Today's guest is author H. N. Deeb, a TV writer who also writes climate science fiction or cli-fi, for young adults. His path was a winding one to Hollywood, where he noticed California's water crisis and wanted to write something that both warned and entertained. Deeb and I discuss why he switched careers from law to writing, and how he's helping to change sci-fi from its sexist past. Along the way, we talk about the real root cause of much conflict around the world: water and access to it. Eve...
Aug 11, 2019•13 min•Ep. 153
Artificial intelligence sounds like a very futuristic term but you have already experienced it in your author business, from the Amazon algorithm to Google translate. In this Advanced Self-Publishing Salon, ALLi Director Orna Ross and Advisor Joanna Penn of thecreativepenn.com look at some of the AI tools that are already available to us, as indie authors. And those that are likely to prove most useful to us in the years ahead. Our advanced salon is brought to you by specialist sponsor IngramSpa...
Aug 07, 2019•53 min•Ep. 152
Today's guest is Rohan Quine, author of The Beasts of Electra Drive , which was a 2018 finalist for the Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards. With themes of magic realism, technology, horror, LGBTQ characters, it is both a genre and gender-bending indie book. I call him genre-bending because he retrospectively finds labels to apply. That means he just writes, and does not really concern himself with categories. Later, he sees that his book can be defined as sci-fi, horror, fantasy,...
Aug 04, 2019•14 min•Ep. 151
It’s Week 23 Q2, 2019, halfway through the year. How is your author business doing so far? In this month's AskALLi Advanced Salon, ALLi Director Orna Ross and Enterprise Advisor Joanna Penn discuss how to review what’s working and what’s not. How do we marry the year’s goals and our life roles? How change is part of the process. How to adapt to changing conditions and challenges without getting derailed or distracted. And more! Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advic...
Jun 29, 2019•50 min•Ep. 150
Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the alliance of independent authors. Today, we present a special edition of our podcast for the launch of our Indie Authors' Copyright Bill of Rights. 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 a...
Jun 21, 2019•32 min
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 Orna Ross. Questions this month include: What are the best and ethical methods to do a giveaway without using Goodreads or Amazon giveaways? If I've self-published my business advice book but want to...
Jun 13, 2019•31 min•Ep. 149
ALLi Director Orna Ross and Author Dan Blank survey seven ways to be a productive writer so you can write and sell more books. Expect lots of research-based advice about how best to prepare body and mind, setting daily priorities, Block out time and shut out distractions. Plus: ways to map and log your progress and give yourself rewards. Here are some highlights: Orna on Surrounding Yourself with Support "Surround yourself with other people who get it, who understand what you're trying to do. It...
Jun 08, 2019•43 min•Ep. 148
Joanna Penn, of TheCreativePenn.com , and Orna Ross, director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, explain copyright in this edition of the AskALLi Advanced Self-Publishing Salon. Think copyright is boring? Think again. Copyright controversies have seen people take to the streets in recent months, sign petitions, boycott certain companies, and even black out Wikipedia. As big content, big tech and big legal fight court battles, Joanna and Orna talk about what it all means for the independent ...
Jun 01, 2019•45 min•Ep. 147
Howard Lovy interviews Maggie Lynch , who writes a series of science fiction books she shares with eight other indie authors, called Obsidian Rim. Their goal is to produce a new book in the series every couple of weeks. Howard and Maggie discuss how the group is appealing to a growing demographic of sci-fi readers: women. Maggie's new book is called Gravity and it has all the elements of space opera, but with "a romantic twist." Maggie talks about what that means. Inspirational Indie Authors is ...
May 26, 2019•12 min
Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week, it's our monthly Self-Publishing Life Salon with Alli Director Orna Ross and author Dan Blank. They discuss the importance of finding your rhythm and balance across the days and weeks. Orna proposes a three-part planning system that takes account of processing, promotion as well as production. And Dan explains why he doesn't believe in balance, but obsession, and discusses firm schedules a...
May 24, 2019•47 min•Ep. 146
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 Orna Ross. Questions this month include: How do you go about finding a translator for your book? How would you recommend that I reach my target audience of teachers and educators? What is the recomme...
