The Relaxed Author Ebook

I really enjoyed this book. It made me think about my own journey as an author, and how I had in the past allowed things to get me stressed when I didn't need to. This book was a great experience and I look forward to implementing some of the things I've read. Great read for any writer who needs a new way of looking at their author journey.

Good detail on research and the all-important experience....... Science is great but it seems science is all we believe now. Miracles still happen. The body is miraculous and with a a little effort we can tap into that. Thanks for your effort!

The Relaxed Author: Take the Pressure off Your Art and Enjoy the Creative Journey by Joanna Penn & Mark Leslie Lefebvre wasn't exactly what I'd expected though I'm not sure what I expected. Penn and Lefebvre made some interesting points and provided some resources I want to explore further. Their insights based on their own experiences felt genuine and thought-provoking at times, but other times felt forced and stilted. Some of the advise felt useful in its simplicity while other advise felt needlessly complex. There were times that The Relaxed Author felt more like an advertisement for the authors' other works than an attempt to help other authors be more relaxed. I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I'm sure some authors will find The Relaxed Author beneficial, but for me there was little new in it to inspire or relax me.

This timely book helped me to realise that the write-publish-repeat-hamster-wheel-of-death indie authors are taught to run on isn’t the be-all and end-all of an indie author career.

It sounds silly, but until reading that it’s okay not to do stuff everyone says is the key to success (e.g. running ads), I was having a serious bout of FOMO – especially since I was already overwhelmed with all the things I had to do in a day even without adding all the extras I was told to do.

And reading that it’s okay to declutter your inbox and unsubscribe from newsletters that no longer bring you value felt awesome. I started doing that in 2021, wrote a blog post about it, and got some angry emails from people who’ve read it and found it unsporting of me to unsubscribe from newsletters – especially since I had my own.

I think the big take-away from this book is to do what you enjoy, how you enjoy doing it.

A must-read for all authors who feel anxiety at the thought of staying on the production hamster wheel.

I am definitely not a relaxed author, even though I am not a Type A person at all. I love Joanna Penn's great podcast for authors & have followed it for years. She is the real deal. All her own marketing & her nonfiction books for authors are for people who want to write & market in an ethical, value-driven way. This is another great book. I also really liked that it has 2 perspectives on the same thing -- hers and Mark's. What a great idea to co-author a book like this. There are truly helpful, insightful tips here that also show you differences in their individual perspectives & how we need to play to our own strengths. Highly recommend!

Just reading this book helped me relax. I read a lot of books to help me as an author, and I will try many ideas and resources to help me in my craft and in book promotion. Before I started reading this book, I was already simplifying and streamlining what I do. I agree with the author that we all have to find what works best for us. When we find what works best within our personalities and resources we can relax and go forward with more enjoyment. Though the author still gives plenty of ideas and shares what she does, the overall message of this book is be who you are, find and do what works for you, leave the rest, then relax and enjoy your work.

I received an Advanced Review Copy of this Book. However, this review is my honest opinion. There was a time when authors were suggested not to write fast, publish traditionally, and leave the formatting, cover-designing, printing, marketing, and the business side of things to their agents and publishers. Then came Indie Publishing, around 2010, and authors were exhorted to write and publish like a machine. And to market the hell out of it. Eleven years later, the toll this advice has taken is self-evident. Writers are stressed out and often disillusioned with the writing industry. Some have burnt out and quit. And nothing can be more heart-breaking than this. That’s where this book fits in. Of course, there is no one thing that stresses out all writers. But Joanna Penn deals with almost all issues that commonly affect writers. Her topics span from writing to publishing to marketing to running a full time author business – everything that can and does stress out writers. The book is primarily written from two different POVs—Joanna’s and Mark Lefebvre’s. Both share their experiences as to how they’ve dealt with stress and, in the process, how they became more relaxed in their respective author journeys. The message is reinforced through quotations from other authors at the end of every chapter. I’ve been following Joanna since 2013, and I like the tone of all her non-fiction books and her blog. They’re all uplifting. And this book is no different. There are so many books on Indie Publishing that despite being well-intentioned end up demoralising authors. Advice such as ‘Show don’t tell’, or that only one percent of books succeed in the Kindle Store, or that writers should not quit their day job and never assume they can make a full time living writing, etc. can be harmful to writers. This book does no such thing. In fact Joanna’s and Mark’s advice will make you more relaxed. Sometimes all your questions may not be answered, but reading their experiences, you may find the right answers popping up in your mind automatically. Answers that are right for you even if the opposite is being said in the book! Having spent 8 years in this industry, I’ve learnt the hard way to become a relaxed author and come up with a routine and a system that makes me a contented author. But I would highly recommend this book to any author, beginner or experienced, to give it a go!

