Author Blueprint Large Print: Writing, Publishing, Book Marketing and Making a Living with your Writing

by Joanna Penn

How to use Web 2.0 tools to write, publish, sell and promote your book using the Blueprint for your online author platform

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Business

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling fiction and memoir author as J.F. Penn. 


She’s also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. She lives in Bath, England with her husband and two British shorthair cats, and enjoys a nice G&T.


See also Goodreads author's profile as J.F. Penn.

Reviews

[David Lafferty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joanna Penn's blog (Creative Penn) is my favorite writing web site. She passes on the lessons she learned the hard way. Unlike some other writing blogs, hers is succinct, current, and very practical. Nice book.

[Geoff Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author 2.o Blueprint is another wonderful book by Joanna Penn on the craft of writing. It's filled with resources to educate you on the complicated world of publishing, both traditional and indie, connecting with your readers, and finding new ones.

I heartily recommend this book and others by Joanna to writers either aspiring or established that are looking for ways to expand their audience, become more engaged with their readers, or understand the world of publishing better! If you like the book you should definitely check out her podcast The Creative Penn! http://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/

[Morgan A Kilth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes you really think about your options as a new author.

[Robert Ssempande · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this report a few years ago but didn’t read it to completion until now (I started it then—when I got it—but didn’t finish it). I was fishing for books recently when I came across it on my laptop and started reading it again and this time, I am glad to say, I finished it.
It’s been very helpful.

Joanna shares tips on how to write a good book, how publish and promote one. I especially liked the fact that in her book, unlike other books on the same subject matters, she delves deeper into the uncharted waters of book publishing, that is, self-publishing vs. traditional publishing and what each truly and honestly entails and means, contracts and rights and how to maximize them or make the very best out of them. This part of the book really piqued my interest and was very helpful in enlightening me and adding new understanding to my knowledge of the book publishing industry.

Although I appreciate Joanna’s deeper insights (in comparison to other authors) on the book publishing industry, I had some grievances with her design and general presentation of the information in the book. I feel the design could have been much better (more professionally done) and the presentation could have been more graceful and coherent, no matter the fact that, evidently, she was on a tight budget—this being a free report and all. I think despite what kind of book it is, free or not, excellence shouldn’t be a quality we cut corners on (I know this will one day come back to bite me in the gizzard when I am producing my own free report, but it needs to be said. Sigh.). Going forward, I hope she fixes that.

It is a great pdf nonetheless, as far as free pdfs go (if you can ignore the little bit on design and presentation), filled with lots of helpful information on writing, publishing and marketing for any writer desiring to learn more about entrepreneurship for the contemporary author (what Joanna calls the Author 2.0) in the contemporary age—with its advancements and radical changes—and wants to make a living writing and selling books. Joanna shares tips from her considerable wealth of knowledge having done this for quite a while at the time of writing of the report.

I give it a 3.5 for the helpful info. The shortfall is from the design and flow issues that made it a little difficult for me to read.

Go get it from her website at www.thecreativepenn.com and see what great insights you can glean from it.

P.S: While posting this review on goodreads I noticed she had changed the cover. She might have updated some things in the book and fixed those issues that I felt needed fixing. Go get it on her website or on Amazon if it's available.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Above all, Author 2.0 is empowered.”

There are nifty tools on how to get that book written – after all, without a book to market, there’s no point in marketing. There are also things to consider after the book is written – everything from proofreading to getting it published. Everything is there to help you.

“I like the term ‘indie author’, as it resonates with the legacy of indie musicians and indie film, two industries that have already experienced the upheaval that publishing is now facing.” Besides, Indie Author sounds sooo much better than self-published author.

“The more books you have available, the more virtual shelf space you have, the easier it is for people to discover you.”

This blueprint really helps you to focus your goals, what you really want out of writing and directs you to more sources to help you get to where you want to be in your career.

Just like all of Joanna’s other non-fiction books, this is one you should read and re-read if you want to be a successful author-entrepreneur.

[Rae Stoltenkamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically have finished reading this but will be dipping in and out when I want to focus on specific aspects in detail. All in all, very sensible advice. Much of it is not for me but I'm going to focus on the sections I'm planning to work on to move my writing from a part-time affair into something full-time and financially sustainable.

If you're just starting out in the writing business it is perfect as it calls it as it is.

[Julius Slighterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, but very good overview of the writer's path from writing the first draft to selling the book. There are a lot of links to further readings, so this book is a good start for any aspiring writer, or anyone running the course and wondering about the next steps.
I would have given five stars if the layout wasn't messy a bit in some places (e.g. overlaying pictures).

[Whitney Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just an ad for her other work but actual information you can use to start your own author platform (after your book is written of course).

[Ari Meghlen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this free and I found it's a good overview of things an author needs to consider. Full of useful links and resources.

[Tabitha Ormiston-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-organised, well-written, comprehensive guide to the whole writing/publishing/marketing process.

