Books for Writers

Do you want to sell more books and reach more readers? Do you want to discover how to build an author career for the long-term as well as spike your book sales right now? If you don't know much about marketing, don't worry. We all start with nothing. I'm Joanna Penn and back in 2008, I had no book sales, no audience, no website, no social media, no podcast, no email list. No nothing. Now I'm a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers and non-fiction. My books have sold over 500,000 copies in 86 countries, and I'm an award-winning creative entrepreneur and international speaker, making a multi-six-figure income with my writing. Learning how to market my books and my personal brand changed my life. Yes, you need to write an awesome book, but you also need to know how to get it in front of the right readers. How to Market a Book is for authors who want to sell more books, but it's also for those writers who want to think like an entrepreneur and build a long-term income. It's for traditionally published authors who want to take control of their future, and for self-published authors who want to jump-start a career. There are short-term tactics for those who want to boost immediate sales, but the focus of the book is more about instilling values and marketing principles that will help your long-term career as a writer. It's also about going beyond just the book, because these methods can take you from being an author into making money from other products, professional speaking, and creating opportunities that you can't even imagine yet. In this edition, you'll discover: ˃ Part 1: Marketing Principles Book marketing myths, how discoverability works, and the polarities of marketing that will determine what you choose to implement ˃ Part 2: Your Book Fundamentals Prerequisites for success, how to optimize your book for online sales, categories and keywords, exclusivity, pricing and use of free, box-sets and bundling, and writing series ˃ Part 3: No Platform Needed. Short-term Marketing How to get customer reviews and find book bloggers, paid advertising with email blasts, paid advertising with Facebook, Amazon Ads and ad stacking, algorithm hacking, big data, and production speed ˃ Part 4: Your Author Platform. Long-term Marketing Building an author brand, author website, list-building and email marketing, content marketing, blogging, audio and podcasting, video and book trailers, social networking, professional speaking, marketing audiobooks, PR and publicity, TV, radio and traditional media ˃ Part 5: Launching Your Book Why launching is different for indie authors, soft launch, launch spikes, post launch, how to relaunch backlist books. Includes an example book marketing strategy and launch plan checklist.

Do you want to sell more books and reach more readers? Do you want to discover how to build an author career for the long-term as well as spike your book sales right now? If you don't know much about marketing, don't worry. We all start with nothing. I'm Joanna Penn and back in 2008, I had no book sales, no audience, no website, no social media, no podcast, no email list. No nothing. Now I'm a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers and non-fiction. My books have sold over 500,000 copies in 83 countries, and I'm an award-winning creative entrepreneur and international speaker, making a multi-six-figure income with my writing. Learning how to market my books and my personal brand changed my life. Yes, you need to write an awesome book, but you also need to know how to get it in front of the right readers. How to Market a Book is for authors who want to sell more books, but it's also for those writers who want to think like an entrepreneur and build a long-term income. It's for traditionally published authors who want to take control of their future, and for self-published authors who want to jump-start a career. There are short-term tactics for those who want to boost immediate sales, but the focus of the book is more about instilling values and marketing principles that will help your long-term career as a writer. It's also about going beyond just the book, because these methods can take you from being an author into making money from other products, professional speaking, and creating opportunities that you can't even imagine yet. In this completely updated Third Edition, you'll discover: Part 1: Marketing Principles Book marketing myths, how discoverability works, and the polarities of marketing that will determine what you choose to implement Part 2: Your Book Fundamentals Prerequisites for success, how to optimise your book for online sales, categories and keywords, exclusivity, pricing and use of free, box-sets and bundling, and writing series Part 3: No Platform Needed. Short-term Marketing How to get customer reviews and find book bloggers, paid advertising with email blasts, paid advertising with Facebook, Amazon Ads and ad stacking, algorithm hacking, big data, and production speed Part 4: Your Author Platform. Long-term Marketing Building an author brand, author website, list-building and email marketing, content marketing, blogging, audio and podcasting, video and book trailers, social networking, professional speaking, marketing audiobooks, PR and publicity, TV, radio and traditional media Part 5: Launching Your Book Why launching is different for indie authors, soft launch, launch spikes, post-launch, how to relaunch backlist books. Includes an example book marketing strategy and launch plan checklist. Other books for authors by Joanna Penn. Available in ebook, print and audiobook. How to Make a Living with your Writing How to Write Non-Fiction: Turn your Knowledge into Words Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur The Successful Author Mindset: A Handbook for Surviving the Writer's Journey The Healthy Writer Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts Co-writing a Book: Collaboration and Co-Creation for Writers Successful Self-Publishing Career Change: Stop hating your job, discover what you really want to do with your life, and start doing it! Joanna's website for authors, The Creative Penn, has been voted one of the Top 100 websites for writers by Writers Digest several years running, and The Creative Penn podcast is one of the top podcasts for writers and indie authors.

