Best Joanna Penn Podcasts (2024)

1
Kickstarter, Direct, and a New Age of Book Marketing with Joanna Penn // Wordslinger ep 226 46:23

20d ago46:23

46:23

Find me on Substack at https://kevintumlinson.substack.com Joanna Penn, aka the Hose of the Creative Pen Podcast, aka author J.F. Penn… I could spend all day listing all the ways she’s influenced the indie publishing world. But her latest moves are opening eyes to a new way of thinking, and a whole new approach to writing and publishing. In this ep…

1
Collaborative Writing With AI With Rachelle Ayala 44:34

39m ago44:34

44:34

How can we use AI tools to enhance and improve our creative process? How can we double down on being human by writing what we are passionate about, while still using generative AI to help fulfil our creative vision? Rachelle Ayala gives her thoughts in this episode. Today's show is sponsored by my patrons! Join my community and get access to extra …

1
Our Best Advice: female characters + setups and payoffs 30:23

1d ago30:23

30:23

We've reached the end of another season and so we're wrapping up our best advice and a-ha moments just for you. Tune in to hear what we have to say about writing female characters and using female archetypes. We also share why it's crucial for you to use the first half of your story to set up everything that happens in the second half. (Hint: it al…

1
[EP 280] Franchising Tips, Tricks & Traps: Smart Tips for Selling Your Franchise Business

2d ago

—

This week on the Deal Room Podcast, host Joanna Oakey takes you on an insightful journey into the dynamic world of franchising and franchise business sales. Whether you're a franchisee aiming to sell, an advisor who works with franchisee or simply curious about the inner workings of franchise operations, this episode is brimming with crucial inform…

1
Writing Through Fear With Caroline Donahue 1:11:35

3d ago1:11:35

1:11:35

What are some of the common fears that writers face? How can we work through them in order to create more freely? Caroline Donahue gives her tips in this interview. In the intro, How to avoid indie author scams [ALLi; Writer Beware]; Financial strategies and mindset [Self Publishing Advice]; Apple Intelligence at WWDC [The Verge; Marketing against …

1
Writing Lessons From A Centenarian with Babette Hughes 43:01

4d ago43:01

43:01

Welcome back to Alchemy for Authors! In this week’s episode I interview author and centenarian, Babette Hughes, about writing later in life, and her new book, Lessons in Evil. We also discuss: · Why Babette waited until her eighties to become a published author. · Why we should rewrite the narrative around aging. · How Babette came to write Lessons…

1
Marketing and more with Melanie Herschorn // Wordslinger ep 227 51:31

6d ago51:31

51:31

Melanie Herschorn is someone I first met after interviewing her for the Writers, Ink Podcast, and I’m really glad I did. Because as much as it is wonderful to meet someone who helps authors market their books, it’s even more wonderful to meet someone who is genuinely a good and enjoyable person to have a conversation with. And in this chat with Mel…

1
Hanna - women aren't small men 41:04

8d ago41:04

41:04

I have been looking forward to this episode since the start of the season. I specifically selected Hanna so we could study fight scenes and weapons handling with female characters - Hanna doesn’t disappoint. I consider aspects of female fight scenes and firing pistols. Valerie wasn’t so lucky this week. Hanna is light on story because the action sc…

1
[EP 279] The right way to grow and the right time to sell (Part 2)

9d ago

—

This week on the Deal Room Podcast, we have Part 2 of our interview with remarkable entrepreneur Kody Thompson. From founding Lightning Sites (on a budget of $250!) to scaling it into a multimillion-dollar business, Kody continues to share his first-hand insights on building and exiting his business.He dives into the emotional and practical aspects…

1
Last Podcast Episode...sorta 1:42

11d ago1:42

1:42

I'm closing down this podcast at the end of June 2024. But, life goes on. I've moved all my written, audio and even video over to www.jameshazelwood.substack.com Join me there. It's been great Thank you JamesBy James Hazelwood

