Commenting on other people's posts helps, too. That's how I found you! Substack is a lot like the real world, there are many people we've never met and many stories we've never read, simply because this place is so big it's impossible to know what's out there. You were about to shut down The Circus out of frustration, and just happened to mention it in a comment on another Substacker's essay... I'd never heard of you before, but I thought it would be sad for you to kill off a baby story like that, so I took a peek at your Circus series and got hooked!
I know there is so much more out there, but I can't dig around Substack all day. All the work on here is like a big jumble of books at a book sale, all piled up in a random mess - everything that I read, I've found randomly. A Substack librarian would be useful! But pretty much everything I read here, I've found by happy accident. Substack is a community, a digital world. It's easy to get lost in here, but there are all kinds of wonderful rewards for the adventurous reader...
Nicely put. Thank you so much, Jeannine! Substack is this beautiful mess of stories, and it’s hard or probably even impossible to read all. I am grateful you chose to read mine.
It is a shame so much great work goes relatively unseen on here. There’s just so many good writers putting up amazing work, and only a limited number of readers we’re all trying to reach. I read and comment where I can, but of course, there’s only so much time you can spend doing that, because it’s important to work on your own things as well! 😎
Very true! Not to mention dealing with just day to day life - I have to force myself to limit what I read, simply because I have responsibilities that can't be ignored, and a limited amount of leisure time. There was a woman in one of the nursing homes I worked in who did almost nothing but read. We even had to bring her meals into her room for her. That sounds a nice sort of retirement to me! 😉
This was great! I’ve had a similar experience and would tell people the same thing. Well, the theme groups is new. Thanks for that. One thing that made me laugh though, 300% of one is three. 😉
Well, technically, there were 2 of my own e-mails like test subs too, along with my buddy’s it was 3. But I didn’t count those. I should’ve made that clear. I should stop living in my head so much and remember other people can’t read my thoughts.😂
PS very useful. thank you Kathrine. Can't bring myself to promote myself, I was born in a different culture, it's like really really going against myself. Not in the mood to hang on Notes-very rarely there.
Also arrived here with two people one of them me)) But yes you're right all these things they do help. Communities, if one can find one. Etcetera
I think your knowing, being very sure that you just have to write-that's the most important thing. I've spent my life telling myself I shouldn't, and the switch is hard sometimes.
I don’t like to promote my stories. I really don’t. But I’ve become quite shameless over time. I just approach it as a neccessary sacrifice to the good cause. Like I said - swallow that toad and just promote your stuff.
As if you can read my mind. I do feel un-seen and un-heard sometimes, then there are days that I get a sub or 2 and I feel so positive again. Thank you for sharing this.
LOL, your first piece of advice to me was about putting chapter links into each story! Gosh, what a steep learning curve! But you gave it so kindly, and it was such a positive push in the right direction!
I myself have yet to learn a lot of things about the Stack. My page is chaotic. But I have learned a few things. I want to share them, especially with those feeling lost in Substack, like I was when I started. Since I’m seeing some vultures lately trying to trick the newbies into subscribing, because those vultures claim to know “new tricks” to grow readership, I decided to share my experience. For free. Because if those people really wanted to help, like they say, they wouldn’t be asking for subs or even paid subs, to share their wisdom. Yeah, I got pissed by that.
I feel very much in the Stackvoid, so your piece felt reassuring. Since joining Substack in April I’ve gained followers, but it’s all crickets when I post in Notes. From what understood the hope is that followers may become subscribers. So I’ve been commenting and interacting in other posts, and still my posts and Notes swim in the void. Frustrating, but persistence is the name of the game. At the end of the day with all the tech and the flashy bells and whistles, we return to the basics of humanity: good old persistence. Thank you for the encouragement of your post.
Consistency is definitely key. Thank you for the advice and encouragement!
I already know a bit about needing to stay consistent through YouTube. And although it's not easy to be consistent, especially when you are a perfectionist, it is definitely the best way to grow an engaged audience!
