The Creative Penn Podcast For Writers

You can sustain a writing and publishing career for decades if you retain your love for the craft – and the business – as well as developing the right mindset and creative practices. In today's show, I talk to Mark Leslie Lefebvre about his career in b...

There are often stories about indie authors making big money in Kindle Unlimited, but there are plenty of authors making multi-six figure incomes by publishing wide. In this interview, I discuss publishing to multiple platforms as well as author mindse...

What happens when you reach your goals around making a living with your writing? How do you take the next steps into freedom and long-term business thinking? In today's show, I interview Yaro Starak, who taught me about blogging,

On 3 December 2008, I posted my first article on this site! It's my 10 year anniversary of starting an online business as a writer, and in this show, I reflect on the changes in the publishing industry, lessons learned, and the way forward.

Craft is the heart of the writing life, and in today's show, I discuss Plot Gardening with Chris Fox, as well as some thoughts on how to build a career for the long-term. In the introduction, I mention my research for the next Mapwalker dark fantasy no...

If you want to grow your revenue and scale your author business, you can't do it all yourself. In today's show, I talk to Joseph Alexander about letting go of control, working with a team, and the mindset issues around growth. In the introduction,

I'm just back from the Independent Author Conference in Philadelphia. Here are some of my thoughts from the trip in this solo show: People don't buy books, publishing wide is more than just retail, tips for being a better publisher,

What are indie authors still getting wrong with book cover design? Plus color theory, when to rebrand if your book has been out a while, intellectual property considerations with design, and more with book cover designer, Stuart Bache. In the intro,

If you’re ready to publish wide, or if you want to increase your sales on Kobo, then today's interview with Camille Mofidi from Kobo Writing Life will give you lots of ideas. In the intro, I mention the discussion of subscription models at Frankfurt Bo...

It's an exciting time for authors who want to take control of their creative business and explore the many opportunities we have to get our books into the hands of readers – and make a living from our writing.