holloway treats us to a poem about the late physicist Stephen Hawking. He also updates us on the continuing saga of Audible and romance, blockchain and books, and an update on the StreetLib digital publishing tools.

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. Jyotsna Ramachandran is the founder of Happy Self Publishing and author of the international bestseller Job Escape Plan. Iain Rob Wright has written over a dozen novels. He's an active member of the Horror Writers Association and has also written a free self-publishing course for authors. Topics discussed this week include: Iain is writing a script for Audible Jyotsna is working on a cookbook The pros and cons of self-publishing with Amazon Do not depend on only one platform Work on developing a mailing list Smashwords vs. Draft2Digital CreateSpace vs. KDP The importance of paperback Where to launch your book Audiobook distribution

In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn are talking about the London Book Fair and the different ways to make money in self-publishing. Topics discussed this week include: An update on Joanna's and Orna's personal writing projects. The Alliance of Independent Authors will be at the London Book Fair, providing resources to authors. Top 10 e-books in the Kindle U.S. store are Amazon imprint titles. There are very different ways in which indie authors can make money. Amazon's imprints are becoming more dominant in some genres. Rights licensing is a wider publishing model. Nonfiction authors can earn more money through speaking and consulting. A podcast can be part of your body of work. Membership-site model can also be successful for some authors. Paid sponsorships for podcasts can also be rewarding. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. For more information about Joanna, visit her website: http://thecreativepenn.com Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website: http://www.ornaross.com

Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: Michael La Ronn and Dan Blank. Michael La Ronn is the author of over 30 books of science fiction and fantasy and authors self-help books. His books include the Galaxy Mavericks series and Modern Necromancy series. After a near-death experience in 2012, Michael decided to dedicate himself to writing, and he hasn't looked back. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and artists share their stories and grow their audience. He is the author of the book Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals, and amazing organizations who support creative people such as Penguin Random House, Sesame Workshop, Hachette Book Group, , Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others. Dan's work has been featured by Poet's & Writers magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, and 99u. You can find Dan on his blog at or on Twitter and Instagram at @DanBlank Questions answered this week include: If I use an editor who does a bad job, should I hire another one? What are the copyright issues around quoting a work from 1885? Should I hire someone to begin illustrations when my book is only 2/3 complete? A publisher has republished my self-published book because I signed a deal. Should I remove original book from the market? When do I need to use different ISBNs for my book? How can I connect with other authors in my genre? Do Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) ads allow you to target different countries other than the US (as of Feb 2018) How and where can I connect with other Alli members?

Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly IndieVoices' self-publishing salon with interviews conducted by ALLi Managing Editor Howard Lovy and updates from News Editor Dan Holloway. Howard Lovy has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and has spent the last five years amplifying the voices of independent publishers and authors. He works with authors as a "book doctor" to prepare their work to be published. Howard is also a freelance business and technology writer. Find Howard on LinkedIn and Twitter. Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines Earlier this year he competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle This Month's IndieVoices Each month on IndieVoices, I'm going to take a theme of interest to indie authors and talk to experts to help us understand it. Today, I'm going to discuss something that everybody is talking about, but very few people actually understand. Blockchain. My guests will be Josef Marc, CEO of a company called Publica, which is designing a blockchain system for indie authors, Sukhi Jutla, who is researching Blockchain for the Alliance, and Dan Holloway with the news. Topics discussed this week include: Introducing IndieVoices, a new broadcast from ALLi. Blockchain is something that everybody talks about, but few really understand. Introducing Josef Marc of Publica. What is the problem that Blockchain is solving for writers? You don't subscribe to a service, you subscribe to an author. Cryptocurrency for authors. What is the five-year plan for Publica? Introducing author Sukhi Jutla, who also has a banking background. She's writing a white paper on blockchain for authors Blockchain removes the middleman and gives authors more-direct access to readers. Blockchain White Paper will be released in April at the London Book Fair. Introducing Dan Holloway, ALLi's news editor. Most exciting thing about blockchain is control of rights management. At minute 17, Howard's cat, Story, contributes a couple of "meows." People are focusing on payments, but blockchain has the potential to be even more disruptive. Bitcoin and blockchain are not synonymous. Blockchain crosses national boundaries. Wordpress has a new podcast plugin that's exciting to writers. What is Geoblocking? Howard says a bad word and is "bleeped" out by an overzealous podcast producer. Information wants to be free, except when money is to be made.