1
Click Testing Ideas And Selling Direct With Steve Pieper 1:03:49

11d ago1:03:49

1:03:49

What are the pros and cons of selling direct and building an ecommerce business for your books? How can you use click testing on Meta to help refine your creative and book marketing ideas? Steve Pieper explains in this interview. In the intro, The Hotsheet with Jane Friedman; 20 ways you should be using AI in publishing [PerfectBound]; Artificial I…

1
Where'd You Go, Bernadette: deus ex machina 33:30

15d ago33:30

33:30

Quite often, stories that don't work have more to teach us than the stories that do. Maybe Maria Semple's novel (upon which this film is based), is simply one that's challenging to adapt to the screen. Whatever the case, this move has missed the mark on some basic storytelling principles (it has too many backstory info dumps, a Deus Ex Machina, and…

1
7 Tips For Writing Action Adventure Thrillers With J.F. Penn 35:06

16d ago35:06

35:06

What are the tropes of action adventure thrillers? How can you please readers and sell more books? J.F. Penn shares her own tips and also features excerpts from interviews with other thriller writers. J.F. Penn is the award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the ARKANE action-adventure thrillers, the Mapwalker fantasy adven…

1
The Seasons Of Writing With Jacqueline Suskin 55:10

17d ago55:10

55:10

How can you adopt the seasons of nature in your writing? How can you allow periods of rest as well as abundance? Jacqueline Suskin explores these ideas and more in this interview. In the intro, thoughts on children's book publishing [Always Take Notes Podcast]; how to market a memoir as an indie author [ALLi]; A desperate quest. A holy relic. A rac…

1
Ghostwriting, Memoirs, & Hybrid Publishing with Amanda Edgar 53:49

18d ago53:49

53:49

Welcome back to Alchemy for Authors! In this week’s episode I interview award-winning author and CEO of Page and Podium Press, Dr Amanda Nell Edgar. Along with chatting about ghostwriting, writing memoirs, and hybrid publishing, some of the topics we discuss include: · What exactly are hybrid memoirs. · The key to knowing whether you’re ready to wr…

1
The Genius of Novellas 11:36

20d ago11:36

11:36

Novellas are the ace up your writerly sleeve! They enable you to practice all of the principles of storytelling in a shorter, more manageable form. That's going to make you a much better novelist because your story will be focused and you won't get lost in your manuscript. And oh, the best part? Novellas are on the rise. - V. *Script note: In the e…

1
Crazy Rich Asians: when the antagonist is more compelling than the protagonist 44:13

22d ago44:13

44:13

Crazy Rich Asians pitches two female leads against each other - sounds excellent right? Not so fast… This should set up an epic battle of wills as one fights against traditions she doesn’t understand while the other fights to retain order and tradition. This week, I find out what happens when the protagonist doesn’t plausibly match, then surpass, t…

1
Plan For Success In Your Indie Author Business And TikTok Marketing With Adam Beswick

24d ago

—

How can you plan for success as an indie author even early in your writing career? How can you create multiple streams of income and multiple marketing channels, while still writing your books? Adam Beswick goes into his strategies. In the intro, Kickstarter announces new functionality to help creatives;Watch out for a scam email about ALLi [Writer…

1
Yentil: the heroine's journey 36:39

29d ago36:39

36:39

This movie was way ahead of its time. It's a brilliant example of the heroine's journey and Melanie walks us through all 10 phases as outlined in Maureen Murdock's THE HEROINE'S JOURNEY: A WOMAN'S QUEST FOR WHOLENESS. Thanks to its excellent use of setups and payoffs, it also has an ending that is both surprising and inevitable. "One of our most ha…

