How can you write a book proposal that will make a publisher want to buy your book? How can you... more

How can you build a scalable business around non-fiction books? How can you turn a book into multiple streams of... more

How can we write from the perspective of others while still respecting different cultures? How can a children's book author... more

How can you manage the competing priorities of an author career? How can you deal with the demons we all... more

How can you write memoir with deep sensory detail? How does terroir in wine equate to the writer's voice? How... more

What is dark tourism and why are many of us interested in places associated with death and tragedy? How can... more

How do you approach writing a second edition of a non-fiction book? How does self-publishing compare to working with a... more

What are some of the key elements in writing horror? How can you be successful writing and self-publishing in the... more

How do you successfully scale an author business? How do you delegate to your team as well as continue to... more

The Creative Penn Podcast just hit 10 million downloads as reported by my audio host, Blubrry! The podcast is also the... more

Can you be successful as an author across different genres and different pen names? How do traditional publishing and going... more

How can the ‘hungry author' mindset help you become more of a successful author? Why do you need to shift... more

How can you bring laughter into your books regardless of genre? What are the challenges of writing a novel after... more

How can you be successful at connecting with readers and selling books at live, in-person events? What are some practical... more

Success as an author comes with challenges around managing money, setting boundaries, and living sustainably without burning out. Sacha Black/Ruby... more

In this solo episode, I talk about my lessons learned from 13 years as a full-time author entrepreneur. You can... more

What needs to go into a training manual if you are teaching physical skills? How can you focus in on... more

How can you sell a fiction experience rather than just selling a story? How do our personal obsessions arise in... more

How can you move past your limiting beliefs to find success as an author? How can you successfully self-publish in... more

How can you balance creativity with business when it comes to writing — and filmmaking? How can you access that... more

How are publishers using AI and what are the potential use cases in the future? Why is this an exciting... more

How can you write freely and release any blocks that are holding you back? How can you focus on the... more

When is it time to leave an unsuccessful series behind and pivot into something new? What is the process of... more

Why is writing emotion so important in our books, whatever the genre? How can we create an emotional connection between... more

How can you lean into intuition and curiosity to embrace discovery writing? How might serial fiction fit into your business... more

How can you make sure your manuscript is ready for submission to an agent — or for publication if you... more

Can you have a business with a soul through writing? How does the business of fiction differ from non-fiction? What... more

How do we write authentic humanity into our books, whether that's our own experience or a fictional character's? How can... more

How can we use AI tools to enhance and improve our creative process? How can we double down on being... more

What are some of the common fears that writers face? How can we work through them in order to create... more

What are the pros and cons of selling direct and building an ecommerce business for your books? How can you... more

What are the tropes of action adventure thrillers? How can you please readers and sell more books? J.F. Penn shares... more

How can you adopt the seasons of nature in your writing? How can you allow periods of rest as well... more

How can you plan for success as an indie author even early in your writing career? How can you create... more

How can you outline a story based on a ‘thought dump' and interweave genre tropes you love to create a... more

How can you blend ‘work for hire', ghostwriting, and being an indie author into a successful hybrid career writing books... more

How can you use automation and tools to help you streamline your creative and business processes so you can get... more

How can you connect to readers in a way that is sustainable for you and effective at selling books? How... more

How can you build a creative, sustainable career as a ‘mid-list' indie author? How can you design a business that... more

What can authors learn from the adoption of AI into the music industry? What are some of the ways musicians... more

How can you overcome your fears and make a life change towards your dreams? Or tackle the fears that stop... more

There are many options for book marketing, so how do you choose the right ones for you? I give my... more

What mindset shift do you need if you want to sell direct? How can you use Meta and AI tools... more

How can you use insights from the Enneagram to help you with a sustainable author career? How can you get... more

There are more options for publishing and reaching readers than ever before, and the indie author business models are splintering... more

How can you create more beautiful print books — and make more money with your products by selling direct? Alex... more

