I wondered why my ears were burning red last night.
One aspect to this is that my non-fiction bits was never part of a strategy. I just like writing that stuff. In fact, before I started the newsletter I published my fiction on Wattpad, and would also post author notes on my blog. The two websites had no connection, so it was absolutely not a strategic thing - I'm the sort of person who enjoys all the extras on DVDs (sometimes more than the film itself), and I like to recreate that behind-the-scenes access for my own writing.
This comes back to your first point: 'you do you'. I'd hate for someone to try to replicate what I do, or feel pressured to do so, and hate every minute of it. All the stuff I write I genuinely enjoy putting together, and it fortunately happens to have proven quite good at drawing in new readers as well. Everyone needs to find what that thing is they they're enthusiastic about, because if you're trying to do this every week it'll get old real fast if you're not enjoying it.
What I probably don't do very well is the funnel. My non-fiction pieces should point more obviously towards my fiction, if I was being properly tactical. And it's correct that the subscriber growth I've experienced does not = readers of my fiction. There's a Venn diagram at work, evidently.
Thing is, though, it's important to have both sides of the coin, in my case. Even if someone only reads my non-fiction stuff about writing, and isn't interested in my fiction, the simple existence of the fiction still serves to support what I'm saying in my non-fiction. It's evidence that I'm not just making stuff up. And readers are welcome to check out my fiction and judge for themselves if my non-fic advice is worth listening to. :D
Ultimately, there is so much fiction available to readers (and some of it is even good!), that it's incredibly hard for any author to get noticed. That's the case whether you're publishing via a newsletter, self-publishing or have a traditional publisher. Adding a secondary element (which in my case is the writing advice stuff) helps to mix it up a bit and create a slightly more unique offering.
Still figuring all this out as I go along, even three years in. That's something I love about the fiction community here: we're all prodding at the edges of this thing, trying to figure out how best to do it.
Oh my gosh, sorry, man. Didn't mean to make you the poster child. 🫣 IMO you are the right way to do it, and what you've shared in these comments only proves it more. But I never meant to suggest that anyone should copy you with writing advice. (And I know for a fact that I never said that.) Writing advice is only one of many non-fiction possibilities. What I take from your Substack journey, based on your comments, is that your Substack grew naturally from your interests. That's what it should be and I applaud you. That's completely the "you doing you" that everyone agrees about. I'm just trying to Substack better for the medium. It has unique challenges and benefits and the combo of non-fiction & fiction is one of them. I don't think talking about the connection is harmful. It has been suggested that this disscussion could send a writer down a rabbit hole and they give up on writing. <gasp> I don't believe in treating anyone like a child, even a child. And as a writer, I've jumped down many rabbit holes and come out stronger, and I've known writers that fell apart because the wind shifted direction. So talking about some theoretical writer, not that you were the one who brought that up, Simon; defeats the purpose of these kind of useful discussions and sidetracks good information. But... time to get back to writing fiction.
Oh, the other point I wanted to make was to not stress yourself over having the find the right non-fiction niche right away. You can pivot and change. Experiment with what interests you.
The key thing is to write about what you're interested in, and enthusiastic about. That's the only way it'll really click with the right audience. If someone forces it, to try to add a non-fiction element for purely promotional purposes, readers will likely smell a rat.
You're absolutely right, Thaddeus - and if someone is feeling stressed, the focus might not be quite right.
Wonderful article, and I'm currently pivoting to follow the everything on one Substack method. The key for me was seeing a writer in a non-fiction field show his readers how to manage their account in a way that made sense.
1) you share the link [your address]/account, that's where they toggle through your Sections. (I'm having to organize my sections to do this, by the way, which means getting rid of sections that are no longer relevant. (You don't lose the articles.)
2) Visit the link on your own website and take a screenshot of the list with the Section in question toggled off.
It's simple and brilliant, and I love it. I never thought Sections were practical until I saw this.
I'm almost at the end of my current serial, and then I'm moving everything over. (Maybe sooner. We'll see.)
The only thing I'd say is to beware of having too many sections. The UX for customising sections is pretty poor at the moment, and is alarmingly close to the 'unsubscribe' button. :P
I agree on the non-fiction vs fiction... I've seen the same thing. My comfort zone is fiction from fantasy, historical fiction and onward. But the "non-fiction" is both nerve-wracking and a wide wide topic.
Using myself as an example... does my once a month "Wolfe Tracks" count where I chatter on about meta pieces of gaming and worldbuilding and all? Not entirely sure. Maybe? I guess?
