Creative Self-publishing: ALLi's Guide to Independent Publishing for Authors and Poets

By Alliance of Independent Authors and Orna A. Ross

It has never been easier to publish a book, but publishing a book is never easy.

Creative Self-Publishing is a comprehensive guide to every step in the publishing process, written by the director of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and drawing on the experience of thousands of ALLi members.

The book's focus is how to apply your creativity to publishing, as much as to writing. It takes an individual approach, beginning with you—your passion, mission and sense of purpose as a publisher and creative business owner—then guiding you through the seven processes of publishing, in ways that empower you to reach more readers and sell more books.

In an engaging, easy-to-read format, you’ll learn:

- Which creative practices and business models the most successful authors are using today

- Where you fit in the history of authorship and self-publishing

- How to overcome publishing resistance and block by fostering creative flow.

- Where to find your ideal readers and how to ensure they find your books

- A proven planning method that marries your passion, mission and purpose as writer and publisher

Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry books, the principles and practices outlined in this book will work for you. You’ll make better books, find more readers, turn them into keener fans, and grow your income, impact and influence as a self-directed and empowered indie author–the creative way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Font Publications
• Release date: Oct 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781909888166

Book preview

PART I

THE INDEPENDENT AUTHOR

In Part I we look at the different kinds of self-publishing writers and the success measures for independent authors who want to make a living from writing and publishing books. As an indie author, you may begin as a writer, but you must also become a publisher. We outline some self-publishing success stories and begin the process of establishing your definition of success as both writer and publisher.

1

WHAT KIND OF SELF-PUBLISHER ARE YOU?

The first thing you need to know about the self-publishing sector is that it is diverse. It embraces artistic authors who produce experimental books no third-party publisher will touch, and entrepreneurial authors who want to make a killing on Kindle. There are those who are publishing one book for family and friends, and those who want to make writing and publishing their life’s work. There are authors who want to pay a service to do as much as possible for them, and those who are fiercely DIY. Artisans who produce premium books of exceptional design, and minimalists who’ve nailed a super-simple process to facilitate rapid release. Somewhere, in the middle of it all, there’s you.

The only assumption this book makes about you is that you want to be a good publisher as well as a good writer. Depending on where you are in your development as an indie author, you may not think about it in that way. It’s commonplace in our sector to hear people talk about author careers, for example, but publishing your own books and selling them to readers is not a career; it’s a business.

An independent author is a business owner, and the business is book publishing and book selling—a confusing sector. Publishers come in many structures and sizes: corporate, medium, and indie; trade, academic and children’s; hybrid, assisted and vanity; and now author-publishers too.

At ALLi, we have identified three kinds of self-publishing authors. Which kind are you?

THREE KINDS OF SELF-PUBLISHERS

1. The One-Book Self-Publisher

This kind of writer is not interested in writing for a living or in publishing lots of books. They want to make a particular book out of their own need, or the needs of a group of people—their grandchildren, their activist group, their local historians, their client base. Whether they are publishing for family or friends, for posterity or self-development, to boost their business or fulfil a long-held dream, the term self-publishing is most appropriate for this group.

For the family, friends, and community writers, it’s about personal storytelling, as an act of self-expression. For the non-fiction author making a book to boost their brand, or business, or expertise, it’s about self-promotion. Generally for one-book publishers, the focus behind the writing and publishing is as much about the author as the reader, and more production than sales driven.

2. The Independent Indie Author

Indie authors self-publish commercially. As well as the intrinsic creative rewards of publishing, they also want the extrinsic rewards of income and influence. This is not vanity publishing, paying an inflated sum to a service that flatters and deceives the author while posing as a publisher. Neither is it skipping the work of honing writing and publishing craft. This is taking charge of your own team and becoming the creative director of your own writing and publishing business.

In some ways, self-publishing and indie authorship are misnomers for this group of writers. A good book is always a collaborative process and indie authors must put their books through the same processes as any other publisher. They must have production and profit plans, they must work with editors, designers, marketers, aggregators, agents, assistants, sales platforms and more to see their books produced and published to standard.

Independence is a heady word, conjuring up values like freedom, rebellion, and self-reliance. Compared to authors who sign exclusive deals with a single trade publisher or a single self-publishing service, indie authors are relatively independent, yes, but only when they embrace that empowerment.

At ALLi, we define an indie (independent) author as follows:

You have self-published at least one book.

You see yourself as the creative director of your books and your own publishing business.

You are proud of your indie status and carry that self-respect into all your ventures, negotiations, and collaborations, for the sake of other authors, as well as yourself.

You expect your status as rights holder and creative director to be acknowledged in payment, terms and conditions.

You see your connection to your readers as your primary publishing relationship.

Until recently, received wisdom assumed that writers just want to write, but the self-publishing revolution has revealed this sizeable band of authors who very much want to publish their own books, their own way.

3. The Authorpreneur

Authorpreneurs are indie authors who have mastered the three sets of skills needed to make a good income from publishing. They understand and practice good writing craft, good publishing craft, good business craft. They produce great books and sell plenty of them, not as a one-off sales spike, but again and again. They may also produce premium books and other products. They have built a tribe of readers who value their work and look forward to hearing from them. In many cases, they are licensing rights to publishers and other rights buyers. In some cases, they are publishing other authors too.

In 2019, ALLi changed the name of its top author membership tier from Professional Member to Authorpreneur Member. One member felt so strongly about the move that she left the organization, saying, I really dislike that made-up word and I really dislike ‘entrepreneur' being linked to 'author' in any way, shape, or form. We went ahead nonetheless, not just because so many other members felt positive or neutral but because no other term seemed as accurate. It perfectly describes the new breed of author who blends books and business, authorship and entrepreneurship. A new word for new publishing.

When you publish your own books, you become part of a contemporary disruption to the world of work that is much wider than our own sector of writing and publishing. Over the past decade, an abundance of new innovations—social, personal, sexual, spiritual—have arrived into the marketplace, transforming how we work and live together.

A rural farmer in Africa today has more computing power in her pocket than the entire NASA facility had when it launched Apollo 11 in 1969. People now connect through social media groups and digital dating, electronic assistants and voice technology, text messages and memes. Many have job titles that didn’t even exist ten years ago: data scientist, app developer, green-building consultant, internet coach and yes, authorpreneur. It was important for our organization to name the entrepreneurial attitude that distinguishes these authors.

At time of writing, authorpreneur members make up almost 9% of ALLi’s membership. These authors have sold 50,000 books or equivalent in the two years prior to joining. We look forward to seeing that percentage grow as more authors acquire the creative publishing and creative business skills that bring success. But, of course, not all self-publishers want to be indie authors and not all indie authors want to be authorpreneurs.

CONSIDER THIS: What Kind of Self-Publisher are You?

A one-book self-publisher? An indie author, aiming to earn a living from your writing? A fully fledged authorpreneur, creating a high-earning publishing business, perhaps publishing other authors too?

Or perhaps you haven’t even decided whether you will self-publish at all?

While this book, and the Alliance of Independent Authors, provide everything a one-book author needs to publish well, our focus here is mainly on the indie author and authorpreneur. Those who want to make a living from writing and publishing books, or are succeeding in doing so, while creating a body of work, earning a good income, exerting an influence that enriches the world, and leaving a legacy when they’re gone.

If that’s what you want, you can have it. There’s no barrier to entry, beyond your personal abilities and disabilities. There are no gatekeepers, no rejection letters, no pile of manuscripts in the corner labelled slush. You don't have to go to the right parties or know the right people. You don't have to have an Oxbridge or Ivy league degree, you don't have to have any degree at all. It sounds hyperbolic, but it’s true: you can just do