Do you want to make a living with your writing? Do you want to turn your words into multiple streams of income? I'm Joanna Penn and I left my corporate job a decade ago to become a full-time author entrepreneur. In this volume, I'll explain how I make a living with my writing and share tips from other writers on how you can do it too with practical, actionable advice that you can implement for yourself. If you love to create and you're ready to learn fresh skills in a fast-changing environment, this book will give you lots of ideas on how to make money with your words. Each chapter provides ideas you can use to research each opportunity in more detail and questions to guide your thought process. Sometimes it's just about knowing what's out there in order to find what's right for you.

Being a writer is not just about typing. It's also about surviving the roller-coaster of the creative journey. Self-doubt, fear of failure, the need for validation, perfectionism, writer's block, comparisonitis, overwhelm, and much more. When you're going through these things, it can feel like you're alone. But actually, they are part of the creative process, and every author goes through them too. This book collects the mindset issues that writers experience, that I have been through myself over the last ten years and that perhaps you will experience at different times on the creative journey. Each small chapter tackles a possible issue and then offers an antidote, so that you can dip in and out over time. It includes excerpts from my own personal journals as well as quotes from well-known writers. I hope it helps you on the road to becoming a successful author. The book includes: Part 1: Mindset Aspects of Creativity and Writing Self-doubt and imposter syndrome Need for validation Fear of failure Fear of rejection and criticism Your inner critic Fear of judgment Perfectionism Writer's block and procrastination "I'm not creative. I don't have any ideas" "My writing isn't original" "Why write? There are too many books in the world already" "I don't have the time or self-discipline to write" "I'm not finding writing much fun. It's hard work." "I keep starting things and not finishing them" Dealing with friends, family and writer's groups "How do I find my voice?" Comparisonitis or "Everyone is better than me" Part 2: Mindset Aspects after Publishing Anti-climax and creative dissatisfaction What is your definition of success? What happens when you tell people that you're an author? "I'm overwhelmed" Dealing with fans, authenticity and drawing the line Haters gonna hate Ambition, fame and fortune Giving up Part 3: Tips for Success on the Author Journey Know thyself Understand and hone your creative process Develop professional habits Manage professional relationships Take control of your writing career Find your community Keep learning Schedule rest and take time off Think long term. Create a body of work

Being a writer is not just about typing. It's also about surviving the roller-coaster of the creative journey. Self-doubt, fear of failure, the need for validation, perfectionism, writer's block, comparisonitis, overwhelm, and much more. When you're going through these things, it can feel like you're alone. But actually, they are part of the creative process, and every author goes through them too. This book collects the mindset issues that writers experience, that I have been through myself over the last nine years, and that perhaps you will experience at different times on the creative journey. Each small chapter tackles a possible issue and then offers an antidote, so that you can dip in and out over time. It includes excerpts from my own personal journals as well as quotes from well-known writers. I hope it helps you on the road to becoming a successful author. The book includes: ˃ Part 1: Mindset Aspects of Creativity and Writing * Self-doubt and imposter syndrome * Need for validation * Fear of failure * Fear of rejection and criticism * Your inner critic * Fear of judgment * Perfectionism * Writer's block and procrastination * "I'm not creative. I don't have any ideas" * "My writing isn't original" * "Why write? There are too many books in the world already" * "I don't have the time or self-discipline to write" * "I'm not finding writing much fun. It's hard work." * "I keep starting things and not finishing them" * Dealing with friends, family and writer's groups * "How do I find my voice?" * Comparisonitis or "Everyone is better than me" ˃ Part 2: Mindset Aspects after Publishing * Anti-climax and creative dissatisfaction * What is your definition of success? * What happens when you tell people that you're an author? * "I'm overwhelmed" * Dealing with fans, authenticity and drawing the line * Haters gonna hate * Ambition, fame and fortune * Giving up ˃ Part 3: Tips for Success on the Author Journey * Know thyself * Understand and hone your creative process * Develop professional habits * Manage professional relationships * Take control of your writing career * Find your community * Keep learning * Schedule rest and take time off * Think long term. Create a body of work

