by Anne R. Allen
For the past few years, authors have been urged to give up blogging for newsletters, especially using the trendy Substack. Substack encourages users to put their good content behind a paywall, so only elite readers have the privilege of reading the entire newsletter.
I was going to write a whole post about the Substack fad, but last month Jane Friedman wrote such an excellent post on the subject, all I can do is provide a link. Do read it. I’ll wait 🙂 : Why Substack is Both Great and Terrible for Writers.
As a reader, I’d rather buy an author’s actual books than buy a promotional newsletter about the author’s fabulous lunch at Spago. In fact, mostly I barely skim an emailed newsletter before deleting it from the cyberpile of 500+ emails I get per day.
As an author, I prefer blogs to newsletters — paid or free — because blogs are open to the entire online world, not a handful of subscribers. Anybody can discover your blog, but only people who already know your work can read your newsletter — which exists only in the subscriber’s inbox. That severely limits the benefits an author gets from all that work.
Newsletters you send to fans when you have a new book out are great, but newsletter gurus tell us to send once a week or more.
That kind of marketing is based on the premise that you can get people to buy the same book over and over if you keep hammering them. This idea isn’t limited to book selling. It’s a basic tenet of online marketing. If you buy a new refrigerator, marketers will follow you everywhere online for months, expecting you to buy dozens of identical refrigerators.
Guess how many times that has worked on me? None. How about you?
Substack is Free, But...
Sending free newsletters (or blog notices) can be expensive. You can’t just send them from your regular email program. Mass mailings get flagged as spam. The solution is email services like MailChimp, Mailerlite, and Convertkit. But they cost you if you have more than a certain number of subscribers. Those programs can also be unreliable, as those who get our MailChimp blog notifications know well. (Fingers crossed that the Chimps are working today.)
But Substack is free — technically. However, it makes its money from paid newsletters, so they do everything in their power to get you to put your best content behind a paywall.
That’s an excellent way for an established journalist to make some money, but not wise for an author with books to sell. As Jane Friedman says, “I can guarantee one thing: starting a Substack that you charge for can easily hamper your platform-building efforts.”
It can also make your regular subscribers feel like poor relations who didn’t get invited to the party. People tend to unsubscribe when they feel demeaned and excluded.
You don’t want to lose track of your reason for writing the newsletter in the first place. Jane still loves newsletters, but she doesn’t feel that paid newsletters will help authors create community and sell books.
Substack Provides a Social Network: A Big Plus
One of the benefits of Substack is the ability to network with other writers and publishing professionals. Substack provides a social media site called Notes that Jane calls “Twitter-like.” Since X-Twitter isn’t terribly Twitter-like anymore, that’s an attractive feature.
There’s a big writing and publishing membership on Notes, so if you are writing a newsletter mostly to network with other writers and publishing professionals, it could be worth your time.
But, if you’re hoping to sell books, not so much.
Joining Substack is like becoming a member of an exclusive club, while blogging is like opening a shop on Main Street.
Jane quotes author Barbara Tanner Wallace: “I tried Substack…but in the end I decided to leave and go back to blogging. Blogging fits better with my philosophy of providing readers with free, entertaining content.”
Blogging Has Drawbacks: Difficult Visitors
Not that blogging doesn’t have drawbacks. If starting a blog is like opening a shop, that means anybody out there on the street can drop in. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Most people who come by will be great, and they might even buy something.
But some might be nasty, unwell, and/or looking for a fight. Difficult visitors are the biggest challenge for a blogger. This is not something that you have to deal with much if you have an elite Substack newsletter behind a paywall.
You can moderate your blog comments, but that often discourages legit comments that might start a useful discussion on the blog.
So if, like Ms. Wallace, you decide to go back / stick to blogging, here are some tips for dealing with blogging’s downside.
Disagreeables
There’s nothing wrong with disagreement. If it’s done in a friendly manner, a different point of view can be an excellent way to learn and stimulate conversation. I’ve learned a lot from people who have pointed out my mistakes and blogging faux-pas.
But the occasional commenter crosses the line from polite disagreement to a personal attack or full-on temper tantrum.
