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How is the German market different to English speaking markets, and why might it be worth looking into translation? What are the best ways to translate, self-publish and market your books in German? With Skye MacKinnon. In the intro, thoughts on feeling empty after a book, and the benefits of SubStack for authors [Stark Reflections; Wish I'd Known Then]; AI-Assisted Artisan Author webinars 16 and 23 May. This episode is sponsored by Publisher Rocket, which will help you get your book in front of more Amazon readers so you can spend less time marketing and more time writing. I use Publisher Rocket for researching book titles, categories, and keywords — for new books and for updating my backlist. Check it out at www.PublisherRocket.com This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Skye MacKinnon is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of over 70 books across romance and children's books under multiple pen names, most of which are also available in German, which is her bestselling market. Her latest book for authors is Self-Publishing in German: How to Translate, Publish and Market Your Books. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Why the German-speaking market is much bigger than just Germany, and which genres sell best there Title protection laws, the Impressum, and translator copyright How to find and vet human translators, and what a quality translation actually costs The current state of AI translation for fiction, and why quality assurance passes are essential Distribution decisions: the Tolino Alliance, Skoobe, libraries, and why IngramSpark doesn't work in Germany Marketing in German: BookDeals, LovelyBooks, ads, BookTok, and why pre-orders matter even more You can find Skye SkyeMacKinnon.com and her children's books at IslaWynter.com. Transcript of the interview with Skye MacKinnon Jo: Skye MacKinnon is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of over 70 books across romance and children's books under multiple pen names, most of which are also available in German, which is her bestselling market. Her latest book for authors is Self-Publishing in German: How to Translate, Publish and Market Your Books. Welcome, Skye. Skye: Hi. Thank you so much for having me. Jo: This is such an interesting topic. But first up— Tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing and publishing. Skye: I've always loved writing, but I was always told, “Well, you can't be an author. Get a proper job.” So I became a journalist and did that for a few years, but there was always that love of creative writing. At some point when I was getting more active on social media, I was following some other indie authors and realised they're just like me. They're not special people. I had always pictured authors as these mythical beings high up above the rest of us. That gave me the courage to put out my own book. I self-published from the start, never even looked into trad publishing, and that was in 2017. I was really lucky because my first series totally hit it off. I was able to quit my job a year later and I have been a full-time author ever since. I started with romance and then, by accident, got into children's books. Which has been great fun. I don't even have children myself, but it's just that palette cleanser in between. Writing about cute animals and unicorns and just bringing some fun into everything. Nowadays I have about five or six pen names, depending on how you count, across genres, although most of it is romance, and that's my bread and butter really. Jo: Yes, I'm certainly one of those people who wish I could write romance. It always just seems to be the most profitable market in any language, I guess. Let's get into the book. It's a fantastic book. I've been through it myself. It's really packed full of everything you need, so we can't cover everything. Let's start by considering the German language in general. Why is German a good language market to consider expanding into? And for anyone who might not realise, why is it more than Germany? Skye: Well, Germans love to read, and depending on the statistic that you look at, they're generally seen as the third largest book market in the world after English and Mandarin Chinese. So it's a huge market, even though you think of Germany as a small little country in Europe. As you said, it's much more than Germany. Yes, you've got about 83 million people in Germany, but then you've also got Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, parts of Belgium, Luxembourg, and even Italy. So if you look at the whole footprint on the map, it is much bigger than just the one country. A lot of young people there still read and go to bookshops. There's a huge bookshop culture. You will find, if you go to a high street there, way more bookshops than you do here in the UK, for example. There's demand for quality and for really gorgeous books. They have been way ahead of the curve when it comes to special editions and sprayed edges, and they also like translations. I found one statistic where about two thirds of all newly released titles in German are actual translations. Readers are used to translations, but until a few years ago it was all trad-published translations. So this transition is coming now. It's coming very, very fast, especially with AI. They generally are very open to translations as long as the quality is there. Jo: So what about specific genres then? Obviously we mentioned romance there, and romance is not just one genre anymore. Whatever they're writing— How can somebody tell if it's worth expanding into German? How do we do this? It takes time and effort and money, potentially. Skye: It can take a lot of money, so it is worth doing research. There's one easy way, which is just looking at your current sales and looking at how many books you're selling in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland at the moment in English. That can give you an indication of which of your books might be already quite popular there. Sometimes it's quite surprising. A lot of my books sell very differently in German than they do in English. I've got one series that did okay in English, and I almost didn't translate it. The German version is, I think, my second bestselling series in German and has completely surprised me. So sometimes it's worth just experimenting a bit. Otherwise, obviously as you said, romance is doing really well. There are a few surprises though. I had a chat with Draft2Digital and they gave me lots of information from their statistics, and they said about 40% of all the western title sales on Draft2Digital are actually in Germany, which is just a huge percentage. Jo: In English? Skye: Across languages. Jo: Mm-hmm. Skye: Germans, to be fair, they love their westerns. My dad in Germany, he has been watching westerns for I don't know how many decades. It is one of those things that is just really popular there. Another thing is anything that is set in other countries and really has the location as almost like a character. There's lots of Cornwall, Scotland, different islands, but also mountains and cities. So if your book is set in, even in New York City, if it has a clear setting—if it's not just that it could be any city—then that's a good one to think about translating. In general, most genres can do well. There's a few where you have to be a bit careful. Second World War books, for example. If you have a book that portrays every single German as a Nazi and as evil, it might not do as well in Germany. So some common sense when it comes to historical books. Otherwise, just look at German retailers, look at what is selling there—and not just Amazon. Places like Thalia, which is part of the Tolino Alliance, and they have about 40% of the market. So it's really important to look at them too, and not just at Amazon. Jo: We'll come back to the distribution in a minute. There are some important differences between the German market and the US/UK market. Obviously we're talking about a different language, but of course there are a few things that are different that some people might not think about. So give us a few of those things that people definitely need to think about. Skye: Okay, so even before you start publishing, you need to be aware that title protection is a thing in Germany. Your book can't have the same title as an already published book. That is a law that is basically there to avoid readers being confused. So if you had five books with the same title, readers might not realise which book is by which author. You have to do your research and check if anyone else is using your title. There are some exceptions—if it's a completely different category, so if there's a children's book with that title but you write spicy romance, then the chance that the reader gets confused is much lower. Quite often you can then contact either the author or the publisher and ask, “Can I get written permission to use that title?” I did that for one of my series and it was totally fine. Just be sure to get it in writing, because if your book suddenly becomes a huge bestseller, they might reconsider. So title protection is an important one. You need to research that before you publish. One thing that people sometimes get confused about is reusing their English title. That's totally fine because it's your own title. So if your English title hasn't been used and you want to keep that same title, that works. It's just about other people's books where you can't use those titles. Another important legal bit is the Impressum. It's the copyright page. To be fair, websites that are targeting German readers or a German audience have to have that Impressum. It's usually on page two of the book, and it has things like your legal name, your address, and then the usual things like the translator's name, cover design, and other things you would usually put on a copyright page. The problem is that technically you need to put your legal name in there unless you have a limited company, in which case you can also put the business name there, and your address. A lot of people obviously don't want to do that for privacy reasons, especially romance authors where it's sometimes a bit sketchy when it comes to some readers who get a bit too obsessed. There are services where you can pay a monthly or yearly fee and then use their address. It's a bit of a legal grey zone, but a lot of German authors are doing it because—especially as indie authors—we don't always want to put our legal address out there. Jo: Just for people listening, I use my accountant's address. That's quite common. I mean, you have to share your address on your email for anti-spam laws and all that kind of thing. As you say, there are ways to use other addresses. That just needs to happen. What else then do we need to think about? Skye: There are things about the translator. A lot of things that people are sometimes scared about is when they hear that there is a copyright issue with translators and they think, “Oh, my translator has the copyright. I can't do anything.” Actually, the translator is seen as an author—almost like a co-author of the translation in German law—because, to be fair, it's not just putting one word into another. Translation is quite a creative job, especially when it's fiction. It is a very creative job where the translator has to put a lot of their own creativity into it. So in German law, they're recognised as the creator of that translation and therefore have certain rights. But you as the author, as soon as you have a contract with your translator—which is why you always, always, always have to have a contract—you get the usage rights. This means it's exactly the same as with your English books. You can do with them what you want. You can get audiobooks, you can do print books, you can do whatever you want in different formats. It just needs to be clear in a contract that the translator is giving you the usage rights of that translation. That's something that people sometimes find a bit scary, but actually it's really simple. Translations have been done for so long. It's a normal thing. It's just called slightly different. It has to be set out in a contract. Jo: Just on that, that's when the translator themselves is in Germany, because if they are based somewhere else, still doing a German translation, that's not necessary. So that's something else for people to consider. Skye: Yes, definitely. To be fair— I would always try to get a translator based in the country. I mean, I'm a native German speaker, but I've been in Scotland for so long now that I am not confident enough to translate my own books anymore because I'm not surrounded by German 24/7 and my grammar is slightly off and I don't have that up-to-date, modern lingo. So if it's a translator who's only just moved somewhere else or a few years, that's fine. But if it's someone who's been in the US or UK or somewhere else for 20 years, I would be a bit more hesitant. That's just a personal perspective on that. One other thing that's different is Sie and du. There are two different kinds of “you” when you talk to someone. There's the formal Sie, which you use basically amongst adults, in business contexts. But even my German grandma—she had a friend and they used the formal Sie for about 10 years as friends because in German etiquette, the older person has to offer the younger person the informal du, and they never did that for some reason. We found it hilarious as kids that they were still using the formal Sie as really good friends. So there's an entire culture there that people who haven't been to Germany or haven't lived there for a while just find a bit difficult, because there are so many different unwritten rules about when you use Sie and when you use the informal du. It's weakened a bit over the years and nowadays even strangers would sometimes use the informal du depending on the context. It really depends. A good translator will usually handle that themselves. They will find a scene where, for example, especially in romance, you meet as strangers in the beginning, so you use the formal Sie, and then at some point that formality turns to informality. The translator will usually choose that moment and add a little extra scene or a sentence where they either offer it to each other or they just naturally switch into it. But then there might be an internal little monologue of, “Oh, he just used the informal du—I guess we're at that stage,” or, “I really appreciate that.” Just to make it more natural, because that's something I quite often see with AI translation where that doesn't happen, and readers get confused. Why did they just switch from Sie to du without any kind of acknowledgement of that? Jo: This is the same in Spanish and other languages, I imagine. Skye: Yes, French as well. Italian too, I think. A lot of European languages have this. Jo: I think that's something that English speakers just don't get. It is a really interesting moment. I guess that might not happen so much in other genres—that really is a thing in romance. I was just thinking about some of my thrillers. They may never have time to get to du. Skye: But then sometimes using du can also be a rude thing. So if you have an antagonist who really doesn't like your protagonist, they might just use du as a rude sort of address. Again, that's something that English speakers just wouldn't understand or even think of because we just have the one “you.” Jo: We just have the one. Jo: It's the tone. Of course, it's the tone. Skye: Exactly, yes. Jo: Okay, well let's get into the actual translation of the books themselves. Over the years I've worked with lots of humans. I've also licensed my rights. I've used different AI tools. I mean, there are tons, but as we record this— What are the options that are available for translations? Give us some tips on working with humans and finding humans. Because it can be super pricey. And of course most of us will never know about the quality until we publish it. Skye: Oh, yes, definitely a note on that. I found that quite often you will already have German people on your newsletter list or on your social media, and most of them will be super happy to give you some feedback on your translation. That's something I've used a lot. Not for German, because I speak the language, but when I did French and Italian translations. My French is—well, it used to be quite okay. It is passable at best now. So I would never feel confident enough to rate a translation. So I asked my newsletter list, “Are there any French people here who would be happy to read the book? I'll send you a free copy at the end, and some swag.” There were a surprising number of people who got back to me. The same applies to German and other languages, because if you don't speak the language, you sometimes lack the confidence of knowing if this is any good. Getting some reader feedback is super helpful. For finding human translators, the easiest of course is word of mouth, and I'm a big fan of that because you get instant feedback on whether someone is good or not and whether it's easy to work with them. Then there are freelancer platforms. Reedsy is one where everyone is vetted, so that's pretty good. But there are tons of other ones like Upwork and Fiverr, though there you have to do all the vetting yourself, so that takes a lot more time and effort. There are also more and more agencies—translator agencies who specialise in doing indie book translations. There's Literary Queens, there's Valentine Translations, there are tons of them. Then there's also, which I think a lot of authors ignore or don't know about, translation databases. There are two databases for German translators, for example, where you can search and you can usually narrow it down to whether you want literary translators, what kind of fiction or nonfiction you want. An important thing is that a literary translator is very different from a standard translator who translates birth certificates or formal documents. You want someone who has experience with fiction if you write fiction. Someone who knows about adding drama through language. Sometimes, for example, when you have an action scene, you might have shorter sentences. If you have someone who doesn't know about stuff like that, they might just think, “Oh, in German it sounds really nice to have this really long sentence.” Those little nuances are where having an experienced literary translator is a big bonus. There are some platforms that do royalty-split translations that have been quite popular in the past. Most of them I wouldn't really recommend because you just don't get those professional translators there. You usually get people who speak the language but don't really have much experience. So you might end up with a pretty bad translation, or people might just be using AI translations without telling you. If you use a human translator, always, always get a sample, because yes, they might have amazing credentials, but until they've actually translated one of your books or a scene from your book, you don't really know how good they are. I like to always use, if I write romance, a slightly sexy scene, because sex seems to show you if someone can translate or not. It's just what I've found, because if it sounds absolutely awkward or more like mechanical rather than an emotional, spicy thing, then that's a clear point for me to say, “No, thank you. I'll look for someone else.” Action scenes, sexy scenes, really emotional ones, dialogue that has a bit of colloquial language or humour—those are good scenes to choose as a sample because that really shows you if a translator can do their job or not. Then, again, have some German people from your list give you feedback on that. Also, if you work with human translators, always try to make sure that they will be available for your entire series. And not even just a series—if you have lots of books, try to grab that translator, lock them in your basement, and never let them go, because you want their style for all your books. Just like you have a style as an author, translators have a style and that will always shine through, as much as they try to be as close to your original. A bit of their style will always come through. It helps to have the same translator for at least the same series, preferably for as many of your books as possible. You really want to tell them in the beginning, “This series has nine books. I want you to do all of these, even if we only do a few of them at the beginning. Are you available to do the rest later?” Because you don't want to end up having to find a new translator in the middle of the series. That gives you a whole lot of extra work with trying to have a world bible that explains which words get translated and which get left as the original, and stuff like that. When it comes to non-human translation, it's very different because of course you don't need to do all that vetting. Tools have different capabilities and abilities, but in the end, if you put your book into a translation tool, you will always get a slightly different output. So it's not quite the same where you need an entire vetting process. Jo: Just on the human translation, I think I'd be right in saying that every single author in the world would love to have the best human translator translating their book, whatever genre it is. That would just be amazing for all of us. But let's face it, that's extremely expensive. So if I've got, let's say, a 70,000-word thriller, how much money are we talking about? An approximate number, so people know what that might be. Skye: Usually it goes by the word, but by the target language word count. Although it depends on the translator, traditional translators usually go by the target language because that's what they actually produce as their output. The average at the moment is anything from about seven to nine euro cents per word as the medium price. You will find cheaper people. You can go up as high as you want really. I have definitely seen translators who charge 15 cents and above per word, but those will usually be the ones who have worked with a lot of trad publishers who are used to being paid like that. Although even in trad publishing, the rates are going down. With more and more authors wanting translations, I think in general rates are going down. Good for us, not so good for the translators. You're definitely looking at thousands, even if you translate novellas. Then it depends—some translators have editing included, sometimes they don't. A lot of them will have arrangements with other translators where they give the translation to another translator for them to edit it. Sometimes that's included in the price, sometimes it's extra. Always make sure it gets edited, because just like when we write a book, it will never be exactly perfect. I say that as someone who writes very clean because I have a journalism background, so I'm used to writing really fast and clean for deadlines, but there will always be a few typos that just wriggle their way in. Typos are evil like that. It's the same with translations. Jo: So we are probably looking at 2,000 to 10,000 pounds, dollars, euros. We are talking about quite a lot, and this is the main reason I think that now, with AI becoming a lot better, people are looking at this. Originally—and I don't even know, probably eight years now since I did my first, might even be a decade or more—I did at some point do a version in DeepL, which was an early AI translation tool. This was nonfiction, and then paid an editor, a German editor, to then edit that in German. Those books still get good reviews. But now people are looking at options like GlobeScribe and ScribeShadow, or even just using Claude or ChatGPT. I'm actually working at the moment on a Claude Code pipeline through lots of different QA passes. That's been really interesting for me, because I can say, “Okay, now you are a reader who likes these kinds of books. Read it for that.” And because we can now put really big books in, I can actually get a lot of really interesting feedback. So I feel like there's a lot of potential with AI—potential for good stuff, potential for bad stuff too. So talk a bit about that and what to watch out for with AI. Skye: Okay, so I'm very much pro-AI and I use AI in lots of different things in my business, just to preface that. However, with translations, I'm still a bit wary, just because I have seen a lot of bad AI translations. To be fair, I've experimented with it myself for one of my other pen names. It was readable. It was definitely readable. It had sometimes beautiful, gorgeous prose. Really. But there were, occasionally—quite often even—bits where I stumbled as a native speaker. It's readable and, if I just need a little quick book in between, I would be mostly happy with that. I would read it. It's the same as some of the early KU days where you found a lot of bad quality writing, but you just wanted to read it because the story was pretty good or because you were reading