Are you ready to take the next step in your author journey? Art for the sake of art is important. Writing for the love of it, or to create something beautiful on the page, is absolutely worthwhile and critical to expand the sum of human expression. But I'm not here to talk about creativity or the craft of writing in this book. My aim is to take the result of your creativity into the realm of actually paying the bills. To take you from being an author to running a business as an author. I was a business consultant for 13 years before I gave up my job in September 2011 to become a full-time author-entrepreneur. I worked for large corporates and small businesses, implementing financial systems across Europe and Asia Pacific. I've also started a number of my own businesses, a scuba dive charter boat in New Zealand, a customized travel website, a property investment portfolio in Australia as well as my freelance consultancy. I've failed a lot and learned many lessons in my entrepreneurial life and I share them all in this book. In the last six years of being an author, through tempestuous changes in the publishing world, I've learned the business side of being a writer and I now earn a good living as an author-entrepreneur. I'm an author because it's my passion and my joy but also because it's a viable business in this age of global and digital opportunity. In the book, you will learn: Part 1: From Author To Entrepreneur The arc of the author's journey, definition of an author-entrepreneur, deciding on your definition of success. Plus/ should you start a company? Part 2: Products and Services How you can turn one manuscript into multiple streams of income by exploiting all the different rights, various business models for authors and how to evaluate them, information on contracts, copyright and piracy. Plus/ putting together a production plan. Part 3: Employees, Suppliers and Contractors The team you need to run your business. Your role as author and what you're committing to, as well as co-writing. Editors, agents and publishers, translators, book designers and formatters, audiobook narrators, book-keeping and accounting, virtual assistants. Plus/ how to manage your team. Part 4: Customers In-depth questions to help you understand who your customers are and what they want, as well as customer service options for authors. Part 5: Sales and Distribution How to sell through distributors and your options, plus all the information you need to sell direct. ISBNs and publishing imprints "" do you need them? Plus/ your options for pricing. Part 6: Marketing Key overarching marketing concepts. Book-based marketing including cover, back copy and sales pages on the distributors. Author-based marketing around building your platform, and customer-based marketing around your niche audience and targeted media. Part 7: Financials Changing your mindset about money, and assessing where you are now vs where you want to be. Revenues of the author business and how to increase that revenue. Costs of the author business and funding your startup. Banking, PayPal, accounting, reporting, tax and estate planning. Part 8: Strategy and Planning Developing your strategy and business plan. Managing your time and developing professional habits. The long term view and the process for becoming a full-time author. Plus/ looking after yourself. Part 9: Next Steps Questions from the book to help you work out everything to do with your business, plus encouragement for your next steps.

Are you an author or creative preparing for success? Do you want to learn to speak effectively in front of an audience? All successful creatives have to speak and present in public, whether that's at a festival, on a podcast or radio show, or as part of earning multiple streams of income. But you don't have to be like Tony Robbins, bouncing around on stage with a booming voice and larger than life personality. You just have to be you and tell your story in your own way. In this book, I'll share everything I know as a professional speaker, author and introvert. It includes the practicalities of speaking, as well as mindset issues like anxiety, plus the business side if you want to make speaking an income stream. You will discover: PART 1: Practicalities of Speaking Types of speaking, deciding on your topic, preparation, managing your energy, tips for slide packs, handouts, workbooks and more, personal presentation, giving the talk, managing people, panels, feedback and testimonials, performance tips, improving your speaking over time PART 2: Mindset Tackling anxiety, growing your confidence and authenticity PART 3: The Speaking Business How to get speaking events, running your own events, marketing, generosity and networking with others, your speaker brand, website and speaker's page, professional photos, email marketing, content marketing, social media, video, audio, how much to charge, increasing your revenue streams, financial considerations.

