A-Mail is an award-winning newsletter about how our careers make us feel
It’s written by me, Anna Codrea-Rado, a journalist, author and podcaster
What is A-Mail?
The central question that guides this newsletter is: “How does my career make me feel?”
Answering that lights up a constellation of topics: money; power; technology; culture; health. It also conjures up some heavy emotions, too: envy; disappointment; fear. Because you see, while this is a newsletter about freelancing, writing and productivity, it’s actually about something much messier.
What I’m really writing about in this space are those feelings that all of us have but that none of us wants. The unpleasant ones, like shame, guilt, and frustration. The feelings a therapist will tell you to “sit with” but that you’d rather just push away, thank you very much. I’m exploring all of this in the unassuming landscape of ~careers~ because not only do all of those emotions flare up at work, it’s also the place we’re not supposed to have them.
I can think of no better place to ask a hard question like “how does my career make me feel?” than a newsletter. This is the space where I do my most important work. It’s where I connect directly with readers, where I think out loud, where I write what I need to read.
If you’ve also ever felt weird about what you do for a living, or indeed even questioned the concept of “earning a living”, then you’re in the right place.
What you get if you sign up for a paid subscription (price $5/month or $50/year)
The Friday email features a mix of lessons from my own career, personal essays (like this super popular one about what it felt like to make less money last year) and commentary about the wider creator economy, media and internet culture. As well as an original cartoon from Léo Hamelin
A monthly audio project: Somewhere between a voice note and a podcast, this is a space for me to talk to you about what’s on my mind
A subscriber-only newsletter: The ‘Relevant To Your Interests’ recommendations will feature the best things I’ve read, watched and consumed that will either help your career or distract you from it (see here for an example)
Access to a community of like-minded readers who want to engage in thoughtful discussions about how our careers make us feel
Keys to the archive: There are so many great posts in my archives that are only available to paying subscribers, including a huge pitching guide, and much more!
Sponsored subscriptions
For every 100 paying subscribers, I provide 10 free spots to readers who can't afford it. There's no need to explain why you need a sponsored place, just fill out this form.
What subscribers say
I really like your newsletter .... and I’m not even a freelancer.
– Jessica Reed, Guardian US features editor
Excellent newsletter
– Rossalyn Warren, freelance journalist for the Guardian, Vox, CNN
These emails are really wonderful. Makes me feel like I'm part of a community
– Katie Bain, freelance culture writer for Billboard, VICE, and RBMA
I devour your newsletter the moment it drops in my inbox and feel as sad as someone finishing a brilliant book when it's over
– Lucy Lucraft, freelance journalist for Red, the Telegraph and the Express
You offer your subscribers so much. So, THANK YOU for giving a cr*p and making the crazy world of freelancing just that little bit brighter for us all.
– Kathryn Conway, editor and writer
About me
A-Mail is written by me, Anna Codrea-Rado, a journalist, author and podcaster based in the UK.
I write about business, cover and technology and my writing appears in the New York Times, Guardian, FT, Wired, Business Insider, Monocle and many others. I’ve been working in the media for over ten years, including on staff at the Guardian and Vice.
Exactly one week after getting laid off from my job as a news editor, I started writing this newsletter. It’s always been where I document my journey as a freelancer and a place to explore my feelings about work and careers. Since then, it’s grown into a weekly staple for tens of thousands of readers who turn to it for its candid take on working for yourself and navigating a creative career today.
In 2021, my first book, You’re The Business, was published in the UK by Penguin Randomhouse.