it in KU and so it didn't really matter that much. There is that spectrum of quality where you have the, “Yes, it's good enough to read,” but, “Is it good enough to be up to your standards?” That's a decision that everyone has to make for themselves. If they want the same quality that they put into their English book, or if they're fine with just offering that book to a new audience because maybe you wouldn't be able to do it otherwise. I totally see that. Translation is so expensive. I don't even know how much I have spent on translations over the past few years. I'm lucky that most of my books make it back within the first weeks or months. I've never had a book that didn't make its money back, but I have heard a lot of people where that's not the case. It is a lot of investment and I would never tell someone to go into debt or anything to do translations. Do it when you're at a time where you can afford it, or where you can also afford the loss if it doesn't work out. Now, AI has changed that slightly because it now opens it up to almost anyone. Some of the AI translation tools are a few hundred pounds, but if you do it in Claude or ChatGPT or something where you already have a subscription, it can actually be quite cheap. You can do it for a few dollars or pounds. I love, by the way, having someone in the UK. I'm so used to automatically saying everything in dollars, but actually I should be using pounds. I think if you know what you're doing—and you clearly do, with your several passes, you know what you're doing with AI—but if someone just puts their book into Claude or ChatGPT or some random tool, it might just not be good enough. Jo: Let's say it won't be good enough if you just do that. We know that. You have to have QA passes—quality assurance. You have to have rules per genre. There are ways of doing it. It's kind of like you have to get to know how translation works. It's a process. It's not just a translation, like you put something in Google Translate or a menu or something, because we do care. I think that's really important. Skye: Yes. I think if you don't know how AI works—that you need detailed prompts, that you need a style guide, that you need all that extra material and not just your book, all those rules—then please don't do it. If you value your German readers—and I think sometimes when I see people just churn out those translations without doing any quality control, using exactly the same cover or even just putting a German flag on it or something—I really feel bad for German readers because they're not being valued as having the same sort of value to us as authors as our English-speaking readers. Maybe I'm a bit biased there because I read in multiple languages. I want to be able to get the same sort of quality in all languages. I want the author to think of me as being special because I'm their reader and I'm their customer. I think we are on the way where AI translation can be almost autonomous. I would personally always have a human look over it. I know what I'm doing, and I'm almost happy with my translation system that I've built now in AI, but it still needs that human touch for a few things. It still needs me to tell the AI, for example, “This is where we switch from Sie to du.” This is where I need to keep certain words in. For example, I write a lot of Scottish books, and so words like “glen” or “loch”—they are words I want to stay the same in my German translation. I don't want to translate it to the German equivalent of “lake” because that just misses that Scottish context. Things like that need instruction. A human translator will usually know that and chat to you about which words you want to keep and which ones you want translated. AI just needs our guidance, our helping hand, and if we don't know enough about the target language, we just miss knowing that. Now, a lot of tools do it all for you basically, and they set up all these rules. I think many of them are at a very advanced stage now. But AI isn't perfect and it likes to hallucinate, it likes to add random things. So I will always still have a human touch at the end, even if it's just a quick edit. A lot of people think that they just need a proofread after an AI translation, but AI doesn't really make typos—or not to an extent that humans do. So proofreading isn't really what's needed for an AI translation. It is actual editing where you go for the style, the phrasing, and sometimes the context. There's one example I always like to give. I have an alien romance where they go on a honeymoon, and because he's an alien and she's human, he misunderstands and thinks she wants to go to an actual moon. So it's a little pun in the book. It doesn't work in German at all because the word “honeymoon” has nothing to do with moons or planets in German. An AI would probably just try to translate that in a way that's quite close to the original. But my German translator, she had to come up with several different ways of fixing that issue, because humour is hard. It's hard even for humans to get the humour translated in a way that is still funny but also culturally appropriate. If you have a book that is full of puns, it gets harder with AI. I am not saying it's impossible, but it needs a lot of handholding. Jo: Yes, I think humour is hard to translate in general, isn't it? Let's move on to the distribution, because again, having done quite a lot of different languages over the years, I do use Amazon KU for my books in German and Italian and Spanish and some French. So I haven't gone wide in terms of ebook and print or audio, in fact, because I have a lot of books and it is hard to go wide in English, let alone in other languages. But you mentioned earlier that Thalia has 40% of the market or something, and that special editions and print books are important. So what are the decisions we have to make around the actual publishing? Skye: In Germany they did a really cool thing, and I wish they'd done that in other countries. When the bookshops saw that Amazon was growing and posing a threat to them—not just with print books but also with ebooks—a lot of the German bookstores got together and they formed the Tolino Alliance. They have big book chains like Thalia, but also I think it was over 1,500 indie bookshops that all got together. They all support this ecosystem for ebooks, which means they all share the same e-readers. They share the same sort of backend for the shops, which made it really easy for them because they didn't all have to develop an ebook system. It saved them a lot of money. It made it really easy to tell readers, “This is the Tolino system. You can get your books at our bookshops, but you can read them on your Tolino e-reader no matter where you get the books from.” The Tolino e-readers are actually the same as Kobo e-readers, just rebranded. They've got that big advantage there—these independent bookshops and book chains all got together. Now it's hard to find numbers because Amazon doesn't really like to share their numbers, but it's about 40% of the German ebook market, which means it rivals Amazon. They have about the same. Then the rest is split by Apple Books, Google Play, and some of the smaller players. So it is a huge chunk of the market. I'm wide with pretty much all my English books. So for me, I looked into KU, but when I saw that I was going to miss out on 60% of the market—even if Amazon has 45%, that's still a big chunk—I decided to go wide. To be fair, I haven't regretted it, because Tolino are amazing to work with. I like to compare them to Kobo because they have a really lovely human team where you can just email them and tell them, “I've got a new release coming up,” and they will put you into different promos and it's all free. Jo: Do you publish direct to Tolino, or do you use Draft2Digital? Skye: Yes, you can publish direct to Tolino and that's actually the best way of doing it. You don't have access to their marketing opportunities if you use a distributor. The Tolino dashboard is annoyingly all in German, but by now every browser has a translating plugin built in. I know lots of authors who don't speak a single word of German who navigate Tolino very successfully. They started with only ebooks in the beginning, and then about two weeks after the first edition of my book on German translations was published, they introduced print books, which meant my book was immediately out of date. I was fuming. But this time they introduced audiobooks a few weeks before my Kickstarter launch for the second edition, so this time the audiobook part is included. I was very happy about that, because it was a pain to just tell everyone, “Well, this book is out now but it's actually missing a big part of how to do print books in Germany.” So Tolino does print, ebooks, and audiobooks. And just because you're in KU with your ebooks doesn't mean you can't publish your print books via Tolino. I highly recommend that, because IngramSpark—which most of us indies use for distribution for print books—doesn't get you into the German bookstores. They used to. Then German stores have fixed price laws where books have to be the same price in all stores, and IngramSpark kept going against that. They kept sending them the wrong prices. So German bookstores at some point just said, “Nope, we've had enough of this. We no longer take books from IngramSpark.” So now Tolino, in my opinion, is the best way of getting your books listed in German online bookstores, but they can also help you get into brick-and-mortar stores. One of my books was featured by them, I think two years ago, and it was in about 300 of their shops all across Germany. It had its own little pedestal and it was amazing. Tolino love working with their indie authors. They also love romance, which is always a bonus because some stores are more prudish than others. It's really easy to work with them. They speak perfect English, so you can do all your communication outside of the dashboard in English. Their audiobooks feature is very new. Until they did that, it was much harder for German audiobook distribution because places like Findaway Voices and other distributors wouldn't get you into the Tolino Alliance stores for audio. That's a big chunk that we were missing out on. I was always looking for ways to get my German audiobooks into those stores, but the German distributors that I found were really difficult to upload to, to be honest. I'm a very technical person, but it challenged even me. I did not like that experience at all. At some point I really just gave up and wanted to throw my computer out of the window. So when Tolino introduced that, I was celebrating internally. The only problem with their distribution at the moment for audio, because it's so new, is that you can't exclude any shops. So it's all or nothing. They will get you into all the different places, including Audible, Spotify—you name it, lots of different streaming services and retailers—but you can't exclude any. So while they don't actually want exclusivity, if you published it yourself at the same time through ACX or Findaway Voices or something else, you would have duplicates, and of course, we try to avoid those. Jo: Is it human narration only, or do they also accept AI narration? Skye: They accept AI narration. The thing with Tolino is that they want everything made very clear. If you publish any books with them that have an AI production aspect, you need to put that into your Impressum. For audiobooks, there's a box to tick to make it clear. Jo: Hmm. Skye: So they are open to it all. You just need to declare it. Jo: Which I think should be true everywhere, to be fair. Skye: Oh, definitely. And a lot of German distributors—while I was researching for this book, one thing I always looked at is, “Do they need you to declare your AI use?” More and more German distributors and retailers now want you to do that. I think that's the way it's going. It's not a judgement thing. I think it's just making it clear to readers. In Germany, it's all about transparency. That's why there are all those laws with GDPR—everyone will have heard about that one by now. But there are lots of other laws where it's all about consumer rights and transparency, and that's one of them. Jo: Is there anything else on the distribution side we need to think about? Skye: One thing I like to highlight is libraries, because that's quite a big thing in Germany too. They love books and bookstores and they love libraries. Some of the ways we get our English books into libraries—like a distributor like Draft2Digital for OverDrive—OverDrive is growing in Germany. There are other systems like Onleihe, just to name one. You can't get into those through, for example, Draft2Digital or PublishDrive or StreetLib. Tolino gets you into those. There are also subscription platforms that are growing. I think it's the same as in the English-speaking market. People love a subscription, and I love them. I just don't like exclusivity. So I very much support any subscription platform that doesn't require me to be exclusive to them. Skoobe is one of them. They used to be an independent platform, and then the Tolino Alliance bought them. So now they're integrated into the Tolino stores. That means it's really prominent. Basically, any time you go to an ebook on, for example, Thalia, it will have a banner there saying, “You can also get this in our subscription.” So it's taken a while to grow, but actually in December I now made more with their subscription programme than I made in book sales. I think three of my books were in their top 10 in December. To be fair, that was a pretty good month. But it definitely shows that it can take a while to grow these subscription platforms, but when you do, it can be really successful and very much worth it. So I highly suggest looking into those sorts of platforms too, not just the standard retailers and the platforms that you're already used to. Jo: Fantastic. So we've now got translations, they're on the various stores, and then just like in English, one of our next challenges is actually marketing the books. Now this becomes another challenge, because one of the reasons I am in KU for foreign languages is because you get the five free days and you can do Amazon ads. I mean, you can do Amazon ads for wide books too, but it's easier to know that there are some options for marketing at all. I don't do email marketing. I don't do social media, so I'm pretty bad at marketing in foreign languages. So what are your suggestions for those who want to do more active marketing in German especially? Or even if we don't speak German, it can't be all the personal stuff. But are there also advertising things like BookBub? What are our options basically? Skye: There are quite a few things. It's not quite as easy as in English, of course, but I think sometimes you have to remember that you already have most of the material for marketing when you've released a book. You will have made graphics in English, you will have written a newsletter, you will have done some social media posts. All that material is already there, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. You can just translate that, and for that, AI translation is really good because it's very quick. You don't have to bother your translator. You can just get that done. That's what I had to remind myself, because in the beginning I did everything from scratch and it took me forever and I was hating it. Then I realised, well, I could just look at the newsletter I wrote three years ago when that book released in English and translate that. That's done within a minute and I can send that out. So remember that you have a lot of content already. There's no BookBub or nothing as big as BookBub. There is a site called BookDeals, which sends out newsletters for both reduced or free books and also for new releases. I use them for pretty much all my new releases, or at least always the first in series. They're nowhere near as big as BookBub, so don't expect miracles, but I generally always break even or a bit more. It's hard to tell, of course, especially if you do several things for a new release. But my instinctive look on this is that it's worth it. BookDeals is the big one. There are a few other promo sites, but to be honest, I've not really found any of them to give me a positive ROI. I experiment with them occasionally and I listed them all in my book just for completeness, but BookDeals is the big one. Then there is LovelyBooks, which is the German Goodreads. Some Germans also use Goodreads, so always make sure to have all your German books listed there. But LovelyBooks is the big one. I love that place because people are so much kinder than on Goodreads. I avoid Goodreads completely. If I need a review, I send my assistant there to look at reviews. I don't go there. It is scary. LovelyBooks—the name is kind of telling. It is a more lovely place. People are generally more friendly. They are probably a bit more critical when they write reviews than they are on retailers, but I have found it really nice to build a community there. You can do these book clubs where you give away a copy of your book, either as print books—or I always do ebooks because I don't want to send books to Germany. Then people discuss the book as a sort of book club and then they review it at the end. I have had great success with that. I've built up a community of readers who will now buy my books too, even if they don't get them for free. I found some beta readers through that. So I love LovelyBooks. The annoying thing again is it's in German. However, their support all speaks English and you can email them with questions. They're really good. Even if you don't plan to run any book clubs or anything like that because you don't speak the language, I would always advise just setting up an author profile there because it makes it easier for your books to be found. You can track reviews, you can track reads, and that just gives you an extra place to get more visibility for free. Ads—there's not much difference compared to what you do for your English-language books. The one thing is with Facebook ads, now because of EU data protection laws, it's much harder to target because people can opt out of ads and targeting. In general, cost-per-click ads are cheaper than in the US or the UK, so that's a bonus. BookTok is big and only growing there. I don't really do social media for my German books because I just don't have the bandwidth. I wish I could, and I know some people who outsource that. In an ideal world, I would have a social media account for every single language, but it's not an ideal world and I just have limited hours in the day. But even just creating an account so that people can tag you, so that people can find you, can already be a good start. One thing that's not maybe a marketing strategy as such, but something I like to highlight, is pre-orders. If you write in series, always, always make sure that the next books in your series are up for pre-order, because— German readers have been burned so many times by authors or even publishers who just translate book one in a series and then stop. They are quite hesitant sometimes to start a new series when they see it's book one of something and they don't see the next book up for pre-order. To be fair, it's similar in English. I always make sure to have a pre-order up for the next book. Because people would just not read the series until it's complete or until they know it will be complete at some point. So always set up a pre-order if you can. Don't set it up when you don't actually know when your translation is being done, or choose a date far in the future. Just make it very clear to your readers that you are intending to translate the entire series, that you're not going to disappoint them, that they're not just wasting their money on a book one only to never find out what happens next. Jo: Fantastic. Well, this is a big decision for people to make, I think, because there's no point in doing one book in German and then not doing anything else, in the same way as doing one book in English or any language. You have to think about investing in an audience. So lots for people to think about. The book is fantastic. It's called Self-Publishing in German. So where can people find you and your books online? Skye: For my author-facing things, just go to SkyeMacKinnon.com/authors, and there you find the book about German translations. You also find more information on what I do. You can book consultations with me. I love doing those one-to-ones, especially about translations, because you can really dive into someone's catalogue and look at what would be a good strategy for someone, rather than just in general. Otherwise, it's SkyeMacKinnon.com for all my romance. If you want adorable children's books, it's IslaWynter.com. That's Wynter with a Y. Jo: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Skye. That was great. Skye: Thank you so much for having me.The post Self-Publishing in German: How to Translate, Distribute, and Market Your Books with Skye MacKinnon first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Draft2Digital is finally explaining why dozens of nonfiction categories were blocked last year, and the answer points to a growing issue with AI flooding parts of the nonfiction marketplace. We also look at fresh market insights from PublishDrive, issues surfacing around the BookBounty review exchange platform, and several updates authors should keep on their radar across distribution, tools, and publishing platforms. Author Nation After Party (digital replay) - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNationReplay (affiliate link)  PublishDrive's Market Intelligence Report 2026 - https://publishdrive.com/publishdrives-market-intelligence-report-2026  PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link) Bookshop.org and Draft2Digital Partner - https://www.draft2digital.com/blog/bookshop-org-and-draft2digital-partner-enabling-independent-bookstores-to-profit-from-self-published-ebooks/  D2D and Bookshop Team Up: Your Ebooks Reach 4 Million New Readers (video) - https://youtu.be/DR5ixdGItWE?si=KqZgeuEoSgolvL5p  Draft2Digital - https://DaleLinks.com/D2D (affiliate link) Indie Author Magazine: Draft2Digital CEO Details How AI Is Actually Affecting the Industry - https://indieauthormagazine.com/draft2digital-ceo-kris-austin-details-how-ai-is-actually-affecting-the-industry/  Book Bounty - https://DaleLinks.com/BookBounty (affiliate link) Rapid Fire News Flash Amazon Ads - https://ads.amazon.com Voices by INAudio - https://www.voicesbyinaudio.com/ Novel Report - https://DaleLinks.com/NovelReport (affiliate link)  IngramSpark: Book Marketing for the Self-Published Author - https://ingramspark.learnworlds.com/course/book-marketing Barnes & Noble Press: Bank Beneficiary Address - https://help-press.barnesandnoble.com/hc/en-us/articles/45981327203483-Bank-Beneficiary-Address ProWritingAid presents: Novel Beginnings - https://prowritingaid.com/novel-beginnings?afid=6615 (affiliate link)   Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts  My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Draft2Digital has confirmed a print cost increase starting February 1, 2026, following similar changes across the print industry. IngramSpark confirms free revisions are coming, while platform risk, Amazon KDP, audio growth, and new author opportunities round out the first Self-Publishing News of the year. Here is what authors need to know. Author Nation After Party (digital replay) - https://AuthorNation.live/AfterParty  Authors Guild Raises Concerns About Kindle's New "Ask This Book" AI Feature - https://authorsguild.org/news/statement-on-amazon-kindle-ask-this-book-ai-feature/ Draft2Digital (D2D) - https://DaleLinks.com/D2D (referral link) D2D Print Price Calculator - https://draft2digital.com/podcalc  IngramSpark - https://IngramSpark.com  - use FIXIT to waive revision fees through January 2026 - https://www.ingramspark.com/free-revisions-fixit  IngramSpark: A Letter from the Director - https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/a-letter-from-the-director-1  PublishDrive 2025: The Year We Turned AI Promises Into Publishing Reality - https://publishdrive.com/publishdrive-2025-the-year-we-turned-ai-promises-into-publishing-reality.html  PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link) - 25% off all annual plans until January 7, 2026 GetCovers: Is Amazon KDP Worth It In 2026? - https://getcovers.com/blog/is-amazon-kdp-worth-it-in-2026 Spoken: "Your Story" Competition - https://www.spoken.press/yourstory Booklinker: The Strategic Author - https://booklinker.mykajabi.com/Strategic-Author Booklinker: From Book Cover to Brand Story: Building an Author Identity That Sells - https://booklinker.mykajabi.com/Build-author-identity 2025 Digital Book Today Literary Awards - https://digitalbooktoday.com/?s=Dale YouTube for Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/YouTubeBook Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

