How much time are you spending organizing all the business part of your stack? How much writing time do you lose? And how much reading time which we all continually need to improve our writing? what if some of us dont want to teach on line writing gigs because we spent ten or fifteen or t wenty or twenty plus year working for various "Departments of Corrections',, like when i first taught middle school in New York City and early in the semester, asked " What is a sentence?" and this kid seriously rumored to be in a gang, vigorously and surprisingly raised his hand, and I said, "Go for it, Mike" and he proudly said, "That' what my brudder got last month- two years probation."
It depends. There is definitely a large part of it that goes to the business of putting out a newsletter that isn't just the creative side, but that happens with the business of writing no matter what you're doing, whether it's pitching articles, writing a book proposal, or what have you. Being a newspaper reporter was mostly just reporting and writing, but also answering a lot of calls from locals who want you to investigate UFOs and "chem trails". I definitely need more reading time, that's for sure! By your question regarding "what if we don't want to teach online writing gigs"—do you mean, how can one make a living as a writer that does not involve teaching? Or, does not involve that specific kind of teaching? Let me know what your question was, and I can hopefully provide a better answer.
I think Im somewhat confused about substack's essence/function. I'm a longtime writer, starting at twelve years old when I had a vision on a chocked-full BMT subway in NYC while returning home from an afternoon matinee of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily Circus with a tiny orangepink souvenir box that contained a restless chameleon aching for freedom and yes I was one of those overstimulated kids who of course opened the box for a peek enabling said chameleon to successfully seek its freedom and help add to the growing urban legend that giant crocodiles lived in the underground subways and sewers of New York City and occasionally wreaked havoc in various neighborhoods.
But seriously, is substack useful for a writer who is trying to get work published,like two novels and one poetry collection? I dont need to put my work up although maybe I could to help younger and new writers with some examples of what I consider worthwhile story.
Also, it seems like hundred more people are now 'writing' and taking courses on line, sometimes with people who really do not now what they are talking about, writing courses that never push anyone or just nod and smile ( my ex-wife took such a course from a group called Amherst Writers - and to be fair such totally non critiquing workshops/course may be beneficial and supportive for supremely unconfident people or severly harmed, marred, and wounded people.
but, cut to the chase, what would you say are the basic functions and advantages of being on substack? Im not evn clear if it is free or has a subscription price or with that discounts for the elderly ( Im being selfish here since I am 77, living on, at least in this state, meagre means.
PS if you like/love to read these are some books that made me buy five rolls of duct tape so i could put the top of my head back on.
My Name is Red - Oran Pamuk.e
Stormiing Heaven- Denise Giardnia
The Tent of Miracles- Jorge Amado.
Waiting For Nothing- Tom Kromer.
Black - Gwendoldyn Brooks
Elbow Room- James Alan MPherson
Yokahama California- Toshio Mori
The Case of Comrade Tulayev- Victor Serge
The Seabirds Are Still Alive- Toni CadeBambara
The Corpse Exhibition- Hassan Blasim
Of Noble Origin- Sahar Khalifaeh
The Past and The Punishments- Yu Hua
The Cemetary at Chua Village- Doan Le
No No Boy- John Okada
Babi Yar Laid An Egg- Dubravka Ugresic
Belladonna- Dasa Drsik
My Life In The Bush of Ghosts- Amos Tutuola
Poetry
The Butterly's Burden- Mahmoud Darwish (the Pablo Neruda of Palestine) also - The Journal of Ordinary Grief, Psalm, Almond Tree, I Don't Want This Poem To End **********
Birthplace- George Abrahams
Cantos- Pablo Neruda
The Work of Common Woman- Judy Grahn
Blacks-- Gwendolyn Brooks **********
The Complete Poems of Muriel Rukeyser
Sobbing Superpowers- Tadeusz Rozewicz
Sorrowtoothpaste,mirrorcream- Hyesoon Kim ( also IM OK IM PIG; Poor love Machine, My Mommy Is A Mountain Of Feathers, All The Garbage of The World Unite, The Autobography of Death **********
Fish Carcass- Vi Khi Nao (also Umbilical Hospital, A Brief History of Torture, Oh God, Your Babies Are So Delicious *******
So, a couple of things. In terms of what the worth is for Substack—Substack is a place to publish writing, and anyone can do it. Like blogs of the 2000s, some are good, some are bad, some are meh. Some are popular, and some have very few readers at all. All blogs and newsletter start out with no readers, unless you're importing an existing mailing list, and even that list had to start from nothing at some point. Newsletters are fun for the same reason that blogs and social media was fun at first—you could speak, and strangers might hear you. All of the people I know who make a living on Substack, or even a part of a living, were professional writers already before they started their newsletter, and I am no exception. These people were journalists or beat reporters or features writers or freelancers or bestselling novelists or acclaimed poets. They were editors for popular blogs run by other, more famous people. Or, if they were not professional writers, they were business people or musicians or fine artists or activists with a lot of social media followers. Some people however are finding more of an audience on Substack than they had otherwise. It has been particularly kind to culture writers, op-ed columnists, and essayists.
