The Creative Penn Limited
The Creative Penn Limited is a UK-founded, bootstrapped content and education business that helps aspiring and independent authors build sustainable writing careers through books, a long-running podcast, a Patreon community, and affiliate partnerships with major writing-tool vendors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBath, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Creative Penn Limited does
The Creative Penn Limited is a UK private limited company founded in 2008 by Joanna Penn and headquartered in Bath, England. It is a bootstrapped, founder-owned content and education business serving independent and aspiring authors, rather than a software company. The company monetizes a long-running library of original content — including more than 40 self-published books under the Joanna Penn (non-fiction for authors) and J.F. Penn (thrillers, dark fantasy, crime, horror, travel memoir) brands — alongside a weekly podcast with over 800 episodes and 10M+ downloads across 228 countries, a free Author Blueprint email lead magnet, a Patreon community offering patron-only audio, video tutorials, and live office hours, affiliate commissions from recommended writing and publishing tools (Scrivener, ProWritingAid, Vellum, BookFunnel, Publisher Rocket, Atticus, Kobo Writing Life, Draft2Digital), and recurring podcast sponsorships from those same author-tool vendors. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com plus marketplace channels including Amazon KDP, Kobo Writing Life, Apple Books, Audible/Chirp, library systems, BookBub, and Kickstarter. The business has been multi-six-figure for nearly a decade (since 2015), reached #1 on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists via the 2014 'Deadly Dozen' thriller box-set, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2018. Most recently the company won Best Non-Fiction/Memoir at the 2024 Selfie Awards (London Book Fair) for the travel memoir 'Pilgrimage', restructured its podcast to a Wednesday release schedule for long-term sustainability, and positioned itself as a leading educator on integrating AI tools into author workflows.
The Creative Penn Limited firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Creative Penn Limited
- Legal name
- The Creative Penn Limited
- Website
- https://thecreativepenn.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Creative Penn Limited is a UK-founded, bootstrapped content and education business that helps aspiring and independent authors build sustainable writing careers through books, a long-running podcast, a Patreon community, and affiliate partnerships with major writing-tool vendors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Creative Penn Limited industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Author Education & Self-Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Self-Publishing & Author Platforms (BPAMAJAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Print-on-Demand Enablement for Indie Authors (Book POD & Fulfillment) (MPAJAJAD), Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE)
Keywords
Where The Creative Penn Limited is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bath
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Creative Penn Limited business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Non-fiction books for authors: Joanna Penn writes and self-publishes non-fiction books for authors covering writing craft, self-publishing, book marketing, author mindset, and AI in publishing. Books available in ebook, paperback, audiobook, workbook, large print, and hardback editions. Sold through CreativePennBooks.com (direct) and major retailers including Amazon.
- Fiction books as J.F. Penn: Thriller, dark fantasy, crime, horror, and travel memoir fiction published under the pen name J.F. Penn. Includes the ARKANE action-adventure thriller series (13 books), Brooke and Daniel crime thriller series, Mapwalker fantasy trilogy, and stand-alone horror novels. Sold through JFPennBooks.com and major retailers.
- Podcast sponsorships: The Creative Penn Podcast features regular corporate sponsors including Kobo Writing Life, Draft2Digital, ProWritingAid, Publisher Rocket, Atticus, and BookFunnel. Sponsorships provide recurring revenue while promoting tools relevant to the author audience.
- Patreon community membership: Patreon community offers monthly membership with patron-only content including solo audio episodes, video tutorials, how-to articles, and live office hours. Patrons receive discounts on webinars. Described as 'less than the price of a black coffee per month.'
- Affiliate marketing: Many hyperlinks on the website are affiliate links where Joanna Penn receives a small percentage of sales when users purchase recommended tools, books, and services. She only recommends tools she uses personally or knows personally, maintaining authenticity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Patreon Community Membership |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels9 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Creative Penn Limited product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Creative Penn Limited creates and sells educational non-fiction books, podcasts, and a paid online community that teach independent authors how to write, self-publish, and market their books. Under the founder's pen name J.F. Penn, it also publishes and sells fiction (thrillers), and runs a second podcast about books and travel. Distribution spans the company's own ecommerce sites, major ebook/audiobook retailers, Amazon, library systems, Patreon, Kickstarter, and podcast directories.
Product overview
The Creative Penn Limited is an educational content platform for authors led by Joanna Penn (also writes fiction as J.F. Penn). The core offerings consist of The Creative Penn Podcast (weekly interviews on writing, publishing, and author business with 800+ episodes), non-fiction books for authors under Joanna Penn covering writing craft and book marketing, fiction books under J.F. Penn including the ARKANE thriller series and other genre fiction, a free Author Blueprint ebook, and a Patreon community with exclusive content. The platform also provides curated tools and tutorials for writers. This is a content and education business rather than a software platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CreativePennBooks.com: Online store for Joanna Penn's non-fiction books for authors, including writing, publishing, and book marketing guides.
- JFPennBooks.com
- Books and Travel
Products and services
- The Creative Penn Podcast
- Author non-fiction books by Joanna Penn
- Fiction catalog by J.F. Penn
- The Creative Penn Patreon Community
- Books and Travel Podcast (J.F. Penn)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1 million books sold to readers in 176 countries
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Creative Penn Limited
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Creative Penn Limited technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Creative Penn Limited partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi)coreJoanna Penn is a proud member and advisor of the Alliance of Independent Authors, a global organization supporting indie authors. She co-hosts the monthly Ask ALLi Podcast with ALLi Director Orna Ross. The partnership provides credibility, community resources, and industry advocacy for indie authors.