My YouTube podcast channel was deleted without warning, leaving me searching for answers. Meanwhile, Baker & Taylor faces closure, PublishDrive partners with ElevenReader for AI audiobooks, and Bookvault unveils new Spot UV and foil upgrades. BookBaby highlights proven ad strategies that drive real sales, and Spoken earns ALLi's highest rating for author trust. It's a week packed with big shifts, bold moves, and major updates for indie authors in this week's Self-Publishing News. Self-Publishing News October 13, 2025 - The Final 3 Kickstarter Campaign - https://DaleLinks.com/Kickstarter LIVE: Game-Changing Author Strategies Revealed - https://youtube.com/live/C122wCbad-U My YouTube Podcast Channel - https://DaleLinks.com/YouTubePodcast Baker & Taylor Prepares Plan to Shut Down - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/98777-baker-taylor-prepares-plan-to-shut-down.html PublishDrive Partners with ElevenReader for Instant Audiobook Creation - https://publishdrive.com/publishdrive-partners-with-elevenreader-for-instant-audiobook-creation.html PublishDrive: Book Marketing that Works Insights from Dale L Roberts - https://youtu.be/wos5AoL5jpk?si=_8KM8622A4fPkETF Bookvault Bespoke - https://bookvault.app/bookvaultbespoke-product-examples/ Booklinker - https://booklinker.com BookBaby: Examples of Book Advertising That Drive Sales - https://blog.bookbaby.com/how-to-promote-your-book/book-promotion/book-advertising-examples Spoken: V1.04 Release Notes: New Upgrades! - https://spoken.press - ALLi Watchdog List - https://DaleLinks.com/ALLi ALLi: SelfPubCon 2025 - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/conference-2025/ StoryOrigin: Mastering Self-Publishing: From Novice to Pro - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/mCWvXho_QwGFXcvN6PVe9A#/registration Michell Buck Books: Building an Author Platform with Dale L. Roberts - https://open.substack.com/live-stream/66104?utm_source=live-stream-scheduled-upsell Miblart: Book Marketing Strategies 2026 - https://miblart.com/book-marketing-webinars/ Author Nation - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNation (affiliate link) Author Nation: MEET UPS AND OUTSIDE EVENTS - https://www.authornation.live/2025-meetups   Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel  - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