1
Outlining Tips And Video Marketing On YouTube With Jenna Moreci 1:04:01

1M ago1:04:01

1:04:01

How can you outline a story based on a ‘thought dump' and interweave genre tropes you love to create a successful book? How can you use video marketing to reach more readers, even if you are an introvert? Jenna Moreci gives her tips. In the intro, my new ProWritingAid tutorial; Embracing change and starting over [Wish I'd Known Then Podcast]; OpenA…

1
Inspired Action, Imposter Syndrome, & Stealing From Real Life with Jo Buer 1:07:39

1M ago1:07:39

1:07:39

Welcome back to Alchemy for Authors! In this week’s episode I share an interview I did on the Author Revolution Podcast with Carissa Andrews in December 2023. We discuss a myriad of topics including: · How taking inspired action has helped my author career and my podcast. · The benefits of genre hopping. · Cats!!! · How to fill the creative well by…

1
Pivoting in Career and Life with Grant Faulkner // Wordslinger ep 225 57:29

1M ago57:29

57:29

It’s kind of weird how you can often find people who are living a life or working a career path that is eerily parallel to your own. That’s the case with me and my friend, Grant Faulkner. We both came to publishing around the same time and in roughly similar ways. We both ended up working for organizations that serve the writing community. And we b…

1
Red Joan: meeting reader expectations 35:38

1M ago35:38

35:38

The marketing for this film highlights Judi Dench, but she's barely in it at all. As fans of hers, Melanie and I were disappointed. The movie is ok but it wasn't what we expected and that soured our experience of the story. Melanie still did a study of female archetypes and I still studied setups and payoffs, but the real lesson this week is what h…

1
How Writing Work For Hire Books Led To Becoming An Indie Author With Aubre Andrus 1:09:09

1M ago1:09:09

1:09:09

How can you blend ‘work for hire', ghostwriting, and being an indie author into a successful hybrid career writing books for children? Aubre Andrus gives her tips. In the intro, Countdown Pages on FindawayVoices by Spotify; the impact of AI narrated audiobooks on Audible [Bloomberg]; Ideas for short fiction anthologies and Kevin J. Anderson's Kicks…

1
Simulation Theory and Other Realities with Ernest Dempsey // Wordslinger ep 224 1:08:20

1M ago1:08:20

1:08:20

I feel like the whole question of whether we live in a simulation is settled. We can see the pixels. And when we look closer at everything we ever thought of as being “the smallest thing that can exist,” we eventually look past it and see that the universe…. well, it stops making any sense. All the rules of order we think are fundamental to existen…

1
Dirty Dancing: the heroine's journey 38:20

1M ago38:20

38:20

Does the nickname "baby" bother us? Why yes, yes it does. But we've got to admit, Dirty Dancing is an excellent example of the heroine's journey, as well as female archetypes and how women are presented in stories. It also happens to be, structurally, an excellent film. It's not a complex story, but it's well-told. -V. "In the first half of your st…

1
Using Tools To Automate Your Author Business with Chelle Honiker 1:11:05

2M ago1:11:05

1:11:05

How can you use automation and tools to help you streamline your creative and business processes so you can get back to the writing? Chelle Honiker gives some mindset and practical tips. In the intro, IBPA guide to publishing models; We need to talk about independence [Self Publishing Advice article; my podcast episode with Orna Ross]; The Financia…

1
Kickstarter & Starting Over with Martha Carr 54:20

2M ago54:20

54:20

Welcome back to Alchemy for Authors! In this week’s episode I interview urban fantasy author Martha Carr about Kickstarter and starting over in her author career. Some of the topics we discuss include: · How Martha went from being a prolific traditionally published author to starting over as an indie author with just one book in her backlist. · Why…

1
Inversions Metaphor- The Poetry of Vance Monet // Wordslinger ep 223 46:13

2M ago46:13

46:13

I often tell people that poetry has never been my thing. But I’m learning that I’ve always been wrong about that. Because not only do I find myself reading more poetry, it turns out I’ve been writing my own poetry for years without quite realizing it. That’s not the case with my guest, Vance Monet. He’s a poet and he knows it. And he’s experimentin…

