Jane Friedman
Publishing industry analyst and educator (The Business of Being a Writer) sharing nuanced insights for authors on business models, marketing, and industry trends.
Interview Deeply to Build Stronger, Structured Memoirs
Extensive interviewing is not unusual in memoir work and produces a stronger memoir. It adds depth and structure, fills in gaps, and jogs memory. Jacqueline Salmon offers examples, plus talks about additional necessities for memoir writers—a theme and a story that's bigger than you: https://janefriedman.com/the-memoir-playbook-i-wish-more-writers-knew/
Spite Drives Drafts, Revenge Won’t Write Better Books
"Some writers are motivated by a desire to 'show them' or make someone truly understand how they’ve hurt us. Spite helps motivate us to finish drafts but revenge doesn’t make good books." @guerillamemoir discusses why family might not be all that...
Most Newsletters Fail; Competition Is Easy to Beat
Just about everyone I know has jumped on Substack or otherwise started a newsletter. Most of these efforts don't amount to anything. It's not wasted time (not necessarily), but the newsletter is probably not achieving the writers' goals either, assuming they...
Student Loyalty Drives Event Success Beyond Great Teaching
The success of a retreat, conference, or event (live or virtual) depends on two things: 1. The experience participants have when they attend. 2. The number of people who want to come. And that #2 factor? It's driven by students who follow a...
Genre Guides, Not Governs: Use It to Elevate Writing
I recently wrote about the downfalls of obsessing too much over your genre. That has sparked author Andromeda Romano-Lax to argue for how genre can inspire and instruct rather than limit. Her take: https://janefriedman.com/genre-as-delight-not-dictator-how-learning-about-genres-helps-you-write-better/
Skeptical of Human‑Authored Certification for Creative Work
I feel conflicted about certifications that a work is human authored. It's not something I'd obtain for my own work. Here’s why: https://janefriedman.com/my-concerns-about-the-authors-guild-human-authored-certification-and-their-comprehensive-response/
Use Three Transitions to Preserve Reader Capital
Every time you make a jump in the story without building a bridge, you’re spending down your earned "reader capital." Author @sethharwood describes how to build three types of transition: spatial, temporal, point of view: https://janefriedman.com/build-the-bridge-3-kinds-of-transitions/
Harsh Comment Sections Teach Us to Listen and Grow
"The comment section in Huffington Post is notoriously harsh, and conventional wisdom says to avoid reading it. I write to understand, but I publish to be part of a larger conversation. Therefore, I want to listen—mostly—to what readers say. And,...
Podcast Guesting Supercharges Nonfiction Book Launch
Therapist and nonfiction author Oona Metz was a guest on over 50 podcasts prior to her book's launch. Here's what she learned: https://janefriedman.com/how-to-use-podcast-guesting-to-promote-your-nonfiction-book/
Use Principles Over Formulas to Structure Your Story
Try searching for “how to structure a story” and you'll get a panoply of instructions: Hero’s Journey Three-act structure Save the Cat Snowflake method Freytag’s Pyramid Fichtean Curve What do you do with them? Tiffany Yates Martin advises: https://janefriedman.com/base-your-story-structure-on-principles-not-systems/
Book Publicist Scams Exposed: $1800, Zero ROI
This case study in hiring a book publicity firm is both laugh-out-loud funny and highly informative. As author Kirsten Bell points out, few people share these poor experiences due to shame and embarrassment. So I couldn't be more grateful to her...
Journalistic Editing Skills Transform Book Publishing Success
Making the leap from journalism to book-length work brought one writer into contact with a new challenge: being truly edited. Lessons from @julietizon: https://janefriedman.com/how-editing-like-a-journalist-will-make-your-publishing-journey-easier/
Animal POVs Add Quirky Depth to Adult Fiction
Be forewarned, if you write fiction involving animal characters, especially for adult readers, people will likely refer to your story as “quirky.” Book coach Erin Radniecki advises on when animal POVs can benefit your story: https://janefriedman.com/embrace-quirky-5-benefits-of-using-animal-point-of-view-characters/
TV Agency Launches Book Division Targeting YA, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Recently, the LA-based TV literary agency Kaplan Stahler brought on Jillian Davis to start their book department. She focuses on authors of YA, romance, and women’s fiction. I’m grateful to Jillian for answering a few questions about the unique space she’s...