In terms of Substack's essence/function, it's just like a blog or newspaper column that comes to your inbox. And like those things, sometimes you have to pay if you want to read it. So that is the function: a place to publish writing, and a platform where people can read it and pay for it if they want. Putting work up on Substack is helpful for me, because it encourages me to do a certain kind of work that interests me, but it may not be helpful for everyone. It all depends. Will it help you get a book published? I don't know. It's possible that a literary agent might see your Substack and get in touch with you. It used to happen with blogs, which could turn into book deals. It happens on social media all the time, where a literary agent will approach a writer they meet there. So from that angle, it might be helpful for a writer who is looking to be published. It's another way that their writing might reach the eyes of someone who wants to publish them or help get them published. Or, it can serve as the publication. You can publish your novel in installments, just like Jules Verne did back in the day.
As for writing workshops, I think there are different approaches and pedagogies that work best for different people. Some people learn best when they're simply given a space to work and the encouragement to keep working. Aggressive critique will not always improve someone's writing.
Summer, you are so generous with your words and time. Thank you for all the great advice and Substack insights you've provided here. My subscription to your newsletter just renewed today ... yay!
One thing I'm curious about is how Substack compares to other newsletter/blogging platforms like WordPress and Medium. I've had a blog on WordPress since late 2007. While I enjoy a very nice community of readers and writers over there, I don't enjoy writing on the WordPress platform. It used to be fairly simple and straightforward but now they want you to use a "Block Editor." Ugh. I have a workaround but that just makes it even more of a pain in the ass. I have a paying account with WordPress to keep ads off my blog (way too many toe fungus ads), but, given how frustrated I get with the platform, I'm looking around for a new venue.
I write on Medium, but that platform also has issues. Medium is great for readers. For $5/month, you can read anything. You're not limited to a specific writer like with Substack. And yet. As a reader, I'm finding little that I want to read on Medium which, in turn, makes me wary of continuing to write on it.
I've found more people that I enjoy reading here on Substack. I just wonder what it's like for a writer. I know you went over that a bit in your responses to some of the comments here. I guess my question (such as it is) is whether you've used other platforms to share your writing and how do they compare to Substack for you?
Meanwhile ... looking forward to another year with you :-)
Thanks so much Marie. I used other blogging platforms back in the day, and Tumblr in the 2010s, but never to share my writing in quite the way I’m doing now. I like the interface of Substack quite a bit. And it’s great to see that some hard working writers are able to make a pretty good living on it, too. For others it’s more of a side hustle, as it remains for me, but it can still feel empowering.
I’m very glad to have subscribed, and tbh it’s possibly for the best that your sbstck status reverts to whatever the opposite if pro is. I hope your paid subscribers base grows to make this more simply remunerative, without extra demand from the platform. Speaking utterly in ignorance about what you’re losing in strict financial terms, but clearing those extra requirement from your to-do list can’t be bad for your other projects.
TikTok seems the complete antithesis of the business and art of writing, I doubt it can be made into a promotional tool unless one is prepared to promote being glib and yes, creative too, but in the direction of the vanishing attention span it seems to encourage.
Since departing twigtgter I feel less pulled in by my phone, but I miss the good parts, especially “meeting” people whose work I admire. You and yours for one. I hope you manage to get that increase in subscription.
