The Creative Penn Podcast for Writers

Host: Joanna Penn
Episode: Lessons Learned From Author Nation 2025 With Joanna Penn
Date: November 17, 2025
Theme: Writing Craft and Creative Business – Insights and Lessons from Author Nation 2025

Episode Overview

In this solo episode, Joanna Penn shares her top takeaways from attending the Author Nation 2025 conference in Las Vegas. Drawing on both her years of experience and current industry shifts, Joanna covers writing craft, building a sustainable author business, evaluating vendors, money management, and the importance of community. The episode weaves Joanna's own reflections with concepts and advice from leading conference speakers, and amplifies voices from diverse points in the author journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Remarks & Current Industry Notes

[00:00-17:10]

• Scam Awareness:

  • Joanna warns authors about increasing scam emails, often from Gmail addresses, impersonating her or other businesses.
  • “Trust me, this is not how it works... if it’s from a Gmail account, I’m sorry, it’s probably spam, so mark as spam and delete.” (Joanna, 05:03)

• Audiobook Innovation – Spotify Recaps:

  • Spotify’s new recap feature uses AI to provide personalized audio summaries to help listeners re-engage with audiobooks.
  • Not currently suited for nonfiction or anthologies.

• Audiobook Distribution Update:

  • The landscape for distributing audiobooks is now more complex and requires a multi-channel approach.

• Email Marketing Remains Key:

  • Building an email list is still the most important, future-proof aspect of author marketing.
  • “Don’t be the author who sells a ton of books and didn’t collect any emails at all... Future-proof your career by making sure you build your email list.” (Joanna, 15:08)

2. Wellbeing & Conference Recovery

[17:10-23:30]

• Joanna discusses the intense energy and fatigue of conference attendance, sharing her own story of post-conference exhaustion and a minor gym injury.
• Advice: Be kind to yourself after big events; conferences are “not a holiday” and require real recovery.

3. Main Section: Lessons from Author Nation 2025

[23:30-1:28:45]

A. The Value of In-Person Connection

• Conferences allow for serendipitous meetings and networking at every stage of the journey.
• Building relationships with peers often leads to future business opportunities, mutual support, and “social karma.”
• “Author conferences are a great way to build relationships... the longer you are in this business and the more you help others, the more people you get to know.” (Joanna, 26:14)

B. Constraints Breed Creativity

• Highlights Drew Davis’s keynote: Deliberate constraints help authors focus and get things done.

• Drew’s 4 Constraints:

  1. Eliminate the unnecessary: “If you start something new, kill two things. Kill the easy one, then kill the hard one.”
  2. Define the outcome: “What single result defines success?”
  3. Limit your options: “What unreasonable limitations can you apply to your project?”
  4. Raise the stakes: “What specifically will happen if you fail?”

• Reframing life or business constraints can generate creative solutions and positive momentum.

C. Building a Long-Term, Sustainable Career

• Recap of Becca Syme’s session on sustainability:
  • Importance of deep self-knowledge—knowing your personality, strengths, and limits.
  • Regularly “edit” business and personal commitments to prevent burnout.
  • “If you can’t tell whether something is working or not, it is not working.” (Becca Syme, quoted by Joanna, 49:43)
  • What’s easy for you is often hard for someone else; lean into your strengths and say “no” to the rest.

D. Operating Like a Business: SOPs and Decision-Making

• Katie Cross’s session urged authors to develop SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for themselves and their assistants or AI partners.
• SOPs should always include the why of a task, not just the how.
• Authors need a clear business plan, including reasons for doing (or not doing) things like selling direct.
• Joanna and peers plan to share even more approaches in future episodes (e.g., two different ways to sell direct).

E. Contingency Planning and Resilience

• Sometimes things go wrong (e.g., James Patterson canceling last-minute), but flexibility and creativity allow for successful pivots.
• Authors must build financial resilience: save money, diversify income streams, and prepare for disruptions (personal or global).
• “The writing life show must go on.” (Joanna, 1:13:22)
• Key resource: TheCreativePenn.com/moneybooks

F. Evaluating Vendors and Author Services

• Framework for choosing service providers:

  • A. Purpose: How does this help you write, publish, market, or run your business?
  • B. Business model: Is it sustainable? How do they make money?
  • C. People: Who is behind it? Are they trustworthy, experienced? Partnered with the Alliance of Independent Authors?

