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The Creative Penn

Writing, self-publishing, book marketing, making a living with your writing

Press and Media

For journalists, podcasters and event organisers. Everything you need to feature Joanna Penn: bios in three lengths, quick facts, topics she can comment on, books and photos for download.

Contact: joanna@thecreativepenn.com. Joanna is based in Bath, England (UK time) and is available for UK and international interviews, in person or remotely.

For speaking enquiries, see the Speaking page.

Bios, ready to copy

Short bio (about 50 words)

Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller, dark fantasy, crime and memoir author as J.F. Penn. She is an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur and international professional speaker, and hosts The Creative Penn Podcast. She lives in Bath, England.

Medium bio (about 100 words)

Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller, dark fantasy, crime and memoir author as J.F. Penn. She has sold over a million books in 176 countries and five languages as an independent author, and has been a full-time author entrepreneur since 2011.

Her show, The Creative Penn Podcast, has more than 800 episodes and over 10 million downloads across 229 countries. Her memoir, Pilgrimage, won Best Non-Fiction/Memoir at the Selfies Awards, London Book Fair 2024.

She was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2018 and speaks internationally on writing, publishing, the author business and AI for creatives. She lives in Bath, England with her husband and two cats.

Long bio (about 200 words)

Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller, dark fantasy, crime and memoir author as J.F. Penn. She has sold over a million books in 176 countries and five languages as an independent author.

After 13 years as a business IT consultant across Europe and Asia Pacific, she self-published her first non-fiction book in 2008 and became a full-time author entrepreneur in 2011. Her show, The Creative Penn Podcast, has more than 800 episodes and over 10 million downloads.

Her books for authors include How to Make a Living with Your Writing, Successful Self-Publishing, How to Write a Novel and Writing the Shadow. Her travel memoir under J.F. Penn, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, won Best Non-Fiction/Memoir at the Selfies Awards at London Book Fair 2024.

Her thriller Destroyer of Worlds was a finalist for the International Thriller Writers Award (Best Ebook Original) in 2017, and Death Valley was a finalist in the Selfies Awards (Best Fiction) 2026.

Joanna was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2018 and speaks internationally at events including London Book Fair and Author Nation in Las Vegas.

She has a Master’s degree in Theology from the University of Oxford (1997) and a Master’s degree in Death, Religion and Culture from the University of Winchester (2026). She lives in Bath, England with her husband and two cats.

Quick facts

  • Full-time author entrepreneur since September 2011, after 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporates and SMEs across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand
  • Over a million books sold in 176 countries and five languages, as an independent (indie) author
  • New York Times and USA Today bestselling author as J.F. Penn: first in 2014 with the Deadly Dozen box set, then in 2016 on USA Today only with her ARKANE trilogy box set
  • Host of The Creative Penn Podcast since 2009: more than 800 episodes, over 10 million downloads across 229 countries, in the top 1 percent of podcasts in terms of income, and top 5% for weekly downloads
  • Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways won Best Non-Fiction/Memoir at the Selfies Awards, London Book Fair 2024
  • Destroyer of Worlds was a finalist for the International Thriller Writers Award (Best Ebook Original) in 2017; Death Valley was a finalist in the Selfies Awards (Best Fiction) 2026
  • Education: Master’s degree in Theology, University of Oxford (1997); Graduate Diploma in Psychology, University of Auckland (2004); Master’s degree in Death, Religion and Culture, University of Winchester (2026)
  • International professional speaker: The Guardian Masterclasses, London Book Fair, FutureBook, Author Nation (Las Vegas), 20Books Spain, Self-Publishing Show Live, the RNA Conference and more
  • Publishing Commentator of the Year, Digital Book World, 2018
  • Based in Bath, England; lived in Australia and New Zealand for 11 years

