The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers

Information, inspiration and interviews on writing, self-publishing, book marketing and making a living with your writing. <br /> If you need help with writing your book, or you want to learn how to navigate the new world of publishing and book marketing, then join Joanna Penn and her guests every Monday. Also covers the business of being a writer and how to make money with your books.

Writing Memoir And Dealing With Haters With Natalie Maclean

How can you write memoir with deep sensory detail? How does terroir in wine equate to the writer's voice? How can you manage your online presence while still protecting yourself from the haters? Multi-award-winning wine writer Natalie MacLean shares her tips. In the intro, initial thoughts on Author Nation 2024, photos from Death Valley @jfpennauthor, […] The post Writing Memoir And Dealing With Haters With Natalie Maclean first appeared on The Creative Penn.

11-18
01:02:45

Dark Tourism And Self-Publishing Premium Print Books With Images With Leon Mcanally

What is dark tourism and why are many of us interested in places associated with death and tragedy? How can you write and self-publish a premium print guidebook while managing complicated design elements, image permissions, and more? With Leon Mcanally. In the intro, level up with author assistants [Written Word Media]; and Blood Vintage signing […] The post Dark Tourism And Self-Publishing Premium Print Books With Images With Leon Mcanally first appeared on The Creative Penn.

11-11
45:31

Self-Publishing A Second Edition Of A Non-Fiction Book With Gin Stephens

How do you approach writing a second edition of a non-fiction book? How does self-publishing compare to working with a traditional publisher? Can you build a viable business without active social media use? Gin Stephens shares her tips. In the intro, the end of Kindle Vella [Amazon]; Lessons from week one of the book launch […] The post Self-Publishing A Second Edition Of A Non-Fiction Book With Gin Stephens first appeared on The Creative Penn.

11-04
01:05:34

Writing Horror With Boris Bacic

What are some of the key elements in writing horror? How can you be successful writing and self-publishing in the genre? With Boris Bacic. In the intro, ISBNs made easy [Self-publishing Advice]; Written Word Media’s 2024 author survey; Taylor Swift self-publishing [Morning Brew]; Thoughts on audiobooks [Seth Godin]; This is Strategy: Make Better Plans – […] The post Writing Horror With Boris Bacic first appeared on The Creative Penn.

10-28
01:04:34

Scaling An Author Business With Rachel McLean

How do you successfully scale an author business? How do you delegate to your team as well as continue to research and write the books you love? With award-winning crime author, Rachel McLean. In the intro, new Kindle devices [Amazon]; new European markets for Spotify audiobooks [Spotify]; customisable audio with Google NotebookLM; Amazon Ads launches […] The post Scaling An Author Business With Rachel McLean first appeared on The Creative Penn.

10-21
01:03:18

7 Lessons Learned From Over 10 Million Downloads Of The Creative Penn Podcast

The Creative Penn Podcast just hit 10 million downloads as reported by my audio host, Blubrry! The podcast is also the main content on my YouTube channel @thecreativepenn, which has had over 3.9 million views, so the total could be closer to 14m. I'm pretty happy with that, so thanks for listening! Here are some […] The post 7 Lessons Learned From Over 10 Million Downloads Of The Creative Penn Podcast first appeared on The Creative Penn.

10-16
37:31

Writing Historical Fiction And Non-Fiction With Emily E K Murdoch

Can you be successful as an author across different genres and different pen names? How do traditional publishing and going indie compare? How can you diversify into multiple streams of income as an author? With Emily E.K. Murdoch. In the intro, Planning for retirement [Self-Publishing Advice]; my list of money books; Red flags in serialised (and […] The post Writing Historical Fiction And Non-Fiction With Emily E K Murdoch first appeared on The Creative Penn.

10-14
01:02:35

Author Mindset, Writing And Marketing Non-Fiction With Ariel Curry

How can the ‘hungry author' mindset help you become more of a successful author? Why do you need to shift your point of view to that of the reader so your book resonates with them? What are some of the key aspects of writing and marketing non-fiction books? Ariel Curry gives her tips in this […] The post Author Mindset, Writing And Marketing Non-Fiction With Ariel Curry first appeared on The Creative Penn.

10-07
58:21

How To Make Readers Laugh. Writing Humour With Dave Cohen

How can you bring laughter into your books regardless of genre? What are the challenges of writing a novel after an award-winning career as a comedy writer for TV and radio? Dave Cohen shares his lessons learned in this interview. In the intro, how to keep a career fresh over multiple books [Author Nation Podcast]; […] The post How To Make Readers Laugh. Writing Humour With Dave Cohen first appeared on The Creative Penn.

09-30
01:02:17

Selling Books In Person At Live Events With Mark Lefebvre

How can you be successful at connecting with readers and selling books at live, in-person events? What are some practical tips as well as mindset shifts that can help you make the most of the opportunities? Mark Leslie Lefebvre shares his experience. In the intro, Beventi for author events, Reader survey results [Written Word Media]; […] The post Selling Books In Person At Live Events With Mark Lefebvre first appeared on The Creative Penn.

09-23
01:08:33

Pivoting Genres And Growing An Author Business With Sacha Black

Success as an author comes with challenges around managing money, setting boundaries, and living sustainably without burning out. Sacha Black/Ruby Roe talks about her lessons learned after five years as a full-time author entrepreneur. In the intro, Content marketing for authors [BookBub]; Vineyard research [Books and Travel]; AI-generated voice cloning for select US Audible narrators […] The post Pivoting Genres And Growing An Author Business With Sacha Black first appeared on The Creative Penn.

