Hello Reader,

​

Welcome to your monthly self-publishing round-up, bringing you the latest from the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), the Self-Publishing Advice Center, and the Go Creative! planning programs for authors.

A slight delay in transmission this month, as the ALLi team were out and about more than usual, and set back with some illness and family issues. We decided to hold your newsletter over until after Easter, in case it got lots among the resurrection rituals or chocolate eggs.

The London Book Fair

Our big outing in March was to the London Book Fair, our annual reminder to the wider publishing industry that yes, indie authors are here, and we are doing great things!

It’s also where, each year, self-publishers form all over the world come together, to sell rights and socialise. This year, at the behest of ALLi and the UK Society of Authors, the Fair introduced an author lounge and networking zone which was very popular.

At a personal level, we were thrilled to welcome our team member, Michael La Ronn, and his mom to England. After a decade of working together, it was the first time that most of us met Michael in person, so that was truly wonderful.

My blog post about the Fair and how it compared to another "future of publishing" event I attended, run by the wonderful Russell Nohelty and Monica Leonelle, is here.

Selfie Awards

We were also delighted with ALLi members' achievements at The Selfies Awards, a prestigious book prize powered by ALLi Partner BookBrunch. ALLi advisor, Joanna Penn, won in the nonfiction category for Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways. And ALLi ambassador, Julia Boggio, won the adult fiction category with her book, Shooters. Congratulations, Jo and Julia. Special congratulations also to members, Susan Grossey, Katharine Light, Jason Mann, Alice McVeigh, and Thomas R Weaver, whose books were all shortlisted. Well done to all. Write on!

​Self-Publishing News and Advice

In the news we saw the ​​AI Act approved and Brandon Sanderson set crowdfunding records (again!) lots more. See below for all the news, blog and podcast links.

Go Creative Planning and Kickstart with Me

This month and across the coming quarter, my Go Creative! workshops for authors will focus on email marketing. I view the email ecosystem around your books as an electrical network, carrying the energy of your author values.

Across this quarter, we'll be aiming to elevate and expand both energy for emailing, and the energy embedded in the emails

• April 24: ACCESSing The Right Reader: Getting out of your author head to walk in your reader's shoes then setting up / fixing any breaks in your ACCESS circuit
• May 24: Activating Your Author Values in Your Emails: Aligning your books, your author mission, and your publishing model with your email plans. Awakening and infusing the right energy into your words, before you write to your readers and followers.
• Jun 24: Optimising: Using emails about your books (both your backlist and the book you’re currently working on) to draw readers closer and join a street team.

​

Early in the quarter, the focus will be on fixing any breaks in your sign-ups, autoresponders, and author newsletters. As the quarter progresses, we'll be activating and optimising communications for wider reach and greater ROI.

This program operates outside of the Alliance of Independent Authors, through Patreon. It's a very personal take on self-publishing, the creative way, and my way of offering more personal attention to authors than is possible through ALLi.

If it sounds like it might be good for you, you can find out more on Patreon.com/OrnaRoss.

Until next time,

Happy writing and publishing!

Orna

NEWS, EVENTS & OTHER UPDATES

​

New ALLi Guide ‘How Authors Sell Publishing Rights’ Now Available

Want to know how to make more money from your books without writing another word? The latest ALLi guidebook takes you through the complicated world of rights licensing, showing you how to approach rights buyers, what they’re looking for, and what to expect when discussing the license or ‘sale of rights’ for your book.

You’ll learn how to pitch, negotiate and close a deal, and how to work with literary agents and global publishing companies. You will also be introduced to the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi)'s indie author rights program, which offers ongoing support.

​Purchase your copy here (free to our members).

Latest Self-Publishing News:

​Happy Read an E-Book Week and “Consent or Pay” from Facebook/Meta​

​Gmail and Yahoo change rules on newsletters​

​​Apple responds to Spotify’s lawsuit by releasing figures on the firm’s relationship​​

​Reddit is going public after 18 years​​

​OpenAI’s Sora stuns with its text to video capability​​

​​Preparation for the Accessibility Act for eBook producers​​

Advice and Inspirations Podcast:

Subscribe here to never miss an episode: selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast​

​Pen to Prosperity: Money Mindset, Manifestation, and Management with Carissa Andrews — Self-Publishing Conference Highlight​

​Nurture a positive money mindset, master the art of manifestation, and take away lots of money management tips for authors with Carissa Andrews.

​

​​Navigating Amazon’s AI Disclosure Requirements: More Self-Publishing Questions Answered​​

​In this episode of the AskALLi Member Q&A podcast, Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black tackle the complex issue of AI-generated content and Amazon's new disclosure mandates.

​

​​Inspirational Indie Author Interview: Tiffany Obeng. ​​

Howard Lovy interviews Tiffany Obeng, a children's book author from Houston, Texas, who also works in employment law. Through her job handling job-discrimination cases, she realized that black children like her own need to be aware of all the career choices they have. That's when she really started publishing her books with a mission.

​​​

​Are Book Promotion Sites Right for Me? Reaching More Readers Podcast​​

​This month on the Reaching More Readers podcast, Dale takes the lead advising Holly on the best ways to identify the right book promotion sites to reach your readers and make sure you don't get scammed along the way.
​

​​Who Are ALLi’s Ambassadors and What Do They Do? ALLi Campaigns Podcast​​

​This week, Campaigns Manager Melissa Addey and Blog Editor Holly Greenland explore the role of ALLi’s ambassadors: who they are and what they do.

Self-Publishing Advice Articles

Use the search box to answer your self-publishing questions: SelfPublishingAdvice.org​Button​
​

​An Introduction to Writing to Trend: A Five-Step Guide​

​One big benefit of indie publishing is that it’s up to us, as authors, what genre we write in, what niche we explore and which audience we write for. By undertaking our own research and planning, we can identify opportunities to make the most of emerging trends and reader interest in them. So today at ALLi, we're looking at what a ‘trend’ really is, how to identify one that works for you, and how to fulfil the expectations of your readers.

​​​

​Moving from Associate to Author: ALLi Member Top Tips for Levelling Up​​

​Today’s post looks at the experience of our indie author community as we level up from an associate, just starting out with writing, to a fully-fledged author. What does it feel like, how do things change, and what can we do to move to the next level?​

​

​​We Need to Talk About…Trigger Warnings: ALLi Member Opinion Piece​​

In this month's opinion piece, Sue Rovens reflects on adding trigger warnings to written content, including her reasons for not using them for her own Thriller novels.

​

​​Improve Your Author Website with SEO Updates for 2024: Six Easy Tips​​

​Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is about giving your author site the best chance to reach the top of search engine listings. In this post, ALLi Partner Member Debbie Emmitt shares six easy tips you can put into action to improve your author website and maximise your chances of being noticed in 2024.

​

​​Meet ALLi at the London Book Fair 2024: Team Stand, Indie Author Talks, and Drinks Party​​

​Join us this year at the London Book Fair 2024, Stand 1F51, at the heart of the new Self-Publishing Zone, where the ALLi team and volunteers will be waiting to chat with you about all things indie publishing.