Blog Profile / The Creative Penn
| URL : | http://www.thecreativepenn.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Arts / Writing | |
| Posts on Regator: | 433 | |
| Posts / Week: | 2.9 | |
| Archived Since: | July 26, 2010 | |
Blog Post Archive
What Writers Can Learn From Dan Brown’s Inferno
Back in 2000, Dan Brown changed my life. I have a Masters in Theology from the University of Oxford and religion, art history, architecture and spirituality are just some of my obsessions. Up until 2000, I thought that the only option to be a successful author in that arena was to follow in the footsteps [...]
Let’s Get Visible. Cracking The Amazon Algorithms With David Gaughran
There are two main ways that people will find your books. (1) Through your book This is all about your book retailer sales page, targeted email marketing and promotions and other things that have nothing to do with your “platform”. After all, how many books do you pick up where you know nothing about the [...]
5 Ways Writing Short Stories Can Boost Your Writing Career
Until a few months ago, I had never written a short story for publication. But then I was commissioned to write three for the Kobo Descent competition based on Dante’s Inferno for the launch of Dan Brown’s new book, also called Inferno. I read about 50 stories and lots of information on how to write [...]
You Have Permission
You can’t write that. You can’t think that. You can’t imagine those things. You don’t have permission to be that person, to think like that, to write like that, to publish that. You’re a nice girl. What will people think of you? That’s my inner critic speaking, but I’ve also heard those words echoed from [...]
Writing Travel Memoir, Tackling Risk And Adventuring With Alastair Humphreys
I am definitely a travel and experience junkie and I still have ‘itchy-foot’ syndrome which means I have to get away to somewhere different regularly. I definitely have a travel memoir in me, perhaps one day it will see the light of day! But in the meantime, I have a special interview for you with [...]
Lessons Learned From Bestselling Indie Authors On Writing And Book Marketing
I’m currently in the rewrites for my fourth novel, Desecration, which is a departure from my ARKANE series and more of a crime thriller with dark themes. I think I’m starting to find my voice as an author as well as becoming more honest with myself and less self-censoring in what I write. But some [...]
The Ultimate Guide To Goodreads For Authors
I’ve been on Goodreads for years now and have used it to track my reading habits as well as rate and review books from a reader’s perspective. I have also used it as an author for giveaways and for linking reviews to Kobo as well as ensuring readers can rate my own books. Last month, [...]
Why Writing Has Made Me An Emotional Wreck
One of the things I love about the author community these days is the authenticity around sharing, and the generosity in helping others. Blogging and social networks enable writers to finally find a community online, and I am so grateful that this site continues to be a place we can share honestly and with support [...]
Sins Of Temptation, Violence And Treachery. Launch For Kobo’s Descent Dan Brown Inferno Competition.
So I’ve been involved in a secret project for the last month or so and today I can finally announce it! So What’s Happening? The Descent: Kobo’s Inferno Contest Dante’s Inferno hopefully needs no introduction, but on May 15 Dan Brown’s new novel, also called Inferno is launched, based on Dante’s work. For the lead [...]
Book Marketing: Creating Your Author Press Kit
This site focuses a lot on online promotion, but PR and traditional media can still be a great way to get name recognition in the market. Having a press kit is a great way to prepare yourself for a foray into that style of marketing and in today’s post, Tolulope Popoola explains more about it. [...]
London Book Fair RoundUp 2013: An Author’s Perspective
Last year at the London Book Fair 2012, I felt like authors were on the periphery and barely acknowledged. We skulked around the edges at some of the learning seminars but the main event was very firmly focused on the publishing industry side. Self-publishing had not really become acceptable in the industry in the UK [...]
Microdomination: Branding, Content Marketing And Social Media With Trevor Young
Authors are becoming entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs are becoming authors and both need to sort out their branding, content management and social media. We cover all that and more in today’s interview. In the intro I mention Amazon buying Goodreads, B&N launching NookPress and how it’s still not for non-US publishers and some updates on my [...]
The Art of Character: The Five Cornerstones of Dramatic Characterization
Creating believable and resonant characters is one of the great challenges of the fiction author. The concept of character has also become more important in narrative non-fiction and memoir, and even business books start with character stories to illustrate their points. In today’s article, David Corbett, author of The Art of Character, helps us with [...]
Pinterest: A Visual Marketing Tool for Writers and Bloggers
Nobody needs yet another social network, but Pinterest is actually really fun! I use it to create boards for my fiction under J.F.Penn – here’s my ARKANE series research and inspiration. I just have a ‘Pin It’ link on my browser toolbar so it’s very easy to add images I find to the boards without [...]
The Discoverability Challenge: With More Authors Self-Publishing Each Year, How Will Your Book Get Noticed?
In the last few weeks, Amazon has bought Goodreads, the largest social network for readers. You can read a digest of author reactions and articles in the fantastic Ether for Authors here. Personally, I’m happy about the acquisition, both as a reader and an author, because the site aids discoverability and we all need help [...]
Book Marketing Using Paid Promotion: Targeted Email Lists
One of the keys to promotion is building an email list of fans who like your books. This is a non-negotiable in terms of book marketing, but building that list often takes a long time! Blogging, social media, speaking events and networking are brilliant but they are all long-term marketing activities that don’t result in [...]
Writing Fiction. What Is Urban Fantasy Anyway?
Many authors don’t want to categorize their writing, but the best way to immediately turn on (or turn off) a new reader is to relate your book to something they already like. The easiest way is to pick comparison authors in a genre and in today’s article, Emma Newman talks about the definition of urban [...]
Book Design Elements And Interior Formatting With Jane Dixon Smith
I’ve recently been through the process of getting all three of my thrillers turned into fantastic quality, professionally designed print books, and I’m really pleased with the results. In today’s interview, my interior designer, Jane Dixon Smith talks about some of the important elements of design. In the intro, I talk about linking your Goodreads [...]
Book Marketing: 9 Activities to Boost Your Author Career
There are millions of books out there, increasing in volume faster as the technology makes it easier to publish, so how do you stand out from the crowd? I don’t believe there is only one answer, but I do think you need to do something to get noticed, stand out from the crowd and get [...]
BookBinding: Making A Travel Notebook
Increasingly, we work and play in a digital world. I read, write, publish, market and often interact with friends online, which I absolutely love and value highly. But recently, I’ve been craving some physical creation, so last week I went along to the London Centre for Book Arts and joined one of their awesome workshops. [...]