Associations for self-published/publishing authors?

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AnnaPappenheim

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I'm wondering if it's worth it to join an association?

Two examples I've found are: The Alliance of Independent Authors (Alli) and The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA).

Both claim to be able to get members discounts on things like publishing. If the discounts are substantial enough, they could be worth the membership fees (with Alli the membership fees are about $100/year). They offer other resources as well.

Is anyone a member at either of these associations? Or another?

Or just know anything about these types of associations in general?

Thank you!
 
SBibb

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I'm not a member of any of these organizations, but I do follow ALLI's blog ( http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/ ). They have some rather resourceful posts for the self-publisher.

I can't say what's it's like for actual members, though. They do have some sort of discount for members who use Ingram Spark.
 
AnnaPappenheim

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SBibb said:
I'm not a member of any of these organizations, but I do follow ALLI's blog ( http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/ ). They have some rather resourceful posts for the self-publisher.

I can't say what's it's like for actual members, though. They do have some sort of discount for members who use Ingram Spark.
Click to expand...

That makes sense on the IngramSpark discounts, as that is where I learned about ALLI (through a YouTube video of ALLI interviewing two IngramSpark representatives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL5on8XtGOI).

Thank you for the blog link-- I'll have a look!
 

plumone

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John T. Reed, who is a self publisher I follow, has talked about the benefits of joining associations that have to do with journalism. He is a non-fiction writer, though. Anyway, the benefits include being able to attend events and conferences that are relevant to your field, but as a "Member of the Press" you get some special privileges. Example- He writes about Real Estate, and can access the media break room when he goes to Real Estate conferences. It's an interesting idea- I haven't tried it out.
Here's an article that you gives you some idea of his perspective:
http://www.johntreed.com/anonymoussource.html
 
AnnaPappenheim

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Interesting link, thanks plumone!

Funny, I was just looking at his (John T Reed's) website again yesterday. I was thinking about getting his book, but for now I'm going to finish the books I'm reading.
 

plumone

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Anna,
Yea, his book is good. It's definitely the most business-y of any self-publishing guide I've read. I mean that in a good way- ideas about how to cut costs, what shipping to use, joining media associations, etc... Reed has an MBA from Harvard, so it makes sense though. There is a lot of practical stuff in it, including things like how to write better. He's a pretty logical guy. If you're a fiction writer, you might not get tons out of it. There's no discussion about how to develop characters, for example. I have found some discrepancies between the ideas he lays out vs. the real world. He also rails against Amazon for a good portion of the book. But it's still one of my first go- to guides.
He also wrote this book Succeeding, which I recommend for anyone. Lots of good, eye opening stuff in that book.
 
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AnnaPappenheim

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plumone said:
Anna,
Yea, his book is good. It's definitely the most business-y of any self-publishing guide I've read. I mean that in a good way- ideas about how to cut costs, what shipping to use, joining media associations, etc... Reed has an MBA from Harvard, so it makes sense though. There is a lot of practical stuff in it, including things like how to write better. He's a pretty logical guy. If you're a fiction writer, you might not get tons out of it. There's no discussion about how to develop characters, for example. I have found some discrepancies between the ideas he lays out vs. the real world. He also rails against Amazon for a good portion of the book. But it's still one of my first go- to guides.
He also wrote this book Succeeding, which I recommend for anyone. Lots of good, eye opening stuff in that book.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the description! Business advice is a good thing for sure, and I need much of it :)
 
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