If you’re an editor or proofreader and a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), there are lots of ways to make the most of your ALLi membership.
As a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), ALLi’s Watchdog desk has checked you meet their high standards for supporting their author members. Congratulations!
ALLi clearly values its Partner Members, offering them a generous range of services, resources and perks. It can seem overwhelming when you first join, so I’ve created this guide to help you get the most value out of your subscription as an editor or proofreader.
Find out about ALLi
Firstly, if you’re not yet a member of ALLi, here’s a brief intro.
ALLi (pronounced like the English word ‘ally’) is the only global nonprofit organisation dedicated to supporting, advising and empowering self-publishing authors.
There are four levels of membership:
- Associate – for authors preparing to self-publish
- Author – for authors who have published one or more books
- Partner – for individuals or organisations offering services to indie authors
- Authorpreneur – for authors who have sold 50,000 books or equivalent
As an editor, you will join as a Partner Member. If you’re also an author, you can join as a Partner and enjoy full Author membership benefits.
The Partner fee is very reasonable – £159 per year at the time of writing – and you have the opportunity to earn some (or even all) of this back via ALLi’s affiliate programme. More on that shortly!
Complete your ALLi database profile
As soon as your Partner membership is confirmed, you will have an entry in the online approved services directory. This is an up-to-date, fully searchable list of ALLi partner members. This includes the services in the Partner Directory (see below), plus any partners who have joined ALLi since the downloadable directory was last updated.
Complete each section of your profile as soon as possible and upload a profile photo. Potential clients searching on keywords relating to your services will already be seeing your profile in directory search results, so polish it to a high sheen!
There are several tabs to complete on your profile. Remember to tick the relevant genres which you edit, enter details of any discounts you’d like to offer ALLi members for your editing services (more on that below) and add details of your services.
Rather than just adding services for ‘editing’, or even ‘copyediting’, stipulate whether you edit fiction or non-fiction (if both, add these as two separate services) and list the main genres you edit. This is to ensure you appear in search results when authors enter a genre in the service keyword search box. In my experience, just listing these details in your profile alone isn’t enough.
Preview your profile once you’ve completed it and carefully proofread it!
Potential clients searching on keywords relating to your services will already be seeing your ALLi profile in directory search results, so polish it to a high sheen! Click To TweetOffer discounts or deals for ALLi members
One of the tabs on your profile allows you to set up discounts and deals for ALLi members. For example, you could offer 10% off an edit or proofread. Select the offer category ‘Editorial Services’ to ensure your offer can be easily found.
Your offers appear on your online profile and in the Discounts and Deals section of the ALLi website.
Check your ALLi Partner Directory listing
The PDF version of the Partner Directory is updated every quarter. It is available for free to ALLi members and at a small cost (currently £1.99) to non-members.
When Associate and Author members of ALLi see you in the directory, they’ll know you have been approved by ALLi as a trustworthy editor or proofreader. The directory is widely distributed through ALLi’s website, blog, newsletters, social media and at public events such as book fairs, so check your entry when the next version of the directory is published.
Consider paying for advertising space in the ALLi Partner Directory
ALLi offers Partner Members the opportunity to enhance their free standard listing in the Partner Directory by upgrading to a boxed listing or taking out dedicated ad space in addition to the standard listing.
This can draw potential clients’ eyes to your services and put you head and shoulders above other editors. However, there is a cost involved, so carefully consider whether this is affordable for you.
Display your ALLi badge and membership status on your platform
Now you’re a member of ALLi, shout about it from the rooftops! It’s an honour to be part of such a fantastic organisation, and potential clients may choose to hire you because you’re a member.
When you join, ALLi will send you a badge that you can use on your website, displaying the fact you’re a Partner Member. Remember to also mention your membership on relevant webpages on your site, your social media profiles and anywhere else that you promote your editing services.
You can also use your affiliate link from your badge.
Now you're a member of ALLi, shout about it from the rooftops! It's an honour to be part of such a fantastic organisation, and potential clients may choose to hire you because you're a member. Click To TweetPromote your ALLi affiliate link
As a partner member, you are automatically part of ALLi’s affiliate scheme. By sharing your unique affiliate link, you could earn back your membership fee and more.
Share your affiliate link on your blog, social media posts, email newsletters and any other platform you use for marketing your editing services. If someone clicks on your link and signs up as an ALLi member, you will earn 30% of their first-year membership fee.
