Joanna Penn - How to Make a Living with Your Writing: Turn Your Words into Multiple Streams Of Income

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This is the best time in history to make a living with your writing!

You can reach readers online and sell your books to a global audience, as well as make money in other ways while still educating, entertaining, or inspiring your audience.

If you love to create and youre 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. Ill 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.

Each chapter provides ideas you can use to research each opportunity in more detail and questions to guide your thought process. Sometimes its just about knowing whats out there in order to find whats right for you.

This book is not a get-rich-quick scheme, and there are easier ways to make a living than with your writing. But over the last decade, I have gone from zero to a multi-six-figure annual income based on my writing and from miserable corporate day job to happy creative entrepreneur.

Making a living is not just about money, its also about meaning, and writing can give you both.

Im Joanna Penn and I spent 13 years implementing Accounts Payable systems into large corporates and small/medium companies across Europe and Asia Pacific. I have degrees in Theology and Psychology, and I certainly didnt have any experience with creative work in my early career.

Many times over those years, I wondered how I had ended up in a job that paid well but left me creatively stunted and miserable with my life. I had nothing to show for my time but the paycheck and everything I did seemed pointless as it all disappeared as the next IT project rolled out.

I tried other things on the side an online travel itinerary website, a scuba diving charter boat business, and property investment, but none of my ideas worked out. I reached rock bottom in 2006. I hated every single day at my job and although the money was good, I knew I had to change my life.

I started reading and listening to self-help books and podcasts, and decided to write my own book while I searched for a job I loved. I published How to Enjoy Your Job or Find a New One in early 2008, later rewritten and re-published as Career Change.

Writing that first book changed my life not because it sold many copies, but because it opened up a new world of creative possibility.

I learned about writing books and self-publishing, blogging, podcasting and social media. I shared my journey on my blog at TheCreativePenn.com and started a podcast to talk to other creatives. While the income was tiny at first and I still had my day job, I was thrilled to be selling books and products and consulting online as well as speaking professionally.

I continued writing, publishing, blogging and podcasting, and in September 2011, I left my consulting job to become a full-time author entrepreneur. In 2015, my writing income surpassed my previous career.

From those humble beginnings, The Creative Penn Limited is now a multi-six-figure company with books at its heart. Im an award-nominated New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller and dark fantasy author as J.F. Penn, and I also write non-fiction under Joanna Penn. Ive sold books in 162 countries and 5 languages. Im an award-winning podcaster with two shows, The Creative Penn and Books and Travel, and Im an international professional speaker.

My business has multiple streams of income based on my writing, including books in different formats on multiple stores, online courses, affiliate income, podcast sponsorship, and Patreon, among others. Plenty of authors make money from book sales alone, but multiple streams of income provide a measure of protection against the rollercoaster of the market. Ill go into detail on all these possibilities in the chapters ahead.

But remember, it wasnt always like this.

I started out with one book, no audience, and no experience in publishing or online sales and marketing. I took action on my ideas and learned the necessary skills along the way, adapting to the changes in the market over time and you can do it too.

As I write this, the global pandemic continues to take its daily toll. Many of us have spent time in lockdown considering that life really is short and we need to make the most of the days we have left. Yes, we want to make a living, but we also want to do work that matters.

Your writing could educate, inspire, or entertain others. Your words could change someones life. If you love to write, I hope this book will help you to make a living from it and a life youre happy with.

Well start with first principles, the attitude and mindset you need to adopt in order to be successful.

Part 1 will take you through how to make money with books and take control of your author career, however you choose to publish.

Part 2 goes into how to make money in other ways with writing at the heart of your creative business.

The final chapter guides you through the transition and your next steps on the journey to making a living with your writing.

There are questions for you to consider and resources to take your research further at the end of every chapter. You can download the questions, appendices, and more resources at TheCreativePenn.com/makealivingdownload

Theres also a Companion Workbook available in print with all the questions so you can write in that if you prefer.

Lets get into how to make a living with your writing!

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Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, accountant, or a financial advisor. This book is based on my experience and research and is not financial or legal advice. If you have specific legal and financial questions, please seek professional advice in your jurisdiction.

Note: There are affiliate links within this book to products and services that I recommend and use personally. This means that I receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you, and in some cases, you may receive a discount for using my link. I only recommend products and services that I believe are great for writers, so I hope you find them useful.