And sometimes they arrive with a crowd of minions carrying cyber-pitchforks, accusing you of bizarre misdeeds.
It’s important to be aware that people tend to judge others by themselves. Happy, friendly people assume others are happy and friendly until proved otherwise. Angry, nasty people assume everybody else is angry and nasty, too.
Solution: Remember it’s YOUR blog, and “free speech” does not apply. It’s easy to send those comments to the trash. So monitor the blog carefully and only engage in disagreements with rational people.
Tip: When people accuse you of bizarre, terrible things, they aren’t saying anything about you; they’re telling you what is in their own heads.
Spammers
I know a number of authors have quit blogging because of spam. A blog’s first unwanted visitors will be spammers. Until your blog’s spam blocker knows what types of comments you don’t want, spam comments will probably come through. This may happen after you’ve had a sudden spike in visitors and you think:
“YES! The blog is finally taking off!”
Although it’s odd to see that you have so many fans at the same address in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia…
Then you’ll start getting comments that say stuff like “I liking very much to your blog. Keeping up his good work.” Then there will be a link (or ten) to sites that sell knock off designer sunglasses, fake Viagra, and porn.
Or — this is always a favorite of mine — there will be a long comment from a “woman” who claims that a “doctor” or “magic man” has brought back her straying husband or showered her with untold riches.
Solution: These can be hilarious, but do remember to mark them as spam and don’t just delete, or they’ll keep appearing. But your spam blocker can learn that comments like these are not welcome and block them from appearing on your blog.
Tip: Spam comments usually appear on older posts, so if you moderate older posts, you can probably keep most spam from appearing on the blog.
Trolls
“Troll” is an all-encompassing term that means pretty much anybody who’s looking to cause trouble and might be lurking under a cyber-bridge. Trolls thrive on creating conflict for its own sake. If they happen on a Christian blog, they’ll post an atheist manifesto. Then they’ll go to an atheist site and tell them they’re all going to Hell.
Their posts are often obscene or bigoted. They’re probably living in their mom’s basement and haven’t had work since they lost the dishwashing job at Krusty Burger in 2020. These are people who feel pretty helpless in the world, and this is how they make themselves feel powerful.
Solution: Don’t feed trolls! Any engagement at all will be perceived as encouragement. They crave attention and don’t care if it’s negative or positive. Delete the post and try to laugh about it with offline friends. No matter how nasty the remark, remember it’s not aimed at you. It’s the whole world these people hate. And even if you feel sorry for them, if you’re not a mental health professional hired to treat them, your best bet is to delete them as soon as possible.
Tip: Trolls usually post as “anonymous” so if you’re hearing from them regularly, you can change your settings to require a name in order to comment.
Rage Addicts
These people are looking for a fix. People can become addicted to endorphins they feel when they get angry, so they’re looking for anything that will justify going on the attack. They’re surfing the ‘Net trying to ferret out the slightest insult so they can feel offended — either for themselves, or some perceived downtrodden minority.
They often have the linguistic sense of Spellcheck software.
So they might attack a blogger for using the word “fatuous,” calling it an insult to fat people. Or they’ll attack anybody who talks about Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” as being unsympathetic to the Holocaust. Or one might go off on a blogger for using the word “Heffalump,” because that’s what her cheating ex-husband called her when she was in her third trimester.
Solution: Always delete nastiness if your other commenters are attacked. But with somebody like the Heffalump woman, you may not want to delete, because that can anger the rage addict further and anger is what they feed on. You can sometimes respond with an “oh how awful for you” comment and they’re less likely to come back for more.
Tip: You can block addresses by reporting them as spam instead of simply deleting them.
Substack, Freebie Newsletter, or Blog?
The decision about which path to take depends on your goals and where you are in your writing journey. Each has an upside and a downside.
- Substack is great for networking within the industry. So if you’re looking for an agent or publisher, it might be just the thing. But, as Jane Friedman says, you’ll be isolated from readers.
- Freebie newsletters are great for keeping in touch with your established readership, and especially valuable when you’re launching a new book. If you have a big fan base, write fast, and produce a book every couple of months, this is for you. But you won’t reach new readers.
