This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on April 21st, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.
One year ago, I launched my newsletter!
My first email to my list went out on April 22nd, 2022. Technically, I've sent out 47 missives since then; at the start, I was writing every other week.
I wasn't sure, when I began this project, whether I would stick with it. I wanted to, but...maybe it would be too time-consuming. Or maybe no one would be interested in hearing from me all the time. Or maybe I'd simply get bored, or run out of ideas.
I am pleased to report that none of the above came to pass. My list of subscribers isn't huge, but it is loyal. People respond, when I write something that resonates. And honestly, I really enjoy writing each edition.
My newsletter isn't just a place for me to share publishing news (and to beg for Amazon reviews...). It also asks me to reflect, once a week, on some aspect of my work or my life that merits a deeper dive. What am I meditating on, in terms of my writing, my career, my work ethic, my free time, my family, my hobbies? What feels meaningful in this particular moment? Is there something I need to write out in order to work through? Is there something I can offer others who might be in the same boat?
I mentioned, in my very first newsletter a year ago, that I used to blog. I always enjoyed it. As I suspected it would, my newsletter has filled that space in my writing life. I could have themed it—book promotion only, or writing tips, or being a working parent, or maintaining a work-life balance, or or or or or—but instead, I chose to keep things open-ended. The newsletter is about all of those topics, and more, whenever each feels relevant. It's for my readers, and for aspiring writers, and for my friends and family, and for anyone else who finds what I have to say interesting. I hope that its open-ended-ness is a strength.
Regardless, I am grateful to each and every subscriber. Let's leap into Year Two together.
~Kathryn
What I'm:
Reading: I finished Carrie Soto is Back. Then, I read Curtis Sittenfeld's newest book, Romantic Comedy, about a comedy writer on a sketch show who falls in love with one of the celebrity hosts. On my way home, I read Trish Doller's Off the Map, about a girl with epic wanderlust falling for a guy who has always dreamed of seeing the world, but has chosen stability instead. And once I was back in Brooklyn, I read Corey Ann Haydu's spectacular middle-grade novel One Jar of Magic!
Writing: MarcyKate and I are thinking about our proposal for a second Science & Strange book, a sequel to The Thirteenth Circle. It's been so fun to work on the sample chapters, and I can't wait to do more with the idea.
Listening to: The soundtrack to "Daisy Jones & The Six." It's one fictional classic rock earworm after another!
Loving: My author trip in April was so successful. I talked to so many kids and sold so many books. Here's a shot of me at the new indie bookstore in my hometown, Neighborly Books. I sold out of copies of Class Critters at my event there, but they've ordered more, so keep them in mind for your online order needs!
