Jane Friedman

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Do you have to start a TikTok?” This article makes the classic mistake of conflating all kinds of artists and creative industries and painting them all with the same brush. But it’s not going to make up for a lackluster story or premise that’s unappealing to today’s readers.

Social Media 122

Social Media Publisher Publishing Publishing 122

Jane Friedman

MARCH 12, 2024

Today’s post is by author Amy L. Securing the services of a literary agent has long been the gold standard for authors pursuing a long and successful career in publishing. At the turn of the twentieth century, the so-called “author’s representative” emerged as the figure who would help authors cut a better deal with publishers.

Publisher 122

Publisher Publishing Publishing Editorial 122

The Creative Penn

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

How do you find the story behind all your stories? Isabelle Knight talks about the importance of author brand in an age of limitless content, and gives tips on how to discover yours. Isabelle: Thank you very much, Jo. Who are you at the heart of your books? You can find Isabelle at BuildYourBrandWithPR.com.

Brand 98

Brand Social Media Publisher Publishing 98

Jane Friedman

APRIL 17, 2024

and how much I’ve learned since I began the journey, have revealed a lot about the ways I still need to grow to become the writer I want to be. Limits refer to what we do not have the capacity for, or what is unsustainable to a particular relationship. The way we write is all about making decisions.

Writing 104

Writing Writer Publisher Publishing 104

Jane Friedman

FEBRUARY 14, 2024

on Unsplash Today’s post is by author Joel Pitney, founder of Launch My Book. “It I didn’t have much control over the final product.” “I These are just a few of the comments I’ve heard from authors sharing their experiences with the hybrid publishing companies they’ve chosen to work with. Photo by C. What royalties?

Publisher 116

Publisher Publishing Publishing Copy 116

Jane Friedman

MARCH 14, 2024

What is literary community and why do people talk about it all the time? Literary community is the collective connected through the making of literature: writing, reading, and publishing. Author Mary Boone, who has published over 70 books, says, “Community is how you are going to get the writing done.” Your friends.

Social Media 112

Social Media Construction Writer Publisher 112

Jane Friedman

JANUARY 30, 2024

Padriñán Today’s post is excerpted from The Amazon Author Formula by Penny Sansevieri. So if you’re thinking about your own Facebook ads (or even your Amazon ads) that are getting lots of clicks but no buys, you may want to consider how it’s impacting your relevancy score and your overall visibility on Amazon. Photo by Miguel Á.

Text 110

Text Publisher Publishing Publishing 110

Jane Friedman

APRIL 3, 2024

and you transitioned into doing some screen acting and directing. But to make a shift to novel writing is to navigate an entirely different system, a new artistic “clique” (for lack of a better way to say it). Or, just things I think would make for an interesting story. Here’s what I mean. Have I yet?

Script 99

Script Entertainment Writer Publisher 99

The Creative Penn

JANUARY 8, 2024

Wherever you are on the author journey, there are some important questions to consider along the way. Joe Solari outlines a strategic step forward for new authors, midlist indies, and those with ambitious financial goals. Plus, what is Author Nation? What do you really want? So welcome back to the show, Joe.

Publisher 98

Publisher Publishing Publishing Creativity 98

The Creative Penn

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

How might subscriptions help expand your author business ecosystem? Why is the future looking positive for authors in the creator economy? Plus, join me and Joseph Michael for a free webinar on Using AI as an author, 5 Dec 2023. It's your content—do more with it through IngramSpark.com. Click here to find out more.

Retail 98

Retail Publisher Publishing Publishing 98

Make a Living Writing

MARCH 11, 2024

You might lean more toward one or the other or you might have the skills to do both. Both proofreaders and copy editors work together to make a written piece as error-free as possible for publication. Generally, copy editors do a complete in-depth analysis of a piece. What do Copy Editors do? What is Copy Editing?

Proofreader 103

Proofreader Copy Copy Editor Freelance 103

The Creative Penn

DECEMBER 31, 2023

I hope you will take the time to review your goals and you're welcome to leave a comment below about how the year went. Thoughts on lighthouses and what yours might be, from The Comfort Book by Matt Haig quoting Anne Lamott; “We’re in an artist’s age now,” reflections on the changing author business model from Johnny B.