- Blogging is great for casting a wide net, attracting new readers, and putting yourself out there in the marketplace for the world to discover. It also builds platform fast because Google picks up on blogs, but newsletters in somebody’s inbox are invisible to it. But you need to deal with those nasty visitors.
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) April 7, 2024
What about you, scriveners? Are you likely to buy 12 refrigerators if marketers show you pictures of refrigerators everywhere you go online? Are you on team Substack? Do you like to pay for newsletters? Do you still blog? How do you deal with unwanted blog commenters? Or does a free newsletter for your fans provide all the sales you need?
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Great advice!
I’m with you on blogs. Anne. I detest newsletters. They clutter my inbox. I don’t have time for them. Yes, I’ve signed up for a few, but I end up deleting them. I’d rather follow interesting blogs.
For blog owners: If you’re tech-oriented and don’t mind fiddling with your .htaccess files, you can block bad players by IP address. If these baddies belong to an abusive group such as Biterika or OVH, you can block entire ranges after looking them up at sites such as https://www.wmtips.com/tools/ip/.
Arrgh. I used a period instead of a comma before your name, Anne. That’s what happens when I remove my glasses. [sigh]
Kathy–Thanks for the link and the tip! I didn’t know there were websites listing the bad guys. That’s a big help.
Hi Anne,
Some day I’ll have books to sell & I’ll have to make the big Substack/Newsletter Decision. As it is, I blog along weekly at Wordmonger (Perryess.com) & I’m baffled every time I try to walk through the kitchen — what are all those refrigerators doing in there?
CS–As I say in this post, a Substack newsletter does not sell books. It’s for networking with agents and editors, so the time to join would be now. Yeah. Where do we put all those refrigerators? 🙂
I’m always of the opinion that Substack et al, is there for people who enjoy collecting various denominations of money, and those who want to write need to have that mindset in order to succeed there.
Blogging is great for those who aren’t really in it for the money but more in it for the exposure and the experience. And for those who want an easy addition to their social media presence.
GB–Substack does not help you sell books, and it insults readers, so where is that money coming from? If your paid subscribers are only your Aunt Susie and her cat, you’re probably not getting rich there. To me, the question is: do you want to make money selling books, or selling newsletters, and which is likely to be more lucrative?
I’ve never thought about substack that way. I would never charge for a blog type post. It is just my feelings.
A to Z is going on this month and I feel a little creepy about the first thing on some blog pages is a “buy me a coffee” make a donation on patreon and the like. Their blog may look polished but I don’t know that their content is that amazing. I would be more inclined to buy a coffee for those who moderate A to Z or manage ISWG. And they don’t ask.
What attracts me to substack is the potential quality. Not that my blog is all that great, but some blogs lack so much professionalism. And I am not talking about a typo type of professionalism. It is the beautiful blog with content that really does not say anything. I like something that moves my mind forward. I don’t have a paid subscription to substack. I’ve got the Washington Post and NY Times to go through first.
So Much–You’re right that the admins at the Insecure Writers Support Group deserve a reward. It’s the best writing support group I know and the best way for writing bloggers to network. I agree that begging for money on a blog is a bit creepy. If you do it, be subtle. 🙂 BTW, people don’t subscribe to all of Substack. You have to subscribe to each individual newsletter. I don’t think they compare to newspapers. Most don’t have real news. It’s more personal stuff like you’d see on social media.
This is such a timely article, as was Jane’s, which I read when it hit my inbox. I have a newsletter and a blog and a Substack, with the same (mostly) content for all three because they each reach a different audience and have a different purpose. The blog on my website is to show Google and readers that I’m alive and a working author, and to promote opt-in links. The newsletter is to sell books and entertain my readers so they keep coming back for the next book. Most have opted into the newsletter from a book back matter, or followed a social media link. The blog/newsletter system has been working well for several years.
Substack seemed to be a way to duplicate my newsletter and use the recommendation feature to grow a parallel audience of book readers. So I duplicated the newsletter there, but I can’t say this is a success. Substack, like Medium, seems to work best if you post every week (at least) and have an instructional focus. Without that intro to my little author/book world like the newsletter, that exact same content is having a hard time getting noticed.
