Inspiration and information about writing craft and author business. For independent creatives.
Writing at Midlife, Rethink Your Work and Money, and My Lessons from 15 Years as a Full-time Author Entrepreneur
|
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. Lessons Learned from 15 years as a Full-time Author EntrepreneurWhen you start out writing, the goal is to finish that first book, but if you are doing this for the long-term (and full-time), the goal is to keep creating and never go back to the day job! In this article, I reflect on stepping away to do a Masters in Death to refill my creative well, and why it's also good to step away from the drama in the author community, plus, how this impacted the business, and what I plan to do next, and how I've been using AI to help behind the scenes. Click here to read my lessons from 15 years Writing and Creativity in MidlifeHow can you keep writing when midlife brings grief, exhaustion, rage, and a creativity that seems to have dried up? How can you accelerate if midlife brings you more energy? And how can you market your books authentically when your energy and your interests have changed? Jordan Rosenfeld shares what she learned from writing through her own pause. Plus, tips for writing novels, thoughts on AI from Hugh Howey. Click here to listen or read Time Freedom: Rethink Your Work and MoneyHow can you design your year around seasons of work and rest instead of waiting for financial freedom? And how do you build the money confidence to take extended time off when you come from a scarcity mindset? Brian Herriot shares his ideas on time freedom after a career as a financial advisor and consultant. In the intro, thoughts on The end of the spectrum by Seth Godin. Click here to listen or read
|
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, 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...
Hello Creatives, Autumn is in the air here in Bath, and I've been in a flurry of finishing energy with my Masters dissertation (finally) now done. I'm also launching How to Write, Publish and Market Short Stories on my store now and everywhere else from 1 October. More details below. What do you want to achieve before the end of the year? Click reply and let me know. How to Write, Publish and Market Short Stories Write more stories, strengthen your craft, and grow your author career. Short...