ALLi nonfiction adviser Anna Featherstone chats with Danica Favorite, community manager at PublishDrive, about the challenges indie authors face in global distribution. They discuss how writers can navigate multiple platforms, balance print, audio, and ebooks, and manage metadata. They also talk about new accessibility laws and when outside tools or services make sense—and when they may not. 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. 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 Anna Featherstone is ALLi's nonfiction adviser and an author advocate and mentor. A judge of The Australian Business Book Awards and Australian Society of Travel Writers awards, she's also the founder of Bold Authors and presents author marketing and self-publishing workshops for organizations, including Byron Writers Festival. Anna has authored books including how-to and memoirs and her book Look-It's Your Book! about writing, publishing, marketing, and leveraging nonfiction is on the Australian Society of Authors recommended reading list. When she's not being bookish, Anna's into bees, beings, and the big issues of our time. About the Guest Danica Favorite is the community manager at PublishDrive, a global self-publishing platform supporting authors at every stage—from formatting and metadata optimization to wide distribution and sales analytics. A multi-published author herself, Danica brings a unique blend of hands-on publishing experience, marketing savvy, and a deep understanding of the author journey. She regularly speaks at conferences about AI, metadata, and business strategy for authors.

Amazon KDP just rolled out a new look for the dashboard—and that's not all. They've also updated their keyword rules, and Kindlepreneur breaks it all down in plain English. Plus, PublishDrive has released a comprehensive guide to accessibility in digital publishing for 2025. Get all the latest updates and author opportunities in this week's indie publishing news roundup. Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.  Sources: KDP - https://kdp.amazon.com  Kindlepreneur: Amazon Book Keyword Rules Explained (2025 Update) - https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-book-keyword-rules/ Accessibility in Digital Publishing 2025: Your Complete Guide to Creating Inclusive EPUBs - https://publishdrive.com/accessibility-in-digital-publishing-2025-your-complete-guide-to-creating-inclusive-epubs-2.html Spotify for Authors - https://authors.spotify.com/ Book Bounty - https://DaleLinks.com/BookBounty (affiliate link) Get Authentic Book Reviews - https://GetAuthenticBookReviews.com MSL 213 - Dale L. Roberts on Starting a Solopreneur Business, Part 2 - https://youtu.be/VtsgStWHBWk?si=G7d7vZXNcTloJmXl The Sample Chapter Podcast: YouTube For Authors: Dale L. Roberts - https://youtu.be/XNGt89X79Dc?si=HB38iw1S1huy8XgX  Busting Indie Publishing Myths with Dale Roberts - https://www.youtube.com/live/6oPXIhuzROg?si=bWx-Gm6rFx6xJPzb BookMARCon 2025 - https://bookbrush.com/bookmarcon/ AuthorNation Volunteer Survey - https://form.smartsuite.com/so8pqexh/D9a8mbe9ZM?kuid=29d26bb5-3f29-40fa-851e-11bb2f7d2ab0-1753730183&lid=11679&kref=PULKc40ysYCp Author Nation - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNation (affiliate link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Major updates this week in the publishing world: one major distributor is waiving its print market access fee for the next 12 months, while others are making key changes to how authors get paid or discover new readers. Plus, a brief outage, fresh promotional opportunities, and a couple of interviews you don't want to miss. Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee News Sources: Distribute Print Books to Ingram Without the Market Access Fee for 12 Months - https://publishdrive.com/distribute-print-books-to-ingram-without-the-market-access-fee-for-12-months.html Everand: Update on Subscription Payouts for Full Reads - https://help.publishdrive.com/everand-payout-updates Bookvault Outage Incident Last Week - https://status.bookvault.app/incident/619700  Barnes & Noble Press Blog: Bestseller Tips for Indie Authors - https://press.barnesandnoble.com/bnpress-blog/bestseller-tips-for-indie-authors/ The Sample Chapter Podcast - Interview with Dale L. Roberts - https://youtu.be/fcQs2cAr-WY?si=MvAKhOP5tPDtZEAl  Terry Pappy: MSL 212 - Dale L. Roberts on Starting Part 1 - https://youtu.be/KXzchCH3WYk?si=7T7U7PrJsmZswBGI BookMARCon - https://bookbrush.com/bookmarcon/ Author Nation - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNation (affiliate link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Major news just dropped in the world of AI and copyright, and authors need to pay attention. A federal judge made a surprising ruling about how AI models can use books, and it could change everything. Plus, new opportunities for indie authors with MailerLite, PublishDrive, Bookvault, and more. Catch up on everything happening in publishing this week. Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. News Sources:  AI chatbots need more books to learn from. These libraries are opening their stacks - https://apnews.com/article/ai-chatbot-training-data-libraries-idi-e096a81a4fceb2951f232a33ac767f53  Federal judge rules copyrighted books are fair use for AI training - https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/federal-judge-rules-copyrighted-books-are-fair-use-ai-training-rcna214766 Amazon Prime Day 2025 - https://www.amazon.com/primeday BookLinker - https://BookLinker.com KDP Royalty Calculator: Free Tool for Authors - https://kindlepreneur.com/kdp-royalty-calculator/?affiliate=selfpubwithdale (affiliate link) Bookvault - https://bookvault.app PublishDrive - https://dalelinks.com/publishdrive (affiliate link)  Spotify for Authors - https://authors.spotify.com How Indie Authors Are Doing in 2025: Mid-Year Survey Results - https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/we-asked-indie-authors-how-2025-is-going-heres-what-they-said/ All Call Indie - https://allcallindie.com/ New! Create and sell your digital products directly in MailerLite - https://dalelinks.com/mailerliteproducts (affiliate link) Get Authentic Book Reviews - https://getauthenticbookreviews.com Gemsy - https://dalelinks.com/gemsy (affiliate link) - use code DALE4JULY (good through July 8) BookMARCon - https://bookbrush.com/bookmarcon/ Author Nation - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNation (affiliate link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Dale L. Roberts talks with Danica Favorite, community manager at PublishDrive, about what truly makes an author brand effective. They dive into how the power of relationships in author marketing, avoid the most common branding mistakes, and take real control of your marketing. Danica shares how wide distribution and authentic community-building can help authors stand out—and sell more—by owning their unique narrative. Show Notes Danica Favorite Brave New Bookshelf Podcast PublishDrive ALLi Watchdog List Sponsor 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. About the Host Dale L. Roberts is a self-publishing advocate, award-winning author, and video content creator. Dale's inherent passion for life fuels his self-publishing advocacy both in print and online. After publishing over 50 titles and becoming an international bestselling author on Amazon, Dale started his YouTube channel, Self-Publishing with Dale. Selected by Feedspot and LA Weekly as one of the best sources in self-publishing of 2022, Dale cemented his position as the indie-author community's go-to authority. You can find Dale on his website or YouTube.

Something big is happening in the audiobook world—Spotify just changed how indie authors distribute their audiobooks, and it could impact your publishing future. In this week's Self-Publishing News, I'll break down what's happening with Findaway Voices and the brand-new company INAudio. Plus, updates from Laterpress, PublishDrive, and a new feature inside Dibbly Create that could change how you write your next book. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp   Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Sources: Spotify Transitions Select Audiobook Distribution Services to INaudio - https://blog.findawayvoices.com/inaudio/ INAudio: A Message from our Founders - https://www.inaudio.com/article/a-message-from-our-founders  Laterpress - https://www.laterpress.com/ Laterpress: Monthly and Annual Subscriptions - https://www.laterpress.com/blog/monthly-and-annual-subscriptions  Get Authentic Book Reviews - https://getauthenticbookreviews.com/ Dibbly Create: Guided Book Flow - https://mailchi.mp/dibbly/new-feature-lets-you-build-your-book-in-under-an-hour-6743002  Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link) PublishDrive: General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR): What Authors and Publishers Need to Know - https://help.publishdrive.com/general-product-safety-regulation-gpsr-what-authors-and-publishers-need-to-know PublishDrive - https://publishdrive.com/pricing.html?fpr=dale10 (affiliate link) * 50% off special ends Wednesday Book Brush: The ABCs of Amazon A+ Content - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/YGCclpusSFWtHOJ8lC0uxQ#/registration Beyond the Blast: Book Marketing Tactics for Long-Term Success - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/mjtluDCqRlGFR6N_y-hgPg#/registration 30 Books in 30 Days Giveaway - https://DaleLinks.com/30Books  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Major updates are shaking up the self-publishing world this week! A popular author tool just expanded its reach, a new feature could help you earn more from your book sales, and indie authors now have a surprising new way to boost their global discoverability. Plus, one important deadline is coming fast—you don't want to miss it. Let's dive in! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord heck out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Sources: IngramSpark: Share & Sell Your Book - https://www.ingramspark.com/sell-my-book Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com Publisher Rocket - https://DaleLinks.com/Rocket (affiliate link)  PublishDrive Celebrates 10 Years with 50% off all plans - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link)  PublishDrive: Exclusive copyrights - requirements and protection of intellectual works from future theft - https://streamyard.com/watch/PdF22kV9MRPn 30 Books in 30 Days - https://DaleLinks.com/30Books Author Nation (early bird ends on May 1) - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNation (affiliate link) Author Nation 2025: Last Chance for Early Bird! - https://www.youtube.com/live/gRjaAi4WDuU?si=encEBnGbKpMo6xfp Book Launch Panel with Teddy Smith - https://subscribepage.io/booklaunchpanelshow  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) rolled out new features and analytics for account holders, plus I share deeper insights into ACX's new digital voice narration with the cloning capabilities. Kobo Plus expanded into two new regions. National Novel Writing Month shut down; what happened and what can authors do now? And an Australian erotica author has been arrested due to some disturbing allegations. Find out about all that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Sources: Now in Beta: Narrator Voice Replicas on ACX - https://www.acx.com/mp/blog/now-in-beta-narrator-voice-replicas-on-acx Getting the most from your ACX reporting and analytics - https://www.acx.com/mp/blog/getting-the-most-from-your-acx-reporting-and-analytics  Rakuten Kobo Launches Kobo Plus in Singapore & Malaysia - https://kobowritinglife.com/2025/03/18/rakuten-kobo-launches-kobo-plus-in-singapore-malaysia/ NaNoWriMo shutting down (covered by The Bottom Line) - https://janefriedman.com/the-bottom-line-janes-publishing-industry-newsletter/ (subscription required) The State of NaNoWriMo - A Community Update - March 2025 - https://youtu.be/TR6NnjgeIIY?si=Yr8eQ3F7fgYyukWd Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com Sydney author Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa arrested over ‘pedophilia' book - https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/crime/sydney-author-lauren-tesolinmastrosa-arrested-over-pedophilia-book/news-story/5babb82438d7adc5ca699c877b07641a  CoverRater - https://coverrater.com - use coupon code DALEROCKS for 20% off (good till Sept. 30, 2025) PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link) PublishDrive presents: Building Your Author Platform with Evan Gow of StoryOrigin - https://publishdrive.com/building-your-author-platform-with-evan-gow-of-storyorigin.html  Keith Wheeler presents: YouTube for Books - https://dalelinks.com/youtubeforbooks (affiliate link) Book Career in a Year by Nick Thacker - https://www.bookcareerinayear.com/sp/book/ref/1/  Books that Make You presents: Dale L. Roberts on Self-Publishing for New Authors – Your Guide to Indie Success - https://youtu.be/_9CejZROHcU?si=63ji1R6XkK9IAMCi Self-Publishing with ALLi presents: Marketing Strategies for Children's Books That Work - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-marketing-strategies-for-childrens-books/ The Writing Community Chat Show presents: A Haunted Island. A Spooky Investigation. - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thewccs/a-haunted-island-a-spooky-investigation?ref=project_link Teddy AG Smith presents: Dale L. Roberts - Beyond Amazon: The Strategic Approach to Publishing Wide - https://youtu.be/bea3M6zGlqQ?si=AlfTwqLTn9cBPXkw ULTIMATE ‪@DaleLRoberts‬ QUIZ | ARE YOU A SELF-PUBLISHING WITH DALE EXPERT? - https://youtu.be/o2n7Kw6q6l0?si=3IYU8M32GGqS8qaI  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

To set your books and audiobooks up for the best chance at success, you need to make your titles available to purchase in as many retail outlets as possible. Author and book publishing consultant Erin Wright joins “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share her expertise about the most effective methods to distribute books and audiobooks to as many retail sites as possible, including details about how to best use IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, Author's Republic, Bookvault, and more for your publishing goals.PARTICIPANTSErin Wright is a full-time contemporary western romance author, but unless you're a fan of sexy cowboys, you've probably heard of her instead because of her work in the Wide for the Win Facebook group. She conned Suzie O'Connell (close writing friend and fellow cowboy romance author) into co-founding the Facebook group back in March of 2019, and has been avoiding writing books by posting in the group ever since. If you're thinking about going Wide, or if you're already Wide and just want to connect with other Widelings, be sure to come join Erin in the largest group on the internet for Wide authors. She'd be thrilled to have you!Independent Book Publishers Association is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,600 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He's also passionate about indie publishing, because he's an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.LINKSLearn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/membershipMake sure to connect with Erin for her consulting at work https://erinwright.net/consulting and https://erinwright.net/authors, as well as in the Wide for the Win Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wideforthewinFollow IBPA on:Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonlineX – https://twitter.com/ibpaInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/Follow Erin on:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinwrightLVFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/AuthorErinWrightPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/erinwrightbooksTwitter: https://twitter.com/erinwrightlvBookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/erin-wrightInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorerinwrightGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/erinwright

Bookvault made a major announcement about box sets and slip cases for authors. The self-publishing company PublishDrive will be down for scheduled maintenance. Smashwords is having their annual Read an Ebook Week in March. The Kindlepreneur Dave Chesson updated his article about direct sales for authors and the stats are pretty surprising (in a good way)! Laterpress leaked some insider info you will want to know. And, hear about other relevant news in the world of self-publishing. Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link)  Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships  Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts  My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks  Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Sources: Bookvault: Introducing Box Sets and Slipcases: Available now! - https://bookvault.app/introducing-box-sets-and-slipcases-available-now/ Use code BVDALE to waive your first three upload fees. PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link) Smashwords: Read an Ebook Week 2025 - https://www.smashwords.com/dashboard/sitewidePromos  Selling Books Direct: Insights from 500+ Authors [2025 Update] - https://kindlepreneur.com/the-truth-on-selling-books-direct-insights-from-authors/  Laterpress - https://Laterpress.com 120 Author Opportunities + Some Hope (I hope...) - https://authortunities.substack.com/p/over-100-author-opportunities-some  Getting started with MailerLite - https://mailerlite.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RV0gFn6CQw-pE4vxT39bAw#/registration  MailerLite - https://DaleLinks.com/MailerLite (affiliate link) Authors Meet Author Assistants: Streamline Your Publishing Journey at Our Virtual Hiring Event - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/F1qcpvnDSuGrzc68puegXg#/registration  Master Amazon Ads: Live Ad Audits for Authors - https://www.youtube.com/live/a0snbVjJEPw?si=0MyTn_iQxYQL69yV  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Danica Favorite, Community Manager at PublishDrive and a multi-published hybrid author, discusses how authors can leverage AI and PublishDrive's powerful tools to streamline their publishing journey. Danica also shares insights on using AI responsibly, overcoming writing challenges, and maximizing book visibility.

