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Janefriedman Review

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Should I use Janefriedman?

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· 1 week ago

This is not a software product — it's the personal blog and newsletter of publishing expert Jane Friedman. Writers can follow her for free; anyone shopping for a tool should look elsewhere.

Confidence

High. Based on ~40 public sources; the page is a personal expert site, not a software product, so no alternatives or company-fit lists apply.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNot applicable — content site
  • Feature depthNot applicable — no features to assess
  • Support qualityNo evidence reviewed
  • Security postureNo security page found; personal blog

Pricing

Free

Electric Speed newsletter

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Books, courses, webinarsPaid; example $100 live webinar

Best for

  • Aspiring authors planning a publishing path
  • Writers comparing traditional vs self-publishing
  • Industry watchers tracking publishing news

Not for

  • Teams shopping for software tools
  • Buyers expecting SLAs, support, or integrations
  • Anyone needing security reviews or a product roadmap
  • People wanting tooling — it's education, not software

Gotchas - check before you buy

low

No product pricing page; costs appear only for books, courses, webinars.

low

Newsletter runs on third-party platforms (Kit, Substack), not owned infrastructure.

low

Security page absent — normal for a blog, but no published data practices.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Deep expertise: 25+ years in publishing, former Writer's Digest publisher.
  • Free newsletter covering publishing industry trends and tools.
  • Respected books, including The Business of Being a Writer.
  • Widely used Publishing Paths chart maps self, hybrid, and traditional options.

Cons

  • Not software — a personal blog; nothing to deploy or integrate.
  • No security page found on the site.
  • Paid extras: books, courses, and roughly $100 webinars.
  • One-person content site; no product support or roadmap.

Sources & method

- 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x5review x3security x1news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Free newsletter; low-cost books and webinars
  • Ease of use. Not applicable — content site
  • Feature depth. Not applicable — no features to assess
  • Support quality. No evidence reviewed
  • Security posture. No security page found; personal blog
  • 25+ Years in publishing Working in the industry since 1996
  • 22,201 Facebook followers 235 talking about this
  • Free Newsletter price Electric Speed, via Kit

Pricing

Electric Speed newsletter

Free

  • Publishing industry reporting
  • Tools and services coverage

Books, courses, webinars

Paid; example $100 live webinar

  • The Business of Being a Writer
  • Live book proposal webinars

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

Full analysis

Based on ~40 public sources; the page is a personal expert site, not a software product, so no alternatives or company-fit lists apply.

Not software — publishing expert Jane Friedman's blog and newsletter. Read it free; don't shop it as a tool.

Methodology

Based on ~40 public sources; the page is a personal expert site, not a software product, so no alternatives or company-fit lists apply.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Jane Friedman — Reporting on the Publishing Industryjanefriedman.com
    official
  2. About Jane Friedmanjanefriedman.com
    official
  3. The Key Book Publishing Pathsjanefriedman.com
    official
  4. Electric Speed newsletter post (Kit)jane-friedman.kit.com
    official
  5. Reddit AMA: former publisher of Writer's Digestreddit.com
    review
  6. The Business of Being a Writer – A Book Reviewannejanzer.com
    review
  7. Jane Friedman on Goodreadsgoodreads.com
    review
  8. Jane Friedman on Facebookfacebook.com
    news
  9. Security page scanjanefriedman.com
    security
  10. Substack note: $100 book proposal webinarsubstack.com
    official

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