156 #WhenFansPay

It's hard enough to start a subscriber email. But what if--like freelance writer Lyz Lenz, who has two books coming out in the next twelve months--you asked your fans to pay for it? It's so crazy, it might just work.Hello from the Mom 2.0 conference, where Jess and I just did a panel on Launching a Speaking Career. More on that in an upcoming episode--but meanwhile, this one's a real thought-provoker. Most of us struggle with what's a good use of our time in our writing careers. We've talked a lot about the value of an email subscriber list when it comes to selling books and sharing your work--but what if the email is your work, or becomes a way to share your work? Journalist Lyz Lenz (https://lyzlenz.com/) uses Substack (https://substack.com/) to share a largely subscriber-only email (https://lyz.substack.com) with a group of readers/fans whose financial support has helped to carry her through the ups and downs of a freelance career. Other links mentioned in the episode: Lyz Lenz's Contently (https://lyzlenz.contently.com/)Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, Roxane Gay (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062413512)Ann Friedman's Newsletter (https://www.annfriedman.com/weekly)#AmReadingHeavy: An American Memoir, Kiese Laymon (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501125652)Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love, Dani Shapiro (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781524732714)Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, Erik Larson (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307408877)Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, Mark Bowden (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780802144737)The Last Stone: A Masterpiece of Criminal Interrogation, Mark Bowden (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780802147301)#FaveIndieBookstoreLyz Lenz's fave is Next Page Books (http://npbnewbo.com/) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "Bart knows all the local gossip and has always been a great supporter of my work." Find out more about our guest, Lyz Lenz, here (https://lyzlenz.com/) —and check out the first of the TWO books she's working on this year, God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss and Renewal in Middle America on IndieBound. (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780253041531)This episode was sponsored by Author Accelerator, the book coaching program that helps you get your work DONE. Visit https://www.authoraccelerator.com/amwritingfor details, special offers and Jennie Nash’s 2-tier outline template (the one KJ swears by).Find more about Jess here (http://www.jessicalahey.com/) , and about KJ here (https://kjdellantonia.com/) .If you enjoyed this episode, we suggest you check out Marginally, a podcast about writing, work and friendship (https://www.marginallypodcast.com/) . This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe