The Fictionistas gathered on Zoom for a rowdy virtual holiday party. We danced to holiday classics, stuffed ourselves with appetizers and desserts, and the drinks flowed like Niagara. Once again,
donned a lampshade on his head and belted out a baritone version of Santa Baby. Unfortunately, didn’t press record, and all of that raucous behavior now remains a topic of speculation and rumor. When the recording finally started, we managed to settle down and converse like civilized adults.You can watch the embedded video or read this recap. Geoffrey started off by asking participants to put Substack features on the naughty or nice list. Only one feature drew the ire of the group at large, and that was badges/checkmarks. The discussion centered around identifying features that appeared to actively harm the Substack ecosystem. Also, several of us felt that spending time and effort replicating a maligned feature of Twitter did not make good business sense.
Other features like chat and the Substack fellowship were generally cast in a negative light, but not necessarily considered naughty. In fact, we talked about the possibility of a fellowship that specifically helps new fiction talent grow. Advanced search and tagging, as well as text indent, centering, and underlining were also mentioned as lacking, but this did not ultimately land post editing on the naughty list. It takes a lot of frustration for the Fictionistas to put coal in the Substack stocking, and there were quite a few features that landed on the nice list.
Cross-posts were well received, and several participants discussed how they’re using them already to supplement content. Galleries were recognized for the attention to detail in formatting both online and in the emails, as well as the app. Across Substack, galleries have received mostly positive reactions. Recommendations continue to receive high praise, as most of the community uses them and benefits from them. We all love the way Substack encourages like-minded communities and helps build relationships within the platform.
One feature missing, brought up by Reena, is the ability to send a text message that alerts subscribers with a link when a post is sent. This method of communication is big in India and some other countries. With low app penetration, it could be a hook to get more people engaged as opposed to push notifications. We reflected on the potential of this feature while taking sips of spiked eggnog.
A recent product news summary highlighting many of these features was sent by the official Substack team and can be found at Product news for writers: Chat, mentions, cross-posts, and more.Â
Newcomer Meg expressed interest in sections and asked how we’re each utilizing this feature. We’re so glad she joined the party! Each of us had similar thoughts before launching sections, and Jackie discussed her experiences and the merits of starting a new Substack as an alternative option. Mark Starlin also wrote about sections during the summer in the Fictionistas guest post Using Sections For Serial Fiction.
Before the party ended (even though Geoffrey fell fast asleep by this point), community writing cohorts were mentioned. The idea is fresh and gaining traction, and Fictionistas is interested in hearing your ideas about how it could work. Comment here or contact Jackie or Geoffrey if you would like to participate.
A final reminder that The Second Annual Great Substack Story Challenge is coming in January 2023! J.E. Peterson is leading the charge, and if you want to be involved, be sure to subscribe for the latest updates.
Happy Holidays from the entire Fictionistas team!
Participants
Mike Vee
Sam Corey
If I missed someone, or your name isn’t linked (or linked incorrectly), please let me know in the comments, and I’m happy to make changes!
As for me, I’m that guy,
, who is writing speculative fiction over at Future Thief, and who you can find bragging about Fictionistas on the official Substack Writer Office Hours.
Video & recap from Fictionistas Holiday Zoom