Hi Max. It was always only going to be one year—the contracts don't renew, and they are not doing the Pro accounts at all anymore. So, I knew this was coming, it's just up to me now to make it work. I actually hope I will do MORE with the newsletter this year, in the sense that I have a stronger idea of what works for me in terms of process and output. Readers can expect more regular posts. Anyway thank you, I too hope I can make this here thing work.
I adore your Substack. A lot of what I read is very academic/policy based, and your newsletter often feels like that first breath of air you take outside on a cold day. I am very glad you are sticking around!
I joined as a free sub right as I was jumping off the sinking twitter ship, and happy to say I upgraded to paid today. One down, just a few more to go ;).
Hi Summer! I'm so curious if you think publishing 100 emails in a year is what generated your growth. Obviously, you're a talented writer, not suggesting otherwise, but I'm curious if you believe volume is what contributed to getting 10,000 subscribers. Good luck with going paid!! xoxo
Well it certainly helped! Anyone who writes a newsletter will tell you that posting regularly brings in more subscribers. During times when I was sick and didn’t post, I lost subscribers. The more you post, the more opportunities there are for people to find you.
I should add, that I was on Substack for a year before starting the Pro contract, and I think that contributes too. I posted 78 times in that previous year. I don’t think 100 posts is a particularly magical number, but who knows. My guess is that it’s more about consistency and momentum.
This is inspiring :) I’m new to Substack and trying to find my way with little engagement as it’s early days. Would you have any advice on how to successfully promote a Substack when it seems that Twitter and Insta aren’t keen on allowing reach for posts with ‘Substack’ in the URL? Thanks :)
Thanks Nat! My best advice is probably two-fold. The first part, the hard part, is that a large online audience almost never happens overnight. It grows gradually, but gains momentum the larger it gets. The people with the biggest Substack audiences are almost all people who had large, highly engaged audiences elsewhere before they signed up. I started using Twitter a lot about TEN years ago (good god, the horror), and was a regular user for about three years before I gained any kind of following. I don't really know how the social media landscape works these days, to be honest. TikTok? It is a foreign land to me. So in terms of "promoting" one's Substack outside of Substack in 2023, I don't really know. I have seen Anne Helen Petersen of Culture Study have a lot of success on Twitter with the way she presents her Substacks posts, putting them in a thread with the link in each one. I should really do that more myself, but it lends itself best to topical essays or articles. On Instagram you can create a gallery of images related to your post. And I don't know about TikTok, alas. I was lucky enough to have a decent online platform, such as it is, by about 2017, 18 months after my first book came out. However, what I have seen over and over again online is that it takes persistence. Find what you really want to be doing in terms of your writing, do it as well as you can, and do it consistently. Then keep on doing it, for longer than you think you need to, without anyone seeming to notice. It's hard to keep posting when no one is reading you. I started posting on Substack in December of 2020. One of my earliest posts still has just 20 views! It went out to one subscriber—me. Even with a large Twitter following, it took a long time for me to find my readers here. A year later, a post in December 2021 had about 2K views. Now it's more like 15K. With Substack, I think each writer learns what works best for them. You write and find out what resonates with readers. You engage with other writers on points of genuine interest and build community. You find out what works, and what doesn't. You find your voice and your topic or topics. Most of all, you find out what is sustainable for YOU in the given format. So I guess my advice is sort of boring, but honest: have patience, work hard, stick with it. Find genuine points of connection with others doing what you're doing. That is the basis. If you want to look at your Substack writing as a business, then we have to adhere to the rules of business: make it, sell it, build awareness. The "it" that you're making is a newsletter people enjoy and rely on. It's hard to convince people to "buy" it if your brand is unknown and you don't have a lot of posts yet. With few posts, there isn't much to "sell," even if the selling in question is a free sign up. But over time, that will change. It's good to ask yourself, what stage am I in? Am I still at the "making it" stage? Am I ready to sell? Are we ready for the awareness part? The making it can feel grueling at first, but it's also where the magic happens. Your Substack looks rally interesting, I subscribed!
