On the Zoom call on Tuesday (recording coming soon!), someone suggested we have Office Hours (like Substack’s own) where Fictionistas members could introduce themselves, ask questions, help each other, and be part of the community.
So let’s give this a try, though we won’t limit you to an hour!
For this inaugural edition, feel free to ask any burning questions you have about the platform, writing fiction, or anything else relevant.
If you don’t have a question, then perhaps you’d like to answer the question Geoffrey asked on our call: of all the new features on Substack, are there any that you would classify as “naughty” or “nice”?
I've been wanting to attend the zooms, but haven't managed to get my schedule together in time to make it work so far. How would the office hours be different from your zoom calls?
Hi. I'm Thania (or TV Hernandez through my newsletter), and my newsletter, Ramblings Across the Spectrum, focuses primarily on essays on my life as an autistic woman and book reviews. However, I’ve also been putting out chapters of my novel Petty Habits through there. It's a new adult novel about an autistic woman who has to look after her teenage sister after their mother abandons them. The first three chapters are free while the rest are for paid subscribers with free previews included. I also intend to put out more fiction on there since I intend to start a second newsletter called Reading Through the 70s and 80s where I review novels published in the 1970s and 80s as close chronological order as possible. Therefore, I will be able to post more fiction through my main newsletter than I did before.
I won't be able to participate in the Zoom meeting because I'll be working around that time, but I hope to be able to be more active in the Fictionestas community next year when I can. I also hope you can take advantage of opportunities like the chat feature to get in contact with subscribers more often.
For those who couldn't attend the Zoom call yesterday, I suggested setting up some kind of fellowship or networking/promotion program for fiction writers. We can either reach out to the Substack community managers or work on it ourselves.
I like the idea of office hours, zoom meetings are hard for me to work into my schedule. I'm a successful (ie I sell a whole lot more books than I ever expected to in my life) indie author who took up this career in retirement. I write the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series, and I am currently working on my fourth book in the Paradisi Chronicles, an open source, multi-author world I helped create. I liked the suggestion by That Guy From the Internet below about seeing if there is a way to work on a promotion program for fiction writers in the substack world. I've used Bookfunnel group promotions, and I was wondering if this approach couldn't work in some fashion. In addition to a daily substack post "An Aging Author's Daily Diversions" I do a monthly promotional newsletter on substack. While this is to get out info about my discounts and new publications, I like to feature other authors-when their books are being discounted if they are in my general genre (historical fiction, mysteries, science fiction.) Don't know if there are enough writers in these genres yet on substack, but if so, would be glad to see if any would fit into these newsletters.
I like the new Mentions feature. Not a fan of Badges. I also like that Substack has managed to increase discoverability. The majority of my new subs come from the Substack network now. I haven’t done any promotion at all in 2022, and my subscriber numbers have taken off compared to 2021, when I was promoting on Twitter (good riddance), Discord, and Book Funnel with little success.
Chat is an interesting idea. A private social media just for your Substack network, without (hopefully) the garbage of public social media. But I haven’t activated mine yet, because I am not sure what I want to do with it. I don’t want another chore of thinking of good questions to ask. Maybe I will post cat photos. 🤣 I used to post silly one-liners on Facebook back in 2008 and got lots of fun interaction. I may try that. Someday.
Coming to this one a little late, time zones were not in my favor this time. With the cohort idea we bounced around on the zoom call, I'd mainly be interested in giving each other feedback. It's a tad demoralizing to put writing out there with no response.
I think the mention feature is definitely a nice. Even if you don't use it there's no harm done (unlike the badges) and when you do have a need for it, it makes things more efficient.
Hiya, I just subscribed! Started a substack last month as a complement to my novel, sort of newsy updates from a made-up town. I don’t know what I’m doing. Anyway I was wondering if anyone has done audio versions of their posts—not necessarily a podcast, just a read-by-the-author version to go with the text version?
I couldn't make the zoom yesterday, but hope to get connected on the next one. I'm still fairly new here, though gaining some more experience on how it all works.
