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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 her book, summarized the parts that most resonated, then asked open-ended, inquisitive questions about her journey.

Kay held up this email as proof that if she could just get her book into the right channels, or in front of the right people, it would sell and change lives.

I found the email incredibly tidy. And what felt really odd were the questions. I didn’t understand why an appreciative reader would ask questions that seemed most appropriate if you were writing a book report or an advertorial.

Right then I searched for the sender’s name and immediately found a LinkedIn post from a professional editor warning that a fraudster was impersonating her and trying to scam authors out of money. I showed the post to Kay and told her my theory: someone was using AI to make it sound like they had carefully read the book.

The next day, Kay told me I needed to broadcast a loud warning about scams. So that’s what I’m doing. AI has unfortunately accelerated all kinds of writing and publishing scams, plus scammers will impersonate people you know and trust, including me.

Be careful out there.

Jane

P.S. Most popular post this month:

Why Fictionalize Memoir?

Bob Eckstein

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Jane’s Electric Speed List

I am not paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.

Alternatives to Submittable

Submittable is a service used by literary magazines, contests, and other organizations to streamline the submissions process. I once used it when I worked at VQR and know how expensive it can be for cash-strapped publications. Recently, I read about viable alternatives in the market. It’s a valuable overview, and anyone who needs a submissions management system should take a look. H/t Lit Mag News

Generate “clean” links for sharing

Every day, I’m sharing links—it’s probably the most frequent thing I do on social media or in a newsletter. But most links come with a lot of tracking and affiliate baggage that I prefer to clean up. Finally I installed a browser extension that does it for me. I’ve probably just saved myself 15 minutes a day with this one extension.

For color lovers: Colorfle

This is the sort of game I love to watch my husband play: guess the make-up of a given color by picking three other colors from a palette. It’s kind of like Wordle, but with colors. I’m a disaster; my husband is not. Play Colorfle. H/t Dense Discovery

Understanding the Anthropic settlement, which involves about 500,000 books

In the most recent issue of my publishing industry newsletter, The Bottom Line, I explained the ins and outs of the $1.5 billion Anthropic settlement to compensate published authors for piracy. The article was sent in full to paid subscribers, but here’s a work-around link for readers of Electric Speed. You’re welcome to share it with writers who need the information.

Don’t know what the Anthropic case is? Here’s an explainer from the Authors Guild.

Effective Book Marketing for Any Author with Jane Friedman. $89 webinar hosted by Writer’s Digest University. Thursday, September 25, 2025. 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

Effective Book Marketing for Any Author with Jane Friedman / Sept. 25, 1–2:30 p.m. EDT

Hosted by Writer’s Digest: Whether you’re traditionally published or self-published, every author must give some thought to book marketing. 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: raincoat recommendations 🌧️

In the last issue, I asked for raincoat recommendations and boy did you all deliver. Thank you! Here’s a selection of what you said.

I’ve had the Woman Within Dot Trim Raincoat for 4 years. This coat is a dream to wear and comes out of the washer and dryer looking brand new. I wore it all over Paris and Europe in 2023 and it still looks like new. Lightweight, never wrinkles, and my husband liked that the bright red made me easy to spot in crowds. But they have other colors too. —Deborah Raney
You didn’t say what activity you are doing in your rain jacket, but if it’s hiking, camping, or mountaineering, here’s the best shell I’ve seen [Arc'teryx]. Yes, expensive but you’ll never be wet again and you’ll never buy another shell. —Richard Dooling
My raincoat is London Fog, with its traditional cut. I chose the taupe with the zip-in lining. It has served me well. With its timeless design, aside from a fading coffee stain on the lapel, which I sustained twenty years ago, it still appears to have been made just one year ago. This coat has traveled frequently throughout the country and a few other countries as well. The color goes with everything, and the lining makes it warm enough for snowstorms. I still love it. I still use it. —Terri
I bought a Stutterheim raincoat and boots before a trip two years ago. Their products are cute but more importantly, I’ve stayed dry as a bone through long walks in both drizzle and downpour. Highly recommend! —Kate Forristall
My first new raincoat in 25 years is stylish enough for city streets and practical enough with its cinch hood to withstand a downpour. It served me well in Dingle last fall, including a ride on Fungie, often supplemented by a slim fleece jacket underneath for added warmth: North Face Women’s City Breeze Rain Jacket in Medium Grey Heather to hide any travel grime. —Margaret Morse
I bought a green floral raincoat and a trenchcoat with a bird pattern several years ago from Boden. They have nice enough ones currently but the prices have gone up quite a bit. And I prefer the previous versions. If you enjoy quirky patterns and florals and are open to buying on eBay or Poshmark, you can still find their more classic versions. I get complimented all the time when I wear mine. —Mary O’Donohue
I love my Rains raincoat. It’s totally waterproof, even the seams, looks great, feels lovely and you don’t get too hot and sweaty in it. —Sam Parsley
Barbour. English brands make the best raincoats for “oh i could go chase some ducks” to “reading in a bookstore on a rainy day” vibe. Driza-Bone, Australian brand. Keeps you “dry as a bone” lol. —Dee Kawai Tang