Self-Publishing with ALLi

Legal Reviews, ISBN Ownership, and Pre-Order Pitfalls: Member Q&A with Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black

May 3, 2026
Legal reviews for memoir and creative nonfiction get debated alongside when to add references during drafting. Ownership of ISBNs and risks of assigning them to a service are explored. Practical tips cover simple author websites, low-cost marketing tests like Goodreads giveaways, handling missed Amazon pre-order deadlines, and whether to revise or write new after a bestselling release.
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ADVICE

Gather References During Drafting

  • Collect and record references as you draft nonfiction so you don't lose sources or risk accidental plagiarism.
  • Michael La Ronn recommends using OneNote/Evernote and giving references to your editor early to avoid extra fees or delays.
ADVICE

Experiment Small Before Spending Big

  • Test marketing tactics with small budgets before scaling so you can learn fast and avoid expensive failures.
  • Both hosts advise treating early spend as tuition, experiment with 10–25% of a planned budget and iterate quickly (e.g., $350 Facebook learning spend).
ADVICE

Pick A Site You Can Manage

  • Choose a website platform that fits your comfort level and integrate an email provider; Shopify, WordPress, Ghost, Wix or Weebly are options.
  • Sacha Black uses Shopify plus Klaviyo; both hosts recommend outsourcing setup then learning to maintain it yourself.
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