Discover the latest in self-publishing news! From Taylor Swift facing backlash over errors in her self-published book to Barnes & Noble Press warning about scams, and IngramSpark expanding distribution in Singapore, we've got you covered. Plus, other important updates every author needs to hear! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks  Sources: Taylor Swift's Eras Tour book dubbed ‘errors tour' over spelling mistakes, ‘blurry photos, and design flaws' - https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/taylor-swift-eras-tour-book-typos-b2658821.html Barnes & Noble Press - https://press.barnesandnoble.com Book Distribution in Singapore - https://www.ingramspark.com/Singapore Final Call: 30% Off PublishDrive Plans Ends on January 8 - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link)  Join my Discord community for access to free AI tools - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Unveiling 2025: Indie Authors Gear Up for AI Innovations and Craft Renaissance - https://indieauthormagazine.com/unveiling-2025-indie-authors-gear-up-for-ai-innovations-and-craft-renaissance/ Stop Missing Out: Monetize Your Writing with Audio | Spoken.Press - https://www.youtube.com/live/PgnK8ZnHC4M?si=1A62VesBIGWGOWPe Simplify Story Structure: Write Better, Faster Novels | Jason Hamilton - https://www.youtube.com/live/B4NKQspKEBg?si=Apv_D1ea4Q9vE0JB How to build an audience from scratch: Webinar with Russell Nohelty - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EaX7Nu_9QI26PwF60zvCWw#/registration  Authors Guild: Rights Reversion & Self-Publishing - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Gyc8GDBWRl6aT5Z-V51vMA#/registration  Outstanding Creator Awards - https://www.outstandingcreator.com/winners--2024-clash-of-champions.html Global Book Awards - https://globalbookawards2024self.spread.name/?page=4 and https://globalbookawards2024self.spread.name/?page=5 My bookshelf - https://DaleLinks.com/Bookshelf  Million Dollar Mastermind with Larry Weidel - https://podcasts.fame.so/million-dollar-mastermind-with-larry-weidel  Credit: The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

The Amazon Community Guidelines updated their policies about reviews and this affects some review service sites like Pubby, Get Books Reviewed, Get Authentic Book Reviews, Book Bounty and more. Amazon Advertising rolled out two NEW features for account holders that can greatly improve book sales. And, self-publishing is on the rise, according to Publishers Weekly. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks  Sources: Kindle Vella Announcement - https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/article/Kindle-Vella-Announcement?language=en_US Self-Publishing's Output and Influence Continue to Grow - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/96468-self-publishing-s-output-and-infuence-continue-to-grow.html The Alliance of Independent Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/ALLi (affiliate link) Book Bounty - https://book-bounty.com/ Amazon Community: About Promotional Content - https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GDSRWWGGRA2JXSNZ Get Book Reviews on Amazon Without Violating Guidelines | Authentic Book Reviews - https://youtube.com/live/w0KxkSf6CMs Authentic Book Reviews - https://GetAuthenticBookReviews.com Amazon Advertising - https://advertising.amazon.com Draft2Digital - https://DaleLinks.com/D2D (referral link) Barnes & Noble Press - https://press.barnesandnoble.com/ Bookvault - https://bookvault.app. Use code BVDALE to waive your first three uploads.  IngramSpark - https://IngramSpark.com Earn Even More with IngramSpark (Share & Sell) - https://www.ingramspark.com/share-sell-promotion PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link) PublishDrive: Holiday Content Deadlines and Instructions for 2024 - https://publishdrive.com/holiday-content-deadlines-and-instructions-for-2024.html  PublishDrive: Print Books - PDF creation, margins, how to use built in PD tools, and key strategies in distribution - https://streamyard.com/watch/Shn2bxiDagWU PublishDrive: Introducing PublishDrive's Cover Image Generator: Your Fast-Track to Stunning Ebook Covers - https://publishdrive.com/introducing-publishdrives-cover-image-generator.html PublishDrive: From Manuscript to Market: Your Fast-Track to Stunning Ebook Cover - https://streamyard.com/watch/uBY7XYXCmEYA Dibbly Create presents: Creator Q & A.I. - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ39eNz8xkmj0x7ELhrZW8l3lU7DqzslP More Reviews, More Readers: Hidden Gems' Founder Reveals All - https://www.youtube.com/live/yjYRPrpmDuM?si=z9p8h88sL-nTc-TJ Black Friday Deal Alerts (affiliate links)  Miblart (cover design) - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart. Use MIBL20BLACK for 20% off your next order. Good till December 1, 2024. GetCovers (cover design) - https://DaleLinks.com/GetCovers. Use BLACKDEALS for up to 30% off your next order. Good till December 1, 2024. Press Ranger (AppSumo LTD) - https://DaleLinks.com/PressRanger. Good till Nov. 26, 2024 at 9:00am EDT. DepositPhotos (AppSumo LTD) - https://DaleLinks.com/DepositPhotosDeal. Good till Dec. 2, 2024. ProWritingAid - https://DaleLinks.com/ProWritingAid MailerLite - https://DaleLinks.com/MailerLite SiteGround - https://DaleLinks.com/SiteGround BLACK FRIDAY DEALS for Authors & Self-Publishers 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/live/yB57FnddsD4?si=a2KuvifR2v6PzfIA  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Amazon Advertising rolled out a new generative AI feature for your book ads. The Association of American Publishers recently revealed that publishing sales are up in August. And, PublishDrive shares the holiday publishing schedule for audiobooks. All that and more in the self-publishing news! - Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link)

Kindle Vella announced they're closing things down in 2025, so where do authors go? Laterpress has your answer. Also, Authors Guild wants your signature on a petition that could have a major impact on how you're compensated for training AI. And, PublishDrive just acquired a new audiobook distribution partner in Odilo. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Sources: Sign the Statement on AI Training - https://authorsguild.org/news/sign-the-statement-on-ai-training/ PublishDrive x Odilo - https://publishdrive.com/publish-to-odilo.html Booksprout: Don't Just Survive 1-Star Book Reviews, Use Them - https://booksprout.co/fivestar/the-reviews/dont-just-survive-1-star-book-reviews-use-them-a-guide-for-authors/ Kindle Vella is Shutting Down. Looking for a New Serial Fiction Home? Consider Laterpress. - https://www.laterpress.com/blog/kindle-vella-sunset Miblart Black Friday Early Access - https://miblart.com/early-black-friday-deals/?ref=daleroberts5 (affiliate link). Use code DALE10 for 10% off your next order. Get Authentic Book Reviews - https://GetAuthenticBookReviews.com Facebook Ads for Authors: A Roadmap to Book Sales - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEufumgpjgtHNaV28DWqfNb9fu-8pp4HULW#/registration Authortunities Expo 2024 - https://authortunitieshub.com Networking for Authors by Dale L. Roberts — Book Review - https://sk-alexander.com/for-authorpreneurs/networking-authors-review.html Networking for Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/Networking How to Write a Nonfiction Book in 24 Hours - https://DaleLinks.com/ARCTeam Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Barnes and Noble Press rolled out a free new promotional tool for authors. The holiday season is coming right up and print on demand companies want you to order your books by specific deadlines. And, PublishDrive is offering 50% off their plans for a limited time. All that and more in the self-publishing news! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Sources: PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link). The 50% off sale is good through Nov. 4, 2024. Draft2Digital warns of holiday rush - https://authoremail.com/email/campaigns/ov131d3vf1d2b/web-version/eq3389j0wvdc4  Barnes & Noble Press warns of holiday rush - https://press.barnesandnoble.com/ Barnes & Noble Press Book Promotion Tool - https://press.barnesandnoble.com/projects/promote-book Apple Books: Holiday season delivery schedule - https://authors.apple.com An Author's Audiobook Journey: Going Wide with 30+ Titles - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsfu-orjgvGdBCUqpitHLMr3jN_-EoVkb_#/registration Author's Survival Kit: Must-Have Tools for Marketing and Advertising Success - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtf-mrpz8qG9wIY_x1UOy8vKqDa4AEEuzw#/registration Creating a Compelling Author Website with Pauline Wiles: The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-author-website/ Crafting Bestselling Books and Marketing Strategies with Dale L. Roberts // EP 137 - https://www.hustleinspireshustle.com/episode/crafting-bestselling-books-and-marketing-strategies-with-dale-l-roberts-ep-137 Readers View Podcast presents: "How to Write a Book in 48 Hours" by Dale L. Roberts - https://www.insidescooplive.com/e/how-to-write-a-book-in-48-hours-roberts/ Networking for Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/Networking How to Write a Nonfiction Book in 24 Hours - https://DaleLinks.com/ARCTeam Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Ebook sales are projected to hit $29.9 billion by 2033. Authors Guild announces new partnership with an AI licensing company called Created by Humans. And, Findaway Voices by Spotify announces expansion of audiobook distribution for Spotify. All that and more in the self-publishing news. Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks  Sources: Ebooks Market Revenue Surges to $29.9 billion by 2033 - https://scoop.market.us/ebooks-market-news/ Authors Guild Partners with Created by Humans to Empower Authors in the AI Era - https://authorsguild.org/news/ag-partners-with-created-by-humans-to-empower-authors-in-ai-era/ Findaway Voices by Spotify - https://findawayvoices.com/dale Bookvault: How to Use the Bookvault Bulk Title Upload - https://20439106.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20439106/Bulk%20Title%20Import%20Guide.pdf PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link) Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link). Get 10% off with coupon code: MINUSTEN (good only in October 2024) Dibbly - https://DaleLinks.com/Dibbly (affiliate link). Get 10% off with coupon code: MINUSTEN (good only in October 2024) Self-Publishing Advice Conference 2024 - https://selfpublishingadviceconference.com/  StoryOrigin presents: Writing with AI: What's going on here? - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcuc-6sqT0rH9LwN_uV1ACBRDYXb5AJsOE-#/registration Get Book Reviews on Amazon Without Violating Guidelines - https://www.youtube.com/live/w0KxkSf6CMs?si=HC4BFWDj9zolnwA- Book Launchers presents: From Invisible to Influential: Dale L. Roberts Unleashes Author Networking Hacks - https://www.youtube.com/live/O3vGtispDTQ?si=Bcot0ulKuP4kVQAZ Networking for Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/Networking  Credit:  Laterpress - https://Laterpress.com  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

PublishDrive just launched a new free option for publishing ebooks where you get 100% of net profits. The Authors Guild applauds the recent decision to hold Internet Archive accountable for blatant book pirating. Soundcloud is playing host to bad actors that freely promote your pirated book. And, Ingram Book Group just got audiobook distribution to Spotify; what does this mean for other companies using Ingram for distribution? All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro  (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp   Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks  Sources: Authors Guild Applauds Final Court Decision Affirming Internet Archive's Book Scanning as Copyright Infringement - https://authorsguild.org/news/ag-applauds-final-court-decision-affirming-internet-archive-book-scanning-as-copyright-infringement/ Written Word Media: Annual Author Survey - https://writtenwordmedia.typeform.com/authorsurvey24 Soundcloud Piracy Warning - https://www.youtube.com/live/IJupL8rzKdo?si=h9gbxpwDsY-HS78Q IngramSpark Giveaway - https://www.ingramspark.com/promote-my-book-giveaway  Bringing More Audiobooks From Independent Authors to Spotify With Ingram Content Group - https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-07-25/bringing-more-audiobooks-from-independent-authors-to-spotify-with-ingram-content-group/ Dibbly Create rolls out new Content Writer feature for fiction - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate affiliate link) PublishDrive Opens New Distribution Option - https://admin.publishdrive.com/account/compare-plans Book Brush - https://BookBrush.com Your ticket to the new Authortunities Hub PLUS the Space and Time ToC for #147 - https://authortunities.substack.com/p/your-ticket-to-the-new-authortunities BookLife's Indie Spotlight - https://booklife.com/about-us/booklife-s-indie-spotlight.html  BookBaby: 15 Book Promotion Ideas to Boost Your Sales and Reach - https://blog.bookbaby.com/how-to-promote-your-book/book-promotion/book-promotion-ideas Authors Guild: What Agents Want from Querying Authors - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jXZgnKLaTgCMSKC35uX4Gg#/registration  Best Marketing Investments for Indie Authors - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-marketing-investments/ Book Marketing Mastery with Dale L. Roberts : Proven Strategies from 10+ Years Experience - https://www.selfpubmadesimple.com/events/book-marketing-mastery-with-dale-l-roberts-proven-strategies-from-10-years-experience-marketing-monday-2024-09-16-20-00  Unlock Speaker Success Now! Indie Authors Share Secrets - https://www.youtube.com/live/QPUjw5arw1o?si=Xm6yfUolwADN_EbY eBookFairs - https://DaleLinks.com/eBookFairs Advertising for Books: A Guide to Promoting & Selling with the Largest Online Bookseller - https://DaleLinks.com/ARCTeam (advanced access available till Sept. 14, 2024) Source: Miblart - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart (affiliate link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

In this episode of Brave New Bookshelf, hosts Steph Pajonas and Danica Favorite explore the transformative role of AI in authorship, focusing on how to find joy in writing by embracing technology as a creative tool. With Steph's insights from Future Fiction Academy and Danica's expertise from PublishDrive, they advocate for respect within the writing community and encourage authors to celebrate their unique creative processes. Discover how AI can enhance your writing journey and join the conversation about positivity and innovation in the publishing industry. Visit our website https://bravenewbookshelf.com to view the full episode notes, links and apps mentioned in the episode, and the full transcript.

[00:00:00] Welcome to Brave New Bookshelf, a podcast that explores the fascinating intersection of AI and authorship. Join hosts, Steph Pajonas and Danica Favorite, as they dive into thought provoking discussions, debunk myths, and highlight the transformative role of AI in the publishing industry. **Steph Pajonas:** Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the Brave New Bookshelf. I'm Steph Pajonas, CTO and COO of the Future Fiction Academy and soon to be Future Fiction Press. By the time this goes live, the website will probably be up and we'll be talking about it more. But in the meantime, I'm here with my lovely co host. As always, hi, Danica. How are you? **Danica Favorite:** I'm good. Thanks. Hi everyone. I am Danica Favorite and I am the Community Manager at PublishDrive. And we help authors on every stage of their author journey, whether that is helping find the best description and metadata for their books using AI tools [00:01:00] or distributing their book to the widest markets or even splitting royalties with their co authors. A lot of cool things and the best thing about my job is that I get to talk. About all things AI with my good friend here, Steph Pajonas. We're really happy to be here. Happy to get to talk to you today because when Steph and I were talking about what we were going to talk about, I am so excited because so much about me and who I am as an author, and even in the writing coaching that I do, is all about Mindfulness and finding joy in what you do. And one of the things that Steph and I have been talking about, that's missing in the AI conversation sometimes, although to be fair, we have talked about this a little bit. **Steph Pajonas:** Just a little. Yeah. **Danica Favorite:** just a little, and it really is about finding joy in your writing and in your process. And the joy using AI tools brings, because I think ultimately we have to recognize that this is a [00:02:00] tool. It's just a tool. And we would not we were just talking about how I recently got back into re watching Veronica Mars, because it's my favorite show because I found a friend who hasn't seen it yet. Of course, I have to spread the Veronica Mars love. And we were laughing because they were still using flip phones. And here I am with my giant cell phone that's got all this cool AI stuff. Like, Steph and I were talking about is how, Veronica Mars was a badass. Can you imagine what she could have done with a Smartphone? Seriously! **Steph Pajonas:** She could have done some major damage, I think. Yeah. **Danica Favorite:** yeah, and the thing is, is that none of us hate on her for that. None of even like the different kinds of cameras and the camera technology they had back in. Right now we have, the reason I got my phone, I'll be really honest, is because at the time it was the very best camera that you could get in a phone. That was why I chose the Google Pixel. And now technology [00:03:00] has evolved so much. I still think it's one of the better cameras, but I think I was reading something about a camera that beats it now. But here's the point. I get great pictures off of my phone and yet I know other people still prefer to use their telephoto lenses and all their other cool stuff on a regular camera camera. And so my friend and I, as we're watching Veronica Mars, we're commenting. Do you remember how hard it used to be when you were waiting to get your photos back from the printer? **Steph Pajonas:** My husband and I were just talking about that recently just think about where did all the photo developing places go, right? They went away at some point, now I think you can still get film developed by sending it away. And that's pretty much it. Mhm. **Danica Favorite:** Yeah, and none of us say, oh, real photographers aren&

In this enlightening episode of Brave New Bookshelf, hosts Steph Pajonas and Danica Favorite delve into the topic of AI in authorship, addressing common misconceptions and exploring its transformative potential in the publishing industry. As passionate advocates for ethical AI use, Steph from Future Fiction Academy and Danica from PublishDrive share their personal experiences with integrating AI into their writing processes. They emphasize the importance of respecting individual choices while debunking myths surrounding AI's role in creativity and storytelling. Join them as they discuss how AI can enhance creativity, improve editing skills, and foster better communication within the writing community. Visit our website https://bravenewbookshelf.com to view the full episode notes, links and apps mentioned in the episode, and the full transcript.