May 17, 2019•55 min•Ep. 145
Hello and welcome to Self-Publishing Poetry the online open-mic and advice clinic from Orna Ross, poet, author and director of the Alliance of Independent Authors. Every month, Orna hosts a poet who is doing remarkable things, offers advice on self-publishing poetry and facilitates an eclectic open mic. The featured guest this month is Helen Eastman, director of LiveCanon.co.uk , who talks about courses, events, and publishing poets, offering sage wisdom and introducing us to some Live Canon poe...
May 17, 2019•49 min
On the AskALLi Beginners' Self-Publishing Salon, ALLi Director Orna Ross and Monash University Associate Law Professor Rebecca Giblin look at copyright matters. "What's really essential here is how we divide up the pie," Rebecca says. "The copyright is all of the financial, the economic rights that an author has in their work and that needs to sustain them and it needs to protect their interests. That includes the interest in being paid, but it also includes their interest in continuing to be re...
May 10, 2019•51 min•Ep. 144
On today's Inspirational Indie Authors, Howard Lovy interviews Selfie-Award-winning author Jane Davis. We don't have very many rock stars in the indie publishing world, but a few have risen to the top with a reputation for producing wonderfully written, compelling books that stand out as great literature, no matter what label you put on it. One of them is Davis, who was recently recognized as one of the best self-published authors of the year with the new SELFIE awards for her book called Smash ...
May 10, 2019•13 min
Joanna Penn, of TheCreativePenn.com , and Orna Ross, director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, explain how to scale your author business without compromising your creativity or giving up on your life. Topics discussed this week include: What you really want Diversity of products Multiple streams of income How to build positive routines Tools and teams And more! Find more author advice, tips and tools at our self-publishing advice center, http://selfpublishingadvice.org . And, if you haven...
May 03, 2019•53 min•Ep. 143
Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week, it's our monthly Writing Salon, where we discuss the craft of writing with author Dan Blank and ALLi Director Orna Ross. This week, Orna and Dan talk about managing all of a writer's assets. As writers, we think about the work we need to do to create our books but perhaps not enough about the writing we do to build other assets that are very important to our author business. In this salon ...
Apr 26, 2019•44 min•Ep. 142
On today's Inspirational Indie Authors interview, journalist Howard Lovy talks to Steff Green. She's a paranormal romance author, teaches self-publishing courses, and is also a children's author who just Kickstarted a Gothic Picture Book. It's a book about bullying called Only Freaks Turn Things Into Bones. Steff talks about how she was bullied as a child due to her blindness, which gave her a deep understanding of how a bullying victim feels. And, like the main character in the book, she was a ...
Apr 26, 2019•10 min
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 Orna Ross. Questions this month include: Is it worth displaying my book at BookExpo? Which is better for book promotion: Bookbub or Goodreads? Which of the assisted self-publishing companies are best...
Apr 19, 2019•44 min•Ep. 141
On the AskALLi Beginners' Self-Publishing Salon, Orna Ross and Tim Lewis look at editing. Money spent on editing is not just a necessary investment in your book but also in your writing and publishing future. Every writer needs an editor, but getting the most from your investment can be challenging, especially when you’re starting out. Orna and Tim explain how to decide which type of edit you need, how to choose the best editors for your books and how to work with them to get the best creative a...
Apr 13, 2019•45 min•Ep. 141
Howard Lovy takes a close look at Inspirational Indie Authors. This isn't about their business model, their marketing, or even how many books they've sold. It's about their writing, and what indie authors have to say. Today's interview is with Yvonne Caputo, author of Flying with Dad: A Daughter, A Father, and how his World War II Stories Brought them Closer. Growing up, Yvonne did not have a very close relationship with her father. A member of the WWII "Greatest Generation," her dad was very br...
Apr 13, 2019•12 min
In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn talk about the lessons learned and key takeaways for indie authors from The London Book Fair and ALLi's online Self-publishing Advice Conference, including the most up-to-date advice on making and selling books and running a successful indie author business. The AskALLi podcasts are sponsored by Damonza: Books Made Awesome. Topics discussed this week include: New staff additions at ...
