OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
One of the main purposes of the human life must be to learn, develop, grow and change. I am a learning junkie, always reading books and blogs, consuming media, listening to podcasts and watching videos. Much of this spills into what I share on this blog. It is such an exciting world right now!
That said, there is so much information it can be hard to know who to trust or what to consume next. We only have a limited amount of time in the day!
So here are some of my recommendations for fantastic resources in writing/publishing but also for marketing and entrepreneurship. Looking at other industries can often bring us some amazing lessons for authors and writers. There are a lot more sites I follow and you can read my recommendations by following me on twitter @thecreativepenn
Writing and Publishing
There Are No Rules – by Jane Friedman. This blog is a must read for writers and authors. It has all the basics you need, plus up to date information on the state of the publishing industry. I tweet pretty much every post as it is so useful. Example post: Self-publishing and online publishing will not ruin your chance at a traditional deal.
The Book Designer: Practical advice to help build better books. by Joel Friedlander. Joel blogs every day and produces amazing content every time. Insanely useful information especially if you are self-publishing. There are topic links on the left so start there if you are new to his site. [Joel is also my book designer for ‘Pentecost']. Example post: Book design and page layout software: A guide for DIY authors
Writing Excuses Podcast . “15 minutes long because you're in a hurry and we're not that smart.” Brilliant informative and funny podcast for writers covering all kinds of writing topics. 3 authors in conversation which makes it a fast paced show.
I Should Be Writing Podcast with Mur Lafferty, for wannabe fiction writers. Mur has been podcasting for almost 5 years now about her journey into writing fiction. She shares honestly about her own writing and also does feedback on listener questions. I am particularly enjoying the interview shows with writers. [Here's an interview I did with Mur – great for Nanowrimo]
JA Konrath: A Newbie's Guide to Publishing. Joe's blog used to be about the traditional publishing process and writing in general. I highly recommend his book which aggregates his most useful blog content. In the last year, he has changed his publishing views to be incredibly pro-ebook publishing and has demonstrated amazing sales on the Kindle and other platforms (100,000+ sales). His rejection of traditional publishers in favor of ebooks has had a lot of press. I have been following this with great interest as he is the most open author about the real numbers involved in sales.
Dean Wesley Smith. Aspiring writers need to listen to experienced pros like Dean with over 90 novels, 100 short stories, screenplays and more under his belt. Dean has 2 series of posts going on that are ‘must reads'. Killing the sacred cows of publishing does exactly that. It blitzes the myths that cripple writers as well as informing about agents, writing practice and publishing practices. Dean also has the New World of Publishing series which goes through the changes currently occurring and how they affect authors. Here's an interview and video I did with Dean recently.
Marketing, Blogging, Business and Entrepreneurship
Tim Ferriss, author of ‘Four Hour Work Week'. Tim's blog is on all different topics. He occasionally covers writing and books but it is mainly lifestyle design topics. He is definitely worth watching for the marketing around upcoming release ‘The Four Hour Body' which will be truly hyped over Christmas and New Year as it includes fat loss and much more. Tim is very smart and tests everything he does so best practices for all kinds of aspects in life are covered.
Example post: How authors really make money: The rebirth of Seth Godin and death of traditional publishing
Mitch Joel with Six Pixels of Separation . Fantastic podcast on new media marketing, tech trends that affect business as well as brilliant Media Hacks chats that often include digital publishing related topics. Mitch also interviews authors of business books. Remember, authors are business-people. They need to know how to market. This podcast is tremendous value for time and highly recommended.
Chris Brogan Blogging on business, marketing and new media, Chris shares a lot of personal learnings as well as book reviews, video tips and talks about the journey of being in this crazy world right now. He has a down to earth manner and in humble in his success which is an attitude I really like. Example video post: Inch by Inch: On Overnight success (I love this. It's so true)
Entrepreneur's Journey with Yaro Starak: I learned to blog from Yaro on his Blog Mastermind program so I am a real fan, but his site has much more than just blogging tips. It covers many aspects of internet business as well as audio interviews with online success stories and personal development concepts.
Example post: Why third party input helps you make better plans
Gideon Shalwick I am totally convinced that video is the way to go for getting noticed and we are still ahead of the curve in the author/writing space since it is dominated by tech and entertainment. Gideon is fantastic at online video marketing and you definitely need his free Rapid Video Blogging ebook. if you are at all interested in this area. Gideon also has lots of free videos on everything to do with online video marketing.
Example post: My one piece of advice for success as an entrepreneur
What are your recommendations for top blogs/podcasts on writing/publishing/marketing/online business?
Top Image: Flickr CC Mark Brannan
View Comments (10)
Great suggestions! Thanks -- Will pass these along on Twitter.
Thank you for this post. You always have the most helpful ideas and link to other fascinating people. You are the only tweeter I actually have bookmarked. So if I'm off the computer awhile i can see what I missed from you.
Dixie Goode
on twitter as pandorasecho and duffybarkley
Thanks Dixie - I really appreciate your follow on twitter and comments here.
Lots of good resources. I've been following Yaro's blog off and on since 2005 or so, and it's been inspiring seeing the progress he's made. I've recently gotten involved with ebooks, so I've found JA Konrath's site too. More inspiration there. I will check out these others as well!
Thanks Lindsay. Yaro has been so helpful for me!
Honored to be included—thank you SO much. :-)
Your posts have been so useful to me Jane. You were always going to be up there!
Thank you for this post. You always have the most helpful ideas and link to other fascinating people. You are the only tweeter I actually have bookmarked. So if I'm off the computer awhile i can see what I missed from you. Dixie Goode on twitter as pandorasecho and duffybarkley
Joanna, thanks for posting this selection of relevant links. The internet has certainly grown since the early days when folks used to have to use dial-up. I am glad those days are over because we have so many resources at our disposal now. Remember back when blogging was new? It has evolved from an online diary into something much more.
One of the things I've had to do recently, is cut down on the amount of subscriptions, newsletters and social networking I do as a way to increase the amount of time I spend reading, writing and learning. There are only so many hours in the day, so it is essential that choose our resources wisely. From the links you've given, I have found a few that will fill an immediate need.
One of my go-to podcasts is currently Writing Excuses. As a novice writer, the advice those guys give on writing really helps a lot. I find that I am also finding new books to read as a direct result of their recommendations as well.
Hi Dianne, I love Writing Excuses too. Those guys are hilarious and also informative.
I've cut down on my intake as well but I do find using Flipboard on the iPad is a great way to find new, interesting articles for my twitterfeed. Thanks, Joanna