[00:00:00] Welcome to Brave New Bookshelf, a podcast that explores the fascinating intersection of AI and authorship. Join hosts, Steph Pajonas and Danica Favorite, as they dive into thought provoking discussions, debunk myths, and highlight the transformative role of AI in the publishing industry. **Steph Pajonas:** Hello everyone and welcome back to the Brave New Bookshelf. I'm Steph, Pajonas, CTO and COO of Future Fiction Academy, where we teach authors how to use AI in any part of their process. We've been super busy at the FFA the last couple of months. We got some cool stuff coming out, which I'm totally excited about and I can't wait to tell everybody about it when the time comes. Hopefully in like late August or so, and I'm of course, joined by my lovely co host Danica Favorite. How are you doing today Danica? **Danica Favorite:** I'm good. Thank you. So I'm Danica Favorite, and I am the community manager at PublishDrive. And at PublishDrive, we are here to help authors on every stage of their [00:01:00] publishing journey through distribution, royalty splitting, and obviously creating our new tool the metadata generator, which is an AI generator to help you create metadata and keywords and everything for your book, which is Amazing and awesome. So yeah, we had kind of our exciting thing. And I know our team is working on the back end of also some more cool AI stuff. So I love that you and I both get to do for our day job, a little bit of AI fun. Development stuff. I'm not the developer person. I'm just the person with the ideas who says, yes, I like that idea. No, I don't know. I don't even get to do that much. It's do you think authors would like this? And I say yes we would. Or no. Yeah. **Steph Pajonas:** would. Not so much. **Danica Favorite:** Yeah. And I think that's a good point. Obviously, you and I are very pro AI. We respect author's rights to use AI ethically and legally in any way they can to help improve their process. And you and I were talking a little bit earlier [00:02:00] about how we've both seen a lot more of the online bullying for people who use AI or, oh no, this AI use is bad, this AI use is bad, et cetera. And I just wanted to take a few moments we've been on break for a little while. Take some summertime. So we're back from our break. And I want to reiterate our position that it's not okay to bully an author or anyone in the publishing industry for using AI as an assistive tool to help make their jobs easier. Now, obviously, we do not support plagiarism. We do not support anything that's unethical or illegal. But when we're talking about generative AI, and as we've talked about it in the context of our podcast. We really are talking about legal and ethical ways of using it. And so if you ever have questions about that, please go back and listen to some of our episodes because we have experts sharing their opinions on that. And again, just want to reiterate that stance [00:03:00] because it's really important that even if I'm not using AI for one particular piece of my process, that doesn't mean that it's not okay for someone else to. I want everyone to use AI in a way that's comfortable for them. If it's good for you to use it to write your blurbs, but not write your text of your book, you can do that. But please do not be down on someone who's going to use it for the text of their book. And so I'm going to send that back over to you, Steph, because I know you also are pretty passionate. So I'll give you a chance to share some of that passion as well. **Steph Pajonas:** yeah, it's interesting that we saw that a lot this past week or two. Very interesting. A lot of people coming into the AI safe spaces on Facebook and in other places and saying Oh, it's fin

Written Word Media published a deep dive piece about how to avoid an Amazon KDP termination or suspension. IngramSpark launched a new free tool for authors; is it any good? And, Barnes & Noble Press loads you up with their top tips for summer book marketing. All that and more in the self-publishing news. Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Get my latest book at every major online retailer: - Self-Publishing for New Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/NewAuthors Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships  Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts  Sources: Awards for Authors: Secrets from a Book Award Judge - https://bookawardpro.com/blog/secrets-from-a-book-award-judge/ Mastering Metadata: How to Avoid KDP Account Suspension - https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/how-to-avoid-kdp-account-suspension/  IngramSpark's Book-Building Tool - https://www.ingramspark.com/design-a-book Hot Summer Book Marketing Tips for Indie Authors - https://press.barnesandnoble.com/bnpress-blog/summer-book-marketing-tips-indie-authors/ Atticus: Customer Success Geek - https://www.atticus.io/join-our-team/ Reader Magnets and Growing Your Email List for Indie Author Success - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-reader-magnets/ PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) Selling Audiobooks: Production, Marketing, and Distribution - Q&A w/ Lindsay Senior @ Author's Republic - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kc--rrzguEtRiC-4Y-QCg6d1xiqLhcXFV#/registration Non Fiction Extravaganza July Part 2 - https://DaleLinks.com/VirtualFair Self Publishing for New Authors with Dale L. Roberts - https://youtu.be/Nsvu2Bth3Wg?si=Bxt7zAp_L6f6HGVo  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

IngramSpark is launching a new book promotion package with a hefty price tag. Will the services be worthwhile? Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) updated their sales report dashboard with some much-needed improvements. Is ACX still missing anything authors need beyond this update? And, the UK-based print on demand company Bookvault announced direct integration with the direct sales platform Payhip. All that and more in the self-publishing news! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships  Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts  Sources: Amazon Advertising - https://advertising.amazon.com/  Bookvault + Payhip Integration - https://bookvault.app/payhip/ ACX - https://www.acx.com/ Draft2Digital: Notification Regarding Weltbild - https://www.authoremail.com/email/campaigns/yd690y2ad6e9d/web-version/eq3389j0wvdc4 IngramSpark: Promote Your Book - https://www.ingramspark.com/title-discovery  IngramSpark Academy: Self-Publishing Essentials - https://www.ingramspark.com/book-metadata-course-description Spotify's New Basic Plan Strips Out Audiobooks - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-spotify-audiobook-plan/ How to analyze what book covers sell in your genre? - https://miblart.substack.com/p/how-to-analyze-what-book-covers-sell Streetlib: July and August Apple Promos - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9wgHN_S8QYb6jyIq2suD6CbBw-WoKTOL_ApEHo9lrjVFYwQ/viewform PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link) More Email Marketing Tips for Indie Authors - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-email-marketing-tips/ Book Brush presents: Level Up with the 5 Places You'll Make Money During a Kickstarter Campaign with Russell Nohelty - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsfu-hpjwtE9wZbalJOhDk8ovVeKUKEhLm#/registration Smashwords July Summer/Winter Sale - https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/1/any/any  My Smashwords Profile - https://dalelinks.com/smashwords  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

An author is filing a class action lawsuit against Amazon due to the stranglehold Audible has on the audiobook market. Spotify is in hot water because of bundling music and audiobooks through their subscription service. And, Amazon KDP wants you to watch out for scammers and frauds. All that and more in the self-publishing news! Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts  Sources: How to spot fraudulent publishing websites and protect yourself from scams - https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/article/How-to-spot-fraudulent-publishing-websites-and-protect-yourself-from-scams?language=en_US&forum=KDP%20Forum Amazon KDP Scams & Frauds - https://youtu.be/6dC9tBMSWoY?si=uICrs1wSyluyj7eX  Barnes And Noble Is Unfairly Targeting Indie Paperbacks and Removing Them From Their Site! - https://selfpubconnect.mn.co/posts/58630093 Music Publishers File FTC Complaint Against Spotify Claiming ‘Fraudulent' Practices - https://www.forbes.com/sites/cathyolson/2024/06/13/music-publishers-file-ftc-complaint-against-spotify-claiming-fraudulent-practices/ Amazon accused of audiobook monopoly in author class action - https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/amazon-accused-audiobook-monopoly-author-class-action-2024-06-14/ BookFunnel Announces Support for Direct Sales for Audiobooks - https://blog.bookfunnel.com/2024/audiobook-pricing-lock-in-the-early-audio-adopter-rate-starting-today/ Bookvault Product Update: June! - https://learn.wideforthewin.com/c/bookvault/bookvault-product-update-june Bookvault Product Update Images - https://bookvault.app/product-update-images/  Laterpress - https://Laterpress.com Laterpress User Constitution - https://laterpress.notion.site/Laterpress-User-Constitution-5e953ee05f5d4c43862df56c62539661 Dibbly Create (Token Usage Feature rollout) - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link)  Kickstarter: The Write Stuff with Kerrie Flanagan - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kerrieflanagan/the-write-stuff PublishDrive presents: Manuscript formatting and book upload - How to start your publishing journey - https://streamyard.com/watch/fmMqZmaRPPnn Reedsy presents: Live Editing Session #4 with Tom Bromley - https://mailparrot.reedsy.com/subscriptions/new?list_id=84365f21a9&utm_source=mailparrot_newsletter&utm_campaign=marketplace_htwan_live_editing_4&utm_medium=email Book Brush presents: Savvy Solutions for Summer: Six Smart Suggestions for Hourly Concepts - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ufu2tqzMvGtROVED2kFqpaU_XULMOdT-l#/registration The story behind Self Publishing with Dale Roberts // Wordslinger ep 228 - https://youtu.be/yakdBEaIwqM?si=F9kMpXdkvVCfCEbW Authortube Writing Conference - https://www.authortubewritingconference.com/ The Future of Self-Publishing Roundtable - https://www.youtube.com/live/4-fnFMefBgo?si=BkWJLR6b3jVPD-p2  Credit: The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com  The Alliance of Independent Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/ALLi (affiliate link)  Laterpress - https://Laterpress.com  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

In this episode of Brave New Bookshelf, co-hosts Steph Pajonas and Danica Favorite are joined by Robert Csizmar, also known as Joker, the CTO and co-founder of PublishDrive. Together, they explore the transformative role of AI in the publishing industry, focusing on PublishDrive's innovative AI metadata tool. Joker shares insights into how this tool helps authors create high-quality metadata to boost their book's discoverability and sales, while also addressing concerns about content security and the importance of effective AI use. Visit our website https://bravenewbookshelf.com to view the full episode notes, links and apps mentioned in the episode, and the full transcript.

[00:00:00] Welcome to Brave New Bookshelf, a podcast that explores the fascinating intersection of AI and authorship. Join hosts, Steph Pajonas and Danica Favorite, as they dive into thought provoking discussions, debunk myths, and highlight the transformative role of AI in the publishing industry. **Steph Pajonas:** Hello, everyone. And welcome back to another episode of Brave New Bookshelf. I'm one of your co hosts, Steph Pajonas. I'm the CTO and COO of the Future Fiction Academy, where we teach authors how to use AI in any part of their business. We're changing things up a little bit this morning. We usually do most of our podcast interviews in the afternoon, my time. And this morning, I got everything up and ready to go because my lovely co host is in Europe. And she's with us today in the offices at Publish Drive. So I'm going to hand it over to Danica Favorite. How are you today, Danica? **Danica Favorite:** Thank you. It's very fun to be here and recording at Publish Drive in our office. And uh, fun to actually have my guests right [00:01:00] next to me too. So of you who don't know me, I'm Danica Favorite. I am the Community Manager at Publish Drive. And PublishDrive is a company that helps authors publishers distribute their books to a worldwide audience. What's really cool is some of you have heard me teasing about our new AI metadata tool, which so fun. So today we're doing something a little differently. We're talking about the AI metadata tool and I have right here, this is Robert Csizmar, otherwise known as Joker. To tell us about it uh, is our CTO and the co founder of PublishDrive. And has spent many hours working on the development of this tool. And really excited for him to tell us about that. But before I do that, I have to tell you something hilarious because was playing on ChatGPT today, and uh, want to share this. I hope everyone does this as an experiment because it's so fun. So I asked ChatGPT, I said, who is Danica's Favorite? And uh, GPT said, Danica Favorite is an author known for her inspirational romance [00:02:00] novels, featuring themes of faith, hope, and love. Her books typically focus on historical and contemporary settings, offering heartwarming stories that explore the complexities of relationships and personal growth. Danica Favorite's works are well received by readers who enjoy clean, uplifting romance. a strong sense of community and moral values. also known for her engagement with readers through social media and writing workshops, she shares insights and advice on writing and storytelling. So then, of course, I asked it, who is Steph Pajonas? Pajonas is an author known for her diverse range of fiction, including contemporary romance, fiction, and cozy mysteries. She's particularly recognized for her Nogiku Series, I hope I said that right, which blends Japanese culture and dystopian science fiction. Pajonas writing often features strong female protagonists, intricate world building, and elements of Japanese traditions and language. In addition to her novels, she is active in the writing community, sharing her experience and advice on writing, self publishing, and [00:03:00] marketing through her blog and social media channels. Pajonas work appeals to readers who enjoy genre crossing stories with rich cultural elements and dynamic characters. So I think Chat GPT knows us pretty well. **Steph Pajonas:** Yeah, I think it's got us nailed. It's good. **Danica Favorite:** Yeah. Yeah. Right. I was just asking Chat GPT. So, um, did not ask it about Joker. I should have actually, now that I think about it, but I'm going to go ahead and introduce Joker. Like I said uh, Csizmar is his name, but we all call him Joker. is the co founder of Publish Drive and also th