Creativity 98

Creativity Retail Advertising Sales 98

The Creative Penn

DECEMBER 18, 2023

In this episode, I reflect on 15 years of TheCreative Penn, and outline how I will reposition myself for the next 15 years of being an author entrepreneur. Are you pivoting your author business? Are you pivoting your author business? What changes are you making to stay nimble in a fast-moving industry?

Retail 98

Retail Pharmaceutical Creativity Publisher 98

The Creative Penn

MAY 13, 2024

How can you blend ‘work for hire', ghostwriting, and being an indie author into a successful hybrid career writing books for children? This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life , which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. Aubre: Thank you so much for having me.

Writing 52

Writing Projects Freelance Publisher 52

The Creative Penn

MAY 6, 2024

How can you use automation and tools to help you streamline your creative and business processes so you can get back to the writing? Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Chelle Honiker is the co-founder and publisher of Indie Author Magazine , Indie Author Training, Indie Author Tools, and Direct2Readers.com.

Social Media 52

Social Media Creativity Education Storytelling 52

Jane Friedman

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Photo by Pixabay Today’s post is excerpted from How to Enjoy Being Edited: A Practical Guide for Nonfiction Authors by nonfiction writing coach and editor Hannah de Keijzer. But in the middle of writing her first book she asked me an important, not-so-sparkly question: “Do you ever find yourself judging clients juuuust a teensy bit?”

Freelance 107

Freelance Proofreader Editorial Projects 107

Content Hacker

MARCH 3, 2024

Want to build a real money-making blog, 10x faster with the use of AI? It helps us do more and be more innovative. But let me tell you something: embracing AI isn’t about making your job harder or obsolete — it’s about making it better. This doesn’t mean humans are out of the picture.

Agency 105

Agency Long Form Content Content Creation Digital Marketing 105

Jane Friedman

OCTOBER 31, 2023

In a writers group online, my colleagues commiserated—about how hard it is to sell books, about the “memoir industrial complex” that promotes a very few big-deal successes while other authors shell out thousands for classes and editing and invest their time in “building platform” that is still statistically unlikely to get a book deal.

Writer 118

Writer Freelance Promotion Sales 118

Jane Friedman

MARCH 13, 2024

For years now, the Indie Author Project has made an effort to find the best self-published books in communities across the U.S. The project encompasses public libraries, authors, curators, and readers working together to connect library patrons with great self-published work, primarily in fiction. I didn’t know what to do with it.

Audience 103

Audience Proofreader Projects Publisher 103

Jane Friedman

JANUARY 25, 2024

Photo by cottonbro studio Today’s post is by author and book coach Samantha Skal. When mystery, thriller, and suspense authors plot their stories, one of the biggest consistent hurdles is designing twists that work. I’ve written previously about how thinking about your villain’s motivations can unblock a climactic scene in a thriller.

Engineering 105

Engineering Writer Writing Post 105

Jane Friedman

MARCH 7, 2024

Today’s post is by author and book coach Susanne Dunlap. Why do they continue to outsell so many other genres, when the story’s outcome in all cases is a given? Apart from the sheer pleasure of the experience, I’ve learned a great deal about what makes a story worth reading and why the genre is so appealing.

Transportation 99

Transportation Hospitality Construction Storytelling 99

Jane Friedman

MARCH 19, 2024

Photo by Agence Olloweb on Unsplash Today’s post is by author and book coach Samantha Cameron. Wait , you might be thinking, aren’t you supposed to be giving me a pep talk about how this is going to be okay? Of course you want to do it well, so that you don’t hurt people. Let someone else do it. In a minute.

Writing 102

Writing Education Writer Agency 102

The Creative Penn

JANUARY 1, 2024

At the end of each year, I make a photobook, and I publish an article here, which helps keep me accountable. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. I need to do Beneath the Zoo , a short story, as well as the two new books above.

Creativity 98

Creativity Projects Advertising Sales 98

The Creative Penn

OCTOBER 20, 2023

If you sell direct, you can produce higher quality books and products, make more money per sale, get paid faster, and reach readers directly, but there are challenges to publish and market this way. If only there was a way where you could make more money and connect directly with your readers. Well, there is! It's called direct sales.

