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[Week 27] The final word: There is no formula for art or business
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You are receiving Jane Friedman’s self-study class, How to Earn a Living as a Writer. This is the final email in a series that began on October 11, 2024. Week 27: There is no formula for art or businessThis summer marks my 11-year anniversary of running my own business full time. The more experience I gain, the more confident I become, not least because it has opened my eyes to the number of poorly run businesses. These are in the majority, in fact. Why? So many reasons. First, just as there is no formula for creating great art, there is no formula for creating a great business, despite what some business books might claim. Second, terrible business practices surround us, but they get adopted because people think that (1) if they’re so common, they must be the “right” way to run a business, and/or (2) they must work because they’re so common. Building a meaningful and sustainable business requires one thing: a vision. That vision is specific to you and what you want to accomplish or change in this world. Running a profitable business should not require you to compromise your values or engage in acts that are antithetical to your creative work. Instead, your business should reflect your values, and your actions should reflect the qualities of your work. Your business is more likely to prosper when people perceive alignment in words and action, as they do in other areas of life. I can’t tell you exactly how to run your business, just as I can’t tell you how to run your life. It’s not only a personal thing, it’s a creative thing. In the end, I hope this is what you remember from this series. A live Q&A for subscribers of this seriesJoin me for an “Ask me Anything” Zoom session on Saturday, May 31, at 1 p.m. Register. This session will not be recorded. I will not be mentioning this special Q&A session anywhere else. That means you will not find it listed on my website or in other email newsletters I send. It is only for you. But if you would like to invite other people to join, you’re welcome to share the registration link however you wish. Still need to order a copy of the book? Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble What’s next?You will not receive any further messages in this series (nor will I automatically add you to a different email list), so here’s how to stay in touch with me.
Deciding to write and publish this series has been the most rewarding activity I’ve undertaken in support of the new edition of my book. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. The lesson archive will remain available on the web until the end of April, then I will take it down, so read or copy anything you might have missed by April 30. Opportunities to meet me in-person
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Jane Friedman: newsletters for writers & creative people
More than 40,000 people receive my newsletters. My most popular newsletter, Electric Speed, sends every two weeks. Subscribe to Electric Speed and get a free list of my favorite digital tools.
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 My mom has smoked all her life, and I’ve always hated the habit. As a kid I used to plead with her to stop and even hid her cigarettes on one occasion. (That did not end well.) Over time, I stopped begrudging her the habit. In fact, during those rare moments when she tried to stop, I felt anxious. She didn’t engage in...
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 changes in publishing have surprised me? And what hasn’t surprised me? That was one of several great questions asked at my book launch event at the Mercantile Library in Cincinnati last week. Like most people, I vividly remember what I get wrong. So it was easy to talk about that. In the early 2010s, I believed...
You are receiving Jane Friedman’s self-study class, How to Earn a Living as a Writer. New lessons release every Friday through April 18, 2025. Browse the archive. Today (April 11) is the deadline to pre-order a signed copy of the book! Order here. Week 26: Balancing the art and the business One of the most difficult questions to answer directly or succinctly: How does one balance the art and the business of writing? The short and unsatisfying answer is that everyone is different. What is...