About
Welcome to The Creative Penn!
In this short video I give you a guided tour of the site and explain a bit about my story, or you can read more below the video.
This site is for people interested in writing, publishing of all kinds and internet marketing/promotion for their books (in print/ebook or audio format). My aim is to make this the #1 place to come for information if this is your area of interest online.
I’m an author too and I share my own journey as well as seeking out fantastic people to interview. You can find some of the top posts and information on the resource page.
On the site, you will find:
- Regular blog posts on all aspects of writing, publishing and book promotion. You can subscribe now by email or RSS so you know when I have posted a new article. See below in the right hand sidebar for posts in different categories, or use the Search box to find articles on the topic you are interested in.
- Podcast audio interviews with authors and people in the publishing or marketing industry. Podcasts are just audios over the internet. You can subscribe in iTunes or just download the individual episodes from this page. The audios are approx 30 mins long and I post them at least every 2 weeks. There’s currently over 60 hours of free audio available.
- Free “Author 2.0 Blueprint” : a 52 page ebook with all kinds of help with writing, publishing and book marketing. I know it can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start, so the Blueprint will walk you through the model I have used.
- 90% of the information on this site is free but sometimes you may want more guided information. In the store, you will find multimedia courses to help you with aspects of writing, publishing and book marketing. I also have 1:1 consulting if you want targeted information.
You can also contact me here.
Who is Joanna Penn?
I’m an author, internet entrepreneur and international speaker based in London, England although I lived in Australia and New Zealand for 11 years. I spent 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporates across the globe before becoming a fulltime author-entrepreneur in September 2011.
I always dreamed of writing my own books, and spent many years thinking about it before I actually took the plunge.
I self published my first non-fiction book
As I become more confident in my writing, I decided to revisit my dream of writing fiction. I joined National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in 2009. 20,000 words later, I had a nugget of an idea that blossomed into my first novel.
In Feb 2011, I self-published my first thriller novel ‘Pentecost‘, available on Amazon and other online retailers. I blogged the journey and you can read all about the experience here.
By that point, I was hooked on writing fiction and the second novel in the ARKANE series, Prophecy was released in January 2012, debuting above Lee Child in the Action-Adventure list. I started a new site for my fiction fans, JFPenn.com and I continue to share the journey of being a writer on this site.
Exodus, ARKANE #3 was published at the end of 2012, and I also released Career Change, a non-fiction book about how to change your life and your job, using the lessons I have learned myself.
My novels have now sold over 55,000 copies, becoming bestsellers in the Thriller and Action Adventure categories. Although I will continue to self-publish, I signed with a literary agent in July 2012 in order to pursue a traditional publishing deal for my some of my mainstream novels as I believe in a hybrid model of publishing, where authors are empowered with options.
You can connect with me at these sites:
Check out my pics on Pinterest
If you’re interested in thrillers, you might want to check out my author site: JFPenn.com : Thrillers on the edge
Joanna Penn
You can also contact me on this page.
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Interesting stuff! Just wrote a book on how to profitably quit your job and have a post on Untemplater.com wondering whether to self publish or not.
Pricing is now my biggest hurdle.
Thx
Sam
Joanna, I was referred to you by James Byrd to ask about the pros and cons for a UK based writer (Somerset) in whether to use Createspace or Lightning Source for a POD book. He suggested you would have considered both and chosen CS for a reason? My work is non fiction ( a poetic history of scientific thought with copious scientific footnotes)and I suspect will be more read as a print book ( although I intend to put it out as an ebook too) I have received some disappointing CS produced books, and the tax issue seems to be a problem to be navigated, but most people who have used CS seem very happy with it, as do LS fans. I would be interested in your views? And experiences?
Hi Philippa,
Both CS and LS now have printing in the UK, and the quality of the books depends on what quality paper you use – which are all settings you can choose at both printers. LS will be slightly cheaper but you get no help. You have to load print ready files and know what you’re doing. CS has wizards and packages to help you. So I recommend CS for newbies who might not be experienced enough to use LS. I have chosen not to bother with print anyway so I am not the best person to recommend either.
Ben Galley, who has lovely print books, did this article http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/lightning-source-best-for-self-publishers/
but I think it comes down to which is easiest for you to use & how experienced you are.
All the best, Joanna
Hi Joanna,
Your website is full of incredible information! Thanks so much for all you do!
I’m working on a book myself and trying to consider my self-publishing options. Do you have a personal favorite top 3 list of e-publishers and print-on-demand publishers that you feel first time authors like myself should consider?
Keep up the excellent work!
Gianandrea
Hi Gianandrea, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the site! Yes, I definitely recommend http://www.Createspace.com and http://www.LightningSource.com for print on demand and then http://www.BookBaby.com or http://www.Smashwords.com for ebook publishing to all sites except where you can go direct – Amazon’s KDP, Nook PubIt (if you’re in the US) and now Kobo Writing Life. Have fun!
What a great site! Now the trick will be limiting myself to what I read here so that I can stay focused on my actual writing.
Thanks for sharing all the great information … and I hope your traditional publishing journey is smooth, effective and vibrantly rewarding!
Your site looks very informative. Looking forward to exploring it. I am a newly published author (self published) and am excited – I guess SUPER excited. All my money is invested in the publishing of my book, and free or lost cost advice is essential now. I read your blog somewhere else about all the books you purchased. I did the same. I still have 400 books at home. Next time I will not purchase so many. Much success in all your endeavors. Keep in touch.
Blessings
RevEJ
Hi Joanna,
I was wondering if you tell me, what kind of questions did you ask when interviewing and shopping around for a potential editor?
Many thanks,
Andrea
Hi Andrea – all my resources on editors are here: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/editors/ including questions etc. Thanks, Joanna
Very good web site indeed. It has made me think about my own work and blog site. I enjoy reading what you achieved. I do want to finish my own novel and self-publish as that seems the new way.
Thank you Joanna
Hi Joanna,
I wanted to contact you, but I didn’t know how else to do it, but through your website. I need some advice.
I recently received a newsletter in my inbox regarding “The Best-Seller Secret” http://www.thebestsellersecret.com/ promising to give authors all the secrets to getting to the top spot on Amazon for the price of $37.
My problem is that it smells awfully like a scam. I tried to look for reviews of this ebook, but found none. I searched many indie author boards but couldn’t find a single author that recommended the tips in this book. Do you know any author that has actually used this system? I mean a regular author, not an affiliate of the program. I couldn’t even find the author on Amazon! I would think that if he knows how to get to No 1 on Amazon, he would have bestsellers there.
Please let me know what you think. Perhaps you could even do a blog post about such programmes. Thank you very much.
Hi Kike,
Thanks for letting me know about this, and I will tell you the secret they are likely peddling right now because the “amazon bestseller” thing is pretty old-hat now.
Basically, they will tell you to load your book into a category that is under-represented and therefore easier to rank in – unfortunately it means you won’t sell very many at all, and may even misrepresent your book.
They may also get you on some kind of list where everyone puts in some kind of bonus to get people to buy on a certain day to move you up the list.
Finally, Amazon bestseller doesn’t mean much anymore, as a lot of people have done it and as per the blurb on that site, it’s not that hard if you aim for an easy category.
It’s much harder on categories that sell like Romance or Thriller – and the only secret there is write a damn good book and get it into the hands of readers.
$37 is not much money, so I wouldn’t say this is a scam as such (not like the $20,000 some people pay vanity publishing companies with no return but a garage full of books they can’t sell), but I expect it is a way for them to get you involved in other things.
In the meantime, write some more books and there’s lots of free marketing info here:
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/marketing/
and here’s a couple of interviews with #1 Amazon bestsellers of the whole store – not just a category
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/05/06/amazon-metadata-mark-edwards/
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/05/17/marketing-amazon-bestseller-rachel-abbott/
I hope that helps. Thanks, Joanna
Hi Joanna
I’m currently working with a few of your friends from your IT days in Australia! One of them mentioned your name the other day and suggested I check out your new book about “How to Love Your Job”. So I did and am now hooked on how you changed your career from IT consultant to full time author.
I’m a prolific writer at work but its all technical documentation and program code, I’m changing my lifestyle (showly) so that I too can eventually give up the consulting work and publish my own books.
My current body of work is centred around my digital photography blog which will progressively become the draft for my first book. Your story and all the information and tools you provide are an inspiration and I can’t thank you enough.
I’ve bought 3 of your books and also Gwen’s guide to Scrivener as a show of my appreciation. I’m yet to purchase Scrivener though as I’d like to via an affiliate link if you have one
All the best from down under, Steve
Hi Joanna, I thought you’d have a laugh at this. This eBook pokes fun at amateur romance writers. I found it on Barnes and Noble. I read it and it’s so funny!
Bad Amateur Ebook Writer Romance Story by Ivana Murleau
I am not computer savvy enough to try to go it alone with just a printing company. I also do not want to fall into the hands of a vanity publisher, but how can you tell them from the good guys? I have read so much information my head is swimming. Just when I think I’ve found someone who sounds good, I find him on the bad list. Is there a “good” list of those who will help you self-publish, when you can’t do it yourself?
Hi Jan,
I know it can be overwhelming!
Here’s my recommendations:
1) Amazon’s own Createspace.com – they have all the packages – for ebooks and print on demand and they can offer you a free service – where you just load the files – or a basic package which is around ~$1500 and then it goes up to around ~$5000 for a full on package. Their full on package is still a lot less than the scammy companies
Plus it is Amazon’s own company so you can guarantee the books will be sold there.
2) Bookbaby.com – can do ebook and print books for you now – they have great customer service and are lovely people, so I recommend them too.
Both those services do ebook and print book – so look at what they offer and then compare anything else you find to them.
If you want to DIY, send me another email and I can help you more
Lots more info here as well:
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/publishing/
Thanks, and happy publishing!
August 18, 2012 at 9:36 pm
Hi. I am reposting this because the website that I entered does not seem to be in operation.
“Your site looks very informative. Looking forward to exploring it. I am a newly published author (self published) and am excited – I guess SUPER excited. All my money is invested in the publishing of my book, and free or lost cost advice is essential now. I read your blog somewhere else about all the books you purchased. I did the same. I still have 400 books at home. (399 now, I just sold 1 on 12/6/12. Next time I will not purchase so many. Much success in all your endeavors. Keep in touch. Since I posted this message in August, I have created a webpage with my own domain and I have mentioned The Creative Penn there. I welcome visitors.
Blessings
RevEJ
Just thought I’d let you know I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Info on my own blog, Painting With Light. http://www.ronherron.wordpress.com
Dear Joanna,
Do you like science fiction type stories? ‘Alternate Universes’?
I am playing with writing what would become a novel if ever I actually write it. I have written a sort of a short story along the lines of the novel . . . and I am wondering if it, and I, are good enough to pursue it?
Would you be intrigued enough to read what little I have written and give me an opinion?
The short story is about a little alien girl – species Voklavian – and a portion of her life.
Josh Colon.
Love the author 2.0 blueprint!!!! I am three months into the writing process for a new novel that I have finally decided to sit down and put together. Although I will not be able to quit my day job, I am determined to enjoy this process. Your outline is a great way to get started and navigate the world of writing, publishing and marketing. Thank you!!!
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