Goodness: "Find what you really want to be doing in terms of your writing, do it as well as you can, and do it consistently. Then keep on doing it, for longer than you think you need to, without anyone seeming to notice." Best advice I've read in a long, long time!
This is amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough and thought-out piece. I appreciate it.
I probably do want results faster than is possible :) I guess it's because I have spent so much time avoiding putting my writing out in public, so now I'm reading into the relative silence. I agree, it's taking time and being consistent that matters.
Thank you for following -- I appreciate it. There's a level of 'feeling my way' at the moment. I haven't settled on a theme but it is early days!
Thanks again, Summer. I'll revisit your reply and digest the great advice.
Hi Summer, glad I finally subscribed and joined your substack as a real reader. More than happy to support you in any way that I can. Congrats on the success of your Substack journey so far (and I'm sure it's even better in the months since this post). I'd like to write my own substack one day however I fear that I'm not very interesting, my life is pretty bland--although I used to be somebody.
I’m happy to be a paid subscriber and I love your writing. I did the Essay Camp with you before Substack and I managed to write my first essay since high school, those oh so many decades ago! Looking forward to the next Essay Camp! I was an early adopter of Substack and have been pretty discriminate of who I’ve subscribed to--a lot of them from newsletters I was already following before Substack like yours. There does seem to be a shift in some of the free newsletters I follow--more of the “to read more subscribe” header which I get! Will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
How much time are you spending organizing all the business part of your stack? How much writing time do you lose? And how much reading time which we all continually need to improve our writing? what if some of us dont want to teach on line writing gigs because we spent ten or fifteen or t wenty or twenty plus year working for various "Departments of Corrections',, like when i first taught middle school in New York City and early in the semester, asked " What is a sentence?" and this kid seriously rumored to be in a gang, vigorously and surprisingly raised his hand, and I said, "Go for it, Mike" and he proudly said, "That' what my brudder got last month- two years probation."
It depends. There is definitely a large part of it that goes to the business of putting out a newsletter that isn't just the creative side, but that happens with the business of writing no matter what you're doing, whether it's pitching articles, writing a book proposal, or what have you. Being a newspaper reporter was mostly just reporting and writing, but also answering a lot of calls from locals who want you to investigate UFOs and "chem trails". I definitely need more reading time, that's for sure! By your question regarding "what if we don't want to teach online writing gigs"—do you mean, how can one make a living as a writer that does not involve teaching? Or, does not involve that specific kind of teaching? Let me know what your question was, and I can hopefully provide a better answer.
I think Im somewhat confused about substack's essence/function. I'm a longtime writer, starting at twelve years old when I had a vision on a chocked-full BMT subway in NYC while returning home from an afternoon matinee of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily Circus with a tiny orangepink souvenir box that contained a restless chameleon aching for freedom and yes I was one of those overstimulated kids who of course opened the box for a peek enabling said chameleon to successfully seek its freedom and help add to the growing urban legend that giant crocodiles lived in the underground subways and sewers of New York City and occasionally wreaked havoc in various neighborhoods.
But seriously, is substack useful for a writer who is trying to get work published,like two novels and one poetry collection? I dont need to put my work up although maybe I could to help younger and new writers with some examples of what I consider worthwhile story.
Also, it seems like hundred more people are now 'writing' and taking courses on line, sometimes with people who really do not now what they are talking about, writing courses that never push anyone or just nod and smile ( my ex-wife took such a course from a group called Amherst Writers - and to be fair such totally non critiquing workshops/course may be beneficial and supportive for supremely unconfident people or severly harmed, marred, and wounded people.
but, cut to the chase, what would you say are the basic functions and advantages of being on substack? Im not evn clear if it is free or has a subscription price or with that discounts for the elderly ( Im being selfish here since I am 77, living on, at least in this state, meagre means.
best,
Ernie Brill, erbrill69@gmail.com
PS if you like/love to read these are some books that made me buy five rolls of duct tape so i could put the top of my head back on.
My Name is Red - Oran Pamuk.e
Stormiing Heaven- Denise Giardnia
The Tent of Miracles- Jorge Amado.
Waiting For Nothing- Tom Kromer.