Co-writing can be an amazing experience when two minds come together to create something new in the world. Or it can be a painful process that ends in disaster! In this short book, bestselling authors J. Thorn and Joanna Penn share tips on how to successfully co-write a book and avoid the pitfalls along the way. It includes excerpts from their private co-writing diary, honest notes written every day on a fiction project that will help you on your own journey. Updated 2017 with a new chapter based on a four-author collaborative novel. In this book, you will discover: * What is co-writing? * Benefits of co-writing * The difficulties of co-writing * Finding the right person to co-write with * Before you start: written legal agreement * Practicalities and process of co-writing and co-creation * Excerpts from Risen Gods co-writing diary * What happens if it goes wrong? * Other types of collaboration and co-creation * Tips for multi-author boxsets * Tips for managing a multi-author collaboration * Appendix 1: Example agreement If you want to improve your writing skills and your productivity, co-writing might be the right thing for you.

Do you suffer from physical pain relating to your writing life? Are you struggling with back pain, weight gain related to sedentary working, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, neck pain, eye strain, stress, loneliness, digestive issues, or Repetitive Strain Injury? These are the most common issues reported by writers and if you struggle with any of them, you are not alone. Writing is not a physically healthy job, but if you want a long-term writing career, then you need to look after your body. I've been through my own pain journey over the last six years. I used to get crippling migraines that sent me to a dark room, and back pain so bad that I couldn't sleep, as well as stress levels so high that I wasn't able to breathe normally. Now, my back pain, migraines and RSI have almost gone completely, and I manage my writing life in a far healthier way than ever before. I share my personal journey and insights with you in this book. My co-author is Dr. Euan Lawson, who shares his insights into how we can reduce pain, improve health and build a writing career for the long term.

Do you suffer from physical pain relating to your writing life? Are you struggling with back pain, weight gain related to sedentary working, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, neck pain, eye strain, stress, loneliness, digestive issues, or Repetitive Strain Injury? These are the most common issues reported by writers and if you struggle with any of them, you are not alone. Writing is not a physically healthy job, but if you want a long-term writing career, then you need to look after your body. I've been through my own pain journey over the last six years. I used to get crippling migraines that sent me to a dark room, and back pain so bad that I couldn't sleep, as well as stress levels so high that I wasn't able to breathe normally. Now, my back pain, migraines and RSI have almost gone completely, and I manage my writing life in a far healthier way than ever before. I share my personal journey and insights with you in this book. My co-author is Dr Euan Lawson, who shares his insights into how we can reduce pain, improve health and build a writing career for the long term. The book covers: Introduction and survey results from 1200 writers 7 Reasons why writing is great for your health >>> Part 1: The Unhealthy Writer Stress, anxiety, burnout Back, neck and shoulder pain Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) A personal journey to a pain-free back Writing with chronic pain Sedentary life and inactivity Sleep problems/ insomnia Eye strain, headaches, and migraine A personal story of headaches and migraine Loneliness and isolation Weight gain or weight loss Joanna's Letter to Sugar Digestive issues and IBS A personal journey through IBS with FODMAP Mood and mental health Riding the Waves: Writing with depression Alcohol - the good, the bad, and the ugly Coffee and caffeine Supplements, substances, and nootropics >>> Part 2: The Healthy Writer Improve your workspace Sort out your sleep Sort out your diet From fat to fit Sort out your back Lessons learned about writing from yoga How to use dictation for a healthier writing life The active writer mindset Strategies for the sofa-bound The active writer: Three golden rules The running writer: Three rookie mistakes Lessons learned about writing from walking a double ultra-marathon Find a community Build wellbeing with mindfulness Develop healthy habits for the long-term Conclusion: It's your turn. Choose life. It's time to be a healthy writer!