- Kobo Writing LifesecondaryRegular corporate sponsor of The Creative Penn Podcast. Kobo Writing Life is a self-publishing platform for ebooks and audiobooks, providing authors with global distribution through Kobo's network of retailers and libraries.
- Draft2DigitalsecondaryRegular corporate sponsor of The Creative Penn Podcast. Draft2Digital provides ebook formatting and distribution services, helping authors distribute to multiple retailers from a single source.
- ProWritingAidsecondaryRegular corporate sponsor of The Creative Penn Podcast. ProWritingAid is writing and editing software that provides grammar checking, style improvement, and integration with Scrivener for manuscript editing.
- Publisher RocketsecondaryRegular corporate sponsor of The Creative Penn Podcast. Publisher Rocket provides category and keyword research tools for self-publishers and Amazon advertising insights.
- AtticussecondaryRegular corporate sponsor of The Creative Penn Podcast. Atticus is a writing and formatting tool for PC and Mac that outputs print books and ebook formats.
- BookFunnelsecondaryRegular corporate sponsor of The Creative Penn Podcast. BookFunnel provides reader magnet delivery, advanced copy distribution, ebook fulfillment, and direct sales integration for authors.
- PatreoncorePlatform for The Creative Penn community membership. Joanna Penn offers monthly patron-only content including solo audio, video tutorials, how-to articles, and live office hours through Patreon. Provides recurring revenue and community engagement.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Creative Penn Limited competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BookBub: BookBub is a leading book discovery platform running featured deals and author marketing services used by indie authors — a broader incumbent in the indie-author marketing stack that The Creative Penn recommends to its audience.
- IngramSpark: IngramSpark is a major print-on-demand and distribution platform used by self-publishers for global bookstore and library distribution — a broader incumbent in the indie publishing infrastructure that The Creative Penn educates authors about.
Direct peers
- Draft2Digital: Draft2Digital is an ebook formatting and distribution aggregator helping indie authors distribute to multiple retailers — both a recurring podcast sponsor of The Creative Penn and an adjacent platform competing for the same indie-author workflows.
- Reedsy: Reedsy operates a marketplace and education platform connecting authors with editors, designers, and marketers, alongside a blog with extensive publishing guidance — comparable as an indie-author enablement platform with overlapping audience.
- Kindlepreneur (Dave Chesson): Dave Chesson's Kindlepreneur is a leading indie-author education and tools business built around Kindle publishing strategy, KDP optimization, and the Publisher Rocket tool — a direct competitor in self-publishing education and a podcast sponsor of The Creative Penn.
- Jane Friedman: Jane Friedman is a widely recognized authority on the writing and publishing industry with a newsletter, blog, courses, and books serving authors — directly comparable as a solo expert providing paid and free education to writers.
- David Gaughran: David Gaughran is a self-published author and educator offering books, courses, and blog content on book marketing and self-publishing — a solo creator serving the same indie-author audience as The Creative Penn.
- BookBaby: BookBaby is a self-publishing services company offering printing, distribution, cover design, and marketing for indie authors — directly comparable to the self-publishing service and education segment The Creative Penn addresses.
- Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi): ALLi is the global nonprofit organization supporting indie authors, where Joanna Penn serves as an advisor and co-host of the Ask ALLi podcast — a direct peer and partner organization in the indie-author advocacy and education space.
- Self-Publishing Formula (Mark Dawson): Mark Dawson runs Self-Publishing Formula, a self-publishing education business combining courses, podcast, and community for indie authors — directly comparable to The Creative Penn's author-education + community model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Creative Penn Limited social profiles
Digital presenceThe Creative Penn Limited financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Creative Penn Limited leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Creative Penn Limited funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Creative Penn Limited M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Creative Penn Limited
What does The Creative Penn Limited do?
The Creative Penn Limited creates and sells educational non-fiction books, podcasts, and a paid online community that teach independent authors how to write, self-publish, and market their books. Under the founder's pen name J.F. Penn, it also publishes and sells fiction (thrillers), and runs a second podcast about books and travel. Distribution spans the company's own ecommerce sites, major ebook/audiobook retailers, Amazon, library systems, Patreon, Kickstarter, and podcast directories.
Is The Creative Penn Limited a public or private company?
The Creative Penn Limited is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Creative Penn Limited founded?
The Creative Penn Limited was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Creative Penn Limited based?
The Creative Penn Limited is headquartered in Bath, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Creative Penn Limited make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Non-fiction books for authors are the primary driver. The others are fiction books as J.F. Penn, podcast sponsorships, patreon community membership and affiliate marketing.
Who are The Creative Penn Limited's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are BookBub and IngramSpark. Direct peers are Draft2Digital, Reedsy, Kindlepreneur (Dave Chesson), Jane Friedman, David Gaughran, BookBaby, Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) and Self-Publishing Formula (Mark Dawson).
Does The Creative Penn Limited have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Creative Penn Limited.
What industry is The Creative Penn Limited in?
The Creative Penn Limited's product category is Author Education & Self-Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAF, Self-Publishing & Author Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAJAJAD, Print-on-Demand Enablement for Indie Authors (Book POD & Fulfillment). Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.