Hello and happy festive season! Writing this to you (in the past now) from Redchurch Townhouse where I booked myself in for a solo night, which was my Christmas present to myself. The gift of silence, alone time and a luxurious bathrobe before the Christmas mayhem ensues.
I wanted to say a huge thank you for being part of The Hyphen before I log off for the year. Wishing you a restful holiday season and a wonderful start to 2025. (I love New Year. The clock chiming at midnight, the flurry of texts from loved ones, the feeling of a fresh start, a brand new diary and a chance to put anything that no longer serves you to bed etc.)
I’ve had a really good year on Substack. Over 38,000 of you open my Sunday Scroll round-ups every other weekend (my curated lists of what I’m reading/watching/listening to.) Although I don’t know the exact future of this platform, I know I absolutely love having a place to write regularly. The Hyphen is the 5th most-read literature newsletter globally—with thousands of paying members and growing. Substack isn’t mainstream yet by any stretch and many people (PRs/publishers/people online) still seem to care more about Instagram followers, but I am solely focused on growing my newsletter and writing my books.
I published 104 articles (mostly behind a paywall), plus a mini podcast series and hosted a Substack event/meet up; I gained 30k+ new free subscribers this year(!) and my revenue from subscriptions remained stable. Who knows what 2025 has in store, whatever happens I’m excited and ready. (And in April, my new novel Table For One comes out! And lots of fun Women’s Prize stuff!)
Growing a community of curious readers is the goal of this space. I send most emails to my paying members which you can access if you are on that membership list.
Over the past (nearly) three years, this newsletter has become my job. I’m a professional writer and author who believes words have value. To really get the most from this newsletter, it’s worth upgrading.
Every now and again, I do a little experiment and offer a discount so you can upgrade and receive all the best bits, if you want to take advantage and jump in. For a few hours, I’m offering you a year’s access for £20. (I won’t be offering as many discount rates in 2025 so get it while it lasts.)
In case you’re new around here, a little intro: I’m Emma Gannon, a writer of fiction and non-fiction and I host creativity retreats all over the world. I am currently working on my 9th(!) book, which will be published in 2026. I also have a new novel coming out next year, and I’m as excited as ever to keep writing about creativity, publishing, wellbeing, travel, and keeping our JOY alive in this mad world.
My friend Selina and I have a word for this new type of Internet forum: ‘snuggly’. Instead of passively scrolling, it’s about feeling connected. There are no adverts, no looping videos, no trolls. It’s pretty great. This is because the real stuff happens behind the paywall.
Three favourite things I’ve posted lately to my paid subscribers:
If you do join the membership and want to say hello, please do introduce yourself here! I love reading them. We connect weekly about all things wellbeing, writing and doing work that we love. It’s my favourite corner of the Internet and I’d love to invite you in.
See you in 2025! <3
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