Love this author and have found her very useful during the past few years. I was pleased to see that she'd taken the time to explore how to write and publish a book on how to maintain (or even begin) your writing career or writing activities without succumbing to the stress of a constantly changing industry. Nowadays online publishing seems to be a game of catch-up; with constant new processes, algorithyms, techniques and technologies to learn and keep on top of. But in the midst of that, where is the head-space to actually write? Joanna slides all of that to one side of the table and shows that we can kick back a little and still progress, if we want to. So, yes, it was as useful as all her previous work, but I'm not a fab of the two-hander style. It's probably a personal preference but I'd rather read a complete work from one author or the other. Looking forward to your next work, Joanna.

There's a lot of pressure on when you're an indie author. There are so many decisions to make, it is easy to suffer from what I call 'the overwhelm'. I already knew a fair amount of what is in this book but I welcomed it all in one place and the sheer permission it gives to chill out a bit! I was also very impressed at the quality of the book even though I've published on Amazon myself. It never fails to amaze me how high the quality of indie books can be. Mine was delivered before time in person to my Hungary address and printed in Poland! I'm going to take time to read through the book again and arrive at some much needed decisions for the coming year. I would recommend this book to would-be and new authors since it lays out the terrain ahead and it is also a handbook for sanity for those of us who have begun the journey. Thank you to Joanna Penn, ever the advocate for indie authors.

Loved it— gave me faith I can be a writer without killing myself 😀 Love the advice from I relax and focus on the long term

I snapped this book at a moment of near burn-out as an indie author and am very glad I did, as its gentle common-sense advice from two highly regarded leaders in their field deflected stress, guilt and FOMO, leaving me with the joy of writing and publishing my work. As early adopters of 21st-century-style self-publishing, both write from the perspective of more than ten years' experience in the field (Mark also shares useful insights from the world of traditional publishing and service provision), sharing their ups and downs and what they have learned at first hand and how they have adapted their working practices and personal lives along the way. Going back to my writing desk feeling reinvigorated and purposeful today, rather than worrying about all those things I might have done but didn't want to. Thank you.

After hearing about this book on the CreativePenn podcast, I immediately ordered the paperback copy. When I pulled open the covers to see what these industry experts would share, I was disappointed. Fortune cookie logic from Joanna and Mark? I nearly put the book down. But I've listened them for years, and this is the one book that gets away from fads, trends, marketing advice, and business acumen. This is the sole work on writers seeking a true career in the business, and, with this mindset, it delivers beyond belief. This is a casual work where the reader imagines sitting down in a quiet location with a favorite beverage to listen to friends. These mentors share their scars, revel in their victories, and don't hold back in their failures. It's a refreshing look at an industry with countless opinions and infinite definitions of success. This book helps in every way. If you are getting ready to start your first novel or are a dedicated veteran working for years, this book is for you. There's more to the creative art than the next dollar. Writing is more than chasing the next social trend. It's in here, and these two giants are sharing their perspective. Easy five star read for every writer!

In a world where indie authors are constantly on the hunt for a silver bullet, this book is a balm to disillusioned souls and fuel for a better tomorrow.

I love this book. It's so great that it's co-written -- to have two perspectives, even when they're often like-minded, is an important reminder that "relaxed" looks different for everyone. Yeah, it's good common sense, and if you've followed Joanna Penn and/or Mark Lefebvre for long, nothing they say will be all that surprising. But it's the FRAMING of it that matters. That building a business for YOUR situation actually makes a positive impact on your mental health and ability to keep doing what you love. I've definitely grabbed some great new ideas, too, especially from the marketing section. I'm especially loving the audiobook!

It’s just really good to be reminded of it. There is a lot of burn out in the indie author world, and it’s a good idea to keep it in mind in this crazy world and business