Hello!

Welcome to my newsletter. I’m fantasy author Jodi Meadows. I’ve written a ton of books, by myself and with cowriters. Some are New York Times bestsellers. One is being made into an Amazon Prime Video show. Many have starred reviews from trade reviewers, plus honors like Indie Next selections, Junior Library Guild selections, and ALA Best Books of the Year, and other honors and awards.

I spend a lot of time in front of my computer.

But what is this newsletter for?

Right now, I have three segments. One for news and updates. One for writing and publishing discussion. One for yarn, because I really like yarn and sometimes I want to talk about it to people who aren’t my cats.

• News and updates: This will be information about what I’m working on, book releases, sales, TV show adaption updates, and so on.

• Writing and publishing: Sometimes I like to talk about writing. And publishing. This is basically exactly what it sounds like. Feel free to ask questions and request topics.

• Knit night: As I said, I really like yarn. I learned how to crochet when I was a teenager. I taught myself to knit in my early 20s (I wanted to make socks). I taught myself how to spin shortly after that. And now I’m learning how to weave.

You can adjust the kinds of emails you get from me. Just click the button below.

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Why subscribe?

With more than a dozen published books and over a decade in the industry, I can speak authentically about the ups and downs of writing and publishing. I’ve cowritten six books, read query letters/manuscripts for a literary agent, mentored authors, written edit letters for writers, led workshops, and more. My books have hit the NYT bestseller list, received starred reviews, as well as Indie Next List, Junior Library Guild Selection, and ALA Best Books of the Year.

Wow, that makes me sound like I’ve got my life figured out, doesn’t it? Hah!

Anyway, when you subscribe, you get:

• An honest look at the life of a full-time author.

• Writing advice.

• Clear talk about the publishing industry (from the perspective of an author).

• News on new releases.

• Updates on appearances and events.

• Information on sales and giveaway opportunities for my books.

• Occasional recommendations, books and otherwise.

• Cat photos.

A few popular posts from my archives you might like

• Understanding author money

• So you want to cowrite something

• What happens when you aren't your publisher’s Chosen One

• Get a hobby

• How to write a query letter

• Writing at the speed of publishing

• Why it works: Fourth Wing

Why upgrade to paid?

Most of my subscribers are here for the writing and publishing section, which is great! I think it’s important to help educate authors so they can better advocate for themselves — and understand what is “normal” in this industry. I am committed to sharing free, honest posts about real life as an author.

However, those posts aren’t free for me to write; they take time away from my paying work. Paid subscribers make it more sustainable for me to continue sharing the free content with all my readers.

When you upgrade to paid, you also get:

• Sneak peeks about upcoming books and what I’m working on.

• Occasional Deep Thoughts. (Stuff I want to talk about but doesn’t fit in any of my established categories.)

• Q&A will be open to you.

• Book/show/movie/game “reviews.”

• Priority topic suggestions.

• Access to the full archives of this newsletter.

• Bonus cat pictures, probably.

• My undying gratitude.

My plan is to have an additional post each month for paid subscribers. I might add to this in the future, as I figure out what I like doing and what I’m willing to share. If you have suggestions, I’m ready to hear them.

I’ve set the prices at the lowest Substack will allow — $5 a month, $50 for a year, and $100 (or whatever) for a “founding” membership, which is an extra step up and I have renamed “unicorn level” because anyone who chooses that option is an actual unicorn. Right now, I don’t have any plans for that tier, but there could be extra posts for those readers in the future.

Want to look at previous paid posts? Check out the Extra Special section.

Other ways to support me

If you’d like to support me (thank you!), please purchase one of my books. They’re available from Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other retailers.

You can also request them at your local library.

Leaving reviews is also a significant help to authors, particularly reviews on retail sites, particularly on Amazon.