I like that you took the time to publish this, thank you. I still don’t fully know what Substack is for (and for whom) but whatever someone trying to achieve here, these behaviors probably won’t help them get it.
Excellent piece, as usual Erica. I stand meekly to the side when I stand beside you, because I’ve only got the one Substack, and I fell like a real slacker. Sure, it’s definitely divided into two separate parts, FREE and PAID, but the thing people don’t know, is that the FREE part is the one that matters most to me. That’s the one where I put my novellas and novelettes up. The one where I read them out, because now I enjoy reading them out. I believe in consistency. I believe in scheduled releases. The only reason I even have a paid site, is because three friends paid me two days after I started this. I felt I had to give them something, so I tried to write a serial novel because I didn’t know what else to do. I mean, how’s that work? Now I’ve got 31 paid subscribers, and four or five of those are comped. (In Canada, I’m pretty sure we spell that compt, but we won’t go there.)
I believe Substack is the best thing that could have happened to me. I might not get rich being here — okay, I definitely won’t get rich here — but I’m leaving something behind. And it’s a big part of who I am. And that’s important to me, because if I’ve learned anything, it’s that time goes by way too quickly. I have a page from my desk calendar on the wall with a push pin through it, telling me the date of my workplace accident (as if I don’t know when that was) and it says 2022. January. In three months, it’ll be three years. That’s time going fast. And if I’ve got 20 years left…? Well, I’d better get to work.
It isn’t a machine – that is why – although computing works to what ever the programmers decide – the readers and human and their lives often do not go smoothly. This is no fix and you are not being penalised. The only thing that you need to manage is your own expectations – a point that I think Erica makes. The subscribers do not owe you anything.
Of course not. But you are zooming out to a generalization which carries implication you apply to my case (whether you checked to see if that tracks or not, I’m assuming) and I’m zooming in to talk about a particular mechanism in the system which I don’t like.
Excellent. The first thing I thought about when setting up my stack was consistency. I looked at how much I had finished, how much I have in the pipeline, and how much time I have to write. I settled on every two weeks, on Tuesdays, 7:00 P.M. EST. I’m sticking to it, I’ve gained subscribers, and I’m humbled every time I get a notice of a new one. And I don’t know if I’ll ever try to go paid. I write what I write because it’s a story that I need to tell. The fact that people like it and want to read it is a bonus for me.
Loved this so much. And I’m relieved that my instinct to just have no paid tier for now (maybe ever) is a good one despite folks pushing me to go paid early.
“Number pimping,” I love it! 😂 (also, I may be guilty of this but I swear I only did it once and then I felt weird ha ha) Thank you for this article!
Preach! Louder for the people in the back!
I like that you took the time to publish this, thank you. I still don’t fully know what Substack is for (and for whom) but whatever someone trying to achieve here, these behaviors probably won’t help them get it.
Yesssss! I’m so glad you posted this. I’ve been on a real downer this week and the negativity on here has definitely been part of it.
Great piece. Thanks bro
I’m coming up on 1 year, and my imagination THANKS me for it. What a ride 😊
Excellent piece, as usual Erica. I stand meekly to the side when I stand beside you, because I’ve only got the one Substack, and I fell like a real slacker. Sure, it’s definitely divided into two separate parts, FREE and PAID, but the thing people don’t know, is that the FREE part is the one that matters most to me. That’s the one where I put my novellas and novelettes up. The one where I read them out, because now I enjoy reading them out. I believe in consistency. I believe in scheduled releases. The only reason I even have a paid site, is because three friends paid me two days after I started this. I felt I had to give them something, so I tried to write a serial novel because I didn’t know what else to do. I mean, how’s that work? Now I’ve got 31 paid subscribers, and four or five of those are comped. (In Canada, I’m pretty sure we spell that compt, but we won’t go there.)
I believe Substack is the best thing that could have happened to me. I might not get rich being here — okay, I definitely won’t get rich here — but I’m leaving something behind. And it’s a big part of who I am. And that’s important to me, because if I’ve learned anything, it’s that time goes by way too quickly. I have a page from my desk calendar on the wall with a push pin through it, telling me the date of my workplace accident (as if I don’t know when that was) and it says 2022. January. In three months, it’ll be three years. That’s time going fast. And if I’ve got 20 years left…? Well, I’d better get to work.
It isn’t a machine – that is why – although computing works to what ever the programmers decide – the readers and human and their lives often do not go smoothly. This is no fix and you are not being penalised. The only thing that you need to manage is your own expectations – a point that I think Erica makes. The subscribers do not owe you anything.
Of course not. But you are zooming out to a generalization which carries implication you apply to my case (whether you checked to see if that tracks or not, I’m assuming) and I’m zooming in to talk about a particular mechanism in the system which I don’t like.
Excellent. The first thing I thought about when setting up my stack was consistency. I looked at how much I had finished, how much I have in the pipeline, and how much time I have to write. I settled on every two weeks, on Tuesdays, 7:00 P.M. EST. I’m sticking to it, I’ve gained subscribers, and I’m humbled every time I get a notice of a new one. And I don’t know if I’ll ever try to go paid. I write what I write because it’s a story that I need to tell. The fact that people like it and want to read it is a bonus for me.
Loved this so much. And I’m relieved that my instinct to just have no paid tier for now (maybe ever) is a good one despite folks pushing me to go paid early.