My stack is Dynamic Creed, odd fiction from the edge of life which kinda means at times darkly humorous, generally off the wall, and always evocative and illustrative of the quirks and accidents of verse that follow the human spirit. [end plug]
My goal for the upcoming year is simply to continue writing and posting once a week. I know that sounds like a pretty basic goal, but for me that can be a challenge. I get discouraged sometimes. I've been working to get traction for a good while, and I understand that my style is for some, not for others. Still, I hope to keep connecting with those special folks.
As for Substack itself, I think it's pretty nice. I like that people can discover and read without the platform itself cutting you off after your allotted number of reads for the month (Medium)
The chat feature doesn't really stir me. Maybe if it were available on the web site, but typing messages on a virtual keyboard within the app is way too slow for me. Plus, I'm not sure I want to even begin a chat, not sure what to say.
Hi! I'm hybrid between posting fantasy and memoir. My story Body Swappers speculates on what it might be like if someone in crisis could have a trained expert swap into their body.
"Nice": I really like that they integrated voiceovers into Substack, and I want to start using them! I just need a little more setup to start recording. My favorite audiobooks are the ones read by the author!
"Naughty": I don't really get the chat thing and how it's different from a discussion thread, and my phone doesn't read QR codes, so I haven't had the opportunity to dive into it. Anyone want to explain to me the benefits? Thanks!
Cross Posts: Potentially naughty for a newcomer trying to establish their writing presence on the platform. Tough to maintain the content and schedule consistency expected by brandy new subscribers when you're adding other people's voices to the mix. BUT... for the badge worthy crowd... this could be a great way to share the wealth of popularity. May we all be badge worthy someday. Or may they just get rid of the badges and spare us the angst. 😏
I love the idea of hosting Office Hours here on Fictionistas. My work schedule makes it difficult to attend the monthly Zoom meetings, so I really appreciate you all for making this happen! 🙏
I have been writing a novel experimenting with a musical substructure and so have been interested in looking at meaning in literary form.
I would be keen to learn from you all how to find an audience for this writing.
I have almost completed the first draft of my novel and thought eventually I could publish it through Substack, if the traditional route doesn't work. I have also had the idea of illustrating my novel, and, whether or not the book is printed with these illustrations, sharing them through my newsletter, offering editions to founding subscribers.
Hello, all! I am new here - looking for a community of like minded friendly folks. My Substack is fiction based on my own experience, philosophy, religious traditions and psychology (I have a degree in Arts & Consciousness Studies). One of the questions I often receive is: "But is it true?" I consider that a complement. Since, like some other writers, my work does not fit so neatly into a "nitch". I tend to accumulate new subscribers in small numbers, but I value the fact that my work is actually being read, unlike the usual social media click-and-run approach. So... I suspect the commonly offered advice of "stay in for the long haul" apples to me. To a significant degree, my writing is part of my own personal process, shared with others. Oh, and here is my Substack address: https://robertmaynord.substack.com/
I've been following this Substack for a few months, but this is the first time I've posted. Although I've been writing for over 10 years, I only started sharing my stuff publicly this past year. My Substack, Halcyon Horror, is still in the process of getting up and running, but I hope to post my first story in the next couple of weeks. As the name implies, I write mainly horror set in the past. It's a bit niche, but I'm hoping there's still an audience for it.
By which I mean, I guess, it's great to have discoverability, but stuff like badges etc., feels too much like Medium etc.
I'm also not sure how I feel about audio and video (although audio is great for inclusivity of course).
I think my overall feeling for 2023 is that Substack represents a great opportunity for fiction writers, even if it's just a place to publish. It's way better than a drawer, is what I'm saying :) And hopefully, it could be way, way better than a drawer.
I'm going to publish a short story every week for 2023, and also publish my edited novella in the fall (that I serialized on here in 2022). I'm thinking Bookfunnel will work well for promo - but I do agree with others on here that Bookfunnel gets you lots of people who expect fiction for free, always. And you know, I like to eat, sometimes.
I've been wanting to attend the zooms, but haven't managed to get my schedule together in time to make it work so far. How would the office hours be different from your zoom calls?
Nice: showing more information about new subscribers when they sign-up (especially where they come from).
