The Indie Author SELF-PUBLISHING MAGAZINE INSIDE Launching a book: a complete guide Top tools for writing, publishing and author business Why creativity is your business superpower Beyond the book: use your IP to Susan May create spin-off & Colleen Cross products and Leading the equitable reward your fans rights movement for authors #Audiblegate April 2021 The Indie Author The Indie Author Hello ALLi members! I hope lockdowns are easing for you wherever can help you to write and edit efficiently, make you are, and that your writing and publishing are smarter choices for marketing and advertising, and prospering in 2021, so far. streamline your communications with readers. See pages 19-26. Welcome to your first member magazine of the year. As Indie authors, we are all are eager and All this alongside our regular features—the news grateful users of self-publishing services and roundup from ALLi news editor Dan Holloway platforms. As such, we rely on them to be transpar- (pages 5-6), a taster of the fact-packed features we ent and fair in their dealings. So we were shocked ran on the ALLi Self-Publishing advice blog (pages in recent months to hear of worrying accounting 9-10), and last but not least, our member interviews. practices at ACX/Audible, the self-publishing arm We know it all starts with you, the creative person of Amazon audiobooks. who took this path to publish your work, and nobody knows this better than our multimedia A dedicated group of author investigators uncov- manager Howard Lovy, who every fortnight cel- ered hidden deductions from author payments, ebrates our members’ originality and talent in his and a campaign called #Audiblegate was born. Inspirational Indie Authors podcast (pages 41-43). ALLi is working closely with the authors involved, and narrators and author organizations worldwide If we’re missing something you'd love us to have in have joined forces to fight back. Read our report on your member magazine, we’re eager to know. As pages 27-34. always, suggestions or comments are welcome at [email protected]. Fortunately, while Amazon has a large share of the market in the US and UK, Audible isn’t the only Thank you for reading and for being an ALLi route for publishing audiobooks. ALLi watchdog member. John Doppler has compared terms and conditions Till next time, happy writing and publishing! at six other viable platforms. See pages 35-39. ALLi keeps a keen eye on all providers of author services. Our watchdog desk is always keen to hear Orna of your experiences, good and bad. Contact them with recommendations and warnings at allianceindependentauthors.org/contact/ Audiobooks are just one of the products we can create as indies. In this issue we’re going beyond the book to look at the entire product ecosystem available to us, with a scale of price and profit points. To find out what’s possible for you, read the feature on page 48. And if the thought of that sounds too over- Orna Ross whelming, we’ve got you covered with a section ALLi director on creative business planning on page 44, and a grassroots guide to launching a book on page 11. We've also rounded up the tools and tech that 2 | www.allianceindependentauthors.org | @indieauthoralli www.allianceindependentauthors.org | @indieauthorall | 3 The Indie Author The Indie Author Hello ALLi members! I hope lockdowns are easing for you wherever can help you to write and edit efficiently, make you are, and that your writing and publishing are smarter choices for marketing and advertising, and prospering in 2021, so far. streamline your communications with readers. See pages 19-26. Welcome to your first member magazine of the year. As Indie authors, we are all are eager and All this alongside our regular features—the news grateful users of self-publishing services and roundup from ALLi news editor Dan Holloway platforms. As such, we rely on them to be transpar- (pages 5-6), a taster of the fact-packed features we ent and fair in their dealings. So we were shocked ran on the ALLi Self-Publishing advice blog (pages in recent months to hear of worrying accounting 9-10), and last but not least, our member interviews. practices at ACX/Audible, the self-publishing arm We know it all starts with you, the creative person of Amazon audiobooks. who took this path to publish your work, and nobody knows this better than our multimedia A dedicated group of author investigators uncov- manager Howard Lovy, who every fortnight cel- ered hidden deductions from author payments, ebrates our members’ originality and talent in his and a campaign called #Audiblegate was born. Inspirational Indie Authors podcast (pages 41-43). ALLi is working closely with the authors involved, and