Over the past few weeks, I've shared some of the best Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) alternatives for publishing audiobooks. However, there are a few self-publishing companies that offer audiobook publishing as one of three publication types. Today, let's compare a few aggregate publishing companies that handle distribution to Amazon, Audible, and beyond! Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059385511-How-to-Upload-Your-Audiobook-Directly-on-Kobo Google Play Books - https://support.google.com/books/partner/answer/7626222?hl=en Streetlib - https://www.streetlib.com/markets/audiobooks/ PublishDrive - https://publishdrive.com/publish-audiobook.html BookBaby - https://www.bookbaby.com/audiobooks KDP - https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/article/Invite-Only-KDP-Beta-for-Audiobooks?forum=KDP%20Forum&language=en_US Book Funnel - https://blog.bookfunnel.com/2020/the-bookfunnel-of-audiobooks/ Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Amazon Advertising rolled out a new feature for Sponsored Brand ads that sends customers to an Amazon Author Central Profile. PublishDrive continues iterating and improving their platform with their latest feature showcasing their three unique options. And, the Copyright Claims Board has a use case where an author took Disney to court over rights infringement. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts  Sources:  Disney, Books, and the Copyright Claims Board - https://writerbeware.blog/2024/05/31/guest-post-disney-books-and-the-copyright-claims-board/ PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) Sponsored Brands for authors - https://advertising.amazon.com/library/guides/sponsored-brand-authors?ref=24Q2_AH_ENG_SB_AUTHORPAGEGTM_V_1_en_US&ref_=pe_24209330_906684690  Written Word Media: Tax Deductions for Authors - https://streamyard.com/watch/um839ra2BJyt Reedsy's Prompted Magazine Launch - https://mailparrot.reedsy.com/subscriptions/new?list_id=2844b9df07&utm_source=mailparrot_newsletter&utm_campaign=marketplace_live_prompted_3_launch&utm_medium=email  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

[00:00:00] Welcome to Brave New Bookshelf, a podcast that explores the fascinating intersection of AI and authorship. Join hosts, Steph Pajonas and Danica Favorite, as they dive into thought provoking discussions, debunk myths, and highlight the transformative role of AI in the publishing industry. **Steph Pajonas:** All right, everybody, welcome to the Brave New Bookshelf podcast. One of these days, I'm actually going to tell you what episode number this is, instead of just saying, hey, welcome, because I can't keep track of episode numbers. Once again, I'm Steph Pajonas. I'm CTO and COO of the Future Fiction Academy, where we teach authors how to use AI in every part of their process. And I'm joined by my lovely co host once again. Hi Danica. How's it going? **Danica Favorite:** Good, good. Hi, everyone. I'm Danica Favorite, and I'm the Community Manager at PublishDrive, and we help authors and publishers distribute their books to a worldwide network. And we've also got a few cool AI tools [00:01:00] and some soon to be launching. You all missed our chit chat before we got on, but I was telling Steph about some of my testing stuff that we're doing with it, and it's kind of fun. As I've always said, I am not very techie. And so I really encourage anyone who is listening or who starts to think they want to listen. Oh, I'm not very techie. Please do listen in because you get me and I don't really know a lot of tech stuff, which is super awesome because if I can do it, anyone can do it. So today our guest is Stuart Bache and I am so excited to have him. I got to listen to him speak last year at SPS live in London. And he was talking about using AI, and he's a cover designer, and I'll be really honest, up to that point, I was kind of on the fence about cover design and AI and all of that, because I really didn't know how cover designers felt or how it impacted them. And for those of you who haven't seen Stuart's [00:02:00] work, Stuart's a very talented artist in his own right. So how does someone like Stuart who has gotten this AI influx, how does he deal with it? And I was really impressed with his answers because, and I can't remember what he said. I tried to look through my notes to see like the one thing that really stood out to me, but I was just like, wow. I love how he's approaching it and I think it's a really good view of how someone who makes his living off of art is taking a look at AI and art and how that's impacting us in publishing. So, Stuart, why don't you introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do, and we can take it from there. **Stuart Bache:** Yeah. Great. Hi, I, I'm Stuart Bache. You've just heard, I'm a book cover designer. I've been doing it for almost 20 years now. I started in traditional publishing. I worked at Hodder and Stoughton and I was a design manager at Harper Collins. Worked on all sorts of different [00:03:00] things from Stephen King to John le Carré. I worked on the Hobbit movie titles. That's where I met my wife, in fact, because she worked for the Tolkien estate. And yeah, so I worked on a bunch of different things. When I went freelance about 15 years ago, I started to work with a few authors indie authors just on one to one. And I think it was about 2015. So that was, yeah, I was sort of growing and still wasn't really a thing. And so I was a very small part of my yearly work, my annual work, however, that sort of flipped over. So, suddenly it became my main source of income. I left my job and I started working with indie authors, almost all the time. And I've worked with people like LJ Ross and Simon McCleave and people like that. And I've got to know a completely different world. And i

The Kindlepreneur rolled out updated details for Kindle Direct Publishing keywords. PublishDrive announces huge new feature where artificial intelligence produces your metadata. And, Amazon is testing out a new Book Trends Data feature on the sales pages; could this equal more sales? All that and more in the self-publishing news! Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/Signup Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts Sources: How to Fill in Your 7 Kindle Keywords: 2024 UPDATE! - https://youtu.be/vinXgGNxEzk?si=nXWNVGv2n1z3P4pc Book Trends Data - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G3WC49TM63DUM4VW?mc_cid=1c5f63597e&mc_eid=433332c881 PublishDrive: Mastering Metadata - Unveiling Our AI-Publishing Assistant - https://streamyard.com/watch/PjVM9ebWhxj7 BookBaby: 9 Writing Roadblocks and How to Overcome Them - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5TZKcqCvQOuSbwlskPOt0A#/registration  Getpremades: Premade Cover Party on May 30th - https://www.facebook.com/groups/getpremades/ ALLi: Email Marketing Tips for Indie Authors - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-email-marketing/ Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link) Credit: The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

[00:00:00] Welcome to Brave New Bookshelf, a podcast that explores the fascinating intersection of AI and authorship. Join hosts, Steph Pajonas and Danica Favorite, as they dive into thought provoking discussions, debunk myths, and highlight the transformative role of AI in the publishing industry. **Steph Pajonas:** Hi everyone. Welcome back to The Brave New Bookshelf. Once again, I'm Steph Pajonas. I'm the CTO and COO of Future Fiction Academy where we teach authors how to use AI in every part of their process. And with me today, I have my lovely co host as always, Danica Favorite. How are you Danica? **Danica Favorite:** I'm Danica Favorite and I'm an author and the community manager at PublishDrive. Together we're just here having our fun little AI adventure. I know by the time this podcast launches, it'll be a little bit older news, but I think we are all excited about the new Open AI developments. And so I'm feeling pretty good. Like I am [00:01:00] glad that we're here talking about AI, but part of me is can I go play yet? I know you got to do some playing yesterday though, Steph. **Steph Pajonas:** Yeah, it did. Yeah, that this new, openAI model is called 4. 0 and it's actually an O, it's not a zero, which I had to look it up because it stands for Omni. It has all of these really cool like video and voice features. You can talk to it and it can talk back and it can look through your camera at things. And then it's also doing a really good job with a lot of the fiction prompts I've been throwing at it. It's. doing a great job with outlining and coming up with better emotional beats within chapters and whatnot. So I'm, I'm excited to play around with it a little bit more. it'll definitely be fun to play with in the future. **Danica Favorite:** Yeah, yeah. I think that's always the challenge is that the play is so much fun. So **Steph Pajonas:** Yes. **Danica Favorite:** So today we have our wonderful guest Sana and she is amazing. I met [00:02:00] her a little, gosh, what, like over a year ago now, I should say that because we were just talking before we started recording the first video series I did with her, she was teaching a class on using AI for marketing and she had a seven day old baby, which was amazing. And now she was just saying her baby is 14 months old and walking around and it just goes to show how much time flies. We've been seeing you a lot in the AI space and all the cool things you're doing with AI and video and marketing. And I know you have all kinds of cool tricks up your sleeve. Sana, why don't you tell us more about yourself and what you're doing with AI because we're here for it. **Sana Choudary:** Thank you Danica for the introduction and thank you to both you Danica and Steph for inviting me to be on this podcast. It's a pleasure to be here and I love you two. And the things you've been doing in the AI space. So it's really awesome to be able to have this conversation about the things I think all of us are really excited about coming up in this space. So what I do is I help authors do more [00:03:00] effective marketing online. And in the last. 14 months, give or take, I've been doing more and more of, Hey, let's use AI to help you guys get out there more. And in that process, I found my way people with their video marketing. So a bit about me in terms of my career in which I've worked in a lot of industries, including a very long stint in the San Francisco Bay area and tech and games was all about helping people and brands tell better stories to connect with their ideal audiences. And so in the process, I've done a lot of sales with development marketing. And, when it comes to books, I'm one of those people w

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) rolled out beta access to their virtual voice program for distribution in 2023; now it's published over 40,000 titles on Audible. Find out what the customers think and how it could possibly ruffle some feathers. Also, PublishDrive picked up another audiobook partner in Wehear. And, Audible is now recommending audiobooks based on your viewing history on Amazon Prime Video. All that and more in the self-publishing news for this week. Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts  Sources: GetCovers - https://DaleLinks.com/GetCovers  (affiliate link) Contract Critique: Dashtoon - https://writerbeware.blog/2024/05/10/contract-critique-dashtoon/ AI-Voiced Audiobooks Top 40,000 Titles on Audible - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-05-02/audible-s-test-of-ai-voiced-audiobooks-tops-40-000-titles Audible to test using Prime Video data for audiobook recommendations as Spotify competition heats up - https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/01/amazon-audible-to-test-using-prime-video-viewing-behavior-to-make-audiobook-recommendations/  Wehear: Reach Millions of Audiobook Listeners - https://publishdrive.com/wehear-audiobook-distribution.html PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) The Hot Sheet April 2024 Bestseller Lists - https://hotsheetpub.com/2024/05/april-2024-bestseller-lists/ Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link) Live Editing with Tom Bromley #3 | Reedsy Live - https://mailparrot.reedsy.com/subscriptions/new?list_id=a357d8aef9&utm_source=mailparrot_newsletter&utm_campaign=marketplace_htwan_live_editing_may_24&utm_medium=email How to Run an Effective Price Promotion with Clayton Noblit - https://streamyard.com/watch/YnPAsKE94Csj Dale's VIP Newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/signup  Credit: The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com Laterpress - https://Laterpress.com  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Curious about who offers the best royalties for self-publishing? Join us as we explore top platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), IngramSpark, and Draft2Digital. Discover which company offers the best deal for authors, whether you're publishing on Amazon, Apple Books, or other platforms like StreetLib and Lulu. 10 Best Places to Publish eBooks (2024) - https://youtu.be/bb6235uI4VY?si=t48EA0ELE7cbvyj8  The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) - https://DaleLinks.com/ALLi  (affiliate link) Mentioned services: Barnes & Noble Press - https://press.barnesandnoble.com/ Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com/ Google Play Books Partner Center - https://play.google.com/books/publish/u/0/ Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Amazon KDP - https://kdp.amazon.com/ Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/ Gumroad - https://gumroad.com/ Lulu - https://lulu.com/ Payhip - https://payhip.com/ StoryOrigin - https://DaleLinks.com/StoryOrigin (affiliate link) Laterpress - https://laterpress.com/ Streetlib - https://www.streetlib.com/ XinXii - https://www.xinxii.com/ Draft2Digital - https://DaleLinks.com/D2D (referral link) PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) IngramSpark - https://ingramspark.com/. Use DALE2024 to waive one update fee in 2024. Bookvault - https://bookvault.app/ Use BVDALE to waive three upload fees. Blurb - https://blurb.com/   Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

