The Best Substacks for Writers in 2026

Substacks for Writers on the Craft of Fiction, How to Publish, the Writing Life, and Screenwriting

at the restaurant inside Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the setting of my next novel

These days, morning coffee usually involves a deep dive into Substack, where I catch up on publishing news, discover writers whose work I haven’t read before, and get a glimpse into the lives and process of writers I admire.

Here are some of the Substacks for writers I rely on—including bestselling novelists, literary agents, publishing experts, and inspiring teachers. A few of my favorite newsletters are focused on screenwriting, as I’m new to the medium (I wrote my first feature-length on contract last year). As I gear up for the release of my ninth book, a literary spy thriller set in Paris (the second book in the Lina Connerly series), I’m also turning to Substack for marketing guidance.

Writing and Publishing Substacks

• Pitch Your Novel by Karin Gillespie (the Substack I bookmarked, restacked, and engaged with the most in 2025)

• Delivery and Acceptance by Alia Hanna Habib (Great industry advice from a literary agent who represents nonfiction)

• Publishing Confidential by Kathleen Schmidt (Weekly Q&As, plus interviews with people in publishing)

• The Caffeinated Writer (of course!) I write about the craft of fiction, how to break into publishing, where to submit your literary novel or story collection, and the business of writing. I also share personal stories from my twenty-year career as a novelist

• Counter Craft by Lincoln Michel (smart and surprising, and you never know where it’s going to take you)

• Dear Fiction by Brooke Lea Foster (most optimistic newsletter by a fiction writer)

• The Talking Bone by Rene Denfeld (best “where have you been all my life?” writer I just “discovered” through Substack )

• Better Days by Neal Allen (best mindfulness-meets-writing newsletter)

• Attention Economy by Leigh Stein (a Substack that inspired me to try new things)

• Max Winter (the Substack I learned from repeatedly in Notes, excellent insights on film adaptations for fiction writers)

• Thriller Thursday (show me a good book!)

• Joyce Carol Oates (icon)

• The Shit About Writing Team, a spinoff of the podcast, by Carly Watters, Cecilia Lyra, & Bianca Marais (“advice, guidance, and support from publishing industry experts and insiders”)

• Get It Write by Andrea Bartz (great insights on query letters and the path to publication, from a New York Times bestselling author)

Best Screenwriting Substacks & Filmstacks

• Practical Screenwriting by Tony Tost (exactly how it sounds)

• 5AM Story Talk by Cole Haddon (best daily images and stories from the screenwriting trenches)

• Hope for Film by Ted Hope (the best big archive of thoughtful posts on writing and film culture from an industry insider)

• Underexposed by Alex Rollins Berg (a fantastic newsletter by writer and director Alex Berg, featuring interviews with filmmakers and posts on “the hidden treasures of cinema”

• Cut to: Writing a Movie, by Lauren Greenwood (Great posts on writing screenplays, shooting a short film, and more from a working screenwriter)

• Story and Plot by Tom Vaughan (I bought one of Tom’s screenwriting courses & found it helpful)

• Audrey's Weekly Email Newsletter by film & TV literary manager Audrey Knox

Books Etc. Substacks

• Receipt from the Bookshop by Katie Clapham (the Substack that made me laugh the most, and why I’ll never walk into an indie bookstore without buying a book)

• Good Thing Going by Lena Dunham (the Substack I was most surprised and charmed by this year)

• Writerly Things by Brooke Warner (the best “keep on writing” posts)

• Armistead Maupin — Barbary Lane Dispatches (the best storytelling Substack for people who love San Francisco, the newsletter I listened to/watched/quoted the most)

Thank you again for reading the Caffeinated Writer! Wherever you are geographically, whatever your phase of life/love/health, I hope books and writing have offered you joy and comfort this year.

As always, happy writing.

Michelle

about the cover photo: I snapped this picture at the restaurant inside Musée d'Orsay in 2025. Paris, where I used to live, is the setting of my new novel, forthcoming from Grove Atlantic.