How can you build a long-term author career with multiple streams of income? How can you use technology for the grunt work and not the fun part of writing? Kevin J Anderson gives his tips.
In the intro, has TikTok gone dark? [AP (https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-trump-executive-order-1e95d9836bf6f8c0c245ed1c3234d968) ]; BookVault is expanding printing to Australia (https://bookvault.app/exciting-news-bookvault-launches-local-printing-in-australia/) ; GPSR, the EU’s new General Product Safety Regulation [Self-Publishing Advice (https://selfpublishingadvice.org/gpsr/) ]; CreatedByHumans.ai launches in partnership with The Authors Guild for AI data licensing [Publishing Perspectives (https://publishingperspectives.com/2025/01/ai-rights-for-authors-created-by-humans-launches/) ]; Simon & Schuster launches audio-first imprint featuring content from self-published authors [Publishers Weekly (https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/96813-s-s-launches-audio-imprint-simon-maverick-helmed-by-jason-pinter.html) ].
Plus, 7 Steps for How to Write Non-Fiction [Reedsy Live replay (https://blog.reedsy.com/live/write-non-fiction-book-in-2025/) ]; Publishing predictions for 2025 [Draft2Digital’s Self-Publishing Insiders (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qfVf5h67xw) ]; Creative and life challenges with me and Orna Ross [Self-Publishing with ALLi (https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-creative-challenges/) ]; Death Valley – A Thriller (https://www.jfpenn.com/deathvalley) , coming in March!
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Kevin J. Anderson is the multi-award-winning and internationally bestselling author of over 190 books across different genres, with over 24 million copies in print across 34 languages. He’s also the director of publishing at Western Colorado University, as well as a publisher at WordFire Press, an editor and rock album lyricist, and he’s co-written Dune books and worked on the recent Dune movies and TV show.
You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app (https://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/) or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below.
Show Notes
• Adapting throughout a 40-year author career
• The importance of having a Plan B when the industry changes
• Incorporating AI into your dictation process
• Utilizing AI to do the grunt work, not the fun work
• Publishing timeline restrictions with traditional publishers
• Tips for running a Kickstarter in 2025
• Finding a market for short stories
• Meeting reader expectations and delivering on promises
You can find Kevin at WordFire.com (https://wordfire.com/) and buy his books direct at WordFireShop.com (https://wordfireshop.com/) .
Transcript of Interview with Kevin J. Anderson
Joanna: Kevin J. Anderson is the multi-award-winning and internationally bestselling author of over 190 books across different genres, with over 24 million copies in print across 34 languages.
He’s also the director of publishing at Western Colorado University, as well as a publisher at WordFire Press, an editor and rock album lyricist, and he’s co-written Dune books and worked on the recent Dune movies and TV show. So welcome back to the show, Kevin.
Kevin: It’s been too long, Joanna. We should do this more often.
Joanna: Oh, yes. Well, you’ve got so much going on. So we’ve gone into your background before, so we’re going to jump straight in. This, being in the author business a long time, is incredible. Tell us. You just told me about a big milestone.
Kevin: It was the new year, so I was just kind of doing my year round up and everything, and I realized that my very first professional publication was in January 1985, Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. So that means —
40 years I’ve been a professional author.
Joanna: Wow.
Kevin: So I look back, and it was 1995 when I quit my day job, and I have been a full-time ‘earning all my living by writing stuff’ for 30 years. Which, I don’t know if I live frugally. No you’ve met my wife, I don’t live frugally. I’ve just been at it for a long time.
My gosh, it’s not like doing the sam…