This podcast is an interview with me about career and life change which is relevant for the New Year. I was interviewed a few months ago by Kathleen Alexander from Clever Fox, who guides self-motivated individuals, budding entrepreneurs and solo-preneurs though starting their own business or in launching an ‘outside of the box’ career.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 43:14 — 28.1MB)
In the intro, I mention my new year’s resolution post and also JA Konrath’s post ‘You should self-publish‘.
In this podcast you will learn:
- What motivated me to try to change my life and career after 13 years of being a business consultant. How life got in the way for years before I made the goal to write a book and finally achieved it.
- About how I wrote my first book, How To Enjoy Your Job, and then took my own advice and started something on the side whilst still working. How I wanted to share everything I learned along the way which is why I started the blog.
- On scalable income. The myth of passive income but how you can create a book/product to earn more money than just swapping your hours for cash.
- On finding your passion and getting what you focus on. How The Creative Penn has changed in the two years since I started it, and how my own goals have changed. Start with some goal in mind but start down the slope like a skier and then you can zigzag down, changing your direction as you go. The law of attraction requires action.
- Why should someone try to write or publish a book as a serious business strategy? It gives you credibility and helps you stand out from the crowd. With Amazon.com, you can publish globally and market internationally. It can also solidify your own knowledge and help you understand how you can share your work with the world. Creating a book can be the basis of your other products for multiple streams of income.
- On the phrase “published author”. You can be published on Amazon.com and have the same digital shelf space as anyone else.
- My top 3 tips on marketing your book. Based on my experience, blogging is my no. 1 tip. My blog has been the basis of all the income I’ve made online with book sales, speaking and all the other opportunities that have come my way. It’s your home on the internet, your online hub.
- Social networking is a must. I started doing this because I had to, but it becomes a pleasure and a hobby. I like Twitter but you might like other networks. Twitter is full of entrepreneurs and bloggers, although now it’s also more mainstream. On growing Twitter followers.
- Multi-media is powerful, including audio and video. You stand out in a world where people are still scared of the technology. It can help people get to know you, then they might like you and trust you.
- Being helpful is a massive driving force for me, as it is for other people. It’s also the best way to build a following.
- How self-publishing is now moving towards indie publishing, or independent publishing. The stigma is diminished and being replaced by the pride of indie authors! How print on demand can change your life, saving you time and money. No stock, no money upfront, no postage pain. On publishing ebooks and the Kindle. (Lots more on publishing options here) On perceived differences between print and ebooks, and my rant on why you should be selling ebooks even if you don’t want to read them. (Note – the costs for formatting ebooks are more like $100-$150 now)
- On working 4 days a week and achieving while working. Working 4 days a week has enabled me to make the change and grow The Creative Penn slowly. It frees up a whole day worth of creation. I had done the big event before when I quit and sold my house to make a go of writing. It failed so this time I decided to work on it slowly, with a period of transition. How my job just pays the bills now, I opted out of the IT career. It pays the bills while I build my future. Having the bills paid means you don’t desperately grasp any opportunity, but you can choose what fits your ultimate goal.
- You also have to consider what you want to give up to write your book. I gave up one day a week of work and also gave up TV, as well as a very small social life! I also know what I want to achieve and I’m focused on that entirely. I am controlled about my time and diarize work time, novel time etc. I mention Hyla Molander who is writing a memoir with 4 kids.
Thanks again to Kathleen Alexander from Clever Fox for the great interview. This is a reprint from Joanna Penn‘s The Creative Penn.