The UK’s Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) has announced the launch of its Choosing A Self Publishing Service 2014 – “a comparison of twenty of the key self-publishing service players” – at this year’s Book Expo America (BEA). According to the ALLi press materials, the new guide features “case studies, service analysis and the experiences of author-publishers and ALLi members,” and “also shows author-publishers how they can make informed and empowered decisions about their publishing future, offering insight and impartial advice on key comparison points and criteria for selecting a service.”
Orna Ross, director of ALLI, said of the guide: “Many authors feel paralysed by choice when faced with the array of self-publishing alternatives before them. Our watchdog team have done the hard work of research and comparison, so we can point a clear pathway through the rapidly changing, and often confusing, landscape of author services.”
Naturally, one has to be wary of promotional language when coming from ostensibly independent organizations. All the same, ALLi has done a good job in the past of picking up on and publicizing the more blatant scams by the likes of Author Solutions and their allies, as well as acting on behalf of the self-publishing community as a whole, so I’d give this exercise qualified approval.
