This is an awesome gesture of kindness and generosity. We are an ecosystem dependent on one another for survival and "thrival." Such good news. And the coolest thing that Cassie's outreach helped you look inside and see the big-hearted, talented YOU. Thanks for sharing!
ah, Sari! I admire you and all you've built so much--and it is all so serious to me. I can't tell you what a yes from you feels like from writers too, they all want to be a part of what you're doing. And this is all so sweet of you to say, thank you. It's been my pleasure every step of the way!
So cool. I love hearing stories like this, which restores my shaky faith in people. So many of us, writers and readers alike, love your publications and take them very seriously. Thanks to both you and Cassie.
Hey, if our success (you + me made that essay notable of mention!) edified you, I’m proud of us! :) It did the same for me. Love you and take you VERY seriously, my friend.
I love reading about both her kindness and your reaction to it.
I know better—I swear I do—but I often envisage every other writer I admire waking up cheerfully, settling into an ergonomic chair in their beautifully appointed office, and sitting down to work. Nobody has imposter syndrome, nobody has self-doubt, everyone believes in what they’re doing without question, and after four hours they have salad for lunch. Then they work for the rest of the day, devoid of self-doubt, breaking only to do 45 minutes of cardio.
The writers of my imagination are very organized and happy and none have self-loathing.
So. Reading this helped me a lot, even though I want to throttle the person who made the crack about mimeographing and summer camp. How dare they!
You deserve the generosity Sari! You’re a force and a wonderful inspiration to us all. I hope you’ll let us know when you get a bite! And Cassie’s generosity is also inspiring. We are going to need kindness and a tight net of community to see each other through.
Love this and hard relate — when my book “Our Brave Foremothers: Celebrating 100 Black,Brown, Asian, and Indigenous Women Who Changed the Course of History” came out on Workman/Hachette last year, I was so disappointed to see they did no media PR at all; just micro-influencers on social (no conversions!)
I had four disappointing, bait-and-switchy encounters with PR people. One charged me $200 to tell me her services would cost me $18k over six months minimum (and chided me when I said I couldn’t afford that) and the other ghosted me, after I’d sent her four books (including my self-published journals). Another never followed up with me after our first call (I probably hinted I didn’t have tens of thousands of dollars). And the fourth promised a connection to Oprah for $5k! Yeah, right…
Word of mouth is the best PR, but asking (getting) folks to promote you is even harder than asking them to pay attention to you promoting yourself. 🙃
Glad an act of kindness came your way, and here’s hoping it makes a huge difference 💪🏽❤️
I get this, but after decades of working as both a book publicist and author, I can say it’s the same person no matter the role. And many of us put in lots of unpaid time in causes we believe are good and useful. Luck with your book. And, I review them for free on my blog, notanotherbookreview.blogspot.com
I love your work Sari: you introduced me to Substack and many other writers speaking of our path into aging. It’s hard to promote ourselves even though we are pleased about our achievements. Belief in ourselves is important, as you concluded.
This was so interesting, Sari! To think that someone dismissed what you have created here in that way. I was incredulous - in this day of alternative media this and alternative media that you have created two publications with strong communities and brilliant content in a noisy media environment. You've done it by focusing on the subject and writing that you connect with and understood would connect with many others. On the other hand, if that is what it took to own the seriousness and quality of your work, then maybe there is a silver lining there. Its great that you have a publicist like Cassie who actually volunteers to help you! It's a real gift for sure.
What I read in this, Sari, is that you are writing about older people, mostly women, and clearly our society and hence the publishing industrial complex, does not take elders seriously. From the time I discovered your many amazing offerings, including exemplary memoirs, elder interviews, your essays, interviews with recovering people with the Bow, and all the rest, I've felt Oldster, in particular, worthy of many prizes. Those prizes might not yet exist, but I hope many are coming your way. Who else is championing the life stories and feelings of such a cross-section of creatives? When you write about your own life, as you are here (maybe drop the scare quotes from "Journalism" as well), I savor every word and how well you express your thoughts and feelings.
This is an awesome gesture of kindness and generosity. We are an ecosystem dependent on one another for survival and "thrival." Such good news. And the coolest thing that Cassie's outreach helped you look inside and see the big-hearted, talented YOU. Thanks for sharing!
<3
ah, Sari! I admire you and all you've built so much--and it is all so serious to me. I can't tell you what a yes from you feels like from writers too, they all want to be a part of what you're doing. And this is all so sweet of you to say, thank you. It's been my pleasure every step of the way!