Topics Joanna can comment on

  • How to make a living with your writing: multiple streams of income for authors, and what a sustainable author business looks like
  • Self-publishing and the independent author movement: why authors sell direct to readers and build businesses without a traditional publisher
  • AI for writers and creatives: a positive, practical view of using AI tools for writing, publishing and marketing, and what the AI-Assisted Artisan Author approach looks like
  • The future of publishing: the creator economy, direct sales, audio, translation
  • Book marketing, particularly content marketing
  • Podcasting as a business: lessons from more than 800 episodes, corporate sponsorship and community through Patreon
  • Audiobooks, podcasting and voice technology for authors
  • Career change. Moving from a corporate career to a creative life: 13 years as a business IT consultant in large corporates across Europe and Asia Pacific, then full-time author entrepreneur from September 2011
  • Finding new work after a corporate career: building a writing business alongside the day job, from writing her first book in 2006 (published 2008) to leaving employment in 2011
  • Creative entrepreneurship: running a business on your own terms, from one person in Bath to readers in 176 countries
  • Creativity in midlife: the shift she experienced through menopause, and the questions it raised about ambition, energy and what to write next
  • Sustainable creativity: avoiding burnout, stepping back from social media, and taking the pressure off your art (The Relaxed Author, The Healthy Writer)
  • Writing the shadow: turning inner darkness into words
  • Public speaking and visibility for introverts
  • Money and business for creatives: author business plans, productivity and deciding what matters
  • AI voice clones and AI narration: why she cloned her own voice, and what it means for audiobooks and podcasts
  • Physical health for writers: her own experience of RSI and the long-term cost of a desk job, and how she changed the way she works
  • Pilgrimage and long-distance walking
  • Living childfree: building a creative life and business without children
  • Living and working abroad: 11 years in Australia and New Zealand, and coming home to England

Books by Joanna Penn

Joanna’s non-fiction books for authors are available in ebook, paperback and audiobook, with some in hardback, large print and workbook editions. They include:

  • How to Make a Living with Your Writing: Turn Your Words into Multiple Streams of Income
  • Successful Self-Publishing: How to Self-Publish and Market Your Book (Fourth Edition)
  • How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book
  • How to Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge into Words (Second Edition)
  • Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words
  • How to Write, Publish, and Market Short Stories
  • How to Market a Book (Third Edition)
  • Your Author Business Plan: Take Your Author Success to the Next Level
  • The Relaxed Author: Take the Pressure Off Your Art and Enjoy the Creative Journey
  • The Healthy Writer: Reduce Your Pain, Improve Your Health, and Build a Writing Career for the Long Term
  • Audio for Authors: Audiobooks, Podcasting, and Voice Technologies
  • Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives, and Other Introverts
  • Author Blueprint: a free overview of writing, publishing, book marketing and the author business
  • Career Change: Stop Hating Your Job, Discover What You Really Want to Do With Your Life, and Start Doing It
  • Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Virtual Worlds: The Impact of Converging Technologies on Authors and the Publishing Industry

Buy direct at CreativePennBooks.com, or find all the books on Joanna Penn’s Amazon author page.

Books as J.F. Penn

Joanna also writes thrillers, dark fantasy, crime, horror and travel memoir as J.F. Penn. Her fiction includes the 13-book ARKANE action-adventure thriller series, the Brooke and Daniel crime thrillers, the Mapwalker dark fantasy trilogy, standalone novels such as Blood Vintage and Death Valley, and short story collections. Every story starts with a real place, and many weave in religion, ancient relics and the supernatural. Her memoir, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, won Best Non-Fiction/Memoir at the Selfies Awards, London Book Fair 2024.

Buy direct at JFPennBooks.com, find out more at JFPenn.com, or see J.F. Penn’s Amazon author page.

Photos for media

Please credit Betty Bhandari. Click an image to open the full-size file for download.

Joanna Penn, Bath, 2025. Photo by Betty Bhandari
Joanna Penn, Bath, 2025 (landscape). Photo by Betty Bhandari
Joanna Penn, Bath, 2025. Photo by Betty Bhandari
Joanna Penn, Bath, 2025 (portrait). Photo by Betty Bhandari
Joanna Penn. Photo by Betty Bhandari
Joanna Penn, 2025 (square). Photo by Betty Bhandari

Speaking and appearances

Joanna has spoken at The Guardian Masterclasses, London Book Fair, FutureBook, Digital Commerce Summit, Author Nation in Las Vegas, 20Books Spain, the RNA Conference, Superstars Writing Conference, Self-Publishing Show Live and the Independent Authors Conference in Paris. See the Speaking page for topics, testimonials and the full list of engagements.

Podcast interviews with Joanna

Joanna has been a guest on hundreds of other podcasts. Examples include:

Links