I feel like the non-fiction needs to suit your "style" and personality just like the fiction would. Aka Jaime Buckley with his Monday Coffee Chat.
I'm scratching my head about what I could do, too. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible, Tolkien, editing (which I've done professionally for an in-house magazine for 33 years), Pittsburgh sports, NASCAR racing, old-time baseball, and perhaps a few other things, but I really don't want to pair my Substack with any of them. I have another website for my religious writing. Hundreds on Substack focus on Tolkien. I don't want to presume to teach writing/editing to writers and editors. And I don't think sports stuff will grab the right crowd for my fantasy stories. I also don't want to take time away from my fantasy writing to write nonfiction! I am, in a word, in a quandary.
Am I doomed to get lost in a sea of fantasy writers because I don't do nonfiction?
Simon's writer guides, under the section tab of that name, also includea his serial fiction guides and tips. He's been at this for more than a decade, so has deep learnings to share.
Notes was a game changer for writers using Substack. Simon did find more growth after introducing extra topics to his newsletter a couple of years ago, which roughly coincided with the introduction of the Notes function, so there's evidence of this being effective for fiction writers, HOWEVER, it doesn't mean that those new subscribers are reading the fiction, or converting to paid.
I'd estimate that at least 80 percent of the fiction newsletters that I read do not offer anything other than their fiction.
Thanks for the insight! Maybe it's more of a trend, because I only recently started noticing this and the percentage is much higher. But that's for Substacks that are growing fast. Do you have any feeling about the growth of the fiction Substacks with zero non-fiction?
On Substack, and other platforms, there seems to be an insatiable appetite for how to write, how to be successful, how to grow an audience (and real fast!). It's a sad fact. There's no barrier to entry for writing fiction, millions of people want to do it, millions of people want a shortcut to success. Everyone wants a magic wand for a large audience on Substack. So yeah, there's that. Everyone will get a degree of new subs just by doing that type of content.
Also a fact that nonfiction newsletters on Substack are hugely more popular than fiction will ever be. Up to millions of subscribers versus up to thousands for the most popular nonfiction versus fiction newsletters.
If people are after an audience on Substack, write about politics, write about yourself (misery, recovery, fabulous life moving to Tuscany or Paris, inspiration and self care, and so on, always have devotees).
Very few fiction writers on Substack have anything useful to teach other writers, or aspiring writers. It's a saturated market. (Successful, traditionally published, writers have already shared the best advice, and said it better.)
(Chuck Palahniuk is high value, definitely worth subscribing to his Substack for writing advice and inspiration.)
Are you familiar with any of the fiction writers who have built their communities by vigorously advocating for and supporting other fiction writers on Substack? The Lunar Awards, flash fiction Friday, Sally Reed's entire Talebones universe, which now even has it's own merch shop? None of them are doing nonfiction per se, they're working hard at their fiction, and working hard at supporting the fiction community on Substack. That's a whole other way to go, apart from writing nonfiction essays in between the fiction.
I see fewer of those, because it's self selecting. If I'm getting a bunch of banal essays and a bit of okay fiction in between, I'm going to unsubscribe after a while, because ... boredom. We all get to pick our poison on Substack. 😁
The challenge I've found is not being pulled in boring directions by the stats. My intro 'how to' videos for Substack were put together quickly because fiction writers seemed to be struggling with the basics; they've ended up being bizarrely popular (which maybe says something about Substack's official onboarding and documentation).
If I was wired in a more capitalist way, I'd double-down on that basic how-to- video stuff and churn it out every week. If I paywalled it, I imagine I'd be making an awful lot of money by now. But it'd also be quite boring and start feeling like a job. Then again, being more financially independent as a result of my newsletter would be pretty cool!
But I'd much rather do a silly sketch about a made-up technique called 'the story loom' and go into daft forensic detail about weird quirks of serial fiction. It makes everything slower, but I'm hoping it's more satisfying in the long run.
You have the advantage of having a unique value. It's in the name of your newsletter: Write More.
And you're not gifting anyone.
You have long maintained a weekly schedule of one fiction installment and one essay about a wide range of writing and creative related topics - whatever happens to be on your mind. It's not a forced add-on, it was a feature from the start.
You share some strong opinions, without seeking validation, and never for mere provocation.
You have equal enthusiasm for both aspects of your newsletter.