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. This month, we introduce our new hosts. Jyotsna Ramachandran is the founder of Happy Self Publishing and author of the international bestseller Job Escape Plan. Iain Rob Wright has written over a dozen novels. He's an active member of the Horror Writers Association and has also written a free self-publishing course for authors. This Month's Beginners' Self-Publishing Salon Episode No matter how you like to consume your content, we have you covered. You can listen to the podcast recording, watch the YouTube broadcast, or read the full transcript of this Salon episode below. Topics discussed this week include: Introducing Iain and Jyotsna Seven years ago, Iain decided to be a writer because he wasn't happy with his sales job, discovered self-publishing and never looked back. Jyotsna quit her full-time job six years ago, tried out different businesses. Discovered Amazon self-publishing and began making money on royalties. Then she found fulfillment in writing her own books Visibility is more difficult now than it was six years ago. The space is more crowded. Self-publishing is like any other business. Build it from the ground up. Don't depend on Amazon for visibility. Get onto podcasts, find places to speak about your book. Self-publishing is a great way to work from home. Tools for formatting books. Microsoft Word? Vellum? Depends on your needs and budget. Give proper instructions to freelance formatters. CreateSpace vs. KDP

EP#80: Welcome to AskALLi, the self-Publishing advice weekly broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). In this, our monthly advanced salon, Orna Ross, ALLi Director, and Advisor Joanna Penn, of TheCreativePenn.com, analyse the latest tools and trends of interest to experienced indie authors. Topics discussed this week include: An update on Orna and Joanna's personal projects ALLi's plans for the London Book Fair Changing the name of ALLi's online publishing conference for authors: from "Indie Author Fringe" to "Self-Publishing Advice Conference" ... and why An update on Amazon, KDP, and Apple Books, Kobo, Nook, and Walmart Complete reliance on Amazon is not a good business model Author Earnings Report... is it wrongly named? Need for personal branding for authors as Facebook and other organic reach declines Joanna focusing more on YouTube in 2018 Selecting your social media outlet Orna finishing ALLi's white paper on Blockchain Joanna writing a nonfiction book on how to write a nonfiction book Don't put more time into any other website -- including Mark Zuckerberg's -- than you put into your own. Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Advanced Self-Publishing Salon is one of four regular shows, which include: ALLi Member Q&A with Dan Blank and Michael La Ronn Beginners' Salon with Jyotsna Ramachadaran and Iain Robb Wright Indie Voices - Interviews with Significant Players in Self-Publishing Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, is it time you joined us. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now... go write and publish. About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. Connect with Joanna on Twitter: @thecreativepenn Orna Ross is an award-winning, bestselling novelist. She also writes poetry and nonfiction and is Director of the Alliance of Independent Authors and the Creativist Club. Her work for ALLi has seen her named "one of the 100 most influential people in publishing" (The Bookseller). Connect with Orna on Twitter: @OrnaRoss

Ep#83: Novelists Jerome Griffin and Orna Ross, ALLi Director, discuss the seven stages of conscious creation as they relate to writing. Understanding the different requirements of each stage from concept to completion can, Orna argues, up your writing speed, ensure you're more likely to finish well, and improve your writing craft. Topics covered in this author podcast include: Vision Phase of writing: Intention, Incubation, and Investigation. Making Phase of writing: Drafting and Elaboration. Revision Phase of writing: Clarification and Correction. Why writers fail to finish and publish their books. Three phases of the writing process. A linear vs. erratic approach to writing. Motivation and Exhilaration to write. Skills and mindsets for each writing phase. Focusing your mind. F-R-E-E Writing. Observational Skills. Control your inner Critic. Collaboration and Teamwork. Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Indie Author Fringe Highlight is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and an advanced self-publishing salon. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org. If you're not familiar with our Fringe event, it's three-times a year, online conference for self-publishing authors, brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and fringe to the major global publishing fairs; London Book Fair, BookExp, and Frankfurt Book Fair. ALLi brings together the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available and broadcasts it to authors everywhere. Running 24 sessions over 24 continuous hours allows our members, and other authors round the globe, to attend sessions, no matter where they're located. For more information, visit our Conference Home Page Now, go write and publish. Host Bio: Tim Lewis is the author of three Science Fiction novellas and two (soon to be three) short fantasy novels. He is also the host of the Begin Self-Publishing Podcast as has interviewed over forty authors, experts and marketing specialists about how to produce and market a book. Website: http://www.stonehampress.com Facebook: Facebook/timlewis808 Twitter: @stonehampress Pinterest: stonehampress