Black - Gwendoldyn Brooks
Elbow Room- James Alan MPherson
Yokahama California- Toshio Mori
The Case of Comrade Tulayev- Victor Serge
The Seabirds Are Still Alive- Toni CadeBambara
The Corpse Exhibition- Hassan Blasim
Of Noble Origin- Sahar Khalifaeh
The Past and The Punishments- Yu Hua
The Cemetary at Chua Village- Doan Le
No No Boy- John Okada
Babi Yar Laid An Egg- Dubravka Ugresic
Belladonna- Dasa Drsik
My Life In The Bush of Ghosts- Amos Tutuola
Poetry
The Butterly's Burden- Mahmoud Darwish (the Pablo Neruda of Palestine) also - The Journal of Ordinary Grief, Psalm, Almond Tree, I Don't Want This Poem To End **********
Birthplace- George Abrahams
Cantos- Pablo Neruda
The Work of Common Woman- Judy Grahn
Blacks-- Gwendolyn Brooks **********
The Complete Poems of Muriel Rukeyser
Sobbing Superpowers- Tadeusz Rozewicz
Sorrowtoothpaste,mirrorcream- Hyesoon Kim ( also IM OK IM PIG; Poor love Machine, My Mommy Is A Mountain Of Feathers, All The Garbage of The World Unite, The Autobography of Death **********
Fish Carcass- Vi Khi Nao (also Umbilical Hospital, A Brief History of Torture, Oh God, Your Babies Are So Delicious *******
Hi Ernie,
So, a couple of things. In terms of what the worth is for Substack—Substack is a place to publish writing, and anyone can do it. Like blogs of the 2000s, some are good, some are bad, some are meh. Some are popular, and some have very few readers at all. All blogs and newsletter start out with no readers, unless you're importing an existing mailing list, and even that list had to start from nothing at some point. Newsletters are fun for the same reason that blogs and social media was fun at first—you could speak, and strangers might hear you. All of the people I know who make a living on Substack, or even a part of a living, were professional writers already before they started their newsletter, and I am no exception. These people were journalists or beat reporters or features writers or freelancers or bestselling novelists or acclaimed poets. They were editors for popular blogs run by other, more famous people. Or, if they were not professional writers, they were business people or musicians or fine artists or activists with a lot of social media followers. Some people however are finding more of an audience on Substack than they had otherwise. It has been particularly kind to culture writers, op-ed columnists, and essayists.
In terms of Substack's essence/function, it's just like a blog or newspaper column that comes to your inbox. And like those things, sometimes you have to pay if you want to read it. So that is the function: a place to publish writing, and a platform where people can read it and pay for it if they want. Putting work up on Substack is helpful for me, because it encourages me to do a certain kind of work that interests me, but it may not be helpful for everyone. It all depends. Will it help you get a book published? I don't know. It's possible that a literary agent might see your Substack and get in touch with you. It used to happen with blogs, which could turn into book deals. It happens on social media all the time, where a literary agent will approach a writer they meet there. So from that angle, it might be helpful for a writer who is looking to be published. It's another way that their writing might reach the eyes of someone who wants to publish them or help get them published. Or, it can serve as the publication. You can publish your novel in installments, just like Jules Verne did back in the day.
As for writing workshops, I think there are different approaches and pedagogies that work best for different people. Some people learn best when they're simply given a space to work and the encouragement to keep working. Aggressive critique will not always improve someone's writing.
Thanks for reading!
Summer
Heheh, the boulder reference. It's always joyful when Twitter isn't used to fight, bully, and belittle, but simply for communal giggling, for creating versatile memes, or for good-natured rickrolling. Or for this, of course: https://twitter.com/talkwordy/status/1623089723362140164?s=20&t=njbswKyh0ZQNcZS9ahJQ5g
I put up with so much toxic mess just for those moments of communal giggling!
Summer, you are so generous with your words and time. Thank you for all the great advice and Substack insights you've provided here. My subscription to your newsletter just renewed today ... yay!
