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The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers

The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers

Joanna Penn 300 Episodes Aug 19, 2026

The Creative Penn Podcast for Writers, hosted by Joanna Penn, covers writing craft and the creative business of publishing. It offers insights on writing techniques, self-publishing, and marketing for authors. The show aims to help writers build successful careers in the digital age.

Episodes

Book Marketing, AI Book Discoverability, And Resilience, With Ricardo Fayet
Book Marketing, AI Book Discoverability, And Resilience, With Ricardo Fayet Aug 19, 2026 1:07:55 How can you get your books surfaced when readers ask an AI what to read next? What are the hallmarks of authors and businesses that last more than a decade in the indie author industry? Ricardo Fayet gives his marketing tips after more than a decade at Reedsy. In the intro, Expanding Your Book’s IP through Merchandising [Wish I'd Known Then]; Guide to writers conferences [Kindlepreneur]; Rick R
Going Indie, Publishing Innovation, And The Challenges Of Book Marketing With John Bond
Going Indie, Publishing Innovation, And The Challenges Of Book Marketing With John Bond Aug 12, 2026 1:07:51 How can you tell where the real innovation in publishing is happening right now, and why is it emerging from the indie side first? How do you market your own book when you've spent 35 years marketing everyone else's? John Bond talks about Going Indie and what he's learned about authors who last. In the intro, my thoughts on writing with AI, Charles Dickens and encouragement for the 3-year-old d
From Blog To Community To Book: A Non-Fiction Author’s Journey With Suzanne Smith
From Blog To Community To Book: A Non-Fiction Author’s Journey With Suzanne Smith Aug 5, 2026 1:13:09 How can content marketing in a tight niche build the audience that launches your book? And how do you decide whether to hand your self-published bestseller to a traditional publisher. Suzanne Smith shares what she learned in four years of going from blog to book deal. In the intro, how to stand out as a writer in the age of AI [Nathan Barry Show; Interview with Nathan Barry]; thoughts on asset
How To Prove The Demand For Your Stories And Get The Attention Of Hollywood With Brooks Elms
How To Prove The Demand For Your Stories And Get The Attention Of Hollywood With Brooks Elms Jul 29, 2026 1:05:46 How can building an audience in advance help your stories reach the people who make movies? And how can you prove there's demand for your book or screenplay before you've written it? Brooks Elms shares his advice after more than 20 years as a WGA screenwriter. In the intro, what doesn't work for book marketing and what does [Amy Chan SubStack; Unsingle; Rephonic]; Goodreads giveaway for Bones o
Organic Writing And The Power Of The Pivot In Fiction With Steven James
Organic Writing And The Power Of The Pivot In Fiction With Steven James Jul 22, 2026 1:07:38 How can organic writing and leaning into the pivot help your stories stand out? And how can you pitch a story as a discovery writer if you genuinely don't know what's going to happen next. Steven James gives his writing tips after more than 20 years as an author. In the intro, Better Than Free in an Age of AI [Kevin Kelly on Tim Ferriss; Kevin Kelly on The Creative Penn]; Future Vision XPrize;
Why The Podcast Is Moving To Wednesdays, And 7 Tips for Sustainable Creativity
Why The Podcast Is Moving To Wednesdays, And 7 Tips for Sustainable Creativity Jul 15, 2026 38:42 After more than a decade of releasing this show on Mondays, I’m moving it to Wednesdays, and this is the first episode of the new time slot.  On the one hand, this might sound like nothing at all, but it’s also a big deal, for you and for me, and in this episode, I explain why I'm making the change, and past guests give some tips on sustainable creativity for the long term. Joanna Penn i
Bundles, Box Sets and Anthologies With Jamie Ferguson
Bundles, Box Sets and Anthologies With Jamie Ferguson Jul 13, 2026 59:42 What's the difference between a bundle, a box set, an anthology, and a collection? How can being part of an anthology be creatively interesting and useful for marketing? With Jamie Ferguson In the intro, Amazon Kindle increases the 70% royalty share; audiobook marketing tips (Voices by InAudio); The Builder’s Creed [Seth Godin]; Future Vision XPrize; Researching the dark side of travel [Anna Sa
Author Voice Mastery, And Rebooting an Author Business With J. Daniel Sawyer
Author Voice Mastery, And Rebooting an Author Business With J. Daniel Sawyer Jul 6, 2026 50:21 What happens to your creativity when you're in pain or sick, and can you ever get it back? How can you find and sharpen your author voice? J. Daniel Sawyer talks about voice mastery, writing with chronic pain, and building an eclectic author business. In the intro, leaning into your Strengths and deciding what you want to achieve by the end of the year; and Bones of the Deep by J.F. Penn.
Writing The Hard Stuff: Turning Difficult Subjects Into Meaningful Prose With Nicole Walker
Writing The Hard Stuff: Turning Difficult Subjects Into Meaningful Prose With Nicole Walker Jun 29, 2026 56:21 How do you write about the most painful experiences of your life without being overwhelmed by them? How can timed writing and a braided story help you untangle your hardest stories? With Nicole Walker. In the intro, Self-Publishing Pop Up Books [Self-Publishing with ALLi]; New in KU [BookBub]; The solar sail theory of indie publishing [ProductiveIndieFictionWriter]; Bones of the Deep; Selfie Aw
Creative Satisfaction, In Person Print Book Sales,  And Author Mindset With Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Creative Satisfaction, In Person Print Book Sales, And Author Mindset With Mark Leslie Lefebvre Jun 22, 2026 1:04:53 What if the real secret to a lasting writing career isn't talent or luck, but learning to thrive in the mess? Why are in-person events worthwhile even if the maths doesn't add up? How do you protect your creativity when the machines never sleep and the community is at one another's throats? With Mark Leslie Lefebvre In the intro, Has AI Already Killed Non-Fiction [Tim Ferriss]; 9 ways that AI w
Writing Cross-Genre, Selling Direct, And Serialising On SubStack With P.D. Alleva
Writing Cross-Genre, Selling Direct, And Serialising On SubStack With P.D. Alleva Jun 15, 2026 52:45 How can horror writing help readers — and writers — work through psychological trauma? Why does cross-genre fiction take longer to find an audience, but pay off in the long run? Is running a direct sales store actually worth the inventory, postage, and learning curve? And how can SubStack work for fiction authors? With psychotherapist and award-winning author P.D. Alleva. The post Writing Cross-Ge
Don’t Call It Art: Rediscovering Creative Joy With Austin Kleon
Don’t Call It Art: Rediscovering Creative Joy With Austin Kleon Jun 8, 2026 1:10:25 Have you ever lost the joy in your creative work — that sense of fun you had when you were starting out, before the admin and the algorithms drained it away? How do mid-career creatives get it back, and what can a four-year-old teach us about play? Austin Kleon talks about productive procrastination, silly rituals, the case for paper reference books in an AI world, and how his newsletter went from

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