Electric Speed is a biweekly newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. Sign up here.

A note from Jane

The best quality books are not the ones that typically sell.

The most talented writers are not always well known.

The worthiest information rarely spreads the farthest.

Or: The cream does not necessarily rise to the top.

This is a message I repeat across my classes and writings, not to discourage people, but to reassure. It applies to matters great and small.

It took me months of intensive research to find accurate information on a health issue. I spent seven years looking for political reporting that made sense to me. And it took a decade to uncover good curly hair products.

In so many cases, whatever I’m looking for has been around for years. But it’s almost never the first answer, source, or solution I’m presented with.

As Samuel Beckett said: Fail better.

Jane

P.S. Most popular blog post this month: Add a Listening Pass to Your Editing Arsenal

Bob Eckstein

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Jane’s Electric Speed List

Here are some of the latest things I’ve discovered. (I am not paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.)

Help Every Reporter Out

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) has long been recommended to authors and experts as a way of getting known and quoted by journalists. But years ago, HARO was sold to a PR software corporation, Cision. Now the founder of HARO has started a new effort to replace what Cision has ultimately taken away. See Help Every Reporter Out.

Clone your own voice for audio production

Recently, one of the biggest US publishers, HarperCollins, announced a partnership with AI voice company ElevenLabs to publish audiobooks of backlist titles using synthetic voices. These are titles that would not otherwise be released into audio because of the expense.

ElevenLabs technology is available to the general public as well. You can generate speech in multiple languages using voices in its library, translate content with automatic dubbing, and clone your own voice. You can try it for free, but once you surpass 10 minutes of audio per month, you have to pay. Take a look. Yes, ElevenLabs pays attention to abuse and has safety protocols.

Reaching those tough knots: neck, shoulder and upper back

For years I’ve had an Acumobility Ball on my desk to relieve tightness and work out knots in my neck and shoulder area. They come in varied levels of pressure. Easy to pack on a trip, too.

Everyone loves Four Thousand Weeks

Four Thousand Weeks is a book by Oliver Burkeman that I have not yet read, but I’m starting to feel like I have read it because so many people I trust and admire have been quoting it. It’s about time management, sort of—learning how to embrace your limitations and focus on what counts. (Four thousand weeks: the expected amount of time a human exists on this planet.) Whether you read the book or not, you can enjoy Burkeman’s perspective in his newsletter, The Imperfectionist. (H/t Paul Wesselmann)

Effective Book Marketing for Any Author with Jane Friedman. $89 webinar hosted by Writer’s Digest University. Thursday, May 9, 2024. 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

NEXT ONLINE CLASS

May 9: Effective Book Marketing for Any Author with Jane Friedman

Hosted by Writer’s Digest: Whether you’re traditionally published or self-published, every author must give some thought to book marketing. But given how fast tools and techniques change, and how hard it is to attract attention, it can be challenging to figure out what’s worthwhile to focus on. Few authors truly lack marketing opportunities; most lack sufficient focus and patience to pursue those opportunities, or feel overwhelmed by the task and end up doing nothing at all. This class helps authors first focus on the foundation of any book marketing campaign—the book itself and its target readership—and offers a framework for developing a strategy and approach that’s appropriate for your strengths and current abilities.

Your turn: in the freezer 🥶

In the last issue, I asked you to share what you always keep stocked in the freezer. I received more responses than I can share, so here’s a selection of the more unusual items.

I always keep frozen cranberries. Chopped up they add zing and color to (almost) any baked treat. When I had a dog I always kept blueberries frozen. They worked really well when my dogs ate something disgusting and it was causing issues at either end of the dog. For a dog that will eat ice cubes, storing them in ice cube trays was efficient. —Eudora Watson
Souper Cubes! I received one of these as a gift and love it. I have the 1-cup size. It freezes four individual cups of soup, pasta sauce, or broth. I call my freezer my homemade soup vending machine; I am able to quickly heat up yummy soup for lunch in portion sizes. I gift these to everyone now. —Cynthia Morris
Edamame! The Costco ones come individually-portioned for a quick, healthy snack. —Kelly Turner
I always keep a good dry gin in the freezer, because a well-built martini is a badge of civility. —Tom Bentley
My freezer always has ice cream (of course), and I also have bags of cooked and seasoned taco meat. On those nights when I can’t even, it’s a quick way to get dinner on the table. —Pam Farley
Herb Butter Bombs: I stuff as much minced fresh herbs as I can (parsley, mint, chive, tarragon, lemon balm) into softened, unsalted butter. Picture herbs just held together by a bit of butter. I spoon it into silicone ice cube trays and freeze it, then release the cubes into plastic bags, date, and throw back into the freezer. It’s a good way to use up different bits of leftover herbs to add a quick flavor bomb to grilled fish, roast chicken, vegetables, risotto, a dip, or a substitute for mayonnaise on a sandwich. I keep it in a small bin with frozen cubes of pesto, grated citrus rinds, harissa, and 1-inch knobs of peeled ginger. —Alex
We lived in Europe for seven years and the search for ice—for our sodas, for iced tea, for an adult beverage in the evening—was a daily event. While traveling, we were always on the lookout for a convenience/grocery store that sold ice. They were few and far between. Many times, like in the heat of the Viennese summer, we bought ice from the restaurant where we had dinner. Another time, the only place to find ice was at a McDonald’s. We were fortunate that the on-duty manager spoke decent English and was very kind. Growing up in America where (seemingly) everywhere sells ice, we were surprised at the effort required just to get a few cubes of frozen water. Because of all that effort, we think of our time in Europe as “The Ice Capades.” So now, we always keep a lot of ice in our freezer. —Scott Gilbertson

Next question: Is there a YouTube channel you follow and recommend? Hit reply to this message, or head over to Discord to share. (I spend the most minutes on the Carumela channel because of its terrific videos meant for cats.)