Ten thoughts on Substack & more news
From 30 months of Substacking
Hullo, my lovelies,
As I type, Bonni's slobbering on my laptop screen. She loves the cursor, and I let her sit on my desk. (‘On’ is not a typo. I know. I know. Bad idea) This morning, there’s a large Kong chew toy with her, and she’s surveying the garden from her perch for interlopers. (Cats or birds are tolerated, but only if they move through quickly.) Despite the mizzling rain (and my cold), I’ll have to take her for a sniffathon and training session. I can see her mind ticking over. She’s bored.
Now, she’s shaking a cushion. Dear lord…back in a while…
Are you writing again? Really?
Right. Where was I?
A fellow writer asked for my thoughts on Substack. I write to think, so here we go.
Being truthful, I’m bored. Like everything, we expect a quick rise to success. A rapid ‘something’ to feel valued and seen. (Yet, I don’t want to be seen too) Odd, eh?
I greatly appreciate my subscribers. You’re the only reason I keep going. Thank you. Gaining new subscribers is not easy.
Substack is great for writers to meet and read other writers. But, is this a place for just readers? If you wish to network or find writers, Substack is a good place.
Consistent networking and being present are essential. This takes time, effort, and energy. And unless you find a community and/or paying subscribers/avid readers quickly, it can feel like it’s not worthwhile. Being supported means being supportive. Like all social media, Substack requires time and effort. Are you willing and able?…
And then…what is your purpose? Is there a clear goal?
Are your ideal readers on Substack? If not, well...
Many Substackers are teaching you how to succeed on Substack. There are many advice Substacks on writing craft. There is excellent material of every kind here. What can you offer?
Substack does not sell books. Saying this, I’ve bought or pre-ordered books by fellow Substackers. But don’t come to Substack as a marketing ploy.
I’m using Substack as my newsletter/blog. It’s a free website presence, and I hope this continues. It’s easy to use and navigate. I like the author dashboard and enjoy exploring the Substack platform. It’s a time suck though.
I recommend Substack to non-fiction writers, those looking to explore memoir, personal essays, or find a community. I know fiction is moving here, but for the moment, non-fiction seems more at home.
What are your thoughts on Substacking?
I was in a local newspaper. The reporter sent me questions and I answered them as best I could. EEK!
It might not be possible to read the text from this image, but I’ll add the text to a Substack post soon.
Our local silent writing event happened. There is a powerful, creative energy in the room. We will run another in two weeks. Yay! June 24th here we come.
And in a last piece of nice news, Viking’s Sacrifice Kindle version is up for pre-order! Seeing your book published never gets old.
Thank you for reading.
Back soon
Sharon Thompson
(Penny Best)
Sharon congrats on your newspaper interview, that’s awesome!
Good to see you back! I enjoy your posts and bits of related information.
I’m not a sub stacker. A few months ago I must have looked to see what other people were posting/writing and subscribed to a handful.
Now I have endless emails that, to be honest I ignore! I need to find the time to delete the things I don’t have the time to read! Is this going round in circles?!!