[Ashley Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great overview of the author-preneour journey with recommendations for further reading depending on where you are in your journey! A valuable little resource.

[Read-a-lilsmsm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring and informative

[Nicholas Kotar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good roadmap for any writers seriously considering self-publishing in a sustainable way.

[Keeya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and well-organized so I can easily re-read parts that I want to

[Trevor Noon · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The royalties are higher as you do the work upfront... You own and control your intellectual property rights” (p. 56).

[Jennifer Fischetto]

Good for new authors.

[Graham Downs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! There's a lot of information in here to digest!

Joanna Penn talks candidly about what it takes to be an author in this brave new world of the Internet, in which we find ourselves. She calls the author of this Web 2.0 world the "Author 2.0", quite aptly, I'd say.

This short book explains everything you need to do to make a successful career out of writing, from writing (duh) to marketing, to business management. There are tons of links throughout, to useful articles, blog posts, podcasts and videos, most of them free. She also advertises her paid courses, for more indepth coverage of certain topics, but I'll forgive those plugs because the manual that she has written stands on its own perfectly well without them.

I'll definitely be going back to it time and time again as I progress on my journey as an author, and I'll be clicking on all those links that I simply didn't have time to click!

I really think that this free volume should be required reading for anyone serious about their writing journey!

For the video review, see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vrjJ-...

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little ebook provides an excellent overview of the basics of "platform" building to market a book. It's based on Joanna's personal experience over the past few years as she has left no stone unturned in better understanding how to effectively market a book to generate sales.

As her 2 novels have now generated 40,000 in sales (ebooks) Joanna's lessons are definitely worth exploring.

I received this 52 page ebook on subscribing to Joanna's Creative Penn newsletter. Joanna is open about the fact this is a taster so that the reader will purchase more detailed studies from her.

If you are looking to launch a new book, either fiction or non, ebook or paper, I'd encourage you to sign up to Joanna's newsletter so you can receive this ebook.

[Dan Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author 2.0 Blueprint covers everything from writing, publishing and promoting your book. I have been a fan of Joanna Penn's - The Creative Penn podcast for a few years and had to get this when it was published. Even though I haven't published any books it has got me fired up for NaNoWriMo and thinking about dusting off some old manuscripts to try again. I stopped thinking about writing as a career up until I started writing my dissertation because I was getting into the habit of writing frequently. Author 2.0 Blueprint got me thinking of a few new projects which I plan to start launching for 2014. Thank you, Joanna for bringing this great book that helped me get back to a passion I almost let go of.

[Coreena McBurnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author 2.0 Blueprint is a free download from Joanna Penn, and is well worth the time for any new author starting out, whether you're writing fiction or non-fiction, and are trying to build your author platform.

The book is concise and to the point and full of great advice. One of the best features are the hyperlinks throughout which link to her website or other places for up to date or further information on the topic. This is very useful.

Penn does include affiliate links to products that she recommends. Also, I found some of her advice limited for an author with only one book out. Still, I think this is a great place to start to learn about author platforms and how to put the pieces in place to build for the long term.

[J.S. Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I wrote a bool and want to publish it I'm doing a lot of research and studying about traditional/self publishing and marketing. I got this copy for free from the author website thecreativepen.com it's a insightful helpful book. It's not a book teaching the craft of writing but what to do after you write your masterpiece. Revision, beatreaders, editing etc. It has pros and cons on traditional publishing, it discuss publishing contacts, advances and royalties and the self publishing and marketing etc.

[Carlos Ramos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and short guide to improve as a writer.

It does a good job for a free resource, while leading you to her other non-fiction books for authors.

However, as a starting point, this book does stand on its own and I got some value out of it.

Definitely recommended if you want to start your journey as an author for the long term.

[Colby Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic intro to the new age and face of publishing. I love the practical information as well as the encouragement J.F. Penn gives authors to get out there and publish their works! You don't need anyone's permission to live your dream, so live it! :-)

[Graeme Ing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read. Probably more suited to someone new to self publishing but everyone can learn someone from this book. Much of it links to Ms. Penn's web site and courses as a source of extra information and detail.

[Andrew Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear and simple guide to many of the things a new author, especially a self-publishing author, needs to know. As someone starting out on self-publishing I found it immensely useful, and have bookmarked many of the linked articles for further reading.

[Ella J. Smyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read through this quickly. Then spent 3 x the time following the links in the book. There is so much information on how to write, how to self-publish, how to market yourself and your book. Great and free! Thanks so much, Joanna!

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely helpful overview of the benefits of self publishing and how things differ from traditional publishing. A good aerial view on Self publishing and I fill in with her podcast The Creative Penn which is SUPER helpful and a must if you are considering self publishing.

[Mark Polino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done. A nice look at options for authors.

Addendum: nicely updated in Nov 2013.

[Sandra D Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information for new indie writers.