On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Anna Featherstone explores with author Lande Jewels the many decisions that surround and extend beyond writing a book. They discuss form, illustration, publishing models, and the broader impact of how a work is produced and shared. The conversation covers writing in verse, working with illustrations, choosing a pen name, producing special editions with an emphasis on quality, using Kickstarter, and considering social responsibility in authorship. Along the way, Lande reflects on what she has learned through experience, offering practical insights for writers and creators interested in publishing choices beyond the manuscript.

I think I reported on the Sora app when it launched back in October. The app, which enables users to access OpenAI's Sora generative AI platform on their phones to create short video clips, hit the headlines back then for two reasons. In one of the starkest "there's good news and bad news" stories yet to come out of AI, the good news (for OpenAI anyway) was that the launch broke all kinds of records, reaching one million downloads in just five days. That's faster than ChatGPT. In "on the other hand" news, it kind of sucked that people started swamping social media with fake video clips of dead people, like the beloved Robin Williams. And of course, even at the launch the copyright radar was working overtime.

My ALLi author guest this episode is Cliff Lovette, an Atlanta-based author who came to fiction after a long career as an entertainment lawyer, working with major artists during a pivotal time in the music industry. He held onto a remarkable true story about a Soviet circus stranded in the United States for more than thirty years before turning it into his novel. His journey is one of delay, reinvention, and finally taking the leap into storytelling.