Self-Publishing with ALLi

In this Self-Publishing Advice Conference highlight, discover practical ways to reclaim time and focus for your writing in an age of constant distraction and AI-driven tools. Troy Lambert breaks down seven realistic strategies for using your tools more deliberately and managing your time more efficiently. The session offers grounded, actionable ideas to help writers protect their creative energy, reduce overwhelm, and make consistent progress on their work. 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 Dale Rogers, an indie author, illustrator, and former assistant professor who retired after eighteen years in higher education to focus on his creative work. Based in Nashville, Dale blends poetry, visual storytelling, design, and spirituality in what he calls Poetry Comics, a genre he's developing as an indie publisher. We talk about his early creative life, his years as an educator, and what it means to start something new later in life. 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. 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 Dale Rogers is an independent author and artist whose work explores creator-owned storytelling shaped by a background in music theory and years spent teaching scripting and storyboarding, with a focus on how stories move from concept to experience. That process led him to develop Poetry Comics, a hybrid form where poetic language, visual composition, and pacing work together to share the narrative load. Publishing through his own imprint, eDrawingBoard LLC, Dale approaches self-publishing from the inside out, combining craft, technical literacy, and accessibility, while also serving as an Invited Expert with the W3C on digital publishing standards that affect indie creators. After an eighteen-year academic career, he is now doing for himself what he spent years teaching others. You can find Dale on his website, and learn more about his imprint at edrawingboard.com.

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway opens 2026 by looking at newly released public domain works, including titles by Agatha Christie, T. S. Eliot, and other major crime and literary writers, and what authors should watch for when reusing characters and stories. He also reports on the launch of the Copy Might Coalition, a new effort to support indie authors in AI-related copyright disputes and collective licensing, and examines a fresh legal challenge to the Anthropic settlement that raises questions about how the value of books is judged in AI training cases. Sponsor Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by PublishMe—helping indie authors succeed globally with expert translation, tailored marketing, and publishing support. From first draft to international launch, PublishMe ensures your book reaches readers everywhere. Visit publishme.me. 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.

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Matty Dalrymple talks with publishing strategist and book designer Sam Pearce about the invisible design rules that shape a reader's experience. They explore how readability, typography, layout choices, and genre conventions can make—or break—a book. Learn about how to create professional, reader-friendly interiors that strengthen your brand and boost your success as an indie author. 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 Sam Pearce is a publishing strategist, award-winning book designer, and founder of SWATT Books. With more than twenty years of experience in design and more than 250 books published across fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and business genres, she is known for making the publishing process clear, professional, and author-empowering. A four-time author, she specializes in helping writers turn manuscripts into credible, well-crafted books that stand out in the marketplace, and she is a forthright advocate for authors who believes every strong story deserves to be published well. Pearce can be found on her website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway closes out 2025 by examining Amazon's new "Ask This Book" AI feature for Kindle and the backlash over its always-on use with no author opt-out. He reflects on a year shaped by AI controversies, including the Anthropic class action, contrasts Amazon's approach with Spotify's push for greater transparency, and looks at wider industry shifts, from romance's continued dominance to the rise of Bookshop.org as a meaningful alternative for both print and e-book sales. Sponsor Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by PublishMe—helping indie authors succeed globally with expert translation, tailored marketing, and publishing support. From first draft to international launch, PublishMe ensures your book reaches readers everywhere. Visit publishme.me. 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.