The way to get traction as a newbie on Substack is to use all the social media tools and keep the content free. Many folks who do well there post not only their “stacks” but the same short bites they also post on LinkedIn or X. Their newsletter is free but is full of upsells, mostly for social media courses, how to write about writing, achieve your dream, grow on Substack etc. Check out Tim Denning for an MBA-level education how to build a career using Substack. He writes about writing every day on Substack, as well as Medium, and across virtually every social media platform, which he also cross-posts.
Those who can build a paying Substack most often have something of significant value to impart–something that impacts/builds careers, solves major problems, etc. Pure entertainment and chitchat about your books is not a valuable enough commodity to charge for, IMHO. Frankly, I can’t think of any fiction author–even my very favorites–that I’d pay $5 a month to read their latest musings.
So my Substack will stay free. Maybe it will morph into something besides a duplicate of my existing newsletter. But for now, unless I become a power user of Substack’s social media tools, my expectations will stay in check.
Carmen–Thanks so much for sharing your experience. To me, a blog AND a newsletter seem too much, but I’m sure you reach more readers that way. Thanks for comparing Substack to Medium. I used to put my blogposts on Medium to reach a wider audience, but when Medium started putting most of their content behind a paywall, I found it too annoying, and I think a lot of other writers did too. If you are able to keep your Substack free, I’m sure it will reach a few more readers.
It’s interesting to hear that the successful people on Substack are selling courses. That makes sense.
An interesting question, Anne.
Incidentally, I have seen this topic other places lately. David Gaughran made a few smart arguments why he has switched from blogging to (free) newsletters for his non-fiction. I also read from an author who is successfull on Substack (free and paid content) – because it allows for direct interaction with fans and thus accountability.
Personally, I favor to read blogs. A blog feels like an open-house invitation, a newsletter like an obligation and apps like Substack clog my brain with all their bling-bling. I’m kinda old-fashioned in this regard.
I have found authors by different ways but in the end I stay for only one thing – interesting content. The hurdle is WAY higher if I’m asked to give you my contact details, though!
When I will finally leave my shell, I will probably try blogging and a newsletter, for the reasons you mentioned.
As always, thank you for adding to the discussion 🙂
Tina–I think David Gaughran made a mistake giving up his blog. I still recommend him to new indie writers, but it’s amazing how many people ask me if he’s dead or gave up writing because he’s disappeared from the Internet. The newsletter only goes to people who have bought his books–an ever-shrinking platform. He still has great things to say, and I enjoy his newsletter, but I always wish it were a blogpost so I could share with new writers.
I love your comparison: a blog is like an invitation and a newsletter is an obligation.
I know several authors who are not using Substack, but I don’t know if they’ve all jumped to a paid newsletter on top of it. To me, a paid newsletter is like paying for a newspaper to get the news. Too many places to get news free for that, right?
I moderate comments on posts over a week old and that tends to weed out the spammers.
Alex–I guess whether you go with a paid Substack depends on how easily you yield to pressure. They want you to go to paid. Now I pay for several newspapers, but they have lots of information from many, many journalists. I wouldn’t pay the same amount to read just one journalist, even if it’s Dan Rather.
Moderating older comments does keep most of the blog spam down.
It’s all done by IP address, Anne, but you find out in a hurry who the big offenders are.
Kathy–It looks very useful.
I will admit I’ve never heard of Substack, so this was very valuable, Anne. I remember how I grumbled in the noughties (how do my Brit cousins spell that…) about having to give away content for free (having been a working writer for 15 years before that, when we got paid a decent income) – it just seems to be getting worse, not better. As usual, you guide us with wisdom, Anne!
Melodie–Oh, the good old days! I remember getting paid for writing articles like this one. Sigh. I guess that’s the idea behind Substack. If somebody doesn’t write books and they write great articles, it may work, but not for fiction authors like you and me.
