How Kelly Jensen uses Buttondown
Kelly uses her newsletter as a space to discuss important national and local library issues, book censorship, mental health, and writing.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
I'm a senior editor at Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America. I cover everything related to books and reading, but I've specialized in coverage relating to libraries, young adult literature, book censorship, and literary activism. Prior to that work, I was a public librarian in Illinois and Wisconsin. I specialized in working with teens, but I worked with everyone, from birth to seniors. I ran a popular book blog, STACKED, for several years, which was my "foot in the door" to Book Riot.
What do you write about in your newsletter?
I launched a newsletter because I wanted a space where I could discuss books, reading, and libraries, while also having the freedom to write about other topics that interested me. What ended up happening was that my newsletter became a space where I could talk about topics that were more niche than I tend to write for work–so, I can talk about specific library issues in Illinois (where I live), for example, or I can write about the ways censors have targeted my own books and make it more personal. It's been a space where I've been able to talk about mental health, politics, writing, and more.
Buttondown's ease of use, as well as its ability to do all of the transferring of my newsletters and subscriptions over so that I could focus on the thing I care about–writing!–were major sells.
Where did you first learn of Buttondown, and what made you decide to give it a try?
I wanted a place where I could write a newsletter and not feel like I needed to do a million other things to reach an audience. I don't need video or podcasting abilities, and I don't need my newsletter to be part of a social media network. I do enough of all those things for work already. I wanted out of Substack. Buttondown's ease of use, as well as its ability to do all of the transferring of my newsletters and subscriptions over so that I could focus on the thing I care about–writing!–were major sells. I've been super happy. Buttondown's customer service is outstanding.
What are some ways Buttondown has helped you run your email?
I'm doing this solo, and I don't want anything high-tech or high-pressure. Buttondown is literally writing an email and sending it out to subscribers.