Hi friends,
I did it. I created a sales page for Bookish Pursuits.
I didn’t want to do this at first, since membership is by application only so that I can ensure a good fit. I, and other members, get super personal and share a lot of behind-the-scenes in the group, so I need to know that anyone who joins is as serious about their bookish pursuits as we are about ours. Which also means that when you join, you can be sure that you’re coming into a well-engaged community of people who actually participate and want to be there.
But, I understand the benefit of being able to see what’s in it and whether it’s the right fit for you without having to get in touch with me to get the details.
So, here they are. All the details, including pricing. If it feels like the right fit for you, let me know and I’ll be in touch. And of course, if you have any questions, hit reply on this email and I’ll get back to you within the day.
In other news, I heard from Discover magazine asking for me to send through bank details for a payment, which means my story on London’s rivers is very close to publication (finally!) This is a piece that was commissioned in August last year, submitted in December, and that we edited in April. It’s the longest I’ve ever had to wait for a story to be published. It’s put me off pitching, I have to admit. It’s bad enough to have to wait months for people to read and take on book projects; but to have to wait almost a year to see publication and payment for a 1,200-word article is beyond frustrating. Year-long lead times made sense back in 1990, but in 2021 when we’re publishing in real-time? I don’t get it.
But anyway, the glacial pace of publishing notwithstanding, I continue to work on my own speed and efficiency with the writing. I wrote almost 14,000 words in the last week effortlessly, on the side. This is really interesting because last year, even though I could average 2,000 words a day, it took conscious effort. Now, I barely notice. This is good because I’m going to need to take a break from the writing later this year. I’ve realized that my next book will be difficult to sell without a platform. And therefore, I’m going to need to devote some time to building that.
I don’t yet know how exactly I’m going to approach this. But you know me. I’ll make a plan and then attack it with everything I have.
But first– novel edits.
And maybe another short story.
More tomorrow.
Cheers,
Natasha