09-16
01:01:31

Lessons Learned from 13 Years as an Author Entrepreneur

In this solo episode, I talk about my lessons learned from 13 years as a full-time author entrepreneur. You can read/listen to previous updates at TheCreativePenn.com/timeline. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller, dark fantasy, horror, crime, and memoir author as J.F. Penn. She’s also an […] The post Lessons Learned from 13 Years as an Author Entrepreneur first appeared on The Creative Penn.

09-13
32:46

Self-Publishing Training Manuals And Focusing On Your True Fans With Guy Windsor

What needs to go into a training manual if you are teaching physical skills? How can you focus in on your super fans and create only for them, while still making a living from multiple streams of income? Guy Windsor explains more in this interview. In the intro, Amazon celebrates a decade of Kindle Unlimited […] The post Self-Publishing Training Manuals And Focusing On Your True Fans With Guy Windsor first appeared on The Creative Penn.

09-09
01:05:43

Writing Horror And Selling Direct With David Viergutz

How can you sell a fiction experience rather than just selling a story? How do our personal obsessions arise in our books, whatever the genre? David Viergutz shares his thoughts in this episode. In the intro, the best marketing investments for authors [Self Publishing Advice]; Abundance mindset for authors [KWL Podcast]; Written Word Media have […] The post Writing Horror And Selling Direct With David Viergutz first appeared on The Creative Penn.

09-02
57:58

Author Mindset Tips And Publishing In Germany With AD Wilk

How can you move past your limiting beliefs to find success as an author? How can you successfully self-publish in Germany? Andrea Wilk shares her thoughts in this episode. In the intro, how to cope with writer conferences [Ink in Your Veins]; Author Nation schedule; Conde Nast signs a licensing deal with OpenAI [Hollywood Reporter]; […] The post Author Mindset Tips And Publishing In Germany With AD Wilk first appeared on The Creative Penn.

08-26
01:02:45

A Touch of the Madness: Creativity In Writing And Filmmaking With Larry Kasanoff

How can you balance creativity with business when it comes to writing — and filmmaking? How can you access that ‘touch of madness' in everything you create? How can authors pitch their books for film? All this and more with Larry Kasanoff. In the intro, Paid ads with BookBub, Facebook and Amazon [BookBub]; Blood Vintage […] The post A Touch of the Madness: Creativity In Writing And Filmmaking With Larry Kasanoff first appeared on The Creative Penn.

08-19
01:02:26

Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Publishing With Thad McIlroy

How are publishers using AI and what are the potential use cases in the future? Why is this an exciting time in publishing for those who use the new tools to expand their creative possibilities? Thad McIlroy and I have a wonderful discussion about the current state of AI in publishing, and where we think […] The post Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Publishing With Thad McIlroy first appeared on The Creative Penn.

08-12
01:10:26

Heart. Soul. Pen. Find Your Voice on the Page With Robin Finn

How can you write freely and release any blocks that are holding you back? How can you focus on the strengths in your writing and avoid critical voice? Robin Finn gives plenty of writing tips in this interview. In the intro, KDP's identity verification; Why authors need platforms [Kathleen Schmidt]; Romance genre report from K-lytics; […] The post Heart. Soul. Pen. Find Your Voice on the Page With Robin Finn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

08-05
01:01:28

Pivoting Genres And Writing Historical Fiction With Anna Sayburn Lane

When is it time to leave an unsuccessful series behind and pivot into something new? What is the process of writing to market? Anna Sayburn Lane explores these topics and more. In the intro, help with Amazon KDP Account suspension [Kindlepreneur]; Selling direct to the EU? Thresholds coming in 2025; Some honest thoughts about the […] The post Pivoting Genres And Writing Historical Fiction With Anna Sayburn Lane first appeared on The Creative Penn.

07-29
01:01:31

Writing Emotion With Roz Morris

Why is writing emotion so important in our books, whatever the genre? How can we create an emotional connection between our readers and our characters? Roz Morris gives her tips in this episode. In the intro, how to get your indie book into schools [Self-Publishing Advice]; Did my bestselling book turn out to be a […] The post Writing Emotion With Roz Morris first appeared on The Creative Penn.

07-22
01:15:57

Polly Berseth

Love the explanations about nfts, great episode.

01-30 Reply

Preeti Sharma

Very nice article! I'm Preeti, I write for educational blogs. I make a collection of wonderful educational blogs from where I could take inspiration for writing. This article really inspires me though it is a little different from my domain but nonetheless it is a good writing. I sometime write for a education site blogs www.clearexam.ac.in Let me know your thoughts if I could contribute to your blog too.

04-11 Reply

Preeti Sharma_Career guide

Very nice article! I'm Preeti, I write for educational blogs. I make a collection of wonderful educational blogs from where I could take inspiration for writing. This article really inspires me though it is a little different from my domain but nonetheless it is a good writing. I sometime write for a education site blogs www.clearexam.ac.in Let me know your thoughts if I could contribute to your blog too

04-10 Reply

Marge Phelps

You continue to pack a a lot of punch into your podcasts .American phraseology; it's a complement.

09-13 Reply

Marge Phelps

very useful information-thanks

06-11 Reply

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