One thing I'm curious about is how Substack compares to other newsletter/blogging platforms like WordPress and Medium. I've had a blog on WordPress since late 2007. While I enjoy a very nice community of readers and writers over there, I don't enjoy writing on the WordPress platform. It used to be fairly simple and straightforward but now they want you to use a "Block Editor." Ugh. I have a workaround but that just makes it even more of a pain in the ass. I have a paying account with WordPress to keep ads off my blog (way too many toe fungus ads), but, given how frustrated I get with the platform, I'm looking around for a new venue.
I write on Medium, but that platform also has issues. Medium is great for readers. For $5/month, you can read anything. You're not limited to a specific writer like with Substack. And yet. As a reader, I'm finding little that I want to read on Medium which, in turn, makes me wary of continuing to write on it.
I've found more people that I enjoy reading here on Substack. I just wonder what it's like for a writer. I know you went over that a bit in your responses to some of the comments here. I guess my question (such as it is) is whether you've used other platforms to share your writing and how do they compare to Substack for you?
Meanwhile ... looking forward to another year with you :-)
Thanks so much Marie. I used other blogging platforms back in the day, and Tumblr in the 2010s, but never to share my writing in quite the way I’m doing now. I like the interface of Substack quite a bit. And it’s great to see that some hard working writers are able to make a pretty good living on it, too. For others it’s more of a side hustle, as it remains for me, but it can still feel empowering.
I’m very glad to have subscribed, and tbh it’s possibly for the best that your sbstck status reverts to whatever the opposite if pro is. I hope your paid subscribers base grows to make this more simply remunerative, without extra demand from the platform. Speaking utterly in ignorance about what you’re losing in strict financial terms, but clearing those extra requirement from your to-do list can’t be bad for your other projects.
TikTok seems the complete antithesis of the business and art of writing, I doubt it can be made into a promotional tool unless one is prepared to promote being glib and yes, creative too, but in the direction of the vanishing attention span it seems to encourage.
Since departing twigtgter I feel less pulled in by my phone, but I miss the good parts, especially “meeting” people whose work I admire. You and yours for one. I hope you manage to get that increase in subscription.
Hi Max. It was always only going to be one year—the contracts don't renew, and they are not doing the Pro accounts at all anymore. So, I knew this was coming, it's just up to me now to make it work. I actually hope I will do MORE with the newsletter this year, in the sense that I have a stronger idea of what works for me in terms of process and output. Readers can expect more regular posts. Anyway thank you, I too hope I can make this here thing work.
Ha! My confuse is showing, and a hint of projected laziness (the great benefit of age after lots of hard work).
Cheers, merde, courage, and please keep reporting on the ghosts and the rest!
I think I "discovered" you via a recommendation from Substack. You're one of my favorite Substacks now and I'm looking forward to the year ahead.
I'm so glad to hear that Carl. Here's to a good year!
I adore your Substack. A lot of what I read is very academic/policy based, and your newsletter often feels like that first breath of air you take outside on a cold day. I am very glad you are sticking around!
Thank you so much Jennie!
This is my favorite Substack. Just wanted you to know. It lifts my heart when I see there’s a new notebook entry from you. 💖
Thank you so much Francesca xo
I joined as a free sub right as I was jumping off the sinking twitter ship, and happy to say I upgraded to paid today. One down, just a few more to go ;).
Oh god, I really am annoying aren’t I, haha! 😂
Oh my gosh, not at all!
Hi Summer! I'm so curious if you think publishing 100 emails in a year is what generated your growth. Obviously, you're a talented writer, not suggesting otherwise, but I'm curious if you believe volume is what contributed to getting 10,000 subscribers. Good luck with going paid!! xoxo
Well it certainly helped! Anyone who writes a newsletter will tell you that posting regularly brings in more subscribers. During times when I was sick and didn’t post, I lost subscribers. The more you post, the more opportunities there are for people to find you.
I should add, that I was on Substack for a year before starting the Pro contract, and I think that contributes too. I posted 78 times in that previous year. I don’t think 100 posts is a particularly magical number, but who knows. My guess is that it’s more about consistency and momentum.
