Scrivener is the go-to tool for author Joanna Penn, providing drag-and-drop functionality and organization for all her writing projects.
Building a successful author career requires persistence, multiple income streams, and continuously learning new skills.
Deep dives
Joanna Penn's Love for Using Scrivener
Joanna Penn, an author entrepreneur, expresses her love for using Scrivener for all her writing projects, including novels, short stories, and nonfiction. Penn explains that she began using Scrivener after being dissatisfied with Microsoft Word. She emphasizes that Scrivener is the first tool she turns to for every project, highlighting its drag-and-drop functionality and organization features. Penn also discusses her process of taking notes while walking on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage and typing them up in Scrivener upon her return. She shares her extensive experience with Scrivener, having used the software consistently for over a decade.
Joanna Penn's Journey from Corporate Career to Author Entrepreneur
Joanna Penn shares her transition from a corporate career implementing accounts payable systems to becoming a full-time author entrepreneur. She reveals her dissatisfaction and disillusionment with the corporate world, leading her to question her life's purpose and pursue her passion for reading, writing, and traveling. Penn explains how she started writing her first book, which focused on career change, and discovered the realms of writing, publishing, book marketing, blogging, and podcasting. She emphasizes that building a successful author career requires persistence, multiple income streams, and the willingness to continuously learn new skills.
Joanna Penn's Insights on Building a Writing Career
Joanna Penn shares her insights on building a career as an author, emphasizing that overnight success is rare. She advises authors to focus on building multiple streams of income from their intellectual property assets, such as books, translations, and global distribution. Penn encourages authors to be open to learning new skills and actively engaging in both the artistic and business aspects of their career. She highlights the importance of balancing creative fulfillment and financial success. Penn also emphasizes the necessity of engaging in various marketing and promotion strategies, stressing the need for authors to adapt and embrace new platforms and techniques as they arise.
Joanna Penn's Creative Process and Use of Scrivener
Joanna Penn discusses her creative process and how she uses Scrivener for her writing projects. She explains that she starts each new idea by creating a blank Scrivener project and organizes her notes, research, journals, and quotes into folders within the software. Penn utilizes Scrivener's drag-and-drop functionality extensively, allowing her to rearrange chapters and sections easily. She prints out her manuscripts for hand editing, and then incorporates those edits back into Scrivener using snapshots and split-screen view. Penn also emphasizes the importance of backing up her work externally and utilizing tools like Pro Writing Aid for grammar and editing checks.
Joanna Penn combines her talents as a thriller author with her skills in marketing to have a successful writing career. Her latest book is Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways.