What a great article! You speak from my soul! "SubStuck" hits the nail right on the head. Especially when it comes from platforms like Medium. Even if you have a harder time as a fiction writer, you at least get a few likes, but above all the most valuable thing: comments.
It took months. It took joining multiple theme days and active, consistent participation in them. Experimenting, trying new genres, even poetry! Good luck, just don’t give up!
Thanks for sharing your experience with Substack. I can identify. I have views, but not many subscribers. My page is free forever. I need to find a community...romance and/or memoir groups. Thanks for that nugget.
Writing to the Void. What an intriguing idea, and one that seems to resonate with me. It’s actually very Zen; egoless effort without expectation of return; art solely for the sake of expression rather than response.
I completely agree Fiction is hard on here. I was doing low numbers for about five months, too, before things started to pick up a little. I'm hoping to hit 100 Subscribers by the time I've been here a year. But I've only got a couple of months to go and I'm not quite there yet! Haha. It's a shame so much great work goes relatively unseen on here. But you're absolutely right, perseverance and consistency are the key... 😎
Okay, you know how to find people and publications on Substack? It doesn’t always work, but mostly it does. If you type “Macabre Monday” in the search, you will find their page, the names of the hosts etc.
BUT the main thing you need to do is tag the hosts in your Note. Also if you have the patience, tag the other participants in your Note. You can ask the hosts to add you to the list of the participants. You will see whenever somebody tags you, and vice versa.
An excample - today is SciFriday. I published my Scifi piece. I found the host’s @Andrew Smith note (through his Substack page, his notes) with the list of active participants. I copied his Note as plain text into a new Note I made. I deleted his text, leaving only the list. I added the link to my own Scifi piece. I wrote a short description and re-tagged all the participants.(yes you can’t copy tags automatically). I posted the Note. It means every person I tagged gets notified about my Note. These guys and gals are interested in Sci-fi. Whether they read my piece or just share the Note, it’s all good to get more eyes on my work. The participants often help by sharing.
I hope this made sense.
Some hosts (like me or @the brothers Krynn) do a weekly/monthly recap post with the work of all the participants. The main thing you have to do - tag the hosts! They will share your work further and include it in the recap post.
But we share links to our published posts. I mean, we attach a link to a Note, the link is from a post previously published on Substack. Yes, some short stuff may be shared directly in the Note (like I often share poetry and flash fiction directly in the body of the Note). So yes, the Notes are where all the action happens.
Excellent piece. But one thing did cross my mind as I was reading it. You CAN edit your posts after you put them up. You can edit your Notes, and Comments too. Those three little dots off to the the right. Just hit those and a window pops up, with the word EDIT in there. Sometimes, it's a lifesaver!
Yes, you can edit the posts and the notes, I know, I do that on a regular basis (I’m the Queen of Typos!), but the version you sent to your Subscribers’ emails? I read it’s not possible. It makes sense that it shouldn’t be possible.
Commenting on other people's posts helps, too. That's how I found you! Substack is a lot like the real world, there are many people we've never met and many stories we've never read, simply because this place is so big it's impossible to know what's out there. You were about to shut down The Circus out of frustration, and just happened to mention it in a comment on another Substacker's essay... I'd never heard of you before, but I thought it would be sad for you to kill off a baby story like that, so I took a peek at your Circus series and got hooked!
I know there is so much more out there, but I can't dig around Substack all day. All the work on here is like a big jumble of books at a book sale, all piled up in a random mess - everything that I read, I've found randomly. A Substack librarian would be useful! But pretty much everything I read here, I've found by happy accident. Substack is a community, a digital world. It's easy to get lost in here, but there are all kinds of wonderful rewards for the adventurous reader...
I love your work, Kathrine!
Nicely put. Thank you so much, Jeannine! Substack is this beautiful mess of stories, and it’s hard or probably even impossible to read all. I am grateful you chose to read mine.