1
Zero Dark Thirty: women in war zones 35:36

2M ago35:36

35:36

War stories are often the domain of ‘dick lit’ male protagonists, but is this a true representation of history and does the experience of women in war differ? In this episode, I reference historical female warriors and examines how the experiences of Maya, the protagonist in Zero Dark Thirty, compares with her wartime service. Valerie explores what…

1
Human-Centered Book Marketing With Dan Blank 1:06:14

2M ago1:06:14

1:06:14

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? Dan Blank gives his recommendations. In the intro, TikTok ban signed into law in the USA [The Verge]; No One Buys Books [Elle Griffin]; Please stop bashing book publishing [Publishi…

1
The Otter of Creativity with Cameron Sutter // Wordslinger ep 222 54:17

2M ago54:17

54:17

Cameron Sutter is a kind soul. If you ever get a chance to sit and chat with him at a conference or anywhere else, I promise he’s going to surprise you. He’s an author of fiction, but in his quest to make writing just a little easier for himself he ended up creating software that can make writing easier for you, too. Plottr is a versatile and amazi…

1
Moonstruck: writing female characters 44:17

2M ago44:17

44:17

We're kicking off a brand new season with two new story concepts. Melanie will be studying female characters and how women are presented in modern stories (her work in this episode is reeeeally interesting!), and I'll be investigating something I learned from Steven Pressfield, which is that we shouldn't introduce anything new after Act 2. "Setups …

1
Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn 51:24

2M ago51:24

51:24

Welcome back to Alchemy for Authors! In this week’s episode I interview award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and bestselling author, Joanna Penn, about her wonderful new book, Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness into Words. Joanna gives advice on how to recognize your Shadow Self and how we can use it to not only become better w…

1
The Midlist Indie Author With T. Thorn Coyle 56:50

2M ago56:50

56:50

How can you build a creative, sustainable career as a ‘mid-list' indie author? How can you design a business that works for you and your books over the long term? T. Thorn Coyle explains more in this episode. In the intro, BookVault bespoke printing options; Harper Collins partners with Eleven Labs for AI-narrated non-English audiobooks […] The pos…

1
What do agents do? 48:04

2M ago48:04

48:04

This bonus episode was prompted by a chat I saw on Threads. It started with the question, what excites you most about having an agent? Offline, Melanie and I began to literary agents and what they do. We decided to hit record and share what we know with you. Enjoy! - V. REGISTER FOR THE 2024 SPRING WEBINAR SERIES For access to writing templates and…

1
The Iconoclast Writer - Johnny B. Truant // Wordslinger ep 221 52:02

2M ago52:02

52:02

Johnny B. Truant has been in the DNA of self publishing almost from the start. He’s an author, a podcaster, a reluctant influencers. Great guy, too. And his series, “Fat Vampire,” has been adapted by the SyFy Channel as “Reginald the Vampire.” Success by almost any definition! But is it success by Johnny’s definition? We talk about that, and about …

1
[EP 278] The right way to grow and the right time to sell (Part 1) 26:44

2M ago26:44

26:44

This week on the Deal Room Podcast, Joanna Oakey is joined by a remarkable entrepreneur Kody Thompson. From founding Lightning Sites (on a budget of $250!) to scaling it into a multimillion-dollar business, this story is as inspiring as it is unique. In this episode, Kody shares his journey into entrepreneurship, revealing how his early experiences…

1
Our Best Advice: left-brained stories 23:37

2M ago23:37

23:37

Left-brained stories (mysteries, crime thrillers, spy stories) are among the highest selling books on the market today. Readers can't get enough of them, and that means the bar for authors is really high because we have to create a puzzle that our readers haven't seen before. Add to this the fact that the fundamentals of storytelling work in a slig…