My two cents, for what they’re worth, as someone who spent years blogging and switched to Substack in January of 2023–
Your and Jane’s points about not making our readers feel left out/remembering the point of an author newsletter are incredibly valid, important, and the main thing I’ve needed to remind myself as I’ve worked on my newsletter. I’ve kept everything free, and probably 95% of the Substack newsletters I subscribe to are free too. I have to remind myself of these pionts all the time, especially when big name substackers talk about their monthly profit or huge subscriber numbers.
All that being said, my readership from my blogging days has quadrupled since moving my focus to newsletter/Substack. Part of that is my increased emphasis and focus on directing people to my newsletter. Part of it is the incredibly useful and user-friendly discoverability tools Substack provides. Newsletter writing feels even more personal than blogging did, because I know I’m going directly to people’s inboxes–people who chose to hear from me in this way. Your point about not everyone liking more newsletters clogging their inbox is also valid, and something to take into account.
I have to consciously fight against the pressure to post MORE! and to MONETIZE!. I’m still brainstorming if there are ways I can continue to use my blogging platform in a unique and different way from my newsletter. But to sum up, newsletters in general and Substack in particular aren’t perfect, but I feel that making a newsletter my focus is the best thing I’ve done for the career side of my career (as opposed to creative, which I see as separate) in the last few years.
Also for what it’s worth, I subscribe to your blog and read through my inbox, basically as a newsletter. It’s been interesting to try and think through the differences, and most practical and exciting uses of each type of platform!
My newsletter, for those interested: sarahallen.substack.com.
Sarah–It’s great to hear from somebody who made the switch. I’m surprised the newsletter is attracting more readers than the blog. But it may be that intimacy of email that you’re talking about. And yes, my blog can be read as a newsletter, and I have readers who call it that. The big blog plus for me is the discussion threads like this one. But a one-on-one conversation via email might be more appealing to the shy reader.
Best of luck with fighting the pressure and staying free!
Excellent timing for this subject! A couple of months ago, I started a Substack newsletter to hedge my bets with blogging. I have no intention of charging for it, and I make that clear on my site and in my welcome letter. I’m just sending a writing-related newsletter once a month. I’m connecting with other people on Substack, but I’m getting more and more annoyed and disgusted with the platform’s monitized model. People subscribe to my newsletter; I follow them back, and ALL of their content is behind a paywall.
The jury is still out as to whether Substack is a good option for me.
Liz–I’ll be interested to hear how this plays out for you. I totally get it about people whose content is all behind a paywall. I have tried to subscribe to a few and had the same experience. No thank you! I guess it all depends on how good you are at resisting peer pressure. I hope you can keep your newsletter free!
Substack is geared to those in other endeavors (e.g. sports and politics), than anything else.It’s definitely not for people wanting to sell books unless it’s an offshoot of their normal profitable endeavors.
GB–You’re right. Substack is geared to freelance writers who used to be able to sell articles to magazines and newspapers. Now print media is disappearing and Substack may take its place.
Newsletter or Blog? I’ve been debating for years. And also… I have a blog do I need a newsletter? Thank you for putting these questions to bed for me, Anne. I love blogging and will continue doing what I love.
Leanne–I’m with you!
Good topic, Anne. I opened a Substack account about a year ago but haven’t posted anything on it. However, I have some paid subscriptions to some folks I find credible and think they deserve to be compensated for their effort.
As for blogging, I think I can speak to that. I have an active blog that I started 12 years ago which has about 500 posts. I have a Mailchimp list of 2,200 and an open rate of 25-30% depending on the subject. I considered moving the posts to Substack but couldn’t make a business case for the work involved and the gamble in return.
So, I’m just going to keep on putting out free blog content consistently – every second Saturday morning at 8 am PST. (Tip – quality content and consistency are the two feet in a blog’s success. Plus, the compounding effect of time.) I don’t make money directly from the blog, but I get well paid in connections, opportunities, and social currency. It has been so worth it.
As for them 12 fridges? I’d snap ’em in a sec if I thought I could flip ’em and make a buck. Happy Sunday to you and Ruth!