And I am very grateful that you chose to post them. I count myself very lucky to have found your stories among the beautiful mess! 💜
There is The Library here on Substack, and I've found some terrific fiction through there. Have you found it yet? Terrific place to hang out!
And authors can submit their work to it, too (https://thelinklibrary.substack.com/p/submit)! Very, very cool! Thank you again for this!
I found it! This looks cool! https://thelinklibrary.substack.com/
It’s very cool.
No, I haven't. Thank you for telling me about it. Now I'll need to go looking for it! 📖
It is a shame so much great work goes relatively unseen on here. There’s just so many good writers putting up amazing work, and only a limited number of readers we’re all trying to reach. I read and comment where I can, but of course, there’s only so much time you can spend doing that, because it’s important to work on your own things as well! 😎
Very true! Not to mention dealing with just day to day life - I have to force myself to limit what I read, simply because I have responsibilities that can't be ignored, and a limited amount of leisure time. There was a woman in one of the nursing homes I worked in who did almost nothing but read. We even had to bring her meals into her room for her. That sounds a nice sort of retirement to me! 😉
Yes, having the free time to do the things you want to do is a wonderful feeling and always very precious... 😎
This was great! I’ve had a similar experience and would tell people the same thing. Well, the theme groups is new. Thanks for that. One thing that made me laugh though, 300% of one is three. 😉
Well, technically, there were 2 of my own e-mails like test subs too, along with my buddy’s it was 3. But I didn’t count those. I should’ve made that clear. I should stop living in my head so much and remember other people can’t read my thoughts.😂
First assocation, don't know why:
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row"
PS very useful. thank you Kathrine. Can't bring myself to promote myself, I was born in a different culture, it's like really really going against myself. Not in the mood to hang on Notes-very rarely there.
Also arrived here with two people one of them me)) But yes you're right all these things they do help. Communities, if one can find one. Etcetera
I think your knowing, being very sure that you just have to write-that's the most important thing. I've spent my life telling myself I shouldn't, and the switch is hard sometimes.
Thank you again
I don’t like to promote my stories. I really don’t. But I’ve become quite shameless over time. I just approach it as a neccessary sacrifice to the good cause. Like I said - swallow that toad and just promote your stuff.
for this, one must be sure his cause is good))
As if you can read my mind. I do feel un-seen and un-heard sometimes, then there are days that I get a sub or 2 and I feel so positive again. Thank you for sharing this.
This was exactly what I needed to read this morning. Sometimes when you scream into the void, the void screams back.
LOL, your first piece of advice to me was about putting chapter links into each story! Gosh, what a steep learning curve! But you gave it so kindly, and it was such a positive push in the right direction!
I myself have yet to learn a lot of things about the Stack. My page is chaotic. But I have learned a few things. I want to share them, especially with those feeling lost in Substack, like I was when I started. Since I’m seeing some vultures lately trying to trick the newbies into subscribing, because those vultures claim to know “new tricks” to grow readership, I decided to share my experience. For free. Because if those people really wanted to help, like they say, they wouldn’t be asking for subs or even paid subs, to share their wisdom. Yeah, I got pissed by that.
Thank you, V!🩶
I feel very much in the Stackvoid, so your piece felt reassuring. Since joining Substack in April I’ve gained followers, but it’s all crickets when I post in Notes. From what understood the hope is that followers may become subscribers. So I’ve been commenting and interacting in other posts, and still my posts and Notes swim in the void. Frustrating, but persistence is the name of the game. At the end of the day with all the tech and the flashy bells and whistles, we return to the basics of humanity: good old persistence. Thank you for the encouragement of your post.
“I felt unseen. Un-heard. Un-read.” Yep. I still do much of the time, except for that core of loyal readers who lift me up always. They keep me going.
Why though?! I liked the stuff you shared for the Thorny Thursday. Hm…🤔 That’s also another problem with Substack - so many good authors.
