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This is a hands-on workshop (limited to 10 students per day) with publishing industry expert Jane Friedman that lays the foundation for you to write and publish a free email newsletter that ultimately generates earnings for you in the months and years ahead. You can choose from one of two dates:

• Tuesday, Jan. 7 — sold out
• Thursday, Jan. 9 — sold out

High-level overview

• Self-study classes on email newsletters: No later than January 1, 2025, you will receive access to a recorded class taught by Jane that explains the principles of free email newsletters, as well as a separate session on paid newsletters. Regardless of which workshop you sign up for, you will get access to both self-study classes.
• Four-hour, hands-on workshop in New York City: Work with Jane as part of a small-group workshop on Tuesday or Thursday. The workshop will be held at the Authors Guild offices (near Midtown).

This intensive is all about email newsletter strategy and deriving the maximum value possible from an email newsletter list.

Many authors have a newsletter list of some kind, but they haven’t sent anything in months—even years. Some feel like their list is simply too small to matter, while others can’t think of anything meaningful to say. Others haven’t started at all since they feel like it’s too late, or there are too many newsletters already.

Despite its everlasting value, email marketing remains a missed opportunity for a lot of authors—and it’s by far the number-one overlooked tool for book sales and marketing. When authors invest in building their platform, they often prioritize social media. But social media is out of one’s control and ephemeral. Email is not. Being able to directly reach your readers, or your most engaged audience, is a powerful capability that rewards your time and investment. While it can feel difficult and slow-going to build a list (and like you’re “bothering” people with your messages), these are mindset issues that can and should be overcome.

The self-study portion of this class will cover best practices of email newsletters, how to avoid the mistakes most prevalent in the writing community, and how you can better reach your goals. Thankfully, it’s fairly straightforward to start an email newsletter, and it requires little technical know-how to begin. It doesn’t even cost you money until you have a sizable list of names (the point at which it can become profitable to you).

What about Substack?

I have a lot to say about Substack; the most important points can be found here. This intensive will help you whether you’ve chosen to use Substack or not. The key challenge with Substack is that you’ll be encouraged to think about charging for your emails. But it’s challenging to publish an email newsletter that inspires people to pull out their wallet and start paying money to receive it. One of the hardest businesses to run, in fact, is a subscription business. There’s a lot of churn: people pay once, then drop off and never return.

The honest truth? Most writers shouldn’t charge for their email newsletter. It should be free because it’s one of the most valuable marketing tools that authors have. (Jane started her free newsletter, Electric Speed, in 2009. Today, it has nearly 30,000 subscribers and is her most important marketing tool.) However, in the self-study class on paid newsletters, you’ll learn about the most popular types of newsletter content that people pay for, including how to balance free and premium content to reach readers and convert free readers into paying ones.

Marketing and promoting your newsletter is often a big question mark, especially for those who aren’t using Substack. We will cover techniques to help readers discover your newsletter, first as part of the self-study material and again in-person.

What will we do during the hands-on sessions?

• The self-study classes gives you the foundational education you need on email newsletters, both free and paid. These classes will include some questions and exercises for you to complete before you arrive to the hands-on session, so that we can hit the ground running during our time together.
• We’ll pay special attention to the sign-up forms and landing pages for your newsletter that will compel people to subscribe, as well as calls to action in the newsletter itself. We’ll look at confirmation and welcome emails, sequences, goodbye emails, and other important touch points that ensure you maintain trust with subscribers and affect long-term success.
• You’ll receive feedback on your email newsletter plan (or actual newsletter, depending on your situation), with group discussion of troublesome aspects you’ve encountered. We’ll work together to overcome any challenges you’re experiencing.
• We’ll work together on a content strategy for the months, even years, ahead.
• You’ll be part of a small cohort of other authors learning together and learning from each other. Many writers will stay connected long after the intensive is over, as colleagues, friends, and critique partners.

Who is this workshop best suited for?

This workshop is for anyone focused on free email newsletters. It will help:

• Writers of any genre or category who don’t yet have an email newsletter
• Writers who have started to build a newsletter list but aren’t sending to it
• Writers who have sent a handful of messages to their list but feel self-doubt or uncertainty about what they’re doing

This intensive is not suited for

• Writers who have years of experience sending email newsletters
• Writers who have confidence in their email newsletter strategy
• Writers who are running only paid newsletters
• Writers who plan to use their newsletter only to sell (e.g., only send “buy my book” messages)
• Writers who only want to send to their list one or two times per year (this strategy is not recommended)
• People outside of the writing and publishing community (examples, tips, and philosophy will be grounded in the long-term goals of authorship and platform building)
• People who don’t like or prefer email as a medium. Consistency and commitment is key to a successful newsletter. If you don’t enjoy writing regularly for your email newsletter, this might not be the right path for you. If you can’t even think of what to write in an email, this class may not help you. (This is a business class, not a writing class.)
• Anyone seeking to land a traditional publishing deal by building an email newsletter list. We will not discuss how to attract or pitch agents/publishers/editors with a newsletter. We will look at the value of the email newsletter for its own sake, not as a path to some other goal.

When and where the in-person workshop will be held

• Choose from: Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 (sold out) and Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 (sold out)
• Price: $149
• Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (includes 1-hour lunch break)
• Place: New York City, at the Authors Guild offices in the Midtown vicinity (wheelchair accessible); registrants will receive further information about the exact location. My utmost thanks to the Authors Guild for providing the space.

What’s not included in the price?

You will have to arrange your own travel/transportation and lodging in New York City if you require it. You will be on your own for lunch during the in-person workshop.

Refund policy

Registration fees are non-refundable. However, with approval from Jane, you can sell or transfer your registration to someone else if you wish. Alternatively, if the intensive sells out, your registration will be refunded if your spot can be filled by someone on the waiting list, less a $25 processing fee. (This directly covers our cost of payment processing fees, which are not refunded to us by Stripe or PayPal.)

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I wish I could afford this or make time for this, but it’s not in the cards! Are there any alternatives?

• Check out my free sessions on email newsletters at my YouTube channel.
• I have written at length on email newsletters here at this website.

All students receive the following

• Prerequisite online class: You’ll receive access information no later than Jan. 1, 2025. All participants receive a copy of Jane’s presentation materials, and 1-year access to the recordings.
• Access to the in-person workshop. This event will take place in New York City. There will be a break for lunch (on your own).

Event Attendance & Anti-Harassment Policy

We strive to provide an environment where all present—whether attendee or presenter—can feel supported. In order to ensure a welcoming event, here is what we expect from all who participate.

• That the presenter and the presenter’s work be treated with respect by attendees and that all attendees treat each other with respect and a generosity of spirit.
• That attendees will refrain from harassment of any sort including (but not limited to) comments or questions of a racist, homophobic, sexist/sexual, or threatening nature. This includes actions that disrupt or interfere with anyone’s ability to participate. Offenders will be asked to leave the live event and will not be refunded.