Known to many in the indie author community for his website and blog, The Book Designer, Joel Friedlander passed away on May 7, 2021, after over seven years of living with cancer. He is survived by his wife and son. Many lovely tributes were posted on his Facebook profile as news spread. Earlier this year, he sold The Book Designer site to Chandler Bolt, founder of The Self-publishing School.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
