Greetings Fictionistas!
We had quite a cozy convo on Tuesday evening. If you missed out on the live event, you can catch up on the discussion via the video replay above.
Below are just a few of the many questions we tackled, and some key takeaways, in no particular order:
“What type of content are fiction writers sharing on their Substacks? What works? What doesn’t?”
It will require patience, perseverance, and a LOT of experimentation to find your stride with your newsletter.
A good starting point is to determine what you really want your publication to be.
Are you looking for a way to keep your established fan base engaged while you work on your next book or project?
Or a place to promote sales when the book is finished?
Do you need a space to share experimental projects or works-in-progress that you could use some direct feedback on?
Or a place to build a collection of stories that might be suitable for publication elsewhere down the road?
Do you want to provide instruction, inspiration, or helpful tips to other writers on a journey similar to yours?
Or do you just need an open space to exercise and develop your writing voice in whatever way you see fit?
OR some combination of ALL OF THE ABOVE??
The consensus among meeting participants seemed to be that while we all worry about offering too many types of content under one publication (thus ‘annoying’ our readers), our subscribers never seem all that rattled when we switch gears or try something new. And TBH, the reader who likes ANYTHING you write (meaning they like “you”) is the reader you want to have.
“Is Substack the only game in town?”
Heck no! There are countless other publishing platforms, each with their own unique advantages and disadvantages. The trick is finding one that is the best fit for your work - and for you personally as its creator. It’s a good idea to explore different options and make a decision based on what your long-term goals are. And remember it can take months or years on any platform for your work to gain traction.
Patience and perseverance, friends!
“Can you make money on Substack with fiction?”
“The bigger question is, can you make money with fiction?”
-Simon K. Jones
While Substack may never be a viable way for most of us fiction writers to make bank, most would agree that it is (and hopefully always will be) a place to build a supportive community, get your work seen, and grow an audience of loyal readers that is yours to keep and take with you should you ever choose to venture elsewhere. This is really what sets Substack apart from other platforms and the reason many of us are planning to stick with it for the foreseeable future.
“Where are all the fiction writers on Substack?”
Okay … we aren’t asking this question obviously. But other people are!!!
If you see a lost soul asking this question on Substack Notes or elsewhere, please do them (and us) a kindness and send them our way!
The lack of a decent keyword search model for finding specific types of fiction on Substack, along with little to no promotion of unknown fiction writers from the higher ups, means that we need to help each other find each other.
Ways to discover (and be discovered by) other fiction writers/readers:
Attend a virtual event (like a Fictionistas meetup or prompt party!)
Hang out in Notes and introduce yourself on a thread that interests you
Engage with writers in their comments - this really works!!
Recommend and promote your favorite fiction Substacks – reciprocity happens!!
Take part in a collaborative project or story sharing thread
Like one of these beauties…
Thanks to all who joined us for the live event. We hope to see many more faces at the next meetup which will be held sometime in April. Stay tuned!
Link roll of meetup attendees … (if I missed yours, just drop it in the comments!)
Replay and Recap