Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane What’s the worst that could happen? This is a common reassurance offered to people who risk rejection and it’s well intentioned. Don’t let fear get in the way, what do you have to lose by trying, that sort of thing. But the question has become a rhetorical one instead of a question meant to be answered. And this can...
28 days ago • 5 min read
Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane Recently I had a meeting with an author (I’ll call her Kay) who published a business memoir and wants better visibility and book sales. She brought a file folder thick with notes and printouts, and pulled out a reader email she’d saved. It was the type of email most authors love to receive: someone had carefully read...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” —William James Since the last issue, I’ve received an avalanche of favorite quotes in response to the reader question. The William James quote above is one of my favorites, and I was reminded of it this month when visiting Dingle, Ireland, once home to Fungie the...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane Do you ever receive compliments that make you realize something has gone wrong? Sometimes people compliment me on how quickly I respond to emails, but if that compliment comes through too often, it’s a sign I don’t have my priorities straight. I don’t want to die with people praising me for email responsiveness. For...
2 months ago • 6 min read
Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane Strong businesses don’t happen by accident. So when I encounter one I admire, I’m always digging underneath. Whose vision is driving it? My favorite restaurant in Cincinnati is Mid-City. From the moment I first walked in, I felt like a friend. The food and drinks are excellent, but now I go just as much for the vibes....
3 months ago • 6 min read
Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane One dream I often hear expressed by writers is that they’d love to open a bookshop. It sounds lovely, doesn’t it, to spend all day surrounded by books and talking about books? But do you like dealing with inventory management? Who will you order from and how often? How will you decide which books to stock? What should...
3 months ago • 6 min read
Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane Recently I attended a showing of Sundance Shorts, seven short films chosen as standouts by the Sundance Film Festival. My favorite by far was We Were the Scenery, about a couple who fled Vietnam by boat in 1975 and ended up in the Philippines as refugees. In the first minutes of the film, I was expecting nothing but...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane The last time I bought a new car was in 2003. The process was rushed and not well-considered. This year, my husband and I began thinking about a new car purchase with no urgency attached. For me, it felt like an opportunity to do things right and not repeat 2003. After some weeks of test driving (it was hard to make a...
4 months ago • 6 min read
Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane “There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life.” —Alain de Botton Some of my new business cards carry this quote on the reverse side. It addresses a frequent question I’m asked: how to balance writing, business, and the rest of life. Maybe I look like I have it all...
5 months ago • 6 min read