The Creative Penn

The Creative Penn is Joanna Penn's free blog and weekly podcast for authors who want to run writing as a business, including self-publishing and AI.

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At a glance

Price: Free (Blog and podcast are free; books, webinars and a Patreon are paid extras.)
Platforms: Web
Outputs KDP-ready files: Not stated
Touches your KDP account: Not stated
Categories: Courses, Blogs & Channels
Last checked: 2026-11-09

Summary

The Creative Penn is run by Joanna Penn, a bestselling indie author of nonfiction for writers and of thrillers as J.F. Penn. It offers a long-running weekly podcast, articles, tool tutorials and her books for authors, with a Patreon for extra content. The site states that many links are affiliate links, and she sells her own books, webinars and bundles, so tool recommendations are not neutral. It is broad author-business advice rather than KDP-specific instructions.

Best for

Authors building a long-term author business across formats

Pros

Weekly podcast with a very large backlist of interviews
Practical coverage of AI, audio and selling direct

Cons

Many tool links are affiliate links
Little step-by-step KDP setup detail

Alternatives

The Self Publishing Show: The Self Publishing Show is a free weekly podcast for indie authors about marketing, ads, AI and the business of self-publishing.
Jane Friedman: Jane Friedman's site is a publishing industry blog and paid newsletter for authors that reports on trade and self-publishing business news.
Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi): ALLi is a nonprofit membership association for self-publishing authors that offers a member forum, contract advice and public watchdog ratings of author services.

Sources

Facts on this page come from the vendor and these pages. Prices change; confirm on the vendor site.

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