Author 2.0: The Empowered Author

Interview of Joanna Penn by Aggie Villanueva

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“The publishing industry is reshaping in the wake of crumbling publishing empires and the rise of ebooks and ebook readers.”

Joanna Penn, British author, speaker and business consultant based in Australia, is the founder of The Creative Penn, a rich resource for web authors. But it is her one-stop brainchild, Author 2.0, that sets her site apart.

VAJ: It’s obvious from your extremely informative site that you have a desire to share your knowledge. Why is e-marketing your chosen field?

Joanna: Well, I wrote my own first book How to enjoy your job and finished it in March 2008. Then I started to investigate publishing options. I couldn’t believe how slow the process was and also the barriers that traditional publishing seemed to put in the way. I also discovered that publishers wanted a marketing plan in the proposal and I knew nothing about marketing. I thought (like many authors) I would just write the book and someone else would do the marketing for me.

So I radically changed my focus and read everything I could on marketing, mainly focusing on low-cost and no-cost strategies that I could use myself. I discovered internet marketing and did every book marketing program on the market. I spent a lot of time and a lot of money along the way, but what I discovered was – I love marketing!

And I love the internet and the technologies authors can use to get their work out there. I self-published and now use all the strategies I teach to sell more books. So I am now passionate about sharing this knowledge with others and helping authors to publish, promote and sell themselves – instead of waiting for the gatekeepers to knock them back!

VAJ: I’ve been the down Author 1.0 trail with Thomas Nelson publishers in the 1980s. And, like so many, scour the web to gather the information needed to self publish in the 21^st century. Please tell us a little about Author 2.0?

Joanna: Author 2.0 is more than just a writer – they are also a publisher, promoter and an entrepreneur! (This might be scary for some, but essential in the world of new publishing!)

The publishing world is changing fast. The economy is causing layoffs in the industry and there is a focus on the few profitable and famous authors at the expense of new authors. Digital media is taking off and authors can be on the forefront of this revolution. It has happened for music, TV and movies on the internet and now it is happening for print media.

Author 2.0 continues to write – but they publish their work on a blog, on Twitter or on a mobile phone. They publish ebooks and self-publish by print-on-demand on Amazon.com reaching a global audience. They also promote on the internet through their writing and networking across the globe. They blog and podcast to reach more readers. They can also make more money because most of the revenue belongs to them directly and they have the rights to use it in any way they want.

VAJ: What makes project Author 2.0 different from the other marketing gurus’ stuff all over the web?

Joanna: Firstly, I don’t consider myself a marketing guru! I think of myself more as someone who is one class ahead and wants to give a hand up to the people who want some help! I am also very practical and hands-on. I don’t say “do a podcast”. I actually show you how to do it.

I am also an author who has learnt this through my own experience. The videos and tutorials in author 2.0 are actually me putting the strategies into action e.g. you see my own blog, my website and my podcasts in the making. I do want to help authors use these strategies to sell more books.
This project will also be different in its pricing model. I am looking at a 50% affiliate program in order to make it more affordable for authors. This means that if they get 2 more people to join up, they have recouped their costs. Affiliate programs may be new in the author world, but they enable people to make some money so are very valuable for people who want to make an income on top of their books.

VAJ: There’s usually a story behind our brainchildren. What prompted you to begin the Author 2.0 adventure?

Joanna: This is my own journey turned into a course! I have been using all these tactics in the last year and have got better and better at them. My blog and website The Creative Penn is only a few months old – it’s my fourth blog and I have finally got it right!

So I am using these tools for my books and now my website and can see the difference in effect. I also see a niche for this course, as there are a lot of books on the subject but not many courses with tutorials (as this requires some technical skill perhaps?)

VAJ: On your Author 2.0 page you address a main fear of the artistic: “They may also be apprehensive about technology and may not be confident in using it.” If we sign up for Author 2.0 what will you teach us to alleviate that fear?

Joanna: The course will contain 12 modules on areas like blogging for authors, writing in a digital world, self-publishing, ebooks, mobile phones, podcasting, social networking etc. Each module will have a video in which I will actually show you how to use a technical skill and how best to utilize it, e.g. how to podcast and why it is effective for authors.

Each module will also have a document describing the text and more tips as well as an audio with a prominent figure in each of the areas. For example, we have John Kremer talking about authors as entrepreneurs, and also Mark Coker from Smashwords on ebooks (and many more).

So the aim is to provide the technical knowledge behind the suggestions of the book marketing books e.g. how do you actually get your self-published book on Amazon.com?

VAJ: Personally, one thing holding me back is the inability to format my work in the Kindle, cell phone and palm reader formats. And I can’t seem to find instructions on the web. Will you teach us to do that?

Joanna: Yes, that’s exactly it – and that’s the niche I see myself in. Teaching people to do those things that the books tell you to do! It’s all very well being told to get on the Kindle but many authors are not technical and don’t know where to start. (Read Joanna explanation of this and much more)

VAJ: What is the one thing you would most recommend that authors need  from Author 2.0?

Authors need empowering to use the technology available to them. You can pay people thousands of dollars to do this stuff for you, but you can also do it for yourself and may discover that you love it! This course will empower authors and I think will save them time and money in the process!

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