Do you want to write a non-fiction book but don't know where to start? Or perhaps you worry that you're not an expert or have enough authority in your niche to write a book on it? Are you ready to help other people and change your own life with your words? The first non-fiction book I wrote changed my life. Sure, it helped other people, but mostly it altered the course of my life — so much so that 10 years later, I make a living with my writing. In this book, I'll share everything I've learned along the way and save you time, effort and frustration on your author journey. The book includes: PART 1. Before You Write: Mindset Why write a non-fiction book? Can I write a book if I'm not the expert? Originality. Or, there are so many other books on this topic Who are you? Personal stories and the writer's voice The day a non-fiction book changed my life Fear and self-doubt PART 2. Before You Write: Business Types of non-fiction books Business models for non-fiction books Who is your book for? Identify your target market Decide on the topic for your book Decide on your book title Your author name and pseudonyms How long does your book have to be? How long will it take to write the book? Your perspective on time Writing a book proposal PART 3. Writing and Editing Gather and organize existing material Research, interviews, surveys, and social listening Structure and organize the book How to write the first draft How to dictate your book Turn your blog/podcasts/videos/talks into a book Speed and quality Focus and shiny object syndrome Writer's block Co-writing a non-fiction book How to turn a boring book into an engaging read Elements of fiction in non-fiction Truth and perfectionism Legal issues: Using real people, quotes, lyrics, images, and citing sources Self-editing a book How to find and work with professional editors PART 4. Publishing and Product Creation Your publishing options The different formats for your book Non-fiction book covers Book formatting for non-fiction Pricing your book Your book sales description Categories and keywords Turn your non-fiction book into a multimedia course Updating your books over time PART 5. Marketing Non-Fiction Two models of marketing and the importance of mindset Book-centered marketing Paid advertising for non-fiction books Author-centered marketing. The power of a personal brand Build your author website Build an email list Integrate email marketing with your book Content marketing for non-fiction books My non-fiction marketing journey Conclusion and your next steps. It's time to (finally) write your non-fiction book

Do you want to write more but feel frustrated at your lack of time? Are you doing 'busy' work instead of moving toward your creative goals? Is your To-Do list overwhelming? It's time to stop, reassess and take control. This book will help you discover the path to becoming a productive writer. Learn how to: - Identify what's really stopping you from reaching your goals - Say no and set boundaries for others - and for yourself - Find more time to write - Make the most of your writing time - Dictate your words for a more efficient and healthy writing life - Use outsourcing to buy yourself more creative time - Work with co-writers to produce more books - Use tools for specific aspects of productivity - Focus on physical and mental health to boost your productive time I’ve been writing and publishing for over a decade and in this book, I'll share my lessons learned in order to help you become more productive and, hopefully, save you time, money and heartache along the way.

Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment in publishing with double-digit growth in markets across the world. Podcasting has gone mainstream with listeners consuming audio on mobile phones and in-car devices, as well as through devices like Amazon Alexa. With this rapid growth in audio creation, sales, and marketing, how can authors position themselves in an increasingly voice-first world? I've been podcasting for over a decade as well as narrating and producing my own audiobooks since 2014. I'm an avid consumer of audio content and I'm also experimenting with AI voice technologies. In this book, I'll share everything I know so you can position your books and your author brand for the next shift in reader behavior. You will discover: Introduction - Why audio and why now? - The audio first eco-system - Audio creativity - it all starts and ends with words Part 1: Audiobooks - Types of audiobooks - Writing, editing and adapting your work for audio - Intellectual property considerations for audiobooks - Your options for audiobook publishing and licensing - How to find and work with professional narrators - Reasons to narrate your own audiobook - Audiobook narration tips - Recording studio options - Audiobook recording, editing, and production - How to self-publish an audiobook - How long does an audiobook take to produce? - How do audiobook readers discover audiobooks? - How to market audiobooks - The money side of audiobooks Part 2: Podcasting - The difference between audiobooks and podcasting - Types of podcasts - Why podcasting is so important for authors - How to research and pitch podcast hosts - How to be a great podcast guest - Should you start your own podcast? - Audio equipment and tools - Podcast prerequisites - Podcast structure - How to be a great podcast host - Podcast distribution options - How to launch and market a podcast - Repurpose your content - The money side of podcasting Part 3: Voice Technologies - The impact of voice search and voice assistants, smart speakers, and devices - Speech to text - Text to speech - AI and the future of voice If you want to position your books and your author brand for audio growth, then pre-order the book now!

