Joanna Penn is known for being an unusually multifaceted author.
Not only does she write thriller novels under the name J.F. Penn, she’s also a nonfiction writer, copywriter, teacher, and content creator … and she’s the “chief marketing officer” for her own career.
And her marketing superpower? Being able to see the myriad business possibilities that a single book can unlock … even for fiction (which most people mistakenly believe is the least profitable form of writing).
Joanna has sold books in 74 countries, as well as created courses, audiobooks, and other profitable models for writers.
“As a creative, you’re creating intellectual property assets that can earn you money for the rest of your life and 70 years after you die.” – Joanna Penn
Business skill … or creativity?
In a recent interview with Rainmaker Digital CEO Brian Clark, Joanna revealed that she has no patience with the myth that creativity and profitability are mutually exclusive:
“I got really annoyed by the fact that I’d wasted 13 years not being creative because people said to me, ‘You can’t make a living out of this.’”
(You can pick up the full interview here: Inside the Lucrative World of Self-Published Ebooks)
Joanna knows that business itself is creative — and that business skills can help creative folks like writers earn a good living from their work:
“If you learn the business as a separate skill — as you also have to learn the craft — you can actually do both … Business is creative.”
Joanna isn’t just