ALLi nonfiction adviser Anna Featherstone speaks with Abbey Clark of NielsenIQ BookData Australia about book metadata—what it is, why it matters, and how it shapes discoverability and distribution across the publishing ecosystem. Clark offers clear, practical advice on when to set up metadata, how to keep it updated, and the common pitfalls authors and publishers can avoid. The conversation prompted Featherstone to update her own metadata right away and offers useful guidance for any author who wants to give a book the best chance of being found.

Huge news to start the week. I have been reporting on the Selfies for a decade, and it is always one of my favorite tasks to highlight indie author success. The Selfies have expanded a little in that time and now have three categories: general fiction; children’s (and young adult) fiction; and memoir.

My ALLi author guest this episode is Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent who spent twenty-six years investigating major financial crimes before building a second career as an author and podcaster. Since 2016, she has produced a long-running FBI true crime podcast, written widely about FBI myths and misconceptions, and built a strong independent publishing platform.