Thank you, Cassie!!! 😭 🙏 💝
So cool. I love hearing stories like this, which restores my shaky faith in people. So many of us, writers and readers alike, love your publications and take them very seriously. Thanks to both you and Cassie.
Thanks, Mike. Yes, this restored my faith, too. :)
Hey, if our success (you + me made that essay notable of mention!) edified you, I’m proud of us! :) It did the same for me. Love you and take you VERY seriously, my friend.
😭 Thank you, Carolita!!! And likewise!!! xoxoxoxox
I love reading about both her kindness and your reaction to it.
I know better—I swear I do—but I often envisage every other writer I admire waking up cheerfully, settling into an ergonomic chair in their beautifully appointed office, and sitting down to work. Nobody has imposter syndrome, nobody has self-doubt, everyone believes in what they’re doing without question, and after four hours they have salad for lunch. Then they work for the rest of the day, devoid of self-doubt, breaking only to do 45 minutes of cardio.
The writers of my imagination are very organized and happy and none have self-loathing.
So. Reading this helped me a lot, even though I want to throttle the person who made the crack about mimeographing and summer camp. How dare they!
Thank you.
I like the way you think, Elizabeth. 💝
You KNOW I couldn’t love this more!!! Congrats and may your genius be celebrated far and wide!
<3 <3
You deserve the generosity Sari! You’re a force and a wonderful inspiration to us all. I hope you’ll let us know when you get a bite! And Cassie’s generosity is also inspiring. We are going to need kindness and a tight net of community to see each other through.
Thank you, Natalie. <3
So glad you followed up and you are taken VERY seriously, Sari!
Thank you, thank you, Jolene! Looking forward to publishing you soon.
Love this and hard relate — when my book “Our Brave Foremothers: Celebrating 100 Black,Brown, Asian, and Indigenous Women Who Changed the Course of History” came out on Workman/Hachette last year, I was so disappointed to see they did no media PR at all; just micro-influencers on social (no conversions!)
I had four disappointing, bait-and-switchy encounters with PR people. One charged me $200 to tell me her services would cost me $18k over six months minimum (and chided me when I said I couldn’t afford that) and the other ghosted me, after I’d sent her four books (including my self-published journals). Another never followed up with me after our first call (I probably hinted I didn’t have tens of thousands of dollars). And the fourth promised a connection to Oprah for $5k! Yeah, right…
Word of mouth is the best PR, but asking (getting) folks to promote you is even harder than asking them to pay attention to you promoting yourself. 🙃
Glad an act of kindness came your way, and here’s hoping it makes a huge difference 💪🏽❤️
I get this, but after decades of working as both a book publicist and author, I can say it’s the same person no matter the role. And many of us put in lots of unpaid time in causes we believe are good and useful. Luck with your book. And, I review them for free on my blog, notanotherbookreview.blogspot.com
I love your work Sari: you introduced me to Substack and many other writers speaking of our path into aging. It’s hard to promote ourselves even though we are pleased about our achievements. Belief in ourselves is important, as you concluded.
Thank you so much for your kind words about my work, Janice! Glad to hear you enjoy it. <3
This was so interesting, Sari! To think that someone dismissed what you have created here in that way. I was incredulous - in this day of alternative media this and alternative media that you have created two publications with strong communities and brilliant content in a noisy media environment. You've done it by focusing on the subject and writing that you connect with and understood would connect with many others. On the other hand, if that is what it took to own the seriousness and quality of your work, then maybe there is a silver lining there. Its great that you have a publicist like Cassie who actually volunteers to help you! It's a real gift for sure.
Thank you, Elizabeth, for the kind words, support, and encouragement!
So uplifting, Sari. Kindness and belief from others can change our lives.
Truly!
Forget the honorable mentions—did your camp newsletter have awesome t-shirts? I THINK NOT.
😂
What I read in this, Sari, is that you are writing about older people, mostly women, and clearly our society and hence the publishing industrial complex, does not take elders seriously. From the time I discovered your many amazing offerings, including exemplary memoirs, elder interviews, your essays, interviews with recovering people with the Bow, and all the rest, I've felt Oldster, in particular, worthy of many prizes. Those prizes might not yet exist, but I hope many are coming your way. Who else is championing the life stories and feelings of such a cross-section of creatives? When you write about your own life, as you are here (maybe drop the scare quotes from "Journalism" as well), I savor every word and how well you express your thoughts and feelings.
I’m so touched, Kirie. Thank you. 🙏🏼💝
Dig this. It was a heartwarming piece to read.