Happy New Year 2025!



I love January and the opportunity to start afresh. I know it’s arbitrary in some ways, but I measure my life by what I create, and I also measure it in years.



At the beginning of each year, I publish an article (and podcast episode) here, which helps keep me accountable. If you’d like to share your goals, please add them in the comments below. 



2024 was a year of consolidation as I got my creative house in order and began to shift my creative and business processes. 2025 is going to be a year of personal and business changes as I turn 50 and focus on expanding the J.F. Penn side of things using Leverage as an over-arching theme. More details below.







Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of memoir, thrillers, dark fantasy, and horror as J.F. Penn. She’s also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker.



You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. 



Show Notes




* Leverage: Make more of what I have



* Launch of How to Write Non-Fiction, Second Edition



* My 50th year



* J.F. Penn bucket list and books: Blood Vintage, the ‘desert book,' ‘ the tallship book,' ‘the gothic cathedral book.'



* J.F. Penn short story collection — Kickstarter



* Joanna Penn — The Creative Penn Podcast and Patreon Community








Leverage: Make more of what I have



My over-arching theme for 2025 is Leverage, which can be defined as utilising available resources, assets, tools, and relationships to achieve more.



The famous quote by Greek mathematician Archimedes goes: “Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough and I will move the world.” The idea is that you can achieve a lot as an individual — if you use leverage.



Here's an overview of some aspects and I go into more detail in the following sections.



(a) Leverage the books I've written but not made the most of yet.




* Launch How to Write Non-Fiction Second Edition everywhere by end of January 2025



* Work with my US agent, Renee Fountain, to get a book deal for Blood Vintage — or self-publish by the end of 2025



* Get my existing short stories into print. Write an extra two exclusive stories and launch as a Kickstarter Collection and then publish wide.



* Get Catacomb in audiobook format




(b) Leverage my existing available assets to bring in more income




* Do a monthly book marketing plan and organise paid ad campaigns per month for revolving first books in series ...