The End of an Era

There is a cloud over the Sluttery HQ today. This will be the last week of publishing for Domestic Sluttery, we are closing our doors on August 1st.

We’ve been publishing for five and a half years now. That’s nearly 7000 posts covering amazing recipes, brilliant designers and wonderful things that have made our days brighter and our lives better. I’ve had an absolute blast running the site.

The first printed copy of the Domestic Sluttery book!

So why is the site closing? Because it’s coming close to not being fun any more. As a businesswoman I’m supposed to think of profits and overheads first (we’re doing fine on that front) but this site has always meant more than just being a commercial success. Domestic Sluttery has been the biggest part of my life and I wouldn’t have run the site for so long if it wasn’t fun. But blogging has changed so much, the industry is now very different to when we launched. It’s become about chasing pageviews and shares and fighting Facebook algorithms. I spend my time trying to find the things that will go viral, rather than getting excited about a brilliant new designer, or testing great recipes and really pushing what we write about to make it different from the other great lifestyle blogs out there. This year our editorial is the best it has ever been; I don’t want to measure the value of something by the number of likes a photo gets on a social network.

Since I’m about to become newly unemployed, I should stress that I still love creating exciting editorial and finding the best ways to share that with an audience. I love my job and I’m damn good at it but I think as an industry we’re losing the integrity around what we do. The driving force of Domestic Sluttery, the reason I’m so proud of it, has always been its community. The people who read the site every day, argue with us, tell us stupid stories, recreate our recipes and email us to tell us that we make their days brighter. That’s more important to me than thousands of Facebook shares.

Our readers making gingerbread houses. Big love to the Roudiani sisters.

The other reason I’m so sad to close the site is the amazing team of writers. Let’s talk about them, and publish some brilliant photos.

Gin and chocolate help with cooking.

Gemma was the first person I ever told about the site. It was snowing, we were a little drunk and I told a brilliant fashion editor about my idea for a new website. Sometimes I wonder if the site would have happened without that conversation.

Sara looking very kick ass. With unicorn jewellery.

I hired Laura B because her cover letter read like Sluttery Sales Spy. Sara hadn’t got five sentences into her email to us before mentioning drag queens and glitter. As for Laura H and Alice, I’ve had the pleasure of eating their food and spending time in their company. It’s a treat to be around such lovely and talented people.

Kat on the Orient Express.

I’d invited Kat to an event I was running with the intention of just getting to know her a little better, having a hunch from Twitter that she’d fit in perfectly. After hearing her belt out karaoke numbers with such ferocity, I decided to hire her immediately, cementing the Domestic Sluttery karaoke tradition. I stalked Caleigh and convinced her to join the team as our gluten free columnist and was so thrilled when she said yes. And astonished when she wrote her column right up to the point of going into labour. Katie is our newest team member and I only wish we’d been able to grow Excellent Women further into what we could see it becoming. And Nick? I was on a beach in Croatia when I decided he would make the perfect cocktail writer for the site. I think he’s still a little surprised by the decision, years later. I stand by it.

So long, Old School Yard. Thanks for all the gin.

As for Frances, she waited very patiently until I could afford to take on another writer, many years ago. She’s seen the site – and all of us – grow up. She’s done such a brilliant job as editor over the last year. No words can sum up the high esteem in which she’s regarded by me and the team.

Hire these amazing people to write words for you. They will enrich your lives in ways you couldn’t begin to imagine.

While I’m thanking people, do go and spend some money with our regular sponsors: Hunkydory Home, Shoes International, Quince Living and Flights of Nancy. It’s because of their support and the teams at Pavilion, Guardian Select and Skimlinks that I’ve been able to pay everybody and keep a roof over my head. And huge thanks to all of the companies, PRs and individuals who’ve supported us over the years. You know who you are. Your support is everything to us.

Best. Night. Ever.

I spend my days with such an incredible team, writing about supremely talented people and that’s what I’m going to miss about running the site each day. But Domestic Sluttery isn’t going anywhere, not really. You can still buy our book and the site will still be live as an archive. There are far too many brilliant recipes and features to dream of taking it down. Domestic Sluttery has always been about women doing things they love. It’s always been about trying something new and not caring about being perfect. It’s always been about making time to enjoy life as you damn well please. That’s not going to change. Our mums and grans were doing it long before us.

Perhaps, in some form, the site will return in the future. I’m open to all commercial offers concerning the site (email me, let’s talk), but for now, this is the right decision. Our main editorial rule has always been to write about what we love and to enjoy doing it. You’d know if we were faking it. The site has always been a joy to create and you, our brilliant readers, don’t deserve anything less than that. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to share ideas and silliness and talk about gin, gingerbread and unicorns with you. Thank you for letting us be a part of your day.