Orna Ross, ALLi Director, commented, “It is my great pleasure to accept this Indie Champion award on behalf of the ALLi team, advisors and ambassadors — and of course our members, all of whom champion independence as they go about their work of self-publishing great books. We thank the Romantic Novelists’ Association for this award and also for its openness to independent authors. Since digital publishing technology arrived in the publishing industry, self-publishing romance authors have been at the forefront of innovation, particularly in marketing and promotion, so we are honored to have our work for indie authors awarded by this forward-thinking association of writers.”

ABOUT THE RNA AWARDS and INDIE CHAMPION AWARD

The shortlists for the RNA awards are chosen from nominations by the association's membership. Award categories include the best Narrator, Designer, Editor, Bookseller, Media Star, Agent, Publisher or Editor, Library or Librarian, and an Inclusion Award for championing inclusivity, as well as Indie Champion of the Year. A panel of judges chose the award winner in each category from the shortlists.

Runners-up for the Indie Champion Awards were Scottish romance novelist Lizzie Lamb, historical novelist Clare Flynn, and thriller and travel writer, self-publishing expert and ALLi advisor, Joanna (The Creative) Penn.

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT AUTHORS

The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) is a professional membership organisation for self-publishing authors. A non-profit, ALLi provides trusted advice and education, supportive guidance, and a wide range of resources within a welcoming community of authors and advisors. Founded in 2012 by Director, Orna Ross (a bestselling and award-winning independent novelist and poet), the organisation now has thousands of members worldwide.

– ALLi is an international organisation with thousands of members all over the globe. Its membership make-up can be seen here: Allianceindependentauthors.org/global-self-publishing/

– Orna Ross founded ALLi in 2012 as a result of her own experiences in trade publishing, taking her rights back from her publisher Penguin to self-publish her own books. She has described self-publishing as the best move of her writing life, commercially and creatively and “The Bookseller” has listed her as one of its Top 100 People in Publishing

– ALLi's online Self-Publishing Advice Center recently topped the Writer's Digest Top 100 Publishing Websites for Authors.