• Joanna explains her reasoning by example (BookFunnel), and warns against adopting tools/services before you're ready.

• “The industry changes fast, so finish that book first.” (Joanna, 1:22:41)

G. Perspectives from Other Attendees

• Amber Field: First-time conference attendee; highlighted that the most successful authors “followed a path that can only be described as doing what they liked.”
• Pamela Hynes: Editor, coach, and writer; emphasizes the power of showing up and the reminder that writing is part of a “larger whole.”

4. Conclusion & Closing Thoughts

[1:28:45-end]

• Joanna recommends Author Nation for authors at any stage, although she personally will take a break in 2026 due to other commitments.
• She reiterates the need for reflection, purposeful business planning, and self-kindness.
• Listeners are encouraged to comment, connect, and continue the conversation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On scam awareness & author vigilance:
  “If it’s from a Gmail account, I’m sorry, it’s probably spam, so mark as spam and delete.” (Joanna, 05:03)

• On constraints and creativity:
  “If you start something new, kill two things. Kill the easy one, then kill the hard one.” (Joanna, paraphrasing Drew Davis, 32:00)

• On knowing yourself:
  “If you can’t tell whether something is working or not, it is not working.” (Becca Syme, quoted by Joanna, 49:43)

• On business and resilience:
  “The writing life show must go on.” (Joanna, 1:13:22)

• From attendee Amber Field:
  “None of the most successful authors at the conference followed in another author’s footprints. 100% of them followed a path that can only be described as doing what they liked.” (Joanna reading Amber, 1:23:56)

• Pamela Hynes:
  “Art isn’t finished until it’s received.” (Joanna reading Pamela, 1:25:24)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – 17:10 – Industry news, audiobook innovation, scams, email marketing tips
• 17:10 – 23:30 – Conference fatigue, personal wellbeing, recovery
• 23:30 – 26:14 – In-person connection, networking
• 26:14 – 45:45 – Creative constraints, Drew Davis’s keynote, reframing obstacles
• 45:45 – 1:07:22 – Sustainable careers, Becca Syme’s wisdom, knowing yourself, business edits
• 1:07:22 – 1:17:43 – SOPs, selling direct, business processes with Katie Cross
• 1:17:43 – 1:22:41 – Contingency planning, financial resilience, risk management
• 1:22:41 – 1:28:45 – Evaluating vendors, framework for decision-making, example with BookFunnel
• 1:28:45 – 1:33:37 – Other perspectives: Amber Field, Pamela Hynes, community wisdom
• 1:33:37 – end – Conclusion, personal update, upcoming episodes

Summary Table of Key Lessons

| Topic | Key Takeaway | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|---------------| | Scam Awareness | Stay vigilant; personalized scams on the rise | 05:03 | | Value of Conferences | In-person peopling builds relationships, opportunity, support | 26:14 | | Creative Constraints | Deliberate limits focus and enable creative growth | 32:00 | | Knowing Yourself | Understand your strengths, what works, and act accordingly | 49:43 | | Professional Operations (SOPs) | Standardize business processes, always include the why | 1:07:22 | | Financial Resilience | Diversify income, educate yourself, plan for disruption | 1:17:43 | | Vendor Evaluation | Assess vendors on fit, sustainability, people, business model | 1:22:41 | | Lessons from Others | There’s no single "right" path—successful authors chart their own| 1:23:56 |

Resources Mentioned

• BookFunnel
• Alliance of Independent Authors
• TheCreativePenn.com/moneybooks
• Amber Field on Medium (check show notes for specific post links)
• Pamela Hynes (PDHines.com)
• [Wish I’d Known Then Podcast]

Final Thoughts

Joanna’s personal, practical, and strategic insights offer a comprehensive and experienced roadmap for writers and creative entrepreneurs. Her emphasis on adapting to change, intentional business-building, and nurturing relationships is especially relevant in today’s rapidly evolving publishing world. The value of community, self-knowledge, and resilience is echoed throughout—making this a valuable listen (and reference) for writers in all stages of their journey.

Next episode: Joanna will explore writing the future and being more human in an age of AI with Jamie Metzl.

“Happy writing and I’ll see you next time.”