How to Turn a Hurtful Comment Into a Humorous Money-Maker
Plus edited pitches & other ways to improve your writing business
Hi and happy August!
How to Turn a Hurtful Comment Into a Humorous Money-Maker
You may have seen author Jeneva Rose (or possibly her hilarious husband) on TikTok. You might have read one of her popular books, such as “The Perfect Marriage.” Or maybe you haven’t heard of her yet.
Regardless, I think you may appreciate a bit of her story.
In December 2022, Jeneva posted a TikTok of herself (humorously) reading an email from a man named Scott. Rather than wishing her a “merry Christmas” or “happy holidays” or complimenting her book, he wrote harsh comments such as “glaring mistakes,” “massive logical holes,” “I wanted to smack my forehead,” and “this was the worse book I’ve read.” And, he’s continued to send her emails like this one, suggesting she quit writing, among other (mean and unnecessary!) comments.
Yikes.
(Side note: Jeneva also got some tough feedback trying to get this book published—check out the last bullet point under “Encouragement” for that story!).
Now, the video has over 387K views, 38K likes, and is one of 44 funny videos in the “Scott Saga” collection on her TikTok page.
But that’s not the best part. In May, she posted a video about bookmarks an Etsy creator is selling. They look like the cover of her book “The Perfect Marriage,” except they say “Sorry Scott” and “His review is negative. Jeneva quitting literature is his only hope.” (You can buy them on Etsy here.)
Hilarious, amirite?
But here’s why I share the story: Jeneva turned a slew of mean emails into a piece of her brand. It gave her content ideas for TikTok (in which she probably makes some extra money, both from people finding out about her books and from TikTok itself). She taught ~haters~ that what they say won’t bother her. She made a huge inside joke for her readers. And, she now gets to promote her success (tables full of her books, potential movie adaptions, and more) with jokes about how Scott wouldn’t be happy. (See the aforementioned Scott Saga collection for that.)
Isn’t this an awesome way to respond?
Easier said than done, most definitely, but a good example, an inspiration. This is one of many ways you can turn something negative into a positive (or at least a neutral) thing so it doesn’t hurt so much.
What are other ways you can do this?
Another New Resource: Examples of Edited Pitches
As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, the Examples of Edited Pitches resource is now live on my Ko-Fi shop!
It’s a document with 3 anonymous pitches I edited. Once you buy the document, you’ll be able to see all the comments and suggestions I left. Hopefully you learn something from it!
Better yet, it’s only $3! You can check it out here.
Writing/Freelancing Tips
An understandable explanation of Medium’s new changes + next steps to take
How to organize all your work/income streams/to-do list items
Pitch Calls
GENERAL NOTES FOR THE PITCH CALLS BELOW:
If the story is about a marginalized community, you probably need to be in that community to write the piece.
Mentioning my name in your pitch won’t help, unfortunately!
Who Pays Writers can be a helpful site to get an idea of how much publications pay.
Pitch calls:
Writer Jobs
Writing/Freelancing Resources
Medium Day, a virtual conference, on Aug. 12 (you need to register at that link!)
Resources as cheap as $10 that helped me grow my freelance “business”
Encouragement
“You’re doing a great job” article
A major author’s book received critiques and rejections, but is now huge
My Articles + Updates
My editor was super happy with this article I wrote about what TikTok’s “girl dinner” trend gets right and wrong when it comes to social issues, nutrition, mental health, and more. Her feedback made my day!
My first article for Parade is live! It’s called “Dentists Are Begging You to Ditch a Super-Popular Product—Here’s Why”
I love sharing people’s stories, so I wanted to share this Yahoo piece I’m proud of called “What It’s Like to Seek Out IVF as a Plus-Size Woman.”
Always down to report on clients’ FAQs re: therapy/therapists, which I got to do for HuffPost here!
My (Affiliate But Also Genuine) Recommendation This Month!
Disclaimer: Since these links are affiliate links, I may make a little money if you buy the product using my link. There won’t be any extra charge to you, though!
“Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer” by Roy Peter Clark: When people ask me where I got the most useful writing tips, I tell them my feature writing class in college, in which we read this book. In other words, I highly recommend this if you want to improve your writing, at any level! You can buy it on Bookshop here (to support independent booksellers!) or Amazon here.
Want More? Here Are Other Ways I Can Help
Don’t forget about my approved pitches document and Medium guide and coaching/editing services and writing checklist set and worksheet packet for writers (NEW!)
More of my content: (1) my writing Twitter // (2) my portfolio // (3) my resource set // (4) my newsletter with tons of writing jobs and pitch calls // (5) my Instagram (NEW!)
NEW: Not sure if I can help?
Here’s an abbreviated version of what Anggun, one of my coaching clients, said:
“I’m so lucky to stumble upon Ashley’s free resources on Medium because when you just started, everything seems very confusing. I ended up booking a coaching session with her and purchased other resources from her ko-fi shop. It’s honestly the best decision I’ve made. It helped me learn how to pitch properly. I’ve worked with several publications so far…I highly recommend checking her shop as she got everything you need!”
(BTW, my Ko-Fi shop is here!)
This newsletter is free, but if you’d like to donate, my Venmo is @AshleyBroadwater, my PayPal is paypal.me/aebroad, and my CashApp is $ashleybroadwater3 :) A huge thanks to donors!
NEW: I can also accept money through Zelle! My email is ashleybroadwater346@gmail.com. I believe that’s all the info you need!
That’s all for now! Thanks for reading this month’s newsletter. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions :)