A note from Jane

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The older I get, the more I seek out second opinions.

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Recently I needed to find a new orthodontist to make me a replacement retainer. My usual solution for these problems is a Google search. I browsed orthodontists based on website quality (personal quirk of mine), proximity to my home, and seeming openness to my situation.

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I thought my retainer request would be relatively straightforward, but the first orthodontist I saw outright refused to make me one. She thought I had a host of problems and she wasn’t going to be responsible for making them worse. She wrote a letter to my dentist explaining all the things that I needed instead of a new retainer.

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I left with great anxiety and a dentist appointment, wondering what had just happened.

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But after a day passed, I gathered my wits, canceled the dentist appointment, and looked for other orthodontists in town.

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Long story short, I’m getting a new retainer just as I had originally envisioned. The second orthodontist thought that preserving the status quo in my situation was just fine. And so did I.

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Jane

P.S. Most popular blog post this month: Researching the Right Agents for You​

​Bob Eckstein​

ISSUE SPONSOR

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.)

Looking for an alternative to Substack?

I’m not saying you need or want an alternative, but this question has been in the air lately. If and when you have a desire to switch services, I’d take a look at Buttondown if you’re looking strictly for an email newsletter service. If you need something that’s more like email newsletter + website, I’d consider Ghost. However, neither solution is free. (Another contender is Beehiiv, but Beehiiv is highly leveraged. The other two are not.) Need an in-depth analysis? I trust this source.​

Google Podcasts is discontinuing—now what?

Google Podcasts will go away by the end of this year; they are pushing users to listen to podcasts as part of YouTube Music. If you would rather find another podcast app, a listserv I belong to suggests Hark as one option. Or, review others recommended by The Verge.

A free and open-source resume builder

Looking for a new job this year? Time to dust off your resume or CV? I recently learned about Reactive Resume, which can import data from LinkedIn. No tracking or ads! H/t Tech Productivity​

Best music of 2023 + discover new music

Every year, my husband, Mark, spends countless hours deciding what he considers the best albums of the year. Most of the artists he chooses you probably haven’t heard; he has eclectic taste. Browse his list and discover new music.​

NEXT ONLINE CLASS

Jan. 13: Write Compelling Query Letters for Novel & Memoir with Jane Friedman

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The query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only: to seduce the agent or editor into reading or requesting your work. Jane has edited more than 5,000 query letters during her career—her industry experience gives her exceptional insight into what agents and editors see all the time, and what will or will not be memorable. Learn the best practices of query writing for novel and memoir, so that you can submit your work with confidence.

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Your turn: new-to-you authors

In the last issue, I asked you to share a new author (new to you) that you discovered in 2023. You delivered! Here is a selection of what you had to say.

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• Susan Emshwiller, Thar She Blows. A tender and funny tightly written novel about a mother in search of her teenage misfit son who has been swallowed by a whale. —Anne Anthony
• I have recently been given a copy of Chasing the Monsoon by Alexander Frater. Written in the 90s, it follows his tracking of the monsoon season from one end of India to the other. Funny, descriptive, sad and insightful, especially when dealing with the myriad of bureaucracies. This man can write. —Robert Mountford
• I am devouring Mick Herron. I love the Apple+ series Slow Horses, so decided to read the author’s original creation. Wow! I would pay serious money to sit through a seminary taught by Herron on the creation of spot-on metaphors and similes, and his use of humor is enviable. And because I just found her, I want to praise Elle Cosimano’s fast, funny, and happily improbable murder thrillers, the first of which is Finlay Donovan Is Killing It. Highly recommended. —Charlotte Hunter
• I’d like to recommend The Keeper: Soccer, Me and the Law that Changed Women’s Lives by Kelcey Ervick. This graphic novel covers a lot of ground. Kelcey’s experience as a goalie playing for her near championship high school team, her rediscovery of the sport after abandoning her interest in it, a history of women’s soccer, a meditation on Title IX and her journey as an artist. She handles it all with aplomb and I found the book fun to read and fascinating. —Dan Bailes
• The author I discovered recently is Abraham Verghese. I read The Covenant of Water and then immediately turned around and found Cutting for Stone. I’m absolutely gobsmacked by the level of medical and cultural detail of his stories. Highly recommend. —Lani
• The new-to-me author that comes to mind is Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races. A annual horse race set on an island isolated from the rest of the world, but the horses are sea horses? Yes, please! That sent me down a Maggie Stiefvater rabbit hole and to end 2023 I have also read Bravely, her sequel to Disney’s animated film Brave, and the first three books in The Raven Cycle series. —Tracy Erler
• I think Mai Nguyen, author of Sunshine Nails, is one not to miss. Her debut about a Vietnamese-American family who owns a nail salon and whose business/entire livelihood is threatened when a new salon opens up across the street was one of my favorite reads of the year. Her prose about the family and culture was so spot on. It was funny, raunchy and filled with strong & relatable characters. I really hope she writes more books! —Hoang Samuelson
• Adrian Tchaikovsky. I haven’t found myself enjoying reading much for the last several years, with a couple of exceptions. Tchaikovsky had been the biggest. I’ve read three of his books so far, and for some reason he’s got me feeling very involved in a way that’s become uncommon. No one author is for every reader, but I would definitely suggest him to anyone looking for a fun sci-fi/fantasy. —Elizabeth King

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​Browse the full and fascinating list!​

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Next question: For those who like to color, sketch, or illustrate on a daily basis: What is your favorite coloring pencil kit, or similar, that travels well? Hit reply to this message, or head over to Discord to share.

Free resources featuring Jane

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• Jan. 11: 2024 Publishing Predictions (live stream) with Mark Coker, Joanna Penn, Dale Roberts, and Orna Ross
• Jan. 21: Developing Your Author Brand (live webinar)
• Podcast: Publishing Talks interview with David Wilk

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Upcoming online classes

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• ​Compelling Query Letters for Novel/Memoir with Jane Friedman, Jan. 13
• ​Analyze Story Like an Editor with Tiffany Yates Martin, Jan. 24
• ​10 Steps to a Nonfiction Book Proposal with Jane Friedman, Jan. 27
• ​Pitch, Publish and Get Paid with Allison K Williams, Feb. 6
• ​Establish/Improve Your Email Newsletter with Jane Friedman, Feb. 8
• ​Find the Memoir Structure That Works for You with Lisa Cooper Ellison, Feb. 21
• ​How AI Is Changing the Writing World with Jane Friedman, March 3
• ​From Anxious to Savvy: How Every Author Can Build a Lifetime Book Marketing Foundation with Jane Friedman, March 23
• ​Literary Citizenship with Jane Friedman, April 11

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Meet Jane at an event

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• ​Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop (Dayton, Ohio), April 4–6, 2024
• ​Craft & Publishing Voyage (cruise ship!), April 28–May 5, 2024
• ​Write to Publish (Chicago), June 11–14, 2024

“At electric speed, all forms are pushed to the limits of their potential.”
—Marshall McLuhan

Created by Jane Friedman I report on the publishing industry and help authors understand the business of writing. Connect on LinkedIn | Instagram | Discord​ P.S. I have a paid newsletter, too.

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