I don’t remember the exact moment I first discovered Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn. It was sometime in 2015, when I was an almost full-time freelance video editor. I listened to podcasts on my commute to and from the office. Around that time I got interested in entrepreneurship, and coupled with my lifelong desire to write books, I was (and am) the perfect target audience for The Creative Penn podcast. As unmemorable as that moment of discovery was, it changed the entire course of my life.
I started listening to The Creative Penn podcast in 2015 and I haven’t stopped. I’ve since bought Joanna’s book Business for Authors, her online course Content Marketing for Fiction, and am a supporter of her Patreon. It seems to go with out saying I’m a huge Joanna Penn fangirl. Here’s why.
Why I Love The Creative Penn Podcast
Joanna’s passion for writing, entrepreneurship, and learning are apparent from the show’s introduction and carry all the way through the end of every episode. She interviews knowledgeable creative professionals about their books, businesses, craft, and everything in between. The podcast has been running since 2009, and there is an impressive backlist of episodes on any and every topic I can imagine relating to writing. I’ve even listened to some of them more than once.
The interviews are always informative and helpful, and I leave each one thinking about how I can apply what I learned to my own budding author business.
Joanna cares about her audience above everything else. It’s evident in the guests she interviews, the topics they discuss, and even the ads she chooses to play. Her solo shows are also jam-packed with her own research and personal experiences and provide some relatable context to the author journey.
As a stay-at-home mom of a toddler trying to write in the cracks of life, Joanna’s weekly podcast adds up to countless hours of courses, workshops, and books I have neither the time nor money to indulge in. I get the benefits of her guests’ knowledge, and her own, in about an hour a week. Not bad for a DIY education.
My Favorite Episodes
Joanna has logged over 500 episodes (all available via her website at: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/ as well as the podcatcher apps), so it’s tough to choose favorites. But I tried. Here are some specific ones I’ve found helpful, in no particular order:
#332 Your Magic Bakery of Intellectual Property Rights with Dean Wesley Smith
#330 Real Artists Don’t Starve. Creativity and Money with Jeff Goins
#406 Freedom and Long Term Business Thinking with Yaro Starak
#385 How to Write Effective Injuries for Your Characters with Samantha Keel
#383 Tips for Editing Your Book with Natasa Lekic from NY Book Editors
#507 Publishing Wide for the Win with Erin Wright
No matter where you are in your author journey (or if you’re a reader who wants a peek behind the curtain), The Creative Penn podcast delivers quality information in an entertaining way. And I for one hope it continues for a long, long time.
Want more creative resources? Check out The Archive.