While we’re on the subject, this is my affiliate link! Feel free to click and take a look around the ALLi site. There’s no obligation to join, of course, but if you do, ALLi will reward you by offering all the benefits outlined in this article, and me for introducing you to them!
Write a guest blog post
Guest blog posts are a fantastic way to boost your editor website’s SEO and get your name known in the writing and editing community.
As an ALLi Partner Member, you are welcome to pitch your blog post idea for ALLi’s self-publishing advice daily blog.
Take a look at some previous ALLi articles about the editing process to check what has already been covered and get inspired for your own post!
Join the ALLi private member forum on Facebook
Request to join ALLi’s private forum on Facebook, then regularly participate in conversations on there. Authors (potential clients) will get to know you and, if you’re offering advice about the editing and proofreading process, they will see you know your stuff.
Be careful not to explicitly promote your services as that’s against the rules of the forum, and don’t comment for the sake of it. Be helpful, professional and friendly; it will pay off!
Be helpful, professional and friendly; it will pay off! From blog post: Editors – make the most of your ALLi Partner Member subscription Click To TweetJoin ALLi’s Goodreads group
If you have a new service, a special offer for members or something to promote, such as a book of interest to ALLi members, request to join ALLi’s Goodreads group. You can then feature in updates and news.
Check out ALLi’s free books and guides
As a Partner Member of ALLi, you have free access to high-quality ebooks and guides about the whole self-publishing process, including rights, awards, working in particular genres and much more.
Your author clients will benefit from the knowledge you glean from these top publications, and they’re all great CPD for you, not to mention showing you how and where your editing services fit into the whole publishing timeline.
The ALLi team has a lot of books in the pipeline, so if you don’t see a topic that you’d like to know more about, it may be available shortly.
Consider ALLi sponsorship
There are many ways you can be an ALLi sponsor. There are opportunities to sponsor a session at the Self-Publishing Advice Conference or the ALLi podcast.
The ALLi team are keen to consider other ways you could sponsor or collaborate with them. If you have an idea you’d like to run past them, let them know!
Make the most of #SelfPubCon
ALLi is associated with the Self-Publishing Advice Conference – #SelfPubCon – a twice-yearly event for all things self-publishing.
As a Partner Member, there are plenty of ways to make the most of this conference.
Access the #SelfPubCon sessions for free for six months
The conference is free for everyone during the three days of sessions (I know, generous, right?!) As an ALLi member, you can subsequently access the conference sessions for free for six months after it finishes.
To take advantage of this offer, register on the Self-Publishing Advice Conference website. Full instructions are on the ALLi site.
Give a talk at #SelfPubCon
Promote your editing and proofreading services by giving a talk at the conference that will be helpful to ALLi members.
Contact ALLi to find out more.
Become a #SelfPubCon affiliate
As well as being an ALLi affiliate, as an ALLi Partner Member, you can also be an affiliate for the Self-Publishing Advice Conference. You will receive a generous 50% of any payments made using your affiliate links.
You will need to register on the conference site to become an affiliate. Once you’re accepted, you’ll have access to promotional links and graphics you can use to encourage people to sign up using your affiliate link, like mine below:
Be a #SelfPubCon sponsor
As mentioned above, you could sponsor a session at the conference. For details on the cost of sponsorship for the 2023 Self-Publishing Advice Conference conference, take a look at the pricing brochure.
Over to you
If I’ve convinced you to join ALLi as a Partner Member, feel free to use my affiliate link.
Are you an editor or proofreader and either a Partner Member of ALLi or thinking about joining? Drop your thoughts and questions in the comments.
If you’d like to add a benefit of being an ALLi Partner Member as an editor that I haven’t included in this article, let me know via the comments!
Disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click on the link and finalise a purchase. This helps me to keep this website running. I only recommend products and services that I trust and am comfortable endorsing. Find out more.
Lezlee
Thanks for the in depth review of ALLi and ways to maximize membership! Joining is definitely on my radar. Now to get a couple of clients to cover the dues! 😁
Debbie Emmitt
You’re welcome, Lezlee! Within a few weeks of being a member, I got my first contract for a full-length edit, so my ALLi subscription has already more than paid for itself. Plus, there’s always affiliate income to help cover some of the cost. Good luck!
Will
Thanks for the interesting read. Do you have any experience of paying for advertising space in the directory and, if so, whether it led to an increase in enquiries?
Debbie Emmitt
Hi Will, I’m glad the post was useful! I haven’t paid for space in the directory, so I can’t comment on how effective a marketing tactic this is. If you decide to try it out, come back and let us know how it goes!