Newsrooms often struggle with knowing when to STOP doing things. I told myself at the 6-month mark of this newsletter, I’d evaluate if I had anything else substantial to share, and I did. At the one-year mark (this spring), I didn’t. So, I’m trying to follow my own advice and know when it’s time to go!
The last scheduled PRESS AHEAD newsletter edition will be later in May, but I’ll still send occasional updates.
This has been an illuminating — and fun — project where I’ve learned so much from all of you.
To be transparent, my goals for the newsletter when I started were:
Help journalists, especially student and early career journalists
Help me stay informed for my clients in newsrooms and students in the classroom
Exercise my writing, strategy and product muscles as well as experiment with platforms and revenue models
Give myself a deadline and monthly assignments to have a book by the end of the year
That last goal leads me to the “beginnings” part of the headline: PRESS AHEAD is now a book!
Also, for those of you reading this on Friday, May 5, go to Amazon and grab the ebook version free as a thank you for your support.
Thanks to everyone who has read, commented, posted, cheered and shared their experiences and expertise. I hope this has helped journalists just starting out in their careers as well as the veterans who’ve been at this marvelous thing called journalism for a while. 👇 A FAQ is below about the book and what’s next for newsletter subscribers.
Here’s to trained intellects, ready hands and courageous hearts for all of us as we press ahead.
— Amy
Now available in paperback or ebook at Amazon or paperback at Barnes & Noble
FAQ
I’m a paid subscriber: What happens now?
You still get access to all the “paid subscribers only” content from the newsletter, including the Career Kit: journalism-specific resume templates for interns, first job-seekers, experienced journalists; portfolio website starter kit; journalism job interview prep; and DIY Career Clinic.
You’ll also now get access to the entire archive. Most of the newsletter editions will go behind a paywall by May 15, except for the 5 Questions series and a few other pages. For anyone with a current annual paid subscription: Substack doesn’t let me default to NOT auto-renew so please take a look (you’ll get a heads up email a week ahead of time). If you want to continue with paid access to the Career Kit and archive on the site, you can renew or subscribe here, at about the same price as the ebook. Details from Substack on how to change or cancel subscriptions
I’m a free subscriber. What will I see next?
I’ll send periodic updates to free/paid subscribers, but not on a regular schedule. Anything newsworthy, a good resource, highlights from conferences, job trends/opportunities are fair game. Anything specific behind the paywall will require a paid subscription (or you might find it in the book version).
What’s new in the book? Is it a replica of the newsletter?
Edited versions of select newsletter editions fuel a chunk of the book, but with new chapters as well. Check out the book’s description for more info on topics covered. The “5 Questions” series is not included. Time sensitive material is also left out.
🐱 And, unfortunately, print and most ebook formats do not take kindly to animated gifs. So the cat gifs will live on only in the newsletter web archive and in your joyous cat-filled hearts! A cat-astrophe. I wish I were kitten, but it’s no joke. I guess no medium is purr-fect. (I had to get that out of my system.) 🙀
Where/when can I get the book? Can I gift it to someone?
The PRESS AHEAD book is available as a paperback or ebook on Amazon and paperback at Barnes & Noble. And yes, it makes the perfect gift, especially for J-school grads or student journalists!
Have other questions?
Contact me!
Thank you again for choosing me to land in your inbox for the past year!