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Jane Friedman

Goodreads Author

Born

in Evansville, Ind., The United States

Website

http://janefriedman.com

Twitter

JaneFriedman

Genre

Nonfiction, Reference

Member Since

May 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/janefriedman

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I've worked for 25 years in the publishing industry and have a special interest in how the digital age is transforming writing careers, publishing, and storytelling. Rather than taking a dark view of how the Internet era has affected writers' livelihoods, I'm more interested in how revolutionary change can inspire new business models, and how authorship will ultimately evolve. I believe history is on the writers' side: they've been sustaining their careers in ever more innovative ways since the era of Gutenberg. Furthermore, I don't think that business and art must be at odds—I believe they can inform and push each other to flourish.

I sit at the intersection of several communities, which gives me a 360-degree view of the changes now shaping ...more

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Jane Friedman’s books

Average rating: 4.29 · 2,042 ratings · 446 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Business of Being a Writer 4.40 avg rating — 935 ratings — published 2018 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing by Peter Ginna (Editor), Jonathan Karp (Contributor), Gregory M. Britton (Contributor) 4.16 avg rating — 837 ratings — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Publishing 101 4.22 avg rating — 247 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business from the Ground Up by Joe Biel, Jane Friedman (Goodreads Author) (Foreword) 4.46 avg rating — 121 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How to Publish Your Book 4.29 avg rating — 119 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition 4.74 avg rating — 54 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beginning Writer's Answer Book 3.71 avg rating — 42 ratings — published 2006 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Future of Publishing 4.48 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Write Your Novel in 30 Days 4.27 avg rating — 11 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Boulevard Nos. 92 & 93 by Stephen Dixon, Joyce Carol Oates, Amit Majmudar 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Jane Friedman…

2445 posts
Jane Friedman's Blog: Jane Friedman

The Big Mistake That Keeps Writers From Finishing a Novel

Image: a wilting sunflower sags on its stalk

Photo by fr0ggy5 on Unsplash

Today’s post is by novelist Dr. Zena Ryder.

If you belong to any online groups for writers, you’ve seen it. A writer shares a passage of their writing, then it’s critiqued in a thread, which can stretch to dozens or even hundreds of comments. Some nice, some not so nice. All you can do is hope the writer is neither crushed nor overwhelmed.

Sometimes they’re just seeking a

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Jane’s Recent Updates

Jane Friedman wrote a new blog post The Big Mistake That Keeps Writers From Finishing a Novel Photo by fr0ggy5 on UnsplashToday’s post is by novelist Dr. Zena Ryder.If you belong to any online groups for writers, you’ve seen it. A writer shares Read more of this blog post »
17 hours, 10 min ago · like
Jane Friedman rated a book it was amazing How to Reform Capitalism (Essay Books) by The School of Life	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 07, 2026 02:45PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How to Reform Capitalism by The School of Life. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How to Reform Capitalism by The School of Life <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jane Friedman has read A People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business from the Ground Up by Joe Biel	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 23, 2025 03:01PM · like
Jane Friedman has read The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition by Jane Friedman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 23, 2025 03:01PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition by Jane Friedman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition by Jane Friedman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Jane Friedman (?)

“Marketing is not what lures a writer to this pursuit. Marketing is the adversary that arrives smuggled inside the Trojan Horse of one’s creative impulse.”
― Jane Friedman

17 likes

“No one avoids writing like writers.”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer

2 likes

“Social media activity can draw on the same creativity and imagination as your "serious" work. Ideally, whatever you post connects back to the motivations and themes that drive your writing. The most important thing you can do on any social network is to share things you care about—to express something meaningful rather than dutiful. Never throw up a link or a photo without giving the story behind it, or explaining why it matters to you. People crave meaning.”
― Jane Friedman, The Business of Being a Writer

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See all Jane Friedman's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

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2026 Reading Chal...: Jack's '15 Read Books	38	105	Dec 30, 2015 10:00AM
Goodreads Authors...: AI is coming for your book	8	134	Feb 25, 2024 05:14AM

Jane’s Quotes

“The miracle is this - the more we share, the more we have.”
― Leonard Nimoy

144 likes

Jane’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-14) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 14: by James

May 30, 2013 01:02PM

Hi Jane,thanks for adding me as a friend,I enjoy the Writer's Digest magazine

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message 13: by Douglas

Feb 14, 2012 08:46PM

Thanks for friending me, Jane... looking forward to checking out your list! Can always use them in this new age of social media marketing!!!
Cheers and Happy Valentine's Day!
Douglas

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message 12: by Sara

Feb 14, 2012 06:17PM

Thank you for the friendship, Jane! Your Twitter links are excellent.

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message 11: by Shelley

Jan 11, 2012 08:47PM

Dearest Jane,
How I admire your command of the sentence. You savour them. All the volumes and volumes of work you have had to do to be able to write like fresh cream and the first dandelion in a jelly jar. And now this challenge to expand the writing life into the ether. I'm both grateful and humbled to be your friend. Perhaps we'll meet some day in the physical world. I'd like that.

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message 10: by Shirley

Nov 29, 2011 09:22AM

Thank you for adding me. I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts.

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message 9: by Jodi

Nov 29, 2011 05:49AM

Thanks for the add, Jane :)

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message 8: by Leon

Sep 04, 2011 12:52PM

Thanks for adding me as a friend,

Leon Shure

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message 7: by Margaret

Mar 04, 2011 05:04PM

Well, hey, hullo, and hi, Jane. Check my profile. We're a match, sort of. I am truthfully not very good at keeping up with all of this. I spend most of my time writing stories and books, but I do the best I can. Thanks for being my friend.

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message 6: by Jonas

Dec 22, 2010 10:43AM

Thank you for the add, Jane.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Daryl Sedore

[image error]

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message 5: by Steve

Aug 16, 2010 04:01AM

Jane, you gave me the link (okay, I remember thanking you for that *smiling*) and I'm only just thanking you for being my first friend on here. Sincerely, thank you -x- It was a lovely & thoughtful gesture -x-

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message 4: by Mike

Aug 08, 2010 06:12AM