Garry–Congrats on keeping up your blog for so long. I always stress the importance of consistency. You can blog once a month if you do it on the same day each month. The time is important too. We’ve always posted at 10 AM pacific every Sunday morning, but we’ve had to go to 9 AM recently to please the MailChimps. I think blogs sell books. We always get a spike in sales on our featured book of the week.
Anne, I meant to say something about those who allow themselves to get offended. It’s attributed to Jack Nicholson, whether he said it or RT’d it: “Getting offended by something posted on the internet is like walking along and finding a steaming pile of dog crap on the sidewalk and deciding to roll in it rather than stepping over and moving on.”
Garry–Very wise words from Mr. Nicholson!
@Anne Oh, I agree with you regarding his blog vs. only-newsletter. I still valued the arguments as food for thought. Going “nope” is always an acceptable outcome 😉
I agree that Substack probably isn’t a great platform for fiction authors. I do subscribe to some substacks but the topics are on world history and other topics of interest. Articles that are written in installments and at lengths that wouldn’t work for a blog. But none of them are behind a paywall.
Patreon is another platform that really pushes for content providers to put things behind a paywall. I think I looked into that a while back and decided against it. Also, there were some copyright issues that I didn’t care for.
I’ve had a blog for almost 20 years (or it seems that long) but haven’t actively blogged in a long time. I keep thinking I should get back to it, but there never seems to be enough time for it. Maybe I will again.
Is blogging back in trend now? I remember reading about how blogging is/was dead. Nobody reads blogs anymore, blah blah. I know things tend to go in cycles. What’s old is new again and so on. So maybe blogging is the new black now? Again? LOL.
I admire your perseverance in blogging, Anne, few had stuck to it and been as consistent as you over the years. Brava.
Annie
Anita–I’m glad you brought up Patreon. I never could quite figure out how it worked. I didn’t know there were copyright issues. I’m glad I stayed away. I do subscribe to some Substack newsletters. The ones written by journalists are the most valuable to me. Plus Margaret Atwood’s. But she’s just put up a paywall for extra content and I’m thinking of unsubscribing. I don’t like being the poor relation who’s not invited to the party.
I don’t know if blogging will ever be as popular as it was a decade ago. People are always chasing the new shiny thing. But I do see a lot of authors reviving their blogs.
One of the things I love about blogging is that you can easily completely own the content and platform. If you host it yourself (not too hard) then everything is under your control and it can never disappear in a puff of cybersmoke. Put ads on or don’t put adds on. Add a newsletter or don’t. Track hits or ignore them. It’s all up to the blog holder.
The other side to it, is that for me, blogging is creativity in and of itself. As an aspiring writer, producing short content designed to be skimmed, on a schedule is good writerly practice.
I’m an unreconstructed blog fan.
Tim–So true. It’s YOUR blog. Nobody can tell you who can or can’t post, and you can write anything: fiction, poetry, religious messages, political diatribes, whatever. Jane pointed out that you shouldn’t put fiction or creative writing in a Substack. It’s strictly nonfic. Glad you’re another blog fan!
An interesting post, Anne.
I never considered blogging much because I have so little to say. Oh, I have lots of opinions but you know what they say about those and I don’t want to just be hawking my books or giving updates without substance.
I did start a blog a couple of years ago about my memories of times long past. My grandmother cooked on a wood stove, and my grandfather shaved with a straight razer and smelled of Old Spice. Trips to Woolworth’s five and dime, hunting mushrooms in the spring, and a rooster that used to attack me every time I wore my little red cowboy hat.
It didn’t get much traction though, but I guess it was nice for my kids before all those stories are gone.
I tried a newsletter, but again ran out of things to say. What do you do with a mundane life and I’m no authority to be giving advice.
I do have a sub to Medium but that’s all I’m willing to pay for. There’s too much sage advice out there for free. Your blog is an example.
Yes, I understand the feeling of the poor relation that’s not invited to the party. And all those “buy me a coffee’ and “join my Patreon” just annoy me.
So, what’s an old curmudgeon to do?
Maybe I’ll take a gander at your Blogging book and dive back in.
