Substack for Authors: Find Your Loyal Readers (and have more fun writing)

If you're an author thinking about Substack...

Writer friends often ask me whether or not it’s worthwhile to set up a Substack. The short answer is: Absolutely!

Over the past few years, I’ve become a little addicted to Substack. It’s the first place I go online in the morning to read, and it’s the first site I open when I want to write. I learn something every day, and I end up writing a lot more than I used to.

Because I go several years between books, I worry that my readers will forget about me before the next one comes out. My name is pretty common, I don’t enjoy social media, and it’s easy to get lost in the noise of new book deals and shiny debuts.

That’s why I love Substack. It’s perfect for those of us who would rather be writing and reading than pretty much anything else.

I’ve tried Instagram, and I had a very brief flirtation with TikTok. But both of them gave me a headache. I don’t want to spend time creating “content” that people are going to scroll past. I don’t want to worry about lighting and sound and trending music. I don’t want to “stitch” anything or figure out how a reel works or try to fit my thoughts into an algorithm. I’m old-fashioned that way! I just want to write. Coming up with an image to stick at the top of a post is about as design-y as I like to get.

For me, Substack has been a natural fit. It’s a way to

• share my writing regularly

• find new readers who are interested in my voice and my stories

• stay in conversation with my readers so they feel connected to me, and I feel connected to them

I love that I can write a fully-formed essay on Substack, or just share a quick note of inspiration. I love that I can give a deep dive into my books or just talk about spending a writing weekend in an iconic motel with a tremendous view.

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So I created a course about it.

In Substack for Authors, I guide writers, step through step, through the process of creating and maintaining their Substacks. The course is based on my own experience. I made a lot of mistakes when I started, so I can help you avoid them.

We cover things like:

• how to start your Substack or refine an existing Substack

• what to write—and how to maintain a writing habit

• how to use existing work (your backlist, fragments, chapters left on the cutting room floor)

• how to stay connected to readers without feeling sales-y

• and how to build a sustainable author platform (psst, it doesn’t happen overnight).

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If your About page still says “Coming Soon,” or if you’re thinking about starting an author Substack but it feels overwhelming, you can read more here:

Learn more about SUBSTACK FOR AUTHORS…and see some of the terrific Substacks that started in my course.

Here’s a note from one of my newest students, Nicole Bahn, who just set up Invisible String in April and is now a rising Substack…

I wouldn't have gotten started without your class...I am tweaking things every day, and I ALREADY have enough subscription pledges to justify turning on payments, AND I got a notification from Substack that I am #8 today on the rising Music subcategory...Thanks again for your part in this.

- Nicole Bohn, Invisible String

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