Inspiration and information about writing craft and author business. For independent creatives.
2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and the Publishing Industry, plus Transforming your author business in the year ahead
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Hello Creatives, Happy New Year! Welcome to 2026! I love January and the energy of starting afresh, and as ever, I have lots of goals for the year ahead. I'm reframing everything I do under the theme of transformation, so if that resonates with you, check out my 2026 goals here. What do you plan to achieve creatively in the year ahead? Just hit reply and let me know. I also started writing a new novel over the holidays based on a South Pacific crossing I made from Fiji to Vanuatu in a tallship back in 1999. More about Bones of the Deep here. 2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and the Book Publishing IndustryWhat does 2026 hold for indie authors and the publishing industry? I give my thoughts on trends and predictions for the year ahead. From more focus on selling direct in different ways, to AI-assisted narration and translation, to search engine shifts, live selling on social media, automated ads, and why 1000 True Fans is more important than ever. Click here to listen or read Transform your Author Business in 2026. Join me for a live webinarA practical two-hour live workshop (and recording) to help you move from “I write books” to “I run a successful creative business.” Leave with a clear vision, a simple author business plan, and concrete next steps to grow your income from your writing in 2026. Click below for more details. This weekend, Sat 10 Jan, 11am US Eastern, 4pm UK Sat 24 Jan, 11am US eastern, 4pm UK It's the same webinar delivered twice, so you can pick which date suits you. The recording will be sent to ticket-holders within 24 hours in video and audio format along with slides and other material. Just let me know if you have any questions.
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Joanna Penn, The Creative Penn
Inspiration and information about writing craft and author business. For independent creatives.
Hello Creatives, I was in Oxford last weekend for a university reunion. It was both strange and wonderful to sit across from people I last knew in my twenties and hear what their lives have become. Some have taken paths you might have predicted. Others have gone places no one would have guessed. A creative life rarely runs in a straight line, and I find I’m most drawn to the unexpected stories, the people who started over, who found their work later, who are still figuring it out. Decades in,...
Hello Creatives, One of the most common questions that authors are asked is: "Where do you get your ideas?" Well, for me, it's often about where I travel and what I find there. In 1999, I sailed on a tall ship from Fiji to Vanuatu in the south pacific, and something about that crossing never let me go. I just couldn’t find the right story for it ... until now. Bones of the Deep has finally arrived, with a setting that takes you out on the open ocean, the stolen bones of a merfolk culture, and...
Hello Creatives, Spring flowers are blooming here in Bath and I am looking forward to a lot more time outside in the coming months! I hope you are enjoying the seasons wherever you are in the world. In the meantime, I am almost ready to launch my next Kickstarter for Bones of the Deep, and I'm working hard on finishing my Masters course. We also had a book research trip to Paris which will eventually turn into my next ARKANE thriller, Crown of Thorns. More photos on Facebook/ Instagram...