Podcast Summary: The Creative Penn — "Research Like An Academic, Write Like an Indie"

Host: Joanna Penn
Guest: Melissa Addey (Historical fiction author, PhD in Creative Writing)
Date: February 2, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Joanna Penn interviews Melissa Addey about the cross-pollination between rigorous academic research and the indie author mindset. Melissa shares her journey from traditional publishing struggles to a PhD in Creative Writing and a flourishing indie career. Together, they explore how authors—fiction and non-fiction alike—can enrich their craft through deeper research while avoiding the trappings of academic publishing. They also discuss practical systems for managing research, the use of AI in the research process, and the often-overlooked joys and hazards of blending academic and creative worlds.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Melissa Addey’s Journey Into Writing and Self-Publishing

[21:58]

• Background: Melissa transitioned from a business career, facing years of rejection in traditional publishing before embracing self-publishing around 2015.
• The Leap: Motivated by exhaustion from "jumping through hoops," and inspired by the rise of self-publishing knowledge, she decided to invest a year’s savings in making writing her full-time pursuit.
  • Quote: “When you jump, sometimes the universe is on board and goes, yeah, all right then, and open some doors for you.” — Melissa [25:17]
• Support & Strategy: Melissa highlighted the importance of a supportive partner and establishing a clear time frame for financial viability.

2. The Role and Value of Academic Degrees for Writers

[28:02]

• Why a PhD in Creative Writing? Melissa enjoys intellectual challenge, secured funding that gave her creative freedom, and sought authority for future teaching opportunities.
  • Quote: “Do it if you’d like to, but you don’t have to, you could just practice the writing.” — Melissa [28:09]
• Joanna’s Perspective: Joanna is doing a Master’s in Death, Religion, and Culture, also for love of research and the credibility advanced study brings, especially in the AI-dominated publishing era.

3. Academic Rigor—Why It Matters for Indie Authors

[31:00]

• Embracing Quality Research: Melissa encourages seeking out primary sources and the “footnotes of history” to discover unique details that enrich stories.
  • Quote: “If you go and read something that was written in the 1800s, you get a better sense of that than just reading a dictionary of slang.” — Melissa [31:16]
• Finding the Creative Spark: True inspiration often comes from unexpected research discoveries, not just fact-checking.
• Knowing When to Stop Researching: Melissa suggests you’re ready when you can write everyday life in your era without notes, and when familiar with most bibliography references. [34:18]

4. The Problems with Academic Publishing

[35:32], [39:28]

• Stigma and Limitations: Academic publishing is seen as slow, exclusive, and poorly rewarding for writers. Books are overpriced (often £70+) and royalties are negligible.
  • Quote: “Academic publishing is horrendous… They are very badly treated.” — Melissa [35:40]
• Accessibility Issues: Overly complex, pricey works make scholarship inaccessible, pushing some to piracy or secondhand purchases.
  • Quote: “Given that most academic books are paid for by public funds, that knowledge ought to be a little more publicly accessible.” — Melissa [38:32]
• Conservative Culture: Innovators are sometimes discouraged from researching or writing on “taboo” topics like self-publishing.
  • Example: Alison Baverstock was told not to study self-publishing for fear it’d harm her academic career. [40:37]

5. Bridging Academic and Indie Worlds

[42:17]

• Organizing Research: Melissa used to use physical files, now manages notes digitally organized by topics of daily life. For historical fiction, she tracks page numbers to sources.
• Author’s Notes: Both Joanna and Melissa stress the value of transparency—highlighting in Author’s Notes which story elements are factual and which are “fudged” for narrative purposes.

6. Tools & Practical Strategies

[44:50]

• Melissa: Prefers Word documents and notepads.
• Joanna: Uses Scrivener for research and Endnote for academic citations.
• Case Study: “Angle of Repose” by Wallace Stegner faced plagiarism controversy for not properly crediting original sources. Melissa recommends crediting major inspirations to avoid this.

7. Academic Plagiarism vs. Creative Synthesis

[46:28], [50:51]

• Academic work demands rigorous citation—even, controversially, "self-plagiarism" (i.e., reusing your own writing without re-citing).
• Melissa: When writing non-fiction, understand the current “conversation” and ensure you bring a new perspective to avoid unintentional copying.

8. The Tension between Speed and Depth

[48:15], [53:02]

• Indie authors often prioritize speed, while true research depth takes time.
• Joanna: “Some of the stuff you were talking about… all takes more time than, for example, just running a deep research report on Gemini or Claude or ChatGPT.”
• Solution: Writing in series leverages the heavy research investment over multiple books. [49:16]

9. Using AI in the Research Process

[53:41]

• Joanna uses AI tools (Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT) for deep research reports and finding potential sources for academic funding and inspiration.
  • Quote: “AI is extremely good for getting the big picture of something and... pointing you to the right people to start with.” — Melissa [54:09]
• Both agree AI is a starting point—original sources and personal interpretation are still essential.
  • Quote: “We could read the exact same paper and choose very different parts to write about and think about.” — Melissa [56:48]
• AI can also help brainstorm and rapidly iterate, especially in circumstances where human dialogue partners aren’t available.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On taking the leap:
  “When you jump, sometimes you know the universe is on board and goes, yeah, all right then, and open some doors for you.”
  — Melissa Addey [25:17]

• On why pursue a PhD:
  “The thing about three year olds and babies is they're quite intellectually boring... I need something for me that will be interesting.”
  — Melissa Addey [28:21]

• On academic publishing:
  “The royalties are basically zilch... The way they price the books is insane. They will price a book at £70. I actually want that book for my research and I'm hesitating because I can't be buying all of them at that price. That's ridiculous.”
  — Melissa Addey [35:43]

• On AI as intellectual sparring partner:
  “Who am I going to call at 8:30 in the morning on a Thursday and go, look, I want to spend two hours batting back and forth ideas... Only AI does that for you.”
  — Melissa Addey [58:04]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [21:38] — Melissa introduction and path into writing/self-publishing
• [25:17] — Melissa’s leap to full-time writing and early doors opening
• [28:02] — Value and reasons for academic degrees for writers
• [31:00] — Academic rigor: lessons for indie authors, using original sources
• [35:32] — Problems with academic publishing: royalties, pricing, access
• [42:17] — Organizing notes, sources, and references for research
• [44:50] — Practical tools for managing research and sources
• [46:28] — Citations, intellectual property, and academic vs creative standards
• [48:15] — Speed vs. depth: series writing to leverage research
• [53:41] — Using AI tools for research as an indie author
• [58:04] — AI as a creative and research partner

Tone & Original Speaker Style

The conversation is candid, intellectually curious, practical, and gently humorous. Joanna and Melissa both balance pragmatism with a love of learning, and neither is afraid to challenge academic norms or big up the perks of indie life.

Final Thoughts

Melissa and Joanna encourage writers to:

• Value deep, original research for both creative inspiration and authority,
• Be transparent about factual vs. fictional elements,
• Consider modern tools like AI for efficiency, but always use personal discernment,
• Recognize the limitations and failings of academic publishing, and
• Embrace the unique strengths of the indie author path.

Find Melissa Addey’s work at melissaaddey.com
Contact Joanna: joanna@thecreativepenn.com
More episodes and resources: thecreativepenn.com/podcast