The Kindlepreneur Dave Chesson released a new post highlighting the most search Amazon keywords and trends in 2024. IngramSpark has a WHOLE lot of news including a new publishing opportunity, a giveaway, a survey and more. Also, horror is seeing a HUGE boost in sales over the past couple years. All that and more in the self-publishing news! Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Sources: IngramSpark - https://www.ingramspark.com. Use code: GIVEAWAY (promo ends May 5th) Lightning Source Sharjah - https://lp.ingramcontent.com/publishers/sharjah Nominate Your Book Today - https://www.ingramspark.com/editorial-calendar  IngramSpark Survey - https://www.ingramspark.com/sell-my-book-checklist-1?hs_preview=qxqQSwow-161643855391&utm_campaign=Ingram%20iD&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_uPVGdGWa8wAaagS5FQ9YeTVZ13T4WhQihSBAKU6gI11phTeAon1NpIfke-0wqcDtebCT51AIAdoGkETSbChVCxWfrdw&_hsmi=303467474&utm_content=303467474&utm_source=hs_email The Most Searched Amazon Keywords and Trends in 2024 - https://kindlepreneur.com/most-searched-amazon-keywords-trends-2024 Horror novel sales boomed during year of real-world anxieties - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/04/horror-novel-sales-boomed-during-year-of-real-world-anxieties PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) Brave New Bookshelf - https://www.youtube.com/@BraveNewBookshelf Self-Publishing News: Fairly Trained Certifies First Ethical AI Platform - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/self-publishing-news-fairly-trained-certifies-ethical-ai/  What is BookTok: 4 TikTok Strategies for Authors - https://blog.bookbaby.com/how-to-promote-your-book/online-book-marketing/what-is-booktok How to Benefit From a Global Digital-First Book Publishing Strategy - https://streamyard.com/watch/2ssRKurFy9HF  Credit:  Laterpress - https://laterpress.com  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Spotify Premium expanded to three new regions while increasing the cost for subscribers to listen to audiobooks. The Kindlepreneur rolled out an update to the Amazon Best Seller Rank Calculator and some additional tips. Draft2Digital partnered up with the social reading app, Fable. All that and more in the self-publishing news! Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  New Sources: Amazon Book Sales Calculator for KDP: How Much Does a Best Seller Make? - https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-kdp-sales-rank-calculator/ Bookvault - https://bookvault.app Wide for the Win - https://learn.wideforthewin.com/c/bookvault/ Spotify's price is reportedly going up again - https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/3/24119884/spotify-2024-price-increase-rumor-audiobooks-supremium Spotify Premium Listeners in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand Can Soon Access More Than 250,000 Audiobooks - https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-04-02/spotify-premium-listeners-in-canada-ireland-and-new-zealand-can-soon-access-more-than-250000-audiobooks/  Book Brush survey - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcwGZjhrL8_XIznqPDiujB0pSXwdBV_t8ZX18Y6aJ3T99rzw/viewform Say Hello to Fable! - https://www.draft2digital.com/blog/say-hello-to-fable/ Introducing Fable! D2D's newest retail partner! - https://www.youtube.com/live/5XY1dLbSX_U?si=x9hU4yEJJlpLVcGc Draft2Digital Publishing: HUGE New Announcement! - https://www.youtube.com/live/kImDOZenwo4?si=Ipy-bUNzPWhsQqIv AI in Publishing: Insights From 250 Authors & Publishers - https://youtu.be/W7MnVVMzcoM?si=o_SyWHPx52oD6xf6 Now In Colour: Bring Your Books to Life with the New Kobo Libra Colour and Kobo Clara Colour eReaders - https://www.kobo.com/news/now-in-colour-bring-your-books-to-life-with-the-new-kobo-libra-colour-and-kobo-clara-colour-ereaders Book Brush Hourly Concepts and Social Media Management | You Pick Which Designs I Try! - https://youtu.be/My0o3rupdjo?si=3uTVTS0sJz4x1w3n Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link). Use code APRILPRO20 for 20% off before April 19, 2024.  The Hot Sheet March 2024 Bestseller Lists - https://hotsheetpub.com/2024/04/march-2024-bestseller-lists  Credit: The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Draft2Digital -- https://DaleLinks.com/D2D (referral link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Victoria Strauss from Writer Beware shared a list of sites and services commonly impersonated, so you can watch out for these scams. PublishDrive has a number of ebook promotions rolling out in the coming weeks. And, I officially announced my presentation for the Authortube Writing Conference 2024 where I'll host a roundtable discussion about the future of self-publishing with some of the biggest names in the business including IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, Smashwords, Kobo Writing Life, PublishDrive, and BookVault with the potential of adding another platform to the list. All that and more in the self-publishing news for this week! Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts  News sources: The Impersonation List - https://writerbeware.blog/2024/03/15/the-impersonation-list/  KOBO Promo: Spring Reading Sale Alert! - https://community.streetlib.com/c/retail-promotions-hub/kobo-promo-spring-reading-sale-alert Live Editing with Tom Bromley | Reedsy Live - https://mailparrot.reedsy.com/subscriptions/new?list_id=1c30456135&utm_source=mailparrot_newsletter&utm_campaign=marketplace_htwan_live_editing_march_24&utm_medium=email Authortube Writing Conference - https://www.authortubewritingconference.com/ SPwD Podcast review - https://chartable.com/podcasts/selfpublishing-with-dale-l-roberts/reviews/b0TrB7QR  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Check out ReamStories.com PublishDrive.comLook into IndieAuthorTraining.comBe an early reader of the Bended Duet by supporting the Kickstarter here: https://katcaldwell.com/bended-duology-kickstarterJoin my writer's newsletter here: https://katcaldwell.com/writers-newsletterJoin my reader's newsletter here: https://katcaldwell.com/fans-of-good-stories

PublishDrive released 2023 stats covering self-publishing and the results are rather surprising, especially about Amazon. Brandon Sanderson influenced Audible to change how it's position with author royalties. And, the Kindlepreneur Dave Chesson launched an interesting survey with over 846 authors about direct sales. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  News Sources: REGARDING AUDIBLE - https://www.brandonsanderson.com/regarding-audible/ 2023 Book Sales Statistics by PublishDrive - https://publishdrive.com/book-sales-statistics-and-market-report.html AI-Narrated Audiobooks Available on Big 5 Retailers: What to Know - https://publishdrive.com/ai-narrated-audiobooks-retailers.html Rakuten Kobo Launches Kobo Plus in Ireland and South Africa - https://kobowritinglife.com/2024/03/05/rakuten-kobo-launches-kobo-plus-in-ireland-and-south-africa/ The Truth On Selling Books Direct: Insights from 876 Authors - https://kindlepreneur.com/the-truth-on-selling-books-direct-insights-from-authors/  GetCovers - https://DaleLinks.com/GetCovers (affiliate link)  The Book Cover Designer for Sale on Flippa - https://mailchi.mp/thebookcoverdesigner/selling-the-book-cover-designer 50 Paid & Free Websites for Promotion - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JxK3PVHRiB-I0E5yNNr1BRyHZO9jmvUH/view Reedsy Live | First Line Frenzy #13 - https://mailparrot.reedsy.com/subscriptions/new?list_id=d77a5ee920&utm_source=mailparrot_newsletter&utm_campaign=marketplace_live_first_line_frenzy_march_24&utm_medium=email  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Amazon Product descriptions have changed in a pretty big way. Email marketing is experiencing a huge shake-up with massive changes coming through Google and Yahoo. And, GetCovers shows you how to spot AI-generated images through seven unique ways. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Sources: Audiobooks Are Booming. Spotify Wants in on the Action. - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/books/spotify-audiobooks.html How to Сheck if the Stock Image Is AI-generated: 7 Workable Ways - https://getcovers.com/blog/how-to-detect-ai-generated-images/ Streetlib Community - https://community.streetlib.com/ ProWritingAid presents: Romance Writers' Week 2024 - https://DaleLinks.com/Romance (affiliate link) BookMarCon - https://bookbrush.com/bookmarcon/ Author Interview with Dale L. Roberts - https://youtu.be/tQLu9_H-OUo?si=bk8nKAspgUBGKgS8  Credit:  The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com  CraveBooks - https://cravebooks.com Reedsy - https://reedsy.com PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) Streetlib - https://streetlib.com Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com/  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Discover the transformation that makes PublishDrive the superior self-publishing platform over KDP. Explore the details of how PublishDrive is a game-changer, who benefits most from this platform, and how it can save indie authors valuable time and heartache. Gain insights into wide distribution, the value of going beyond KDP, and strategies to avoid common pitfalls. PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) List of Publishing Companies and Stores with PublishDrive - https://publishdrive.com/stores.html Print-on-demand requirements - https://publishdrive.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360012501099-Print-on-demand-requirements The Self-Publishing Hub - https://theselfpublishinghub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl9CjdZQtzufqgYx0CidSbA/join  Join my community on Discord - http://dalelinks.com/discord  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

More stories roll out about the Goodreads review bombing fiasco. Spotify draws more criticism over new streaming audiobook service for premium members. Amazon Ads updated to features including Sponsored Brand Ads and Video Ads. And, there's a ton more of information and details to start out our new year! The Self-Publishing Hub - https://theselfpublishinghub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl9CjdZQtzufqgYx0CidSbA/join Join my community on Discord - http://dalelinks.com/discord  Sources: Amazon Advertising - https://advertising.amazon.com New York Times vs Microsoft & OpenAI - https://nytco-assets.nytimes.com/2023/12/NYT_Complaint_Dec2023.pdf Streetlib's Promos - https://r.send.streetlib.com/mk/mr/sh/7nVTPdZCTJDXP4ZFwEKPDuIkXZmlANG/h1jmTC46pY7b American authors join forces amidst concerns about audiobook royalties on Spotify - https://goodereader.com/blog/audiobooks/american-authors-join-forces-amidst-concerns-about-audiobook-royalties-on-spotify IngramSpark: Better Marketing with Ingram ID - https://www.ingramspark.com/ingramid_nextbookpromo ‘It's totally unhinged': is the book world turning against Goodreads? - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/18/goodreads-review-bombing Scandal Rocks Publishing as Debut Author Is Linked To Fake Goodreads Accounts That Review Bombed Peers - https://www.themarysue.com/cait-corrain-goodreads-controversy-explained/ PublishDrive's 2023 Year in Review - https://publishdrive.com/publishdrive-2023-year-in-review.html Draft2Digital's 2023 Year in Review - https://www.draft2digital.com/blog/draft2digitals-2023-year-in-review/ Draft2Digital 2024 Publishing Predictions (panel) - https://www.youtube.com/live/VEuPpdkWNII?si=x3gBct-oCQk3zAOr The Hot Sheet's December 2023 Bestseller Lists - https://hotsheetpub.com/2024/01/december-2023-bestseller-lists StoryOrigin - https://DaleLinks.com/StoryOrigin (affiliate link) Book Genie: See you in Westwood...Virtually! - https://school.book-genie.com/p/see-you-in-westwoodvirtually Writing Productivity in 2024: From Resolution to Habit - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-productivity-in-2024-from-resolution-to-habit-tickets-776972474587 Book Brush - https://bookbrush.com Platinum Academy: Level Up with Direct Sales with Damon Courtney & Mel Jolly - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtcO6ppzopGNDDASXZIZrJxjlpQuoO-KEz#/registration Increasing Your Findability Through Genre Category Selection - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-genre-category-selection/ Reader Views: “How to Write a Book in 48 Hours” by Dale L. Roberts (review) - https://readerviewsarchives.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/how-to-write-a-book-in-48-hours-roberts/ How to Write a Book in 48 Hours - https://DaleLinks.com/48HoursBook  Credit: Laterpress - https://laterpress.com Scribando - https://www.scribando.com/ The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com/  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Join us for a conversation with Danica Favorite, Community Manager at PublishDrive, the premier alternative to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Discover why PublishDrive stands out as the best KDP alternative, offering insights on its benefits, legitimacy, and why it's a top choice for established authors. If you're into self-publishing, this interview is a must-watch! PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) Danica Favorite - https://danicafavorite.com/ Danica Favorite on Amazon - https://geni.us/4lN5eH (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com   Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Additional scrutiny falls on Spotify's latest foray into audiobook subscription services. The Alliance of Independent Authors rolls out a new author community forum. Smashwords launches their End of Year Sale. And, so much more in the self-publishing news! Join Channel Memberships - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl9CjdZQtzufqgYx0CidSbA/join Join my community at: Discord - http://dalelinks.com/discord  Sources: Coalition of Concerned Creators - https://www.concernedcreators.org/ PublishDrive - https://dalelinks.com/publishdrive (referral link) The Alliance of Independent Authors Forum - https://selfpubconnect.mn.co/spaces/12755709/about Draft2Digital Holiday Hours - https://authoremail.com/email/campaigns/fh356ebqjhb3c/web-version/lg0604x35fb97  Smashwords End of Year Sale - https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos My Smashwords Author Profile - https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dalelroberts What Dale Roberts Learned from HOW TO WRITE A BOOK IN 48 HOURS - https://youtu.be/_VmxBpxp2Q4?si=MUgTFf2RNWvy0e6K Consulting Services - Pod Pro Author Coaching - https://www.theindyauthor.com/services---pod-pro-author-coaching.html Dibbly Create's Holiday Sale - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate.  Use coupon code Merryxmas20 for 20% off the annual pro plan (till Dec. 31, 2024). Lulu's Publish & Prosper Podcast - https://www.publishprosperpodcast.com/ Virtual Assistant Services by Ava Fails - https://heyyoava.com/pricing/ The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Danica Favorite describes the benefits of releasing wide with PD and how you can have a say on the future of AI in publishing.

PublishDrive, an alternative to Amazon KDP, recently announced the ability to publish AI-narrated audiobooks on Apple. ComiXology is merging with Kindle. The Hot Sheet launches a monthly bestsellers list for indie authors. And, we've got a few great Black Friday deals worth considering. All that and more in the self-publishing news. Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link) Use BlackFriday25 for 25% off an annual plan till Nov. 30, 2023.  Join Channel Memberships - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl9CjdZQtzufqgYx0CidSbA/join Join my community at: Discord - http://dalelinks.com/discord  Sources: New Feature Available: Apple Books Digital Narration - https://publishdrive.com/new-feature-apple-books-digital-narration.html Publishing Industry Insights Survey - https://www.surveyol.com/r/91EC31B  Successful Marketing for Multigenre Authors - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-multigenre-authors/ YouTube's Unsupported Shopping Content - https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6150006  The Hot Sheet's October 2023 Bestseller Lists - https://hotsheetpub.com/2023/11/october-2023-bestseller-lists/ Amazon to Merge Digital Comics Platform Comixology With Kindle App - https://www.ign.com/articles/amazon-to-merge-comixology-into-kindle Streetlib Promo Opportunity with Kobo - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSMXFnHd3SVsdGnGqFouBBAStG9IPABLTl1p2h0OrL0w94rA/viewform  Kobo Writing Life AMA - https://preview.mailerlite.com/u1a9p8u6p1 Draft2Digital's Publishing Deadlines - https://authoremail.com/email/campaigns/xx023yxf2pc08/web-version/lg0604x35fb97  Bookvault - https://bookvault.app (BVBF23 for 10% off UK print) Book Brush's Social Media Management Service - https://bookbrush.com/social-media-management/# (For $50 off the 14-day trial, tell them Dale sent you.) SiteGround - https://DaleLinks.com/SiteGround (affiliate link) Lulu - https://lulu.com. Use TWINKLE30 for 30% off books and calendars till Nov. 28 BookBolt - https://DaleLinks.com/BookBoltDeal. Use DALE20 for an additional 20% off.  Uscreen Demo - https://youtube.com/live/Z7WYjxpwp-c?feature=share  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts