Self-Publishing with ALLi

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

• 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

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.

• 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.