EP#82: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This is our monthly Beginners' Self-Publishing Salon, with advice, tips and tools for indie authors just starting out. And here are your regular hosts for the beginners' salon: Jay Artale and Michael La Ronn. The topics covered in this beginners session about Designing your own book cover includes: 2017 Reflections Using and Leveraging Existing Content Finding Writing Efficiencies Scrivener 3.0 Premium Version of Grammarly Tracker Box Amazon Ads Keywords Accountability Partners Author Platform Author Collaboration New goals for 2018 Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This beginners salon is one of four regular shows, which include a more advanced salon, a member Q&A and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About your show hosts: Jay Artale is a project manager who swapped corporate life for a nomadic existence as a non-fiction writer. She's written and self-published a series of travel guides, travel writing books, and poetry collections. Jay is also one of the co-organizers of the Indie Author Fringe, an online conference for indie authors who self-publish. Connect with Jay on Twitter: @BirdsOAFPress 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. Connect with Michael on Twitter: @MichaelLaRonn

Ep#81: This week we're showcasing the session "5 steps To Building a Successful Author Platform" hosted by Donna Galanti. Even if you don't have a polished draft to publish, Donna will show you what you can do right now to successfully pave the way to an author career before your book is published. Learn how to build a strong author foundation that includes; creating a peer support network, forming relationships with authors in your genre, sharing the wisdom you already have (and may not know it), and connecting with readers via social media (yes, before that book is out!). Creating an author platform takes time and building it slowly can make this overwhelming process not only easy and manageable, but fun! Attendees will come away with the steps to launch their author platform over time before publication. Topics covered in this author podcast include: How to build best followers on social media. How to connect with readers. How to build your email list. How to collaborate with other authors. How to position yourself as an expert. Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Indie Author Fringe Highlight is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and an advanced self-publishing salon. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org. If you're not familiar with our Fringe event, it's three-times a year, online conference for self-publishing authors, brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and fringe to the major global publishing fairs; London Book Fair, BookExp, and Frankfurt Book Fair. ALLi brings together the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available and broadcasts it to authors everywhere. Running 24 sessions over 24 continuous hours allows our members, and other authors round the globe, to attend sessions, no matter where they're located. For more information, visit our Conference Home Page Now, go write and publish. Donna Galanti is the author of the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy and the children's fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series. She is represented by Bill Contardi of Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc. Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs with other middle grade authors at Project Middle Grade Mayhem. She's lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna enjoys teaching at conferences on the writing craft and marketing and also presenting as a guest author at elementary and middle schools. Visit her at www.elementtrilogy.com and www.donnagalanti.com. She also loves building writer community. Check out her 4 Proven Steps to Connect with Readers Right Now (Before Your Book Even Comes Out!): www.createyourawesomecommunity.com

Ep#80: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week it's our monthly Member Q&A where ALLi Members' have their most pressing self-publishing questions analyzed and answered. Join your regular hosts for the Member Q&A: indie author's David Penny & Debbie Young. Summary of our Ask ALLi Self-Publishing Member Q&A Topics: Q: How do I stop my margins jumping about when formatting my book in Word? Q: How do you position your book in the marketplace when your rebranding and relaunching the 2nd edition version? Q: How do you choose your categories when your in a narrow niche? Q: How do you market a book if you want to use a pseudonym? Q: Should I use a paid service called Indie Book Reviewers website? Q: I find Facebook Ads daunting, are there simple resources and instructions available? Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Member Self-Publishing Q&A is one of four regular shows, which include a more advanced salon, a beginners' salon and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About your hosts ALLi's Technical Manager David Penny is the author of the best selling Thomas Berrington Historical Mystery series set in the final years of Moorish Spain, and before returning to writing full time he worked in education, printing and publishing, and for 25 years ran his own software company. Connect with David on Twitter @DavidPenny_ ALLi's Publications Manger Debbie Young enjoys sharing best practice with our members around the world, as well as running two local authors' groups and the Hawkesbury Upton Lit Fest on her home turf. Small wonder, then, that her cosy mystery series, the Sophie Syers Village Mysteries, is set in a small English village populated with authors and booksellers. Connect with Debbie on Twitter @DebbieYoungBN

