Self-Publishing with ALLi

In this member-first Q&A on the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, ALLi video content adviser Dale L. Roberts answers questions on how authors can use video to market their books, connect with readers, and build visibility for their author brand. Topics include the best tools for creating video content, when to start using video in the publishing process, and how to measure the impact of video on book sales and reader engagement. Roberts also addresses how to drive traffic to videos, whether book trailers still matter, how Amazon A+ Content works, and practical ways to get comfortable on camera. Show Notes YouTube for Authors, by Dale L. Roberts Self-Publishing with Dale Daniel Batal Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally.

My guest this episode is Darnnell Reese, a Desert Storm combat veteran and former Military Intelligence analyst. During her service, she experienced trauma both on the battlefield and within her own unit, which she kept silent about for decades. With the encouragement and help of her daughter, she finally put that story into writing. Her work also draws on faith and focuses on confronting bullies in all forms. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of 2,000+ blog posts, and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. About the Host Howard Lovy is an author, developmental editor, and writing coach with a long career in journalism and publishing. He works with writers at many stages of their careers, with a focus on helping them develop their ideas and strengthen their work while preserving their unique voices. He lives in Northern Michigan. About the Guest Darnnell D. Reese is an author, Gulf War veteran, and retired federal IT professional. She is the founder of the Victorious With God imprint and the author of Blanket Party in Desert Storm: From Beatdown and Spiritually Broken to Eternally Blessed, a mother-daughter memoir co-authored with her daughter Deidra Wilson, along with Victorious! Defeating Bullies and Giants God's Way, In All Seriousness... Totally Funny Bible Stories, and the companion Defeating Bullies and Giants Coloring Book. She writes from a place of faith and lived experience, with a focus on confronting bullies and telling hard truths. You can find Reese on her website, on Amazon and on her ALLi author profile.

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway reports on new insights into what bookstores want from publishers and how indie authors may be better placed to respond quickly to trends. He also examines controversy over Harlequin's AI-driven micro drama project, where authors say they were not consulted, and looks at wider tensions in the publishing industry as it both adopts and challenges AI in different arenas. Show Notes What Jane Friedman says bookstores want from publishers Sponsor Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by PublishMe—helping indie authors succeed globally with expert translation, tailored marketing, and publishing support. From first draft to international launch, PublishMe ensures your book reaches readers everywhere. Visit publishme.me. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. About the Host Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet, and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.

Is Substack a smart marketing tool for indie authors? In this episode, Orna Ross explores the platform's strengths for marketing fiction, poetry, and nonfiction books—including reader community, discoverability, and subscription options—alongside weaknesses like limited e-commerce, conflicting priorities, and the risks of building on a venture-backed platform whose goals may shift over time. She concludes that Substack offers a powerful combination of features for authors who want to balance creativity with visibility, but is not a substitute for a solid book-selling strategy. Show Notes Orna Ross on Substack (Embers & Ink: Learnings from Literature) Sarah Fay on Substack (Substack Writers at Work) Sponsor Our Creative Self-Publishing stream is brought to you by Orna Ross's Go Creative! program—helping authors harness the power of creative flow in writing and publishing. About the Host 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 democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A podcast, hosts Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black discuss what happens when Amazon or Google Play suddenly terminates author accounts, including how ALLi can help advocate on members' behalf. Other questions include: Should authors distribute through Gardners or IngramSpark, and what sales volume is required for Gardners How can authors verify whether a publisher or publishing service is legitimate before working with them What is ALLi's position on Kindle's controversial "Ask This Book" AI feature How should authors respond to unsolicited phone calls from people claiming to be literary agents What options exist for getting publishing rights back from a traditional publisher who refuses to return them And more! Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-Publishing Author Advice Center, 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. About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is ALLi's Outreach Manager. He is the author of over 80 science fiction & fantasy books and self-help books for writers. He writes from the great plains of Iowa and has managed to write while raising a family, working a full-time job, and even attending law school classes in the evenings (now graduated!). You can find his fiction at www.michaellaronn.com and his videos and books for writers at www.authorlevelup.com. Sacha Black is a bestselling and competition winning author, rebel podcaster, speaker and casual rule breaker. She writes fiction under a secret pen name and other books about the art of writing. When Sacha isn't writing, she runs ALLi's blog. She lives in England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son. You can find her on her website, her podcast, and on Instagram.