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Publishing for Profit
Our Publishing for Profit campaign focuses on raising the average income for authors and poets through creative business practice. The campaign also lobbies the literary and creative industries to provide more publishing and business skills education and advocates for a truly independent self-publishing sector.
What we at ALLi are doing
True independence for authors is both creative and commercial and very possible today.
Being an independent author means owning a successful writing and publishing business that ideally is not dependent on any single outlet, be that exclusively signing all rights to one third-party publisher, or exclusively self-publishing with one platform or service.
Indie authors rely on independent enterprise, empowered negotiation and informed decisions, putting their own transactional website at the heart of a sustainable and scalable global digital business that publishes wide, sells direct, selectively licenses rights, and collaborates with other authors.
See below for what ALLi is doing to support our members in Publishing for Profit.
Knowledge Base: ALLi has a vast knowledge base of high quality guide books, blog posts, podcast episodes, and videos on self-publishing. Most of it is free to any author, not just our members. We want to ensure that authors are well-informed on all aspects of their writing business, including future opportunities that may be developing. We’re also working hard to ensure that our knowledge base is accessible to all, so that no physical, mental or financial barrier impedes success.
Gathering, Analyzing, and Sharing Industry Data: For many reasons, it is impossible to pinpoint exactly how large the self-publishing industry is, how fast it is growing, and what factors can contribute to a self-published author’s success. Until recently, we have had to rely on anecdotal evidence. Now ALLi has taken the lead in gathering industry data, not only from our own Indie Author Income Survey (to be repeated every two years), which you can read below, but also in collating information from across the self-publishing industry by working with our network of peers, capturing these insights into the ALLi Fact File.
Intellectual Property Rights: The old “choice” between either self-publishing or being published is a false distinction. The focus for an independent author now lies in understanding what it means to own intellectual property rights to creative works, and how to make the most of them. ALLi offers clear information on managing your rights so that you can make the best possible choices for your books.
Campaigning for Relevant Support: We want arts, culture, and creative funding bodies to consider how they support authors. Buying writers time to write is great but funding to support the development of publishing skills is an important area to focus on, so that more authors can build financially viable and sustainable publishing businesses.
The Creator Economy is booming: We are shifting towards an era when consumers (in our case readers) want to connect more meaningfully with creators (writers), and at ALLi we are showing authors how to tap into this. From crowdfunding to selling books and print books direct from their own websites, there are so many great opportunities already available and ALLi is there to show the way.
Keep up to date with self-publishing facts and figures
ALLi both commissions original independent research (the Indie Author Income Survey) and collates sector data from across the world (the Big Indie Author Data Drop), to bring you the best and most complete source of self-publishing facts and figures, enabling you to make informed decisions about your writing and publishing.
Did you know that 75% of book sales (fiction and non fiction) were part of a series?
Access our amazing Knowledge Base
We bring you honest, high-quality knowledge on all possible aspects of self-publishing.
Books: Members can download in the Member Zone, non-members can purchase in our shop.
Podcast with 500+ episodes: Listen to them here
Blog with 3000+ posts: Read them here
YouTube channel with 600+ videos: View them here
Use and share our guide on how to start publishing for free.
Not everyone has the money upfront to invest in things ALLi usually recommends, such as working with an editor and having a professional designer create your book cover. But financial pressures should not mean an absolute barrier to self-publishing. Our brief guide shows you how to self-publish and begin marketing for free, but also offers advice on where to spend money as soon as you have some to spare, to develop your writing craft and publishing craft, both necessary to profitable publishing. Please share this guide everywhere it might be useful, we ask only that it be shared in its entirety.
SelfPub3: a guide to exciting times for authors
In this era of author enterprise, writers are moving beyond exclusively signing all rights to a single 3rd-party publisher, or exclusively self-publishing with one platform or service, into true creative and commercial independence. This short book outlines both the concept and campaign and aims to explain to self-publishing authors why SelfPub3 is important, the tools and techniques driving this trend, and how to take part in this movement that is enabling authors in more numbers than ever before to earn a living from writing and publishing books.
Author members: available in the Member Zone
Non-members: available to purchase in our bookshop.
The Creator Economy: looking ahead
These days, the creative industries, including publishing, are all abuzz about “the creator economy.” But what does it mean for indie authors? How much is hype and how much is true opportunity? How do we integrate alternative sources of income with writing and publishing books? In short: how do indie authors give ourselves the best chance of success in the creator economy?
Read this insightful post by Orna Ross, founder-Director of ALLi
Understanding your Rights
The rights world is a complex mix of formats, platforms, apps, territories and terms. This book shows you how to approach rights buyers, what they’re looking for, and what to expect when discussing the license or “sale of rights” for your book. You’ll learn how to pitch, negotiate and close a deal, and how to work with literary agents and global publishing companies.
Author members: available in the Member Zone
Non-members: available to purchase in our bookshop.
The Author Estate Handbook: making money 70 years after your death!
Your books will still be in copyright (and therefore can be making money) for up to 70 years after your death. This means you could be leaving behind a very valuable estate… but who will be looking after it and/or benefitting from it? There are plenty of horror stories of authors who failed to specify what would happen to their literary estate and left their loved ones squabbling. Use this great book to plan your estate properly and make sure that doesn’t happen to you.
Author members: available in the Member Zone
Non-members: available to purchase in our bookshop.
The Author Heir Handbook: looking after a legacy
While you’re putting in the work to leave a well-managed literary estate (see above), give your heirs a chance to understand what will be required of them. First step: set up an easy-to-access copy of this great book.
Author members: available in the Member Zone
Non-members: available to purchase in our bookshop.
Use our badge to show you sell books direct to readers
Selling direct is becoming more popular as readers get used to buying direct from creators. Read about how to sell books and print books direct, then encourage readers to buy from your own author website by using our ‘buy direct’ badge. Select a size below and copy the code to embed in your site.
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Tell other Writing Organizations about ALLi
Do share information about our Organization Membership with other writing organizations (perhaps where you have membership) who may wish to collaborate with us, benefitting from our expertise in self-publishing for their own members. In this way more authors can make well-informed choices about their publishing options.
Stay safe
No author should feel that they cannot write or publish due to safety concerns. Sadly, some authors do feel unsafe and we want to help. Please download, read and implement our brief guide to author safety. Do share this information with your author contacts.