narrators and author organizations worldwide If we’re missing something you'd love us to have in have joined forces to fight back. Read our report on your member magazine, we’re eager to know. As pages 27-34. always, suggestions or comments are welcome at [email protected]. Fortunately, while Amazon has a large share of the market in the US and UK, Audible isn’t the only Thank you for reading and for being an ALLi route for publishing audiobooks. ALLi watchdog member. John Doppler has compared terms and conditions Till next time, happy writing and publishing! at six other viable platforms. See pages 35-39. ALLi keeps a keen eye on all providers of author services. Our watchdog desk is always keen to hear Orna of your experiences, good and bad. Contact them with recommendations and warnings at allianceindependentauthors.org/contact/ Audiobooks are just one of the products we can create as indies. In this issue we’re going beyond the book to look at the entire product ecosystem available to us, with a scale of price and profit points. To find out what’s possible for you, read the feature on page 48. And if the thought of that sounds too over- Orna Ross whelming, we’ve got you covered with a section ALLi director on creative business planning on page 44, and a grassroots guide to launching a book on page 11. We've also rounded up the tools and tech that 2 | www.allianceindependentauthors.org | @indieauthoralli www.allianceindependentauthors.org | @indieauthorall | 3 The Indie Author John-Mark Smith | Unsplash May 2021 Photo credit: Photo Self-publishing news Each week on the ALLi blog, our news- Beginnings, in Evanston, Illinois, is pursuing hound Dan Holloway brings us the Amazon. And that gives the story a personal latest trends and stories of interest to You’ve Got Mail kind of twist that is much more likely to capture the imagination. indie authors. Here’s his roundup of the In this issue ... most significant recent stories over the The basic story remains the same–smaller Publisher: past quarter players allege Amazon and the Big Five Hello ALLi members! 3 Alliance of Independent Authors publishers have a deal that’s not fair. The This time last year we were all trying to get our May 2021 Self-publishing news 5 [email protected] difference is in nuance. Whereas the current heads around a new reality. So much has hap- antitrust cases allege that the deal keeps Direct to your ears: the full list of AskALLi podcasts 7 Editorial director: Orna Ross pened since then. The printed book has proved prices high for consumers, this case essentially Helping you do your thing: [email protected] remarkably resilient. Events have moved online, claims the deal means other retailers can the Self-Publishing Advice blog 9 though there is still confusion about whether the never compete on price. In the former case, Chief sub-editor: Roz Morris London Book Fair will have an in-person com- the allegation effectively amounts to the claim Launching a book-the ALLi ultimate guide 11 ponent. Elsewhere, the uneasy relations between Layout and design: Jane Dixon-Smith that this is a kind of cartel that suits the in- Hits and misses: ALLi members share libraries and publishers remain a common volved parties and not consumers. In the latter book launch stories 17 News editor: Dan Holloway theme. case, it’s about the effects on other businesses. [email protected] Amazon is being attacked from both sides. What tools do ALLi members use? 19 But for this past quarter, one story stands above everything else. After more than 25 years at 14 top tools from ALLi's partner members 24 Multimedia manager: Howard Lovy It will be interesting to see how each pans [email protected] the helm of Amazon, Jeff Bezos has decided to out, but my guess is the antitrust suit will keep Game-changer tools... members step aside. In February’s news podcast with ALLi Amazon awake because of what’s likely to nominate personal favorites 25 Conference and blog manager: multimedia manager Howard Lovy (selfpub- happen if it’s successful–a potential break-up Sacha Black Audiblegate campaign special: an issue for lishingadvice.org/findaway-voices/) I took of parts of the business as opposed to a rap [email protected] all authors (even if you don't publish audiobooks) 27 a retrospective look at Bezos’s extraordinary on the knuckles. It might mean Jeff Bezos gets journey with Amazon. It was a journey that many Watchdog desk: John Doppler one fewer space flight. Audible response: still cause for concern 30 of us as indie authors took with him. [email protected] It’s not just price-fixing that has put Amazon in The #Audiblegate campaign is about to step up 32 What happens next for Bezos is clear.