What is Same Page SF?
Same Page SF is a free weekly newsletter celebrating all things local and literary. Think of us as your friendly, well-informed, and unabashedly nerdy source for author events, release parties, book club meetings, and more!
We may be introverts (OK, we’re definitely introverts), but we’re fierce believers in community-building. Because reading might be an individual activity, but it’s never a siloed one.
We’re for the readers and writers and authors. The booksellers and librarians. The zines and journals and small presses. Our mission: to inform, connect, and support the literary citizens of San Francisco. To spark conversations and ideas and friendships. To go from individually surviving to collectively thriving.
And, of course, to make sure no one ever finds themselves without a good book.
I’ve subscribed! What now?
Welcome! Each Monday, you’ll get a new issue of Same Page SF chock-full of bookish goodness. If you’d like to engage in the meantime, you can check out the current week’s issue here and follow us on Instagram. And if you have any questions, get in touch at samepagesf@substack.com.
What’s the origin story?
Same Page SF is a project of Italic Type, the refreshingly simple book-tracking app - an ad-free, Amazon-free alternative to Goodreads.
The cofounders built Italic Type to be a reading oasis in a noisy world - emphasizing quality over quantity, depth over breadth, and peace over pings. Their long-term vision is that Italic Type becomes the trusted home for your book life, both digital and IRL, which is where Same Page SF comes in.
More specifically, Same Page SF was born when Christina Pappas - 👋 that’s me, the cofounder living and working in San Francisco since 2018 - missed out on meeting one of her favorite authors because she only learned he was touring here after the fact. As a literary entrepreneur, unreasonably avid reader, and part-time bookseller, I thought that if I was having that much trouble keeping up, others must be missing out too. So I dreamed up Same Page SF to summarize and signal-boost our city’s many bookish goings-on, and to inform, connect, and support the literary community.
I love what you’re doing! How can I support?
We’re a very small team (so small that by “we” I often mean “me”), but even if we had all the resources imaginable, we couldn’t do this alone - nor would we want to!
First of all, we’re always looking to reach new readers (in every sense of the word). So we’d be enormously grateful if you’d share us with a bookish friend or two!
Secondly, Same Page SF is a labor of love - but it’s still very much a labor. If it’s something you strongly believe should exist, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help keep our work enduring and sustainable. (Paid subscribers get access to book giveaways, personal book recs on request, and the ability to comment and engage with other readers - plus the warm fuzzies of knowing you’re helping us keep going!)
Did someone say “giveaways”? Tell me more!
Yes! We use giveaways to highlight the work of authors who are planning to visit San Francisco (or who are already based here). Most folks who show up to events are familiar with the author already - so our giveaways make that connection and build awareness, excitement, and attendance.
Giveaways are open to all paid subscribers - monthly, yearly, and founding. We plan to run at least one giveaway per month.
I’m an author or publisher interested in a giveaway! What are the next steps?
Great! Please email us at samepagesf@substack.com as far in advance as possible to see if it’s a good fit. As a heads up, we don’t currently charge a fee to run giveaways, but we do ask you to provide at least five books - whether new copies or bound galleys - gratis.
I have a bookish event or announcement to share! How do I contribute?
If you have a bookish event or announcement you’d like us to know about, reply to any newsletter or email us at samepagesf@substack.com. (We’ll have a more structured submission system soon!)
Please note that literature is our passion and focus; while we occasionally cover “book-ish” events, like craft workshops hosted in a library or bookstore, we can’t always fit them in.
Most events we include take place in San Francisco (we’d love to expand to an East Bay edition, but we can’t do it justice yet!).
Most events we include are for adults, though we’ll occasionally feature a storytime or child-friendly event we find particularly interesting.
I’m a local business looking to sponsor an issue. What are the next steps?
Please email us at samepagesf@substack.com to set up a conversation.
I have another question. How can I get in touch?
Reply to any newsletter or email at samepagesf@substack.com.
