Start Here to Learn About Humor Me
An overview of what to expect and links to some popular posts and resources
Welcome to Humor Me, a newsletter run by me, Julie Vick, (a humor writer with work in places like New Yorker Shouts, McSweeney’s, Real Simple, and the notes app of my phone).
What to expect from this newsletter:
Two emails a month including:
One monthly links roundup with things that have been making me laugh (including books, shows, and short-form humor) as well as writing-related resource links (with things like industry news and submission opportunities). It’s like Oprah’s Favorite Things, but funnier.
A second email with deeper dives into book/freelance/humor writing topics
I also have a section for humor writing challenges that is opt-in only. The challenges run once or twice a year. If you want to opt into that section, you can do so here:
Some past posts worth checking out:
Humor writing:
Freelance writing:
An example of a successful essay pitch.
Tips on publishing funny personal essays.
A pitching guide to over 40 pubs (this one is a bonus for paid subscribers but you can gain access to it if you sign up for a monthly membership at $5 a month. And yes you can just sign up for one month and cancel after a month for access). Another paid subscriber bonus is this collection of successful pitches.
Book publishing:
My (somewhat successful) attempts to promote my book on TikTok,
A list of things I did to market my book and how well they worked.
Reasons why this newsletter might not be right for you:
You don’t like seeing an occasional typo or broken hyperlink. I’m trying my best to proofread and avoid these, but it’s a one-woman show over here so sometimes they will slip through. (Also, the typos are how you know this is written by a person and not a chatbot, right?)
You are not open to some kid-related content. Parenting isn’t the primary focus of this newsletter but I’m a mom and write a lot of parenting humor, so it’s going to be part of the content at times.
You don’t think women are funny or you prefer to punch down rather than up in comedy.
You aren’t open to seeing an occasional cute cat photo.
What is the deal with paid subscriptions?
Right now signing up for a monthly or annual subscription is a way to support my work. I’m keeping the majority of the newsletter free. Monthly subscriptions are $5 a month and annual subscriptions are $50 a year. And yes I know that there are a lot of subscriptions out there and it’s okay if you can only support for a month or two and then need to cancel! I am not checking unsubscribes and realize that people need to do so for a variety of reasons so please do not stay subscribed out of guilt!
Paying subscribers do get access to this pitching guide and collection of successful pitches as a way of saying thank you.
Want to know more about me?
I’m a writer who frequently writes humor and parenting pieces for places like New Yorker Daily Shouts, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and Parents. I’ve been freelancing and writing humor for over 20 years. I’m also the author of a humorous advice book for introverted parents and I teach writing at the University of Colorado Denver.
Some of my most popular humor pieces include:
“A Camping Trip With Young Kids, As Imagined by Me Before Having Kids” on McSweeney’s.
“Thank You for Calling the Writer Envy Helpline” on Electric Lit
“William Carlos Williams Poems for Introverts” on McSweeney’s
Okay, I think that covers most of it. If you’ve gotten this far and want to sign up, you can do that below. Thanks for being here!