My guest this episode is Joshua S. Narins, a literary fiction author based in New England. Before turning to writing, he spent two decades as a cinematographer, specializing in aerial, underwater, and second-unit film work. Now, he brings that visual storytelling sensibility to his fiction, crafting character-driven narratives with a sharp, cinematic edge.

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.

Sponsor

Inspirational Indie Authors is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote.

About the Host

Howard Lovy has been a journalist for 40 years and now amplifies the voices of independent author-publishers and works with authors as a developmental editor. Find Howard at howardlovy.com, LinkedIn, and X.

About the Guest

Joshua S. Narins is a New England-based literary fiction novelist, and his released titles include his debut novel, False Neutral and his follow-up, Clear-Cuts. Prior to embarking on a writing career, Joshua was a veteran Director of Photography and, in addition to principal unit production, specialized in all aspects of underwater, aerial, and second-unit cinematography. Joshua lensed work on projects ranging from studio features to independent films, foreign and cable films, national and international commercial campaigns, and special-venue projects. Joshua is currently at work on his next project.

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway reports from the London Book Fair on the 2025 Selfies Awards, where ALLi authors won in all three categories. He discusses a surge in new members for audiobook platform Libro.fm, the rollout of a "look inside" feature for indie bookstores, and the first major auction of AI-generated art at Christie's.

Sponsors

Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote.

Self-Publishing News is also sponsored by book cover design company Miblart. They offer unlimited revisions, take no deposit to start work and you pay only when you love the final result. Get a book cover that will become your number-one marketing tool.

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 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.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Howard Lovy, a developmental editor and ALLi’s content and communications manager, about six questions every author should ask to improve their craft. They discuss maintaining narrative immersion, balancing detail with engagement, and ensuring characters drive the story. Howard shares practical tips on avoiding common pitfalls, keeping scenes purposeful, and writing from the characters' perspectives to keep readers engrossed in the narrative.

Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our self-publishing advice center. And, if you haven’t already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally.

Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote.

This podcast is also sponsored by Gatekeeper Press, the all-inclusive Gold Standard in Publishing, offering authors 100% rights, royalties, satisfaction and worldwide distribution. Gatekeeper Press, Where Authors are Family.

About the Host

Matty Dalrymple podcasts, writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage as The Indy Author. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors, and her articles have appeared in Writer’s Digest magazine. She serves as the campaigns manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors. Matty is also the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with Rock Paper Scissors; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with The Sense of Death; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts, including Close These Eyes. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime.

About the Guest

Howard Lovy is a developmental editor with 40 years of experience in writing and editing for newspapers, magazines, and news services, and a decade specializing in book editing. He provides manuscript evaluations and works closely with authors on both fiction and nonfiction projects. Howard is also a novelist, with his debut novel, Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story, set to be released on April 29, 2025.

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A podcast, hosts Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black discuss the challenges of hiring a book publicist, including how to vet them, what questions to ask, and whether most indie authors even need one.

Other questions include:

• What are the implications for self-published authors with the introduction of GPSR in the EU?
• How can authors handle print-on-demand page limits if their book exceeds the maximum page count?
• Do authors need to file a Beneficial Ownership Information Report in the United States?
• Where can authors find quality Canva tutorials for designing marketing materials?
• What are the best ways for new ALLi members to make the most of their membership?
• Is there a recommended way to update copyright notices to address AI-related concerns?

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.

Sponsor

The Member Q&A podcast is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote.

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.

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway examines major developments in AI-generated audiobooks. Eleven Labs has launched direct audiobook publishing, offering authors new distribution options and competitive royalties. The company has also expanded its speech-to-text services, allowing authors to transcribe and produce audiobooks seamlessly. Meanwhile, OpenAI's video-generation tool Sora is now available in the UK and EU, and Twitch has expanded monetization features, creating new opportunities for authors to engage with audiences.

Sponsors

Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote.

Self-Publishing News is also sponsored by book cover design company Miblart. They offer unlimited revisions, take no deposit to start work and you pay only when you love the final result. Get a book cover that will become your number-one marketing tool.

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 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.

Becoming a profitable writer requires more than just productivity, but consistently completing projects is essential for success in self-publishing. ALLi's Crowdfunding Adviser, USA Today bestselling author, and author-publishing expert Russell Nohelty shares strategies to help authors increase their writing output and turn finished projects into profitable ventures. This session offers practical insights to help indie authors make each year more productive and financially rewarding.

This session is proudly sponsored by Publish Authority.

This is a post from SelfPubCon (The Self-Publishing Advice Conference), an online author event run free twice yearly in association with the Alliance of Independent Authors.

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. You can do that at http://allianceindependentauthors.org.

My guest this episode is Sharon Hague, a lawyer and Egyptologist who writes speculative historical fiction about ancient Egypt. Growing up at sea and traveling the world shaped her imagination, leading her to blend history and fiction in her award-winning Ancient Egypt series. We’ll talk about how she balances fact and fiction.

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.

Sponsor

Inspirational Indie Authors is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote.

About the Host

Howard Lovy has been a journalist for 40 years and now amplifies the voices of independent author-publishers and works with authors as a developmental editor. Find Howard at howardlovy.com, LinkedIn, and X.

About the Guest

Sharon Janet Hague is a British-New Zealand author of speculative fiction – primarily historical fiction. She is the author of Moses and Akhenaten: A Child’s Tale, The Tutankhamen Friendship, and The Queen Who Became King. The series has won several awards. In 2024, bestseller status was achieved in the USA with Moses and Akhenaten: A Child’s Tale, and The Queen Who Became Kingm which reached number one. Sharon is a lawyer who also holds a master’s degree in Egyptology from the University of Manchester, England. She has visited Egypt multiple times since childhood, and pens articles on ancient Egypt for various publications.­­ Sharon currently lives in New Zealand with her family, and twin cats, who mysteriously involve themselves in her novels. You can find her on her website, and on Facebook.

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway reports on Meta’s internal discussions about AI training, revealing that the company considered using pirated books to train its language models. Court documents show Meta abandoned licensing talks with publishers after realizing they didn’t have the rights to AI training data. Meanwhile, Kindle’s recent policy change regarding USB book transfers continues to stir debate, and World of Books expands into the US resale market.

Sponsors

Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote.

Self-Publishing News is also sponsored by book cover design company Miblart. They offer unlimited revisions, take no deposit to start work and you pay only when you love the final result. Get a book cover that will become your number-one marketing tool.

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 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.