Brenda–If you want to check it out, you’ll see I address a lot of your questions in my book. 🙂 Your stories of times gone by sound great, and I’m sure a lot of people would be interested. And Boomers like to find a safe space on the Interwebz. It does take a while to reach an audience. Good luck!
Substack can pressure me to monetize all it wants. I won’t do it.
Liz– 🙂
There are a few writers I followed on their blogs who have recently moved to substack. I admit I don’t read them anymore.
Susan–You are not alone. I’ve lost a lot of folks I used to follow. They’ve disappeared into newsletters.
Thanks for tackling this blogging vs newsletter vs. Substack question, Anne. Substack kind of intrigues me and I considered starting one, using 7+ years of posts I wrote for The Kill Zone. SS might be a handy platform to display them all together and hit a different crowd. I wouldn’t monetize.
Thanks for sharing the pros and cons. I also enjoyed today’s comments from people with firsthand experience.
For now, SS is on the to-do list, scheduled for one of these days when I have time (hah!).
Debbie–That’s an excellent idea! When you’ve got archives–especially from a joint blog like TKZ–you want to re-use them. You also might shop some around for guest posts on blogs like…oh, this one. 🙂
Hi Anne, been visiting but haven’t commented for some time. Hope you’re well.
I did consider Substack, but that musing barely lasted a weekend. The little bit of research I did into Substack for authors seemed to lean more towards those who write series instead of stand-alone stories.
Having re-entered the work place, which usually leaves me tired out, there are times I struggle with blog content, but at the end of the day, I love blogging and would much rather blog than anything else. A lovely bonus is when I get comments for much older posts 😊
Joy–Good to see you! Newsletters are great for writers with series who write fast. But less useful for others. I’m glad you can keep up your blogging!
Thank you!!! It’s about time somebody talked about Substack’s trendy walled garden. I read Jane’s article, too, and she makes some points I’ve thought for a long time, about how newsletters aren’t going to attract new customers, and neither is stuff behind a paywall. I’ve tried substack, but it feels kind of … like there’s a constant hustle going on. Over on my blog, if keep the hustles to book releases and the rest of the time just post stuff I think about. Paywalls aren’t the greatest, and people who pimp kickstarters and patreons are the same kind of hustlers.
Kessie–I love your phrase “trendy walled garden.” You should be a writer. 🙂 I think it’s the hustle that turns me off too. Some commenters here are able to turn off the noise and use it for a free newsletter, but if you can’t deal with the constant pressure, Substack is probably not for you.
I don’t mind free newsletters on Substack, but, like you, I’m not going to pay for an advanced subscription. I really think blogging is the better choice for the reasons you’ve mentioned. I always monitor my comments and delete the spam ones. I check them on an almost-daily basis, so it’s not much work.
Natalie–You’ve got a high profile blog with a lot of traffic, so I’m sure you get your share of spammers, but if you visit often, you can get rid of the pesky varmints. Free newsletters can be great, as long as you’ve got good content, but like you, I sure don’t want to pay for one.
Great post Anne!! I’m glad to say I’ve had very little problem with the nasties and still love my blog. I keep a handle on comments and have had to delete very few. I looked into substack but decided it wasn’t for me. I’ll stick with my MailChimp newsletter for now as my subscriber list is such as it’s still free and it feels personable.
Yvonne–I guess that’s what it’s all about. Which feels friendlier to you. I think a free newsletter can be very friendly if you already have a good many subscribers. If it’s only your Aunt Susie and her cat, I think it’s better to blog and allow some new people to find you.
I use Substack and enjoy it a lot. I find it more more like a newsletter/blog hybrid because emails also post to Substack and you can interact there like a blog. I like having an archive that I can point people to if needed. That’s what appealed to me.
And the fact it’s free.
I have yet to pay for a newsletter nor has anyone paid me. I waffle between turning the paid feature off because I don’t have any plans on putting anything behind a paywall and leaving it on because I’m not going to complain if someone did pay for a subscription. I tend to lean more towards asking people to tip me via Ko-Fi if they want to support my writing. I started mine last year and imported 20 subscribers from Mailchimp and I’m almost at 400 now, so it seems to be working for me. I post bi-monthly. Like anything, you weigh the pros and cons and pick the best for you option. For me, it was Substack.
