In this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Orna Ross talks about seasonal selling and why it's a smart strategy for indie authors. December is the biggest season for selling books, but Orna also covers Valentine's Day, summer holidays and other moments when readers are looking for books. She shares ideas for turning a book into a gift, explains why you need to plan at least three months ahead, and walks through the most common mistakes authors make.

Sponsor

This podcast is proudly sponsored by Bookfunnel. Do you have reader magnets, ARCs, and direct digital sales? Want to join multi-author promotions? Thousands of authors trust BookFunnel for seamless delivery and real human support. Visit BookFunnel.com.

Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally.

About the Host

Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

On this week's Self-Publishing News podcast, ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway warns indie authors about a major PHP vulnerability affecting WordPress.org sites and WooCommerce, and explains what to ask your web host. He then covers three platforms with new money-making options: Spotify's new Memberships for podcasters, Kindle Unlimited passing $5 billion in author payouts, and YouTube's plan to launch an audiobook offering in 2027.

Show Notes

Critical PHP Security Release

About the Host

Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet, and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.

My guest this episode is David Somerfleck, who spent decades in digital marketing, journalism, and politics before returning to his childhood passion for science fiction. He moved to Portugal, where the stormy weather and isolation provided the perfect setting to write his first novel, a chilling vision of America's future. Now, he draws on a lifetime of experiences to build a new career as an indie author.

We invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally.

About the Host

Howard Lovy is an author, developmental editor, and writing coach with a long career in journalism and publishing. He works with writers at many stages of their careers, with a focus on helping them develop their ideas and strengthen their work while preserving their unique voices. He lives in Northern Michigan.

About the Guest

David Somerfleck is a speculative fiction author and poet based in Chesapeake, Virginia. He studied creative writing at Old Dominion University under poet Bruce Weigl and has worked as a newspaper reporter, copywriter, digital marketing agency owner, political campaign messaging writer and adviser, and teacher. His dystopian novel One Grain of Sand, the first book in the Shards of a Shattered Sky trilogy, is set in the United States in 2096. Kirkus Reviews called it "riveting and frighteningly plausible," while BookLife described it as an "inventive high-stakes thriller." The novel also won the 2026 NYC Big Book Award for Science Fiction. David is the author of four poetry collections and The Illustrated Guide to Digital Marketing. He publishes through his imprint, Boldly Blue Press, and is writing the second and third books in his trilogy back-to-back. You can find David on his website, learn more about One Grain of Sand, or purchase the e-book from major retailers.