You are an author. You turn ideas into reality in the shape of a book. You turn the thoughts in your head into valuable intellectual property assets. You understand how powerful the written word can be. Now it's time to use your words to create a business plan to take your writing career to the next level - whatever that means for your situation. I'm Joanna Penn and I've been a full-time author-entrepreneur for almost a decade. In this book, I'll guide you through the process of creating a business plan that will help you achieve your creative and financial goals. It's relevant for fiction and non-fiction authors, as well as those who want to include other products, services, and income streams. It's also applicable whether you're just starting out or if you already have a mature author business. A plan helps at any stage of the journey. Part 1 covers your business summary and author brand, taking you through the process of deciding the overall direction for what you want to achieve and who you want to serve. Part 2 goes into the production process around your writing, publishing and licensing, products and services. Part 3 covers your marketing strategy and author eco-system. Part 4 goes into the financial side of your business, from mindset to revenue and costs, as well as paying yourself now and into the future. The final chapter will give you a framework for simplifying your plan and turning it into achievable steps across a chosen timeline. In each section, I give examples from my own business plan and there are questions for you to answer, templates, and resources that might help along the way, as well as example business plans for different kinds of authors. It's time to take your author career to the next level. Let's get started on your business plan. Please note: This book doesn't go into detail on how to do the specific topics, for example, how to self-publish a book, or how to do content marketing. I cover those topics in my other Books for Authors. If you already have my previous business book, Business for Authors, this is a rewritten and updated sub-set of that material, focusing on the specifics of a plan as opposed to everything involved in running a business. This book acts as a companion as well as a more recent update to my own author journey. It will help you bring it all together into a coherent plan that you can use to take your author business into the future. Books for Authors by Joanna Penn How to Write Non-FictionHow to Market a BookHow to Make a Living with your WritingProductivity for AuthorsSuccessful Self-PublishingYour Author Business PlanThe Successful Author MindsetPublic Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other IntrovertsAudio for Authors: Audiobooks, Podcasting, and Voice TechnologiesThe Healthy WriterBusiness for Authors: How to be an Author EntrepreneurCareer Change.

Do you want to be a more relaxed author? There are plenty of books and tips on writing faster, learning more marketing tactics and strategies, trying to maximize your ranking, hitting the top of the charts, juicing the algorithms, and hacking different ad platforms. While these are all important things-which the authors themselves regularly write and talk about-it's also important to recognize that your author journey is a marathon, and not a sprint. Joanna Penn and Mark Leslie Lefebvre have been in the business long enough to see authors burning out and leaving the writing life because they turned what they love into a hamster wheel of ever more production and marketing tasks they hate. It doesn't have to be this way. This book is a collection of tips on how to be a more relaxed author-and return to the love that brought you to writing in the first place. You will discover: Why the 'relaxed' author? You are not alone. Why authors are not relaxed. Part 1: Relaxed Writing Write what you love Write at your own pace Write in a series (if you want to) Schedule time to fill the creative well and for rest and relaxation Improve your writing process-but only if it fits with your lifestyle Part 2: Relaxed Publishing Make empowered publishing choices Understand persistence, patience, and partnership Value your work. You create intellectual property assets. Publish at your own pace Publish wide (or don't) Sell direct to your audience Don't let piracy and plagiarism derail you Deal with cancel culture, bad reviews, and haters Find a community who support your publishing choices Part 3: Relaxed Marketing Focus on the basics first Simplify your author brand and website Simplify and automate your email Find one form of marketing you enjoy and can sustain for the long term Put book 1 in a series free or permafree Choose social media that suits you-or don't use it at all Advertise in campaigns Outsource when you can Embrace who you are. Double down on being human. Think global, digital, long-term marketing Part 4: Relaxed Business Do you really want to run an author business? Create multiple streams of income Eliminate tasks. Say 'no' more. Organize and improve your processes Use tools Find voices you trust and tune out the rest Learn about money Look after your physical and mental health Keep a long-term mindset.