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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 |
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A note from Jane
I had lunch this week with a writing colleague in San Francisco who has worked with startups for more than 15 years. On the side, she also coaches people in the tech industry who want to write and publish. Discussion inevitably turned to AI and I mentioned how it’s an emotionally charged issue among novelists and memoirists in particular. Some writers starting their careers (and even established authors) worry that AI will ruin the publishing industry or their chances at being successful authors.
My colleague expressed genuine surprise, because her tech clients who want to write creatively express the opposite: Here’s the tool that will finally help them achieve their dreams.
I try to set aside stereotypes and expectations of either side, and consider their respective needs, wants, and difficulties. It’s entirely human to think it’s too late to achieve your dreams (or that the best times are behind you), and it’s also human to seek out the magic bullet that will remove all obstacles.
In between these poles, the work remains—AI doesn’t change that. I admire whomever is eager to do the work for its own sake when the rewards aren’t certain.
Jane
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Jane’s Electric Speed List
I am not paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.
Reusable silicone storage bags
I learned about Stashers from Tiffany Yates Martin and am sold for life. I use them for everything in the kitchen and have even been tempted to take them on trips.
You can finally change your Gmail address without losing all your stuff
After 20 years, Google is allowing users to change their Gmail address (in the US at least) while keeping everything intact—inbox history, Google Drive files, YouTube subscriptions, photos library, and more. You will continue to keep the old email address as an alias, so emails sent to the original address will still arrive at the new one. Learn more and find instructions. This capability is still rolling out to all users.
Signal Hill: Free audio magazine
This blurb from Benjamin Cannon at the Atlantic says it best: “At a time when many current podcasts are leaning heavily into video, the work of Signal Hill’s cohort of independent audio producers feels not just novel but also urgent.” They also take pitches at specific times of year. Take a look.
Small Press Insights: tracking bestsellers from small and independent publishers
Due to the dominance of big New York publishers on bestseller lists—and self-published authors on Amazon bestseller lists—sometimes it’s hard to see which independent and small publisher titles are succeeding. The Small Press Insights project by author Jim Hanas helps fix this. If you’re researching small and independent presses, this is a nice way to get familiar with some of them. (Hanas does include a handful of Big Five houses and imprints that may be considered to have an independent or literary spirit, like Farrar, Straus and Giroux.)
Online class (May 2): Turning Premise Into Plot
- Taught by: Courtney Maum
- Ideal for: Writers struggling to plot a book that will appeal to an agent or Big Five publisher
- Jane says: Courtney has continued to sell her novels and memoirs to major publishers because of her ability to turn ideas into page-turning narratives.
When: Saturday, May 2, at 12 p.m. EDT. All registrants receive the recording whether attending live or not.
Your turn: e-reader alternatives
In the last issue, a reader asked about e-reader alternatives to Kindle and Kobo. Here’s a sampling of what you said.
- My friend loves her BOOX Go 6. She reports it to be about the same size as a Kindle Paperwhite, but you can run all the bookstore apps on it, not just Kindle. She does say the Kindle app is a little bloated (starts up slower than other apps), but it works just fine; you can access your Kindle library through Amazon. —Abigail Welborn
- I’ve used a Nook e-reader since Barnes & Noble first released it. B&N offers several types depending on your reading style (paper-like versus tablet screen). You can also access Kindle, Kobo, and other reading apps via the Google Play store. B&N is good about keeping the software regularly updated, and they have several choices for covers. —Torri Weldon
- I use an iPad mini as my e-reader. That way, I can use apps from Kobo, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Libby, BookFunnel. I’m not tied to any platform. It’s small, tucks into my purse, and it’s also a tablet, so I can use it for a lot more than reading. Great for travel, too. And I’m sure my husband appreciates that I can darken the screen so it doesn’t disturb him if I’m reading in bed late at night. —Terry Odell
- I have apps on an iPad. At first my notion was to use the iPad as a travel writing device as well, but that didn’t work out. Besides the Kindle and Apple Books apps, I also have the library app Libby—access to Libby was the primary reason for getting the iPad, along with being able to access the internet if I wanted. —Joyce Reynolds-Ward
- I just bought a refurbished iPad mini (an older model, so it was cheaper) to use as an e-reader. It comes with Books, which handles EPUBs, and Preview, which is sufficient for viewing manuscript PDFs. I’ll add the free Adobe reader if I need to mark up a PDF. I downloaded Pages for Word docs and will add Google Docs if I need to. I manage my files using Dropbox and the baked-in Files app. Otherwise, the iPad only has reading apps: Libby and Hoopla for library books, Libro.fm for audiobooks, Substack for newsletters, and newspaper apps for those I subscribe to. No email, no social media, and all notifications are turned off. I love this setup! I feel intentional about reading when I pick it up, whether it’s for work or for pleasure, and it’s blissful to know that I won’t be interrupted on the device itself. —Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
Next question: Do you have a favorite toiletries bag when you travel? Hit reply and let me know.
Do you have a tools or resources question you would like me to ask all readers? Offer up your suggestion, and I might feature it.
Free resources featuring Jane
Upcoming online classes
- Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc with Lisa Cooper Ellison, April 29
- Turning Premise Into Plot with Courtney Maum, May 2
- How to Know When You’re Ready to Submit with Jessica Strawser, May 6
- How to Research Agents and Publishers Like a Pro with Jane Friedman, May 7
- Abandon Your Outline & Elevate Your Writing with Steven James, May 20
- Working with Small and Independent Publishers with Jane Friedman, May 21
- Showing & Telling with Tiffany Yates Martin, May 27
- Building Better Memoir Scenes with Lisa Cooper Ellison, June 24
- What It Takes to Sell Your Memoir (or Hybrid Memoir) with Jane Friedman, June 25
- Building a Strong Author-Publisher Relationship with Anne Trubek, July 8
- Pitch, Publish and Get Paid with Allison K Williams, July 15
Meet Jane at an event
- PurePub.ai (online), May 11–22, 2026
- US Book Show, June 2–3, 2026
- Stockholm Writers Festival (Sweden), June 13, 2026
- Midwest Writers Workshop (Muncie, IN), July 16–18, 2026
- Willamette Writers Conference (Portland, OR), July 31–Aug. 2, 2026
- Romance Writers of Australia (Darwin, Australia), Aug. 21–23, 2026
“At electric speed, all forms are pushed to the limits of their potential.”
—Marshall McLuhan
109 Dorsey St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
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