Earlier this week, one of the largest annual international book events took over London, bringing together professionals from across the globe—and across the publishing landscape.
This year’s fair opened with a keynote by Penguin Random House UK CEO Tom Weldon and broached a variety of hot topics in the industry, from the cost of publishing in today’s economic markets to AI concerns. He also recognized independent publishing and discussed the ways in which traditional publishers have started to learn from the success of self-published authors. "I think it’s sort of exciting how self-publishing has blossomed over the last ten, fifteen, twenty years,” he said. Although he suggested traditional publishing still allowed for authors to reach a wider audience with broader marketing and distribution opportunities, he acknowledged self-published authors’ success in other areas, such as with “speed to market”—publishing books quickly.
Several familiar faces in the indie-publishing sphere were also in attendance at this year’s fair, from Creatorwood founder Michael Evans to IAM publisher Chelle Honiker and the Alliance of Independent Authors—not to mention numerous self-published authors, small presses, and independent publishers. At one of the largest trade fairs in the industry, it was a welcome shift—and a recognition of the success that’s possible through paving your own path.
This Week's Indie Author Magazine Articles
Newsletter swaps are one of the most effective, low‑cost ways to reach new readers. We’ve covered the marketing strategy before—but we figured it was time to update it! In this week’s Monday Close-Up, IAM staff writer Gayle Leeson shared ten tips on finding partners, presenting compelling recommendations, and building long‑term relationships that benefit you and your readers.
Gayle Leeson
Whether you outline extensively before the first draft or let the story guide you as you’re writing, every well-rounded character has events in their past, personality traits, and relationships with those around them that you’ll learn as you go—and that the reader should come to understand as the book progresses. In this installment of her guest series, book coach Rona Gofstein offers advice on how to explain what happened before without slowing down the pacing or shifting focus away from what’s happening now.
Rona Gofstein
Teachings from Indie Author Training This Week
Webinar: “Are you blocking your success?”
What if marketing didn’t feel like guesswork?
In this webinar, author and book marketing coach Aryn van Dyke shows you how a few key mindset shifts can transform your strategy—and your sales.
You will learn:
- clear, grounded expectations for launching your book;
- a reframed approach to marketing you won’t avoid; and
- a proven way to let mindset fuel your success instead of blocking it.
Come for the mindset reset. Leave with a plan you can actually follow.
Beneath the video replay is a “join the discussion” field, so if you couldn't make the live session but have a question about marketing, type it in there to keep the conversation going.
You can access the replay here: https://webinars.indieauthortraining.com/talks/are-you-blocking-your-success.
More Indie Publishing News
Here’s a look beyond our pages at the latest headlines and happenings in the publishing world.
- Last month, Amy Suto shared with Publishers Weekly how taking charge of her own publishing career through self-publishing and hosting a paid newsletter on Substack helped launch her career without the interference of publishing gatekeepers. Read her story, and her advice on building a book business on your own, here: https://booklife.com/authors//authors/02/06/2026/the-new-writing-economy.html.
- Did you hear? The Audible app now supports “immersion reading,” or listening to an audiobook while simultaneously reading the text version. The trend is growing among readers who want help tuning out the world around them as they read. The feature launched last month—you can read more about it here: https://www.audible.com/about/newsroom/audible-launches-immersion-reading-for-deeper-engagement-with-books. Audible also announced plans to expand into additional international markets earlier this week at London Book Fair: https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/03/audible-expands-platform-to-11-new-markets-including-sweden.
Anything we’ve missed that you think we should cover? Any topics or questions you’d like our team to explore? Let us know at feedback@indieauthormagazine.com. Your suggestion may just make it into an upcoming article.