Apr 04, 2019•40 min•Ep. 140
In this presentation, author Sacha Black focuses on the creation of villains. Why? Because villains are vital to your novels. They create conflict, drive tension and up the pace. Without a solid villain, your novel will fall flat. In this presentation you’ll learn what clichés and stigmas to avoid, as well as the major factors of villain creation. Sacha says: "Behind every successful hero is a villain. Think about it. Would Metropolis have needed Superman if it weren’t for Lex Luthor and his pla...
Mar 29, 2019•29 min•Ep. 139
Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week, it's our monthly Writing Salon, where we discuss the craft of writing with author Dan Blank and ALLi Director Orna Ross. This week, Orna and Dan talk about collaboration. For a writer, collaborations can come in many forms: co-writers, coaches, mentors, ghostwriters, editors and accountability partners. But is collaboration for you? And how do you choose the best writing partner? Also, on ...
Mar 22, 2019•46 min•Ep. 138
Howard Lovy takes a close look at Inspirational Indie Authors. This isn't about their business model, their marketing, or even how many books they've sold. It's about their writing, and what indie authors have to say. Today's interview is with Frankie Picasso , an author who just released a book called For Want of 40 Pounds: From Persecution to Perseverance, What Would You do For Freedom? It's the story about her father, the patriarch of her family, who escaped the Holocaust and then went on to ...
Mar 22, 2019•11 min
In this session live from London Book Fair, learn how to publish on Kobo Writing Life platform with KWL’s European Manager, Camille Modifini; how to sell books to libraries and bookstores with book selling supreme Amy Collins, President of New Shelves Books; and how to make sure you have the right mindset, right from the start with one of the most successful indie authors in the world, Adam Croft. Panel chaired by ALLi Director Orna Ross.
Mar 17, 2019•45 min
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 Orna Ross. The AskALLi podcasts are sponsored by Damonza: Books Made Awesome. Questions this month include: Should authors get liability insurance? How to make a PDF. Can you display your ALLi badge ...
Mar 15, 2019•41 min•Ep. 137
On the AskALLi Beginners' Self-Publishing Salon, Orna Ross and Tim Lewis look at the topic of using beta readers in your self-editing process. A beta reader is a trusted book lover whose opinion helps you to do a final self-edit on your book before sending it to the editor. But how do you choose the right beta readers? And how do you ensure you’ll get constructive advice on your manuscript and not just a review or opinion? Also, on Inspirational Indie Authors Howard Lovy interviews J. Dianne Dot...
Mar 08, 2019•45 min•Ep. 136
Howard Lovy takes a close look at Inspirational Indie Authors. This isn't about their business model, their marketing, or even how many books they've sold. It's about their writing, and what indie authors have to say. Today's interview is with J. Dianne Dotson . She has written such best-sellers as: Lipids: Facts and Functions, What Are the Main Functions of Cilia & Flagella? And you can't forget the classic, What Are the Primary Functions of Phospholipids? Dianne is both a science and scien...
Mar 08, 2019•14 min
In this month's Advanced Self-Publishing Salon from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn discuss ethics. The need for book reviews, the desirability of bestseller badges, the value in superfast author business models can put a strain on ethics. Sometimes authors make mistakes inadvertently, sometimes we stretch the rules on purpose. Orna and Joanna look at recent controversies in the community around plagiarism, ghostwriting, reviews, and bestseller listings and ask: ho...
Mar 01, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 135
Welcome to AskALLi, the self-publishing advice podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week, it's our monthly Writing Salon, where we discuss the craft of writing with author Dan Blank and ALLi Director Orna Ross. This week, Orna and Dan talk about how to effectively share your work in a way that inspires others to connect and, ultimately, buy. The AskALLi podcasts are sponsored by Damonza: Books Made Awesome. Topics discussed include Writing vs. marketing: It's a false dichotomy ...
Feb 22, 2019•48 min•Ep. 134
