A note from Jane
For the last six months, I’ve been preparing for the launch of the second edition of The Business of Being a Writer. A friend asked me if that was particularly challenging right now, because of the politically charged social media environment and growing distrust of big-tech platforms.
In fact, none of that has had an effect; my plans have not changed. I’m relying on my preferred business pillars: email newsletters, online teaching, and in-person events.
- The book-related email series has already been successful; on the day of its launch in October, my book became the No. 1 bestseller for writing reference on Amazon based on pre-order volume.
- In March, the book will formally launch to the writing and publishing community at AWP, with a panel and later a signing at the University of Chicago Press booth.
- In April, the book will launch to the greater public as part of a free event at the Mercantile Library in Cincinnati. I’ll be discussing the current state of the publishing industry, including industry upheaval related to AI, social media and TikTok, and more.
There are many ways to successfully launch a book. That sounds obvious and basic, but I don’t think enough people truly grasp this. Certainly I could’ve chosen to take a social media–centric approach. But that doesn’t suit my priorities, and I would not really enjoy it (especially right now). Others might strategize differently and we could both be smart in our approach.
Part of my book’s purpose is to teach exactly this lesson: business savvy isn’t about executing a formula or doing a bunch of things you dislike, but having self-awareness about what you want to achieve, then deciding for yourself the best path forward given your strengths and assets (and, sometimes, the current environment).
Jane
ISSUE SPONSOR
Is Your Book Cover Helping You Sell—Or Holding You Back?
Readers judge books by their covers—does yours compare to the bestsellers in your genre, or fall short, making readers assume an inferior book? Damon Freeman, creative director of Damonza, with over 12,000 covers designed and experience working on many NYT bestsellers, offers a FREE expert review to ensure it meets the standards readers trust and love.
Sponsorships support Electric Speed. Learn more.
|
Jane’s Electric Speed List
I am not paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.
Mostly public domain image search
One of the folks from Recomendo, Mark Frauenfelder, has put together a clean, easy-to-use portal for conducting a public domain image search. Try it.
For your consideration: don’t say just hello in chat
When I saw this, it was a moment of instant validation. It perfectly explains why certain chat or text messages cause me temporary frustration.
I paid $12 to import all of my tweets into Bluesky
I used the service Blueark to do this after I saw Grammar Girl use it successfully. You must share your Bluesky password with Blueark (which some may not be comfortable with), but I have no regrets—I changed my password after the import was finished. My X/Twitter account is still around, but I don’t use it.
Why Bluesky? I discussed this several months ago, but I’ll reiterate it here: I like how easily I can customize my Bluesky feed to mute words/threads/topics I don’t want to engage with on social media. Bluesky also doesn’t throttle the reach of my posts when they contain links, which is a big deal these days. (Most major platforms limit the visibility of outbound links.)
Here is my Bluesky profile. Here is the Starter Pack I created if you're new to Bluesky and want to follow people in the publishing industry.
My husband’s best albums of 2024 🎶
It typically takes Mark a little longer than everyone else, but he’s put together his annual list of best albums you have not likely heard before—unless you already follow him. He is dedicated to highlighting contemporary artists who reside outside the bounds of easy genre classification. I know writers especially can appreciate that. 🤓
Establish or Improve Your Email Newsletter / Feb. 6, 2025, 1–2:30 p.m. EST
Hosted by Writer’s Digest: Despite its everlasting value, email marketing remains a missed opportunity for a lot of authors—and it’s by far the number-one overlooked tool for book sales and marketing. When authors invest in building their platform, they often prioritize social media. But social media is out of one’s control and ephemeral. Email is not. Being able to directly reach your readers, or your most engaged audience, is a powerful capability that rewards your time and investment.
This 90-minute class will cover best practices of email newsletters, how to avoid the mistakes most prevalent in the writing community, plus the pros and cons of using the popular newsletter platform Substack.
Your turn: cookbook recommendations 🍳
In the last issue, I asked for your favorite cookbooks or books on cooking that also tell stories. Here’s a selection of what you said.