Marketing 98

Marketing Warehousing Education Sales 98

Backlinko

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

In this guide, I’ll cover: What E-E-A-T actually is Its core elements The different levels of E-E-A-T according to Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines The best ways for you to improve your site’s E-E-A-T My aim is to tell you everything you need to know about Google E-E-A-T and how to make it work for you. This makes sense.

Content Creator 117

Content Creator Medical Finance Keywords 117

The Creative Penn

OCTOBER 30, 2023

How can you reinvigorate your writing process, breathe life into your backlist, and prepare your author business for the rollercoaster that is publishing? This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life , which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. Tracy: Yes.

Management 98

Management Retail Promotion Sales 98

The Creative Penn

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

How can you shift your mindset from catalog sales to selling direct? How can you reframe the direct author business model to take advantage of creative possibilities for different kinds of products and long-term marketing? Thank you so much for having me. Russell Nohelty gives his tips in this interview. Russell: Sure.

Retail 98

Retail Prose Sales Script 98

The Creative Penn

DECEMBER 10, 2023

How will changes to the way people search impact book discoverability? What can authors and publishers do to ensure their books are still found in the new form of generative AI search? Show Notes How does search work now? How does generative search work with Google Bard and Microsoft Bing Chat?

Keywords 98

Keywords Advertising Text Engineering 98

Jane Friedman

APRIL 5, 2023

When I first started marketing my wife’s books, I thought we needed to be everywhere and do all the things in order to be successful: Facebook ads Amazon ads BookBub ads YouTube ads Promo sites Facebook groups All other social media platforms Newspapers and magazines The list goes on—and on.

Marketing 121

Marketing Advertising Promotion Sales 121

The Creative Penn

JANUARY 29, 2024

How can you fund successfully, as well as make a profit with your campaign? This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life , which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast for interviews with successful indie authors.

Manufacturing 98

Manufacturing Retail Consulting Sales 98

Jane Friedman

MAY 23, 2023

Cole ( @JoniBCole ) This story starts about eight years ago, with the arrival of a much anticipated email from the publishing house where the first edition of my book, Good Naked: How to Write More, Write Better, and Be Happier , was in production. I reread the email to make sure I had not misunderstood.

Publisher 133

Publisher Publishing Publishing Copy Editor 133

Jane Friedman

APRIL 16, 2024

Flashbacks are the seasoning that make the stew. This is a common type of failed flashback, a temptation authors fall into when they know their first chapters don’t have enough action or a strong hook, and hope that plopping in more exciting action into the prologue can make up for a slow start.

Post 84

Post IT 84

Jane Friedman

JANUARY 4, 2024

Learning to objectively assess other people’s stories, and pinpoint what makes them effective or not, will do more for your own writing craft than even psychologist K. Anders Ericsson’s much vaunted (and misinterpreted) 10,000 hours of practice popularized by Malcolm Gladwell. Let’s walk through an example.

Writer 103

Writer Storytelling Insurance Engagement 103

The Creative Penn

FEBRUARY 11, 2024

How can you pick yourself, rather than wait for someone else to pick you? How can you take control of your independent career and bring your creative vision to life? Jeffrey Crane Graham talks about his experience as an indie filmmaker, with lots of tips for indie authors. I don't know as much about Reacher.

Writing 98

Writing Script Creativity Writer 98

The Creative Penn

APRIL 29, 2024

How can you connect to readers in a way that is sustainable for you and effective at selling books? How can you choose the best platform when there are so many options? Everything I focus on is really around the idea of author platform, author branding, author marketing, book launches.

Marketing 52

Marketing Social Media Creativity Publisher 52

Make a Living Writing

SEPTEMBER 4, 2023

It’s a rebel’s 21st-century copywriting definition—and a how-to guide on how to break in and do it. How Copywriting Evolved Over Time Old copy hacks will tell you copywriting is the art and science of crafting writing that sells. Because the Internet changed much of what we once knew about marketing.

Copywriter 108

Copywriter Copywriting Sales Copy Copy 108

The Creative Penn

JANUARY 22, 2024

How can you use limited edition merchandise to add more value to retailers and make more money on a launch? Alex Kava talks about her author business. But first up– Tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing and self-publishing. What are the benefits and challenges of selling direct? Alex: Thanks, Jo.

Sales 98

Sales Publisher Publishing Publishing 98