Naughty: the much-maligned popularity badges :o
Hi. I'm Thania (or TV Hernandez through my newsletter), and my newsletter, Ramblings Across the Spectrum, focuses primarily on essays on my life as an autistic woman and book reviews. However, I’ve also been putting out chapters of my novel Petty Habits through there. It's a new adult novel about an autistic woman who has to look after her teenage sister after their mother abandons them. The first three chapters are free while the rest are for paid subscribers with free previews included. I also intend to put out more fiction on there since I intend to start a second newsletter called Reading Through the 70s and 80s where I review novels published in the 1970s and 80s as close chronological order as possible. Therefore, I will be able to post more fiction through my main newsletter than I did before.
I won't be able to participate in the Zoom meeting because I'll be working around that time, but I hope to be able to be more active in the Fictionestas community next year when I can. I also hope you can take advantage of opportunities like the chat feature to get in contact with subscribers more often.
For those who couldn't attend the Zoom call yesterday, I suggested setting up some kind of fellowship or networking/promotion program for fiction writers. We can either reach out to the Substack community managers or work on it ourselves.
I like the idea of office hours, zoom meetings are hard for me to work into my schedule. I'm a successful (ie I sell a whole lot more books than I ever expected to in my life) indie author who took up this career in retirement. I write the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series, and I am currently working on my fourth book in the Paradisi Chronicles, an open source, multi-author world I helped create. I liked the suggestion by That Guy From the Internet below about seeing if there is a way to work on a promotion program for fiction writers in the substack world. I've used Bookfunnel group promotions, and I was wondering if this approach couldn't work in some fashion. In addition to a daily substack post "An Aging Author's Daily Diversions" I do a monthly promotional newsletter on substack. While this is to get out info about my discounts and new publications, I like to feature other authors-when their books are being discounted if they are in my general genre (historical fiction, mysteries, science fiction.) Don't know if there are enough writers in these genres yet on substack, but if so, would be glad to see if any would fit into these newsletters.
I like the new Mentions feature. Not a fan of Badges. I also like that Substack has managed to increase discoverability. The majority of my new subs come from the Substack network now. I haven’t done any promotion at all in 2022, and my subscriber numbers have taken off compared to 2021, when I was promoting on Twitter (good riddance), Discord, and Book Funnel with little success.
Chat is an interesting idea. A private social media just for your Substack network, without (hopefully) the garbage of public social media. But I haven’t activated mine yet, because I am not sure what I want to do with it. I don’t want another chore of thinking of good questions to ask. Maybe I will post cat photos. 🤣 I used to post silly one-liners on Facebook back in 2008 and got lots of fun interaction. I may try that. Someday.
Coming to this one a little late, time zones were not in my favor this time. With the cohort idea we bounced around on the zoom call, I'd mainly be interested in giving each other feedback. It's a tad demoralizing to put writing out there with no response.
I think the mention feature is definitely a nice. Even if you don't use it there's no harm done (unlike the badges) and when you do have a need for it, it makes things more efficient.
Hiya, I just subscribed! Started a substack last month as a complement to my novel, sort of newsy updates from a made-up town. I don’t know what I’m doing. Anyway I was wondering if anyone has done audio versions of their posts—not necessarily a podcast, just a read-by-the-author version to go with the text version?
I couldn't make the zoom yesterday, but hope to get connected on the next one. I'm still fairly new here, though gaining some more experience on how it all works.
My stack is Dynamic Creed, odd fiction from the edge of life which kinda means at times darkly humorous, generally off the wall, and always evocative and illustrative of the quirks and accidents of verse that follow the human spirit. [end plug]
My goal for the upcoming year is simply to continue writing and posting once a week. I know that sounds like a pretty basic goal, but for me that can be a challenge. I get discouraged sometimes. I've been working to get traction for a good while, and I understand that my style is for some, not for others. Still, I hope to keep connecting with those special folks.
As for Substack itself, I think it's pretty nice. I like that people can discover and read without the platform itself cutting you off after your allotted number of reads for the month (Medium)
The chat feature doesn't really stir me. Maybe if it were available on the web site, but typing messages on a virtual keyboard within the app is way too slow for me. Plus, I'm not sure I want to even begin a chat, not sure what to say.
