On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway examines the fallout from the “Shy Girl” controversy, where allegations of AI-assisted writing led to a withdrawn book deal and raised new questions about author responsibility and editorial use of AI. He also highlights Jane Friedman’s new AI-in-publishing guide, reports on a surge in self-published titles linked to AI tools, and looks at the growing use of Substack as a platform for fiction.

Some interesting news today from two of the largest platforms creatives, including many indie authors, use. The first of the three items features Substack, the newsletter platform. An interesting piece in Publishers Weekly highlights that Authors Equity is going to publish the memoir of Substack's founder, Hamish McKenzie. The pairing throws us, per the article, some interesting questions about the potential future relationship between traditional publishing companies and formats and subscription-based platforms more obviously targeted at creators looking to take things into their own hands. Among other things, the article looks at the use of Substack by some high-profile authors like Ottessa Moshfegh to self-publish fiction in serial form.

On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, host Howard Lovy talks to Katie Chambers of Beacon Point, an editing and writing services company, about what self-editing really means and why it’s a critical step before hiring a professional editor. Chambers explains her structured, multi-pass approach, showing how authors can strengthen their manuscripts, reduce editing costs, and make better use of professional feedback. They discuss common self-editing mistakes, practical techniques authors can apply right away, the careful use of AI as a tool rather than a shortcut, and how developing these skills helps writers improve with each book.