Newsletters & Substacks About Publishing

Yes, yes, we are inundated all the time with newsletters and substacks flying at us like confetti on New Year’s. Or at least that’s what it feels like to me. And yet, there are several I read religiously, cover to cover. I’ve learned a great deal from them. It’s possible you are familiar with some, but perhaps not the entire list below. I’m happy to share and I hope you may also glean inspiration, understanding, and clarity from them.

On Publishing – Kathleen Schmidt

This substack has both a paid and free tier and I am a fan. Her newsletters are always full of extremely useful information and insight on everything from how publicity works, to pros and cons of platform, to what moves the needle in book sales and so much more. Nearly every newsletter has me googling and taking notes. And she’s not all business. There is a very human and approachable aspect to Kathleen’s writing that makes it a pleasure to read. If you’re not subscribed, give it a shot, or just scroll through her archives.

On Agenting – Jenna Satterthwaite

This was a new one to me and was recommended by another author. Her blogs are entertaining and offer a great and very detailed view of the publishing world from both an agent’s and an author’s point of view. This blog on the lifecycle of a publishing offer was incredibly illuminating.

On Writing and the Publishing Industry – Jane Friedman

Jane is a star, and she offers two flavors of wisdom: free, and pretty cheap. The free version is a curated list of super helpful articles and advice on every aspect of writing as a craft, agenting, publishing, promotion, and more. I learned a great deal from this one. The pretty cheap version goes even further and reports on the latest news from the publishing world. One or both of these are a must if you’d like to stay abreast of publishing goings on.

On Being a Career Author – Careerauthors.com

Several authors and agents write helpful articles on everything from how to edit a draft (this was SO useful), to prompts, to marketing, and more.

Just Because it’s Beautiful – The Red Hand Files

This one is not exactly advice for the writer, except that in some ways it is. The Red Hand Files is Nick Cave’s blog site where only one thing happens–random people from all over the world ask Nick questions, and he answers. If you don’t know who Nick Cave is, he is most famous as a singer and songwriter, but he has also published novels and books of poetry. I adore his work, but that’s beside the point. He is the only one who reads the questions sent him in The Red Hand Files, and he is the only one who answers. There are no other pages or links or assistants. Sometimes the questions are silly and sometimes sublime. His answers run the gamut, but they are always deeply thought out and often beautiful. And yes, often also sublime. In one of his more recent posts, I learned about this author and his marvelous poem. I encourage you to read it. It’s not very long.

Do you have favorite newsletters or substacks you’d like to share?

Emilya Naymark

Emilya Naymark is the author of the novels Hide in Place and Behind the Lie.
Her short stories appear in the Bouchercon 2023 Anthology, A Stranger Comes to Town: edited by Michael Koryta, Secrets in the Water, After Midnight: Tales from the Graveyard Shift, River River Journal, Snowbound: Best New England Crime Stories 2017, and 1+30: THE BEST OF MYSTORY.

When not writing, Emilya works as a visual artist and reads massive quantities of psychological thrillers, suspense, and crime fiction. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family.

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