Thank you, Kathrine! Yes, so many good authors! The question has always been, how do we get readers in here?
Consistency is definitely key. Thank you for the advice and encouragement!
I already know a bit about needing to stay consistent through YouTube. And although it's not easy to be consistent, especially when you are a perfectionist, it is definitely the best way to grow an engaged audience!
Thanks for the reminder! :)
What a great article! You speak from my soul! "SubStuck" hits the nail right on the head. Especially when it comes from platforms like Medium. Even if you have a harder time as a fiction writer, you at least get a few likes, but above all the most valuable thing: comments.
I will definitely try to follow your advice.
Thank you!
It took months. It took joining multiple theme days and active, consistent participation in them. Experimenting, trying new genres, even poetry! Good luck, just don’t give up!
I still have many stories to publish here and more stories to write. Thank you, Kathrine!
Thanks for this, is hard to know what to do, you made me want to keep going, thnx
Thanks for sharing your experience with Substack. I can identify. I have views, but not many subscribers. My page is free forever. I need to find a community...romance and/or memoir groups. Thanks for that nugget.
Hey, romance is what I’m here for! Join the Thorny Thursday tomorrow, July 11. 🌹
Okay. Thanks so much for the invite!!
Writing to the Void. What an intriguing idea, and one that seems to resonate with me. It’s actually very Zen; egoless effort without expectation of return; art solely for the sake of expression rather than response.
I completely agree Fiction is hard on here. I was doing low numbers for about five months, too, before things started to pick up a little. I'm hoping to hit 100 Subscribers by the time I've been here a year. But I've only got a couple of months to go and I'm not quite there yet! Haha. It's a shame so much great work goes relatively unseen on here. But you're absolutely right, perseverance and consistency are the key... 😎
But how do I find these things? Once a Note is published it just seems to disappear. How do you search for them???
Okay, you know how to find people and publications on Substack? It doesn’t always work, but mostly it does. If you type “Macabre Monday” in the search, you will find their page, the names of the hosts etc.
BUT the main thing you need to do is tag the hosts in your Note. Also if you have the patience, tag the other participants in your Note. You can ask the hosts to add you to the list of the participants. You will see whenever somebody tags you, and vice versa.
An excample - today is SciFriday. I published my Scifi piece. I found the host’s @Andrew Smith note (through his Substack page, his notes) with the list of active participants. I copied his Note as plain text into a new Note I made. I deleted his text, leaving only the list. I added the link to my own Scifi piece. I wrote a short description and re-tagged all the participants.(yes you can’t copy tags automatically). I posted the Note. It means every person I tagged gets notified about my Note. These guys and gals are interested in Sci-fi. Whether they read my piece or just share the Note, it’s all good to get more eyes on my work. The participants often help by sharing.
I hope this made sense.
Some hosts (like me or @the brothers Krynn) do a weekly/monthly recap post with the work of all the participants. The main thing you have to do - tag the hosts! They will share your work further and include it in the recap post.
What are you writing? What genre? What themes?
Thank you for these instructions! I write poetry, about half of it is it speculative/SciFi.
Do you publish for SciFriday in Notes? Or as a post/newsletter? It looks to me life most of the 'acton' is on Notes - not sure why people still post?
But we share links to our published posts. I mean, we attach a link to a Note, the link is from a post previously published on Substack. Yes, some short stuff may be shared directly in the Note (like I often share poetry and flash fiction directly in the body of the Note). So yes, the Notes are where all the action happens.
Excellent piece. But one thing did cross my mind as I was reading it. You CAN edit your posts after you put them up. You can edit your Notes, and Comments too. Those three little dots off to the the right. Just hit those and a window pops up, with the word EDIT in there. Sometimes, it's a lifesaver!
Thank you.
Yes, you can edit the posts and the notes, I know, I do that on a regular basis (I’m the Queen of Typos!), but the version you sent to your Subscribers’ emails? I read it’s not possible. It makes sense that it shouldn’t be possible.