1
Generative AI Impact On Creativity And Business In the Music Industry With Tristra Newyear Yeager 1:07:00

2M ago1:07:00

1:07:00

What can authors learn from the adoption of AI into the music industry? What are some of the ways musicians are making money in the fractured creator economy? Tristra Newyear Yeager gives her thoughts in this interview. In the intro, Draft2Digital announced a retail distribution agreement with Fable [D2D]; Kobo launches a new color e-reader […] The…

1
JD Barker - Murder, Vampires, and Other True Stories // Wordslinger ep. 220 1:02:42

2M ago1:02:42

1:02:42

JD Barker, New York Times and International best selling author, has had one of the most interesting lives and careers I can think of. From the time he was asked to write a Dracula novel by Bram Stoker estate to the time he solved a friend’s murder, and on to a prolific and successful career as a thriller writer, JD’s meandered along a path most of…

1
The Sixth Sense: the art of the gotcha ending 36:43

2M ago36:43

36:43

Are you planning to use a twist at the end of your story? Have you ever wondered how M. Night Shyamalan pulled off this famous gotcha ending? If so, this episode is for you! Melanie does a deep dive into story twists and surprises so that you can craft an ending that delights your reader. I focused on the Central Dramatic Question which is a key pa…

1
Facing Fears In Writing And Life With Rachael Herron 1:07:32

2M ago1:07:32

1:07:32

How can you overcome your fears and make a life change towards your dreams? Or tackle the fears that stop you from writing and publishing your book? Rachael Herron talks about creating despite the fear, and getting unstuck in this interview. In the intro, Blackberry movie and IP questions; The Copyright Handbook by Steven Fishman; […] The post Faci…

1
Money Magic & Mindset with Lee Savino 57:54

2M ago57:54

57:54

Welcome back to Alchemy for Authors! In this week’s episode I interview USA Today bestselling author of over 69 romance novels, and Money Magic co-founder, Lee Savino. We chat about all things manifestation and mindset, and her brilliant book, Adventures With The Universe. Other topics we discuss include: · How a hypnotherapist helped Lee change he…

1
Breakout Books v. Words on a Page 6:39

3M ago6:39

6:39

To be a career author, you must have a breakout book. And, a breakout book is one that contains a story that works. In this episode, I tell you the story of an author who didn't know the difference between a breakout book and words on a page. What happened to him will make your jaw drop. REGISTER FOR THE 2024 SPRING WEBINAR SERIES For access to wri…

1
Michael Evans and Storytellers Rule the World // Wordslinger ep 219 52:49

3M ago52:49

52:49

Michael Evans is a busy guy. Writing books. Recording podcasts. Founding and running a successful startup in the publishing space. And, oh yeah, graduating from Harvard. And yet he still had time to swing by and chat with me about how storytellers rule the world. And I agree. Take a listen to this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, and stick aroun…

1
How to Write a Breakout Book 2:27

3M ago2:27

2:27

I just attended a training session with a literary agent who said that failure to write a breakout book is one of the most common mistakes writers make. Well sure, that's fine to say, but (1) what is a breakout book and (2) how do you write one? Well, believe it or not, that's exactly what I'm covering in the How Stories Work webinar on April 9. Ma…

1
The Last of Sheila: soooo good 44:15

3M ago44:15

44:15

Now this is the epitome of a left-brained story. THE LAST OF SHEILA has puzzles within puzzles, an intricate plot that has been expertly set up, and a cast of characters who aren't who they seem to me. There are so many amazing things about it, I hardly know which of them to highlight for you here so I'll give you a bit of trivia: this movie was Ri…

1
How do stories work? 5:11

3M ago5:11

5:11

If you're writing a novel or memoir, you're writing a story. Sounds obvious, right? That may be, but most authors don't know how to tell a story that works. If you don't believe me check out the stats: 97% of the books sent to literary agents are rejected, of the books that get published 0.08% hit a bestseller list. Those who choose to self-publish…

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