I really enjoyed the zoom call last night. It was lovely to meet some fellow Substackers and chat about stuff.
Cross-posts are going to be a game changer for The Storyletter moving forward. I can’t wait to share everyone’s awesome stories!
Hi! I'm hybrid between posting fantasy and memoir. My story Body Swappers speculates on what it might be like if someone in crisis could have a trained expert swap into their body.
"Nice": I really like that they integrated voiceovers into Substack, and I want to start using them! I just need a little more setup to start recording. My favorite audiobooks are the ones read by the author!
"Naughty": I don't really get the chat thing and how it's different from a discussion thread, and my phone doesn't read QR codes, so I haven't had the opportunity to dive into it. Anyone want to explain to me the benefits? Thanks!
Badges: Naughty
Mentions: Nice
Chat: Potentially nice for someone with a badge
Cross Posts: Potentially naughty for a newcomer trying to establish their writing presence on the platform. Tough to maintain the content and schedule consistency expected by brandy new subscribers when you're adding other people's voices to the mix. BUT... for the badge worthy crowd... this could be a great way to share the wealth of popularity. May we all be badge worthy someday. Or may they just get rid of the badges and spare us the angst. 😏
I love the idea of hosting Office Hours here on Fictionistas. My work schedule makes it difficult to attend the monthly Zoom meetings, so I really appreciate you all for making this happen! 🙏
Hello Fictionistas!
A Work In Process is my newsletter which most recent post you can find here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/rachelmaggart/p/trust-the-process?r=g2ass&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I have been writing a novel experimenting with a musical substructure and so have been interested in looking at meaning in literary form.
I would be keen to learn from you all how to find an audience for this writing.
I have almost completed the first draft of my novel and thought eventually I could publish it through Substack, if the traditional route doesn't work. I have also had the idea of illustrating my novel, and, whether or not the book is printed with these illustrations, sharing them through my newsletter, offering editions to founding subscribers.
Here is my email for anyone who wants to get in touch: rachel@rachelmaggart.com
Hello, all! I am new here - looking for a community of like minded friendly folks. My Substack is fiction based on my own experience, philosophy, religious traditions and psychology (I have a degree in Arts & Consciousness Studies). One of the questions I often receive is: "But is it true?" I consider that a complement. Since, like some other writers, my work does not fit so neatly into a "nitch". I tend to accumulate new subscribers in small numbers, but I value the fact that my work is actually being read, unlike the usual social media click-and-run approach. So... I suspect the commonly offered advice of "stay in for the long haul" apples to me. To a significant degree, my writing is part of my own personal process, shared with others. Oh, and here is my Substack address: https://robertmaynord.substack.com/
Hi all,
I've been following this Substack for a few months, but this is the first time I've posted. Although I've been writing for over 10 years, I only started sharing my stuff publicly this past year. My Substack, Halcyon Horror, is still in the process of getting up and running, but I hope to post my first story in the next couple of weeks. As the name implies, I write mainly horror set in the past. It's a bit niche, but I'm hoping there's still an audience for it.
Hi all! I’m fairly new. What kind of categories work best for you. I accidentally switched mine last week and I haven’t gotten new subs.
Hey all.
Naughty: Substack becoming more like a "platform"
Nice: Substack becoming more like a "platform"
By which I mean, I guess, it's great to have discoverability, but stuff like badges etc., feels too much like Medium etc.
I'm also not sure how I feel about audio and video (although audio is great for inclusivity of course).
I think my overall feeling for 2023 is that Substack represents a great opportunity for fiction writers, even if it's just a place to publish. It's way better than a drawer, is what I'm saying :) And hopefully, it could be way, way better than a drawer.
I'm going to publish a short story every week for 2023, and also publish my edited novella in the fall (that I serialized on here in 2022). I'm thinking Bookfunnel will work well for promo - but I do agree with others on here that Bookfunnel gets you lots of people who expect fiction for free, always. And you know, I like to eat, sometimes.
Go fictionistas!!
Hey is there anyone interested in world records or fictional stories? Check out my profile to see if any of my stacks are relavent to what you read.