- As a former longtime cookbook publisher, I could provide an extensive list of wonderful and worthy list of authors, chefs and food writers … However, one might start with Cross Creek Cookery by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings who wrote The Yearling. After all, good writing and good cooking make for a good read. —Jamscon
- If you don’t get dozens of people recommending Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin, I’ll be shocked! Her writing voice is warm, friendly, a little bit bossy, and very New Yorky. I can’t imagine reading this book without wanting to cook every recipe and without wishing you and Laurie were besties. —Leslie Pietrzyk
- The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas has nothing more than line drawings but the pictures she puts in my head? The lava-cracked drive from the airport in Iceland at 5 a.m., how to dip buttermilk rye bread in a kettle where a savory boiled meat is slow cooking, the appearance of hundreds of loaves of Finnish black bread, like large flat bagels, strung up on poles in bakeries, the array of treats (and order in which you eat them) over a four-cups-of-coffee full-blown coffeetable (her spelling) are the visions I carry everywhere. I have not traveled enough but I am shocked I haven’t been to any of these countries. Baking is more than a blue tin of months’ old butter cookies! —Kimberly Olson Fakih
- I love Michelle Lopez’s Weeknight Baking book! She breaks down the recipes into easy steps over the course of a week, and often times she shares why a specific recipe or type of recipe is in the book, and she shares how she was the resident baker at her office job for many years. It’s a good one! —Tracy Erler
- Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South by Vivian Howard: Culinary storytelling with 250 recipes celebrating the flavors of North Carolina’s coastal plain by the star of PBS’s A Chef's Life and Somewhere South. Part cookbook and part memoir, it’s packed with delightful stories, beautiful photographs, and recipes that make your mouth water. —Denise Wolf
- Manna Cafe and Bakery Cookbook by Barb Pratzel: Manna was an unassuming husband-and-wife-owned cafe in a strip mall in Madison, Wisconsin that sadly closed in 2020, largely due to the pandemic. Any meal, bakery item, or coffee was prepared with the best ingredients and was uniquely delicious. Learn about their beginnings as a bed and breakfast and so much more. My fav: gluten-free triple lemon cake! —JK
- Hands down The Lost Kitchen and Big Heart Little Stove by Erin French. Never have I wanted to curl up in a cookbook more while simultaneously booking a trip to Freedom, Maine. —Lauren Chronister
- I stumbled on Molly O’Neill’s New York Cookbook when it was first published over 30 years ago, but I cook recipes from it all the time, and gift it often, too. Being a born-and-bred New Yorker, the title intrigued me, but what compelled me to buy it were the stories and recipes from some of New York’s most iconic people and places. … You can find any food you can think of, from knishes to jerk chicken. The recipes are understandable and delicious. My favorite is the Fig & Prosciutto Stuffing. —Jenifer Vogt
➡️ 🧑🏻🍳 I was so overwhelmed with responses that I can’t run them all here, but I have compiled them all online. Browse all responses!
Next question: Reader Kirsten Fogg wants to know what nonfiction book has really changed the way you live or create? Hit reply to this message, or head over to Discord to share.
Do you have a question you would like Jane to ask all readers? Offer up your suggestion, and she might feature it.
Free resources featuring Jane
Upcoming online classes
Meet Jane at an event
- AWP Conference & Bookfair (Los Angeles), March 26–29, 2025
- My book launch event: Mercantile Library in Cincinnati, April 8, 2025
- ECPA Leadership Summit (Nashville), April 29–30, 2025
- Marketing Before and After the Book Deal (Reisterstown, MD), May 10, 2025
- AI and Publishing: The Technology Is Here to Stay. So Now What? (Reisterstown, MD), May 17, 2025
- NonfictioNOW Conference (Notre Dame, IN), June 11–13, 2025
- Midwest Writers Workshop (Muncie, IN), July 10–12, 2025
- Craft & Publishing Voyage (cruise ship!), Aug. 27–Sept. 3, 2025
“At electric speed, all forms are pushed to the limits of their potential.”
—Marshall McLuhan
109 Dorsey St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Unsubscribe · Update your profile