Happy Newsletter Birthday to Me
SoNovelicious turns 1 š, and I'm excited to see what the coming year holds.
Hi readers,
Iāve wanted to start a blog for several years, but I wasnāt sure what I had to say. I wasnāt an expert on much of anything, and the more I planned, the more I realized that I didnāt know enough about anything to last beyond a few posts. I was also hesitant because I didnāt know WordPress and didnāt really want to learn it. I love the end result of the beautiful WP websites I see, but I also know how much work they entail, and I knew that all of this would cause me to fail before I could even begin.
I discovered Substack newsletters several months earlier, and after reading how easy it was to start publishing, I decided to give it a whirl, and SoNovelicious was born. Books and reading have always been a part of my life, although it has ebbed and flowed. Over the last several years, books have become integral to my life and overall happiness. Maybe I did know enough about something to last beyond a few posts, after all. I just re-read the āintroductionā newsletter I wrote, and Iāve held true to what I said this newsletter would be aboutābookish things to feed a reader's soul.
My first ārealā newsletter was published one year ago today, on May 31st. I emailed two of my friends, Carol and Michele, to let them know that I had started a newsletter, and thankfully, both subscribed and continue to encourage me to this day. I emailed another internet friend that Iāve followed for a couple of years, and Mel shared my new venture with her readers, and my little corner of the internet became a community. In this community, Iāve met such wonderful readers who have added many books to my TBR. I appreciate each of you so much; thank you for being here. This newsletter wouldnāt be possible without you and the ideas from your comments that inspire future newsletters.
Not only is there a community of readers here, but there is also a community of other bookish newsletter creators Iāve come to know and admire called āBookstackers.ā You have all been helpful in so many ways. Many others have played a part in this venture, and I appreciate each of you. Thank you.
Iāve written about many different bookish things over the last year; here are a few links in case you missed them initially:
About book clubs and celebrity book clubs
My favorite bookish podcasts
Books about books, author owned bookstores, and supporting independent bookstores
Ideas to make your reading life better
Wildly creative Bookstagrammers
Iāve spent the last few weeks "brainstormingā new ideas for SoNovelicious, and Iāve come up with several Iām excited to share with you. Iāve got a few new regular monthly features beginning in June that Iām over the moon about and canāt wait for you to read. I think youāll enjoy them as they dig deeper into the bookish goodness that youāve come to know from this newsletter.
You are the BEST readers in the world. You like and comment on each newsletter, and you often share SoNovelicious with your bookish friends; I couldnāt do this without you. I appreciate you, and thank you so much for being here. It would be really boring just to be writing to myself. Iāll be back on Friday with Nibbles & Bits, Vol. 2, about a book that some readers say ājumped the shark,ā but I disagree. Happy reading!
Happy Newsletter Birthday to Me
Happy Birthday!!
Happy birthday and congratulations, Gayla! I'm so glad we connected via Substack. I love reading your newsletter, and knowing you.