Inspiration and information about writing craft and author business. For independent creatives.
Organic discovery writing, Sustainable creative practices, Bundles and boxsets, and the book where I found my author voice
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Hello Creatives, I'm back into my dissertation at the moment, and academic writing is a challenge for sure, but worth it for the rigour of research, which I always love! Even though I'm not writing fiction at the moment, I am always open to creative inspiration, and I found much to love at Coventry Cathedral, which we visited last week. Photos above and more in the article below. Click here to visit Coventry Cathedral with me Do you find creative inspiration from traveling to new places? Or are you particularly drawn to cathedrals as I am? Just click reply and let me know. Organic Writing with Steven JamesHow 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, and in the intro, Better Than Free in an Age of AI. Click here to listen or read the transcript 7 Tips for Sustainable CreativityAfter more than a decade of releasing The Creative Penn Podcast on Mondays, I’ve moved it to Wednesdays. 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. Click here to listen or read the transcript Bundles, Boxsets and Anthologies with Jamie FergusonWhat'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, audiobook marketing tips, and the Builder's Creed. Click here to listen or read the transcript The book where I found my voice (free for 3 days)I wrote several thrillers before Desecration, but this was the book where I found my author voice. I'd been circling the things that truly fascinated me — anatomy, death, religion — but I held back, worried my themes were too dark. With Desecration, I finally gave myself permission to write the shadow. A murder at the Royal College of Surgeons, secret anatomical collections, a psychic who reads the dead. This is a proper J.F. Penn book! It's FREE on Kindle until Wed 29 July, and also in Kindle Unlimited. Read it and see what it looks like when an author stops writing what they think they should and writes what the Muse really wants ...
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Joanna Penn, The Creative Penn
Inspiration and information about writing craft and author business. For independent creatives.
Hello Creatives, I've been working hard on the Fourth Edition of How to Market a Book, which will be pretty extensive! (and hopefully out in Dec/Jan). But it gets a little intense at the desk, so yesterday I went to Kew Gardens in London to see the Henry Moore sculpture exhibition for a (much needed) Artist's Date. I love large sculptures as they change as you move around them and the light and shadow is part of the experience. Moore was also frequently inspired by bones, as of course, am I!...
Hello Creatives, We are heading into the last few months of the year, so I hope you are doing well with your creative goals for 2026! I'm just back from an inspiring trip to Los Angeles to attend the Moonshots Live conference, and I also visited the cathedral, and tried my first Waymo, which was fun! I am now focused on How to Market a Book Fourth Edition, so please click here to do my short survey before 7 October. It should be out on my store in December, and everywhere in early 2027....
Hello Creatives, I'm just back from a week's walking in the Algarve in Portugal, a much-needed break after finishing my Masters dissertation and my little book on writing short stories. Multi-day longer distance walking always helps clear the mind — and the creative cycle begins to turn once more ... I'm working on the 4th Edition of How to Market a Book next, and if you want to sell more print books in-person, check out Mark Leslie Lefebvre's Kickstarter for A Book in Hand: Optimizing Print...