Inspiration and information about writing craft and author business. For independent creatives.
Rediscovering creative joy, writing cross-genre, the challenges of author business, and serialising fiction on SubStack
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Hello Creatives, Thanks to everyone who backed my Kickstarter for Bones of the Deep! I had a wonderful signing day for the foiled hardbacks up at the BookVault printers, so all books should be with you soon. It will be out on the usual platforms over the summer. I was also in London last week for an author conference, having industry business meetings and catching up with writer friends. It's been a productive few weeks but a good reminder that the author life is not just sitting alone writing, much as we might want it to be! It's also about the admin of running a publishing company and connecting with humans in person, which is both a privilege and a challenge for introverts like me. What do you find a challenge about the writing life and/or author business? Click reply and let me know. Don't call it art: Rediscovering creative joyHave 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 a marketing cost to the day job that keeps the lights on. In the intro, Does social media still sell books? and trial by algorithm. Click here to listen or read the transcript Writing cross-genre, selling direct, and serialising on SubStackWhy does cross-genre fiction take longer to find an audience, but pay off in the long run? How might horror writing help readers — and writers — work through psychological trauma? 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. In the intro, thoughts on why in-person conferences are still worth it, even when they are a challenge for sensitive introverts! and tips for making the best of conferences. Click here to listen or read the transcript
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Joanna Penn, The Creative Penn
Inspiration and information about writing craft and author business. For independent creatives.
Hello Creatives, We're just back from a long weekend in Brussels and Bruges in Belgium where I did some much-needed book research. Photos above and more on Instagram and Facebook @jfpennauthor if you'd like a closer look. Also, do you know about the 'windowing' strategy for publishing? It's how I release my books now and might help you think about your next release. Basically, it means releasing your book in different formats and into different channels to different audiences over time, with...
Hello Creatives, Can you believe it's June already?! I hope you have your creative projects for the year well underway. Click reply and let me know how it's going. I'm focused on finishing up the fulfilment for Bones of the Deep Kickstarter, and if you missed the campaign, the book will be out on the usual stores in August. I'm also writing the draft of my dissertation for my Masters in Death, Religion, and Culture, so that's my main project for the next few months, alongside a new story with...
Hello Creatives, I had a book research and social trip to London this week. It's always a treat to walk along South Bank, more pics here. My Kickstarter for Bones of the Deep also finished, so I will be moving into fulfilment next. Keep an eye out for an email if you backed the campaign, and the book will be out in the usual places later in the summer. I'm also busy putting the final touches to my AI-Assisted Artisan Author webinars coming up this weekend, Sat 16 May and then an advanced...