EP#79: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. In a monthly salon type discussion, Orna Ross, Director of the Alliance of Independent Authors and Joanna Penn, of TheCreativePenn.com, talk about the latest tools and trends of interest to emerging and experienced self-publishing authors. Topics discussed this week include: Choosing a micro niche Being an Author Entrepreneur Money for Writers How to create anything Successful author mindset Embracing business as an author The Author business model Author mindset Creating money and meaning The healthy writer The Role of creative rest and creative play Print on Demand ISBNs Global Markets Author Collaboration Writing Partnerships 2018 Self-Publishing Trends Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Advanced Self-Publishing Salon is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About the Hosts Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as writing non-fiction for authors. She is also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. She spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporations across the globe before becoming a full-time author-entrepreneur in September 2011. Connect with Joanna on Twitter @thecreativepenn Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and is greatly excited by the democratising, empowering potential of author-publishing. Connect with Orna on Twitter @OrnaRoss

EP#78: Welcome to Ask ALLi, the Self-Publishing Advice Broadcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This is our monthly Beginners' Self-Publishing Salon, with advice, tips and tools for indie authors just starting out. And here are your regular hosts for the beginners' salon: Jay Artale and Michael La Ronn. The topics covered in this beginners session about Designing your own book cover includes: eBook Design Tools Image Rights Cover Design Awards Stock Photos eBook Cover Thumbnails Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This beginners salon is one of four regular shows, which include a more advanced salon, a member Q&A and a special guest highlight presentation from the Indie Author Fringe, ALLi's free online author conference. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org. Now, go write and publish. About your show hosts: Jay Artale is a project manager who swapped corporate life for a nomadic existence as a non-fiction writer. She's written and self-published a series of travel guides, travel writing books, and poetry collections. Jay is also one of the co-organizers of the Indie Author Fringe, an online conference for indie authors who self-publish. Connect with Jay on Twitter: @BirdsOAFPress 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. Connect with Michael on Twitter: @MichaelLaRonn

Ep#77: This week we're showcasing the session "How Authors use Podcasts to grow their Brand" hosted by Tim Lewis. If you're considering starting a podcast to raise your indie author profile and grow your audience, Tim shares the what, why, and when of podcasting for beginners. Topics covered in this author podcast include: What is a Podcast? Who Can Launch a Podcast? The Basics of RSS Feeds & Podcast Hosting. Why you SHOULDN'T launch a Podcast. Why you SHOULD launch a Podcast. How do you Start a Podcast? Podcasting Equipment. Choosing Your Podcasting Niche. Stereo vs. Mono Audio Tracks. Avoiding explicit podcast. Avoiding Copyright Infringement. Podcast Hosting. Options Podcast Ratings and Reviews. Building a Podcast Audience. Podcast Editing. Make it easy to Subscribe on Android. Become a Podcast Guest. Our weekly Self-Publishing Advice broadcast is brought to you by ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors. This Indie Author Fringe Highlight is one of four regular shows, which include an ALLi Member Q&A, a beginners' salon and an advanced self-publishing salon. Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, www.selfpublishingadvice.org. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. You can do that at www.allianceindependentauthors.org. If you're not familiar with our Fringe event, it's three-times a year, online conference for self-publishing authors, brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and fringe to the major global publishing fairs; London Book Fair, BookExp, and Frankfurt Book Fair. ALLi brings together the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available and broadcasts it to authors everywhere. Running 24 sessions over 24 continuous hours allows our members, and other authors round the globe, to attend sessions, no matter where they're located. For more information, visit our Conference Home Page Now, go write and publish. Host Bio: Tim Lewis is the author of three Science Fiction novellas and two (soon to be three) short fantasy novels. He is also the host of the Begin Self-Publishing Podcast as has interviewed over forty authors, experts and marketing specialists about how to produce and market a book. Website: http://www.stonehampress.com Facebook: Facebook/timlewis808 Twitter: @stonehampress Pinterest: stonehampress