Just watch out for the Substack fiction community’s urban legend, The Suff. He killed me last year.
Patricia–I didn’t know that your emails post to Substack’s main website. If there’s a way to interact, that’s a big plus. Also if there’s an archive. Those are both blogging features they seem to have added to the newsletter experience. It sounds as if you’re picking up more readers on Substack itself, which means they’re all other writers. If you have how-to-write books, that would be a huge plus. Success on Substack sounds as if it depends on your genre, and whether you’re a book author or a freelance writer.
Thank you, Anne. I wondered what all the fuss was about regarding Substack. Hard pass. 😉 I love my newsletter. A while back I redesigned my approach after reading Newsletter Ninja. When I only shared blog notifications, my newsletter only served one purpose — to redirect readers to my blog.
Once I re-thought my approach, my subscriber list and engagement skyrocketed. Never do my readers tire of mind-blowing animal and/or nature facts found in my research. The emails I receive in return touch my heart.
Regardless, you’re right of course. No visibility with newsletters. Plus, it’s easier to build a subscriber list from a (FREE) blog. Readers need a way to find you first.
Tip for anyone who wants to start a newsletter: Compose every email to one ideal reader. The newsletter should sound like a friendly chat. Also, I highly recommend a welcome sequence for new subscribers. Readers like to feel important.
Sorry for rambling!
Sue–Great tips! And yes, I think a free blog should be the first step, because a newsletter only sent to your family and friends isn’t going to sell a lot of books. Interesting tidbits from your research create wonderful content. They work for a blog or a newsletter. I love your “one ideal reader” tip. We need to be warm and real.
What a great topic! I tend to be somewhat agnostic about the particular format a writer uses to communicate with their readers and grow their community. There are pros and cons to Substacks, other types of newsletters, blogs, and all social media platforms, but there is one thing that remains constant across all platforms: you must put out posts that are valuable to your readers, and you must do it consistently so they remain dedicated, share your work, and help grow your community. Does this type of writing result in book sales? They can, but it depends on what you put out there. Is email effective? Sure, if you write a great email! If you write a spammy self-promotional email with a boring subject line, no, not at all:)
Leah–Great to hear from a professional book publicist! I’m glad the WordPress spam elves let you post. 🙂 We look forward to your guest post on Sunday. Thanks for weighing in on the Substack-newsletter-blog subject. You are absolutely right that content is always king. Spam doesn’t sell books, no matter how you deliver it.
A few years ago when getting on to every social media platform in existence was the go-to way to become a successful author, I looked at them and went, “Nah, I’m good with my blog and a Youtube for my kitten and snow videos” … and now in 2024, I’m still good with my blog and little Youtube channel. 😀
Widdershins–Good to see you *waves*. I remember those days. So much pressure to do everything. It sounds as if you found what worked for you and stuck with it. Very wise.
Great advice and I will stick to my blog. I’ve gotten some obscene comments, which I ignore, and also spammers – one of my posts got probably twenty of the same responses from people who didn’t speak English. Also ignored.
Noelle–Isn’t it funny how a bunch of people in Mongolia or Uzbekistan will suddenly comment on one old post? Some bot must ferret out our old posts for them. Great plan to stick to your blog. For the time being, we are too.
This Brit would write noughties. But I’d say ‘the early 2000s’!
Jemima–Melodie is Canadian, so she probably uses the same word as Brits. “Early 2000s” is probably the clearest way to say it.
As a reader (and author) if you go behind a paywall, I’ll unsubscribe. I don’t have the money to pay for something I really don’t have the time to read. I skim newsletters and if I get too many that are just advertising I’ll unsubscribe. I’ll read that bit about your cat/dog/horse/or mishap at the grocery store. But I get enough ads with you sending just ad emails. Give me something worth reading.
I agree with Jane, Substack is a bad idea if you are wanting to grow and add more people to your email list. And it isn’t your platform. They can change the rules at any time and you will have no say in it–like Amazon.
I’ll stick to blogging/free newsletters and forget the newest shinny toy for authors.