Video: Changes in Publishing & Self-Publishing

Some of you may have heard about the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), a new organization supporting self-published authors. I’m one of the advisors, along with Mark Coker (Smashwords), Joanna Penn (Creative Penn), and Victoria Strauss (SFWA), among other well-known publishing professionals.

I discuss reasons for moving to VQR, changes in publishing and self-publishing and what it means for authors—plus I pass on a top tip (hint: it’s to do with your blog).

Also covered:

• Marrying business side and artistic side of writing
• The creative and artistic potential of self-publishing today
• The dangers of “irrational exuberance”
• The need for self-publishers—and all writers—to develop their entrepreneurial skills
• How the major challenge for publishing houses now is to see authors as equals.

If you don’t see the video embedded above, then click here to see on Vimeo.

If you’re interested in other interviews I’ve given (video, audio, text), click here to view the archives.

Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.

Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.