How can you write a memoir that is emotionally honest and revealing enough for readers to care, and cope with... more

How can we focus on the joy of the writing process itself, rather than the outcome? How can we embrace... more

How can you pick yourself, rather than wait for someone else to pick you? How can you take control of... more

How do you find the story behind all your stories? Who are you at the heart of your books? Isabelle... more

What are the benefits — and the challenges — of crowdfunding on Kickstarter? How can you fund successfully, as well... more

I really enjoyed this laid-back discussion around AI tools as part of the creative book cover design process with James... more

What are the benefits and challenges of selling direct? How can you use limited edition merchandise to add more value... more

How can we move past our fears to write the books that mean the most to us? How can we... more

Wherever you are on the author journey, there are some important questions to consider along the way. Joe Solari outlines... more

Happy New Year 2024! I love January and the opportunity to start afresh. I know it’s arbitrary in some ways, but... more

Another year ends, and once more, it's time to reflect on our creative goals. I hope you will take the... more

In this episode, I reflect on 15 years of TheCreative Penn, and outline how I will reposition myself for the... more

How will changes to the way people search impact book discoverability? What can authors and publishers do to ensure their... more

Do you want to publish an image-heavy book like a cookbook? How can you navigate the challenges of photography, book... more

How might subscriptions help expand your author business ecosystem? What are some tips on encouraging readers to buy direct? Why... more

How can you transition into being an author after a long-term career elsewhere? How can you adopt an attitude of... more

How can you shift your mindset from catalog sales to selling direct? How can you reframe the direct author business... more

How can using Pinterest more like a search engine help you sell more books? What are some of the ways... more

How can you reinvigorate your writing process, breathe life into your backlist, and prepare your author business for the rollercoaster... more

How do you keep up with everything you need to do as your author business grows? How do you decide... more

What is soul of place or genius loci and how can you write it in a more immersive way in... more

How can you let your creative dark horse run? What is the Shadow — and why explore your Shadow side? This... more

How can you establish a creative routine that enables you to write the books you want to write without burning... more

As much as we try to plan for things, sometimes life happens and we have to adapt to a new... more

How can you create a high-quality photo book and publish it on Kickstarter? How do you market a beautiful, high-value... more

In this solo episode, I talk about my lessons learned from 12 years as a full-time author entrepreneur. You can... more

What's the difference between an audio book and an audio drama? What are the steps to write a script and... more

How can you expand the possibilities of book cover images with AI? What are some of the controversies and how... more

How might thinking differently help you create clarity in our noisy world? How can you produce a high-quality print book... more

How can you stop self-censoring your writing and share the deepest aspects of yourself with your readers? How can you... more

How can you build an author business for the long term, and not just for the launch of one book?... more

How can you create a book series that children love — and that you can expand into multiple streams of... more

How can AI tools help authors who struggle with energy and time because of disability, chronic pain, health conditions, post-viral... more

How can you shift your mindset in order to reach more readers with your books? How can you leverage the... more

How can you write fast but also make your creative process sustainable for the long term? How can you collaborate... more

How can you use what you're scared of to write better stories that resonate with readers? How can you acknowledge... more

What are the pros and cons of traditional publishing vs self-publishing? How can you combine multiple options for a more... more

How can you exploit the unique in your stories, as well as amp up the conflict? John Gaspard gives writing... more

Four years ago, in July 2019, I put out a podcast episode that went through the 9 disruptions I saw... more

How can fiction authors use Sudowrite to assist with writing tasks they need help with? What functionality does Sudowrite have... more

How can you stand out in a crowded market of non-fiction books? How can you build a business around your... more

How can Bookfunnel help authors reach more readers, sell more books, and sell direct? Damon Courtney outlines features of Bookfunnel... more

What are some of the most effective ways to market your book? What strategies have remained the same despite the... more

Memoir can be one of the most challenging forms to write, but it can also be the most rewarding. Marion... more