If Only Selling Books Was This Easy (My Substack Experiment)

While I don't think it'll be sustainable, I'm finding that it's not difficult to gain Substack subscribers, and rather quickly. While I would never call the app "undiscovered", people do seem more open to identifying and subscribing to even new(er) accounts, unlike other social media sites.

Does one need to have something scintillating to say? Not necessarily. Take me, for example. I hadn't posted anything since November, until this month when I published two posts. In all, I have nine posts, which is pitiful. I'm stubborn to the point that I won't publish something unless I believe it's worthy. That rarely happens.

So, if you're contemplating starting a Substack account, here's my experience so far:

1. Scroll the timeline and interact by replying to others' notes, but only if you have something to say. Don't go overboard, but also don't reply with generic kudos. I personally like getting kudos, but if you want someone to consider subscribing to your account, you need to give them a reason to do so.

2. When you publish a post, you're given the option to write a note about it. Do that. It'll show up in the general timeline, which is really the only way anyone will know about it.

3. Recommend Substacks you like and explain why you like them. I blogged here about reciprocity and the fact that it's so rare, but Substackers seem to have a better mindset regarding good manners. I've gotten a few reciprocal subscribers just from dashing off a quick note of recommendation.

4. If you're on Reddit, subscribe to r/Substack. Not only will you learn things, but you might find a few "Substack buddies", people who'll exchange subscription for subscription. I actually found a really decent writer that way.

I'm not known as an online commenter, normally. I read and absorb, but I don't comment just for the sake of commenting. For introverts like me, Substack requires us to put ourselves out there (unless we don't care about subscriptions). 

As far as what the app can do for our book sales, probably little to nothing. It's not impossible that if someone likes what they read from you, they might buy your book, but your novel (or nonfiction) still needs to check all the right boxes in order for that to happen. And really, the only reason I dived back into the app was to try to resurrect my novel. It takes work to maintain Substack readership, so my participation in it might well be temporary. I'm not in it for "likes", plus whether I have enough interesting things to say remains questionable.

I scrubbed my account of all the people who originally subscribed to my newsletter, because they weren't fans of my work and only subscribed to try to win a 20-book giveaway, so I'm starting from scratch. But I'd rather have a handful of people who follow me out of choice than fake fans. 

My one bragging point so far? Well, somebody who's well known has subscribed to my Substack. No names, but she's here in this picture:

Today I'll take a stroll through the timeline, read some notes, maybe reply to one or two. And I'll try to find something to post. A common tip is to post on a schedule. I hate schedules. I want to give the app a fair shake, so for now I'll play along.

It beats sitting here and staring blankly at my screen.