How Joanna Penn Built a Profitable and Enjoyable Author-Entrepreneur Lifestyle

Written by Matt Gartland - Winning Edits

Editor’s Note: I am pleased to feature this interview with Joanna Penn.
Joanna is the author of action-adventure thriller novels Pentecost and Prophecy in the ARKANE series. Her site TheCreativePenn.com helps people write, publish and market their books and has been voted one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers two years running.
Follow Joanna on Twitter @thecreativepenn.
Thanks for joining me, Joanna.


MG: You have become a loyally followed, deeply loved and successful indie author. What helped galvanize your rise that surprised you the most? And how do you continue to win the hearts and minds of your readers, legacy and new?
JP: That’s lovely of you to say, as it’s certainly something I wouldn’t claim for myself yet! We all have different definitions of success.
I started my indie author career four years ago with non-fiction. I made many mistakes that cost me time, money and heartache. Those experiences led me to start TheCreativePenn.com, where I share my lessons learned so other writers wouldn’t have to make the same mistakes. For example, I didn’t know about print on demand when I started and thus spent money on a print run at a time I couldn’t afford it. I didn’t know anything about marketing either, so those books didn’t sell. That was me four years ago!

My readers appreciate that level of continued honesty, so I continue to share my actual sales figures and marketing experiences. As a principle, I keep everything transparent. I am also consistent, posting every 2-3 days on my blog for over three years and several times a day on Twitter with useful information for writers. Consistency over time with writing as well as marketing will get everyone somewhere!
For my fiction, I write books I love to read myself, action adventure thrillers at the crossroads of psychology, religion and travel. That hybrid-genre has found a certain readership and I am excited to continue my journey as a novelist, a road I have only just begun. I am 37 now with two novels completed, and my role models are authors like Margaret Atwood (aged 72) and P.D. James (aged 91). I hope to have such a long career ahead.  
Full interview at Winning Edits.