This is inspiring :) I’m new to Substack and trying to find my way with little engagement as it’s early days. Would you have any advice on how to successfully promote a Substack when it seems that Twitter and Insta aren’t keen on allowing reach for posts with ‘Substack’ in the URL? Thanks :)
Thanks Nat! My best advice is probably two-fold. The first part, the hard part, is that a large online audience almost never happens overnight. It grows gradually, but gains momentum the larger it gets. The people with the biggest Substack audiences are almost all people who had large, highly engaged audiences elsewhere before they signed up. I started using Twitter a lot about TEN years ago (good god, the horror), and was a regular user for about three years before I gained any kind of following. I don't really know how the social media landscape works these days, to be honest. TikTok? It is a foreign land to me. So in terms of "promoting" one's Substack outside of Substack in 2023, I don't really know. I have seen Anne Helen Petersen of Culture Study have a lot of success on Twitter with the way she presents her Substacks posts, putting them in a thread with the link in each one. I should really do that more myself, but it lends itself best to topical essays or articles. On Instagram you can create a gallery of images related to your post. And I don't know about TikTok, alas. I was lucky enough to have a decent online platform, such as it is, by about 2017, 18 months after my first book came out. However, what I have seen over and over again online is that it takes persistence. Find what you really want to be doing in terms of your writing, do it as well as you can, and do it consistently. Then keep on doing it, for longer than you think you need to, without anyone seeming to notice. It's hard to keep posting when no one is reading you. I started posting on Substack in December of 2020. One of my earliest posts still has just 20 views! It went out to one subscriber—me. Even with a large Twitter following, it took a long time for me to find my readers here. A year later, a post in December 2021 had about 2K views. Now it's more like 15K. With Substack, I think each writer learns what works best for them. You write and find out what resonates with readers. You engage with other writers on points of genuine interest and build community. You find out what works, and what doesn't. You find your voice and your topic or topics. Most of all, you find out what is sustainable for YOU in the given format. So I guess my advice is sort of boring, but honest: have patience, work hard, stick with it. Find genuine points of connection with others doing what you're doing. That is the basis. If you want to look at your Substack writing as a business, then we have to adhere to the rules of business: make it, sell it, build awareness. The "it" that you're making is a newsletter people enjoy and rely on. It's hard to convince people to "buy" it if your brand is unknown and you don't have a lot of posts yet. With few posts, there isn't much to "sell," even if the selling in question is a free sign up. But over time, that will change. It's good to ask yourself, what stage am I in? Am I still at the "making it" stage? Am I ready to sell? Are we ready for the awareness part? The making it can feel grueling at first, but it's also where the magic happens. Your Substack looks rally interesting, I subscribed!
Goodness: "Find what you really want to be doing in terms of your writing, do it as well as you can, and do it consistently. Then keep on doing it, for longer than you think you need to, without anyone seeming to notice." Best advice I've read in a long, long time!
I concur :)
What a wonderful answer. I’m in for a year, Summer.
This is amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough and thought-out piece. I appreciate it.
I probably do want results faster than is possible :) I guess it's because I have spent so much time avoiding putting my writing out in public, so now I'm reading into the relative silence. I agree, it's taking time and being consistent that matters.
Thank you for following -- I appreciate it. There's a level of 'feeling my way' at the moment. I haven't settled on a theme but it is early days!
Thanks again, Summer. I'll revisit your reply and digest the great advice.
Hi Summer, glad I finally subscribed and joined your substack as a real reader. More than happy to support you in any way that I can. Congrats on the success of your Substack journey so far (and I'm sure it's even better in the months since this post). I'd like to write my own substack one day however I fear that I'm not very interesting, my life is pretty bland--although I used to be somebody.
I'm 100% certain you are somebody now! Some of my favorite writing is about very mundane things.
I’m happy to be a paid subscriber and I love your writing. I did the Essay Camp with you before Substack and I managed to write my first essay since high school, those oh so many decades ago! Looking forward to the next Essay Camp! I was an early adopter of Substack and have been pretty discriminate of who I’ve subscribed to--a lot of them from newsletters I was already following before Substack like yours. There does seem to be a shift in some of the free newsletters I follow--more of the “to read more subscribe” header which I get! Will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
Thanks for your email. I'm glad to upgrade my subscription to a paid one.
I'm interested in learning about your Substack experience and trajectory. It's on my horizon to start a newsletter here.
Best to you!
Je cherche plus.👀