The output isn't a dog's breakfast of click bait in need of a bucket of water and a mop. You have clarity and purpose.
You sit on Substack as a solid role model for other fiction writers and creative people, if they would happen to glance your way.
Huh. I recently started adding in non-fiction to the fiction because I thought folks would be into research rabbit holes and writing updates, but they do not perform nearly as well as my Saturday fiction posts. Maybe I am crap at writing non-fiction. Maybe it’s Maybeline.
At any rate, it all boils down to your why. Why are you Substacking? I wanted to write longer than Notes stuff about writing and research and um, dollhouses, because it interests me. I’m here to write and if it ends up in a void, so be it, but I feel like some people are reading and that is good enough for me. Which is just as well because if my why was to get thousands of readers, my glacial accrual of subscribers would be disappointing. I am having so much fun writing (and sometimes it feels like I am reporting about this fantasy world) with no intend to go “paid” or sell books and thus the numbers don’t matter.
It does boil down to why we're Substacking. I'm glad you made that point, and having fun is everything. I couldn't write anything, if it wasn't fun. 🫶 Using your research in a fiction and non-fiction way is another great option. I've been doing that, but not consistently, since I don't research until I have a new plot to figure out. I did see one of your dollhouse posts, btw. 👏👏👏 I always wanted a dollhouse but didn't get one until a boyfriend got me one in my 20s. Best gift ever!
I actually enjoy those digressions from fiction writers. Insights to their thinking and decisions are fun - not for educational purposes, purely for the enjoyment of knowing where they're coming from.
Yes, I'm aware of Sunstacks that support other Substacks. I believe that falls into the non-fiction category that I've been talking about. Those Substackers are following their hearts and doing a good thing, while it also builds their audience. That's a win-win in my book. I not trying to put down anyone that wants to build their reach, be it fast or slow. That is the beauty of Substack. It gives all writers the chance, and we get to follow the ones that speak to us and skip what doesn't. 🫡
I only hope that the many amazingly talented fiction writers on Substack don't become discouraged, and don't start believing they have to perform other tricks if that's not their inclination.
You really think that's the problem? While I'm new to Substack, I'm not knew to professional writing, and I know hundreds of good writers that gave up on writing because they felt no one was reading their work.
Only because I'm seeing it touted as the way for fiction writers to gain an audience on Substack. It's specific, and unrelated to the publishing industry.
The most talented published writers I've personally known gave up, or publish nany years apart, with tiny readerships. Far more talented than most top selling authors, and yet, even they surrender under the weight of invisibility.
The worst possible result would be a fiction writer feeling compelled to add a non-fiction element, and as a result winding up writing LESS fiction. While also hating the non-fiction treadmill. That's when the writing tips over into being 'content'.
Whatever people are doing with their newsletters, it needs to remain passionate writing, and not drift into content-for-the-sake-of-content.
I wondered why my ears were burning red last night.
One aspect to this is that my non-fiction bits was never part of a strategy. I just like writing that stuff. In fact, before I started the newsletter I published my fiction on Wattpad, and would also post author notes on my blog. The two websites had no connection, so it was absolutely not a strategic thing - I'm the sort of person who enjoys all the extras on DVDs (sometimes more than the film itself), and I like to recreate that behind-the-scenes access for my own writing.
This comes back to your first point: 'you do you'. I'd hate for someone to try to replicate what I do, or feel pressured to do so, and hate every minute of it. All the stuff I write I genuinely enjoy putting together, and it fortunately happens to have proven quite good at drawing in new readers as well. Everyone needs to find what that thing is they they're enthusiastic about, because if you're trying to do this every week it'll get old real fast if you're not enjoying it.
What I probably don't do very well is the funnel. My non-fiction pieces should point more obviously towards my fiction, if I was being properly tactical. And it's correct that the subscriber growth I've experienced does not = readers of my fiction. There's a Venn diagram at work, evidently.
Thing is, though, it's important to have both sides of the coin, in my case. Even if someone only reads my non-fiction stuff about writing, and isn't interested in my fiction, the simple existence of the fiction still serves to support what I'm saying in my non-fiction. It's evidence that I'm not just making stuff up. And readers are welcome to check out my fiction and judge for themselves if my non-fic advice is worth listening to. :D
Ultimately, there is so much fiction available to readers (and some of it is even good!), that it's incredibly hard for any author to get noticed. That's the case whether you're publishing via a newsletter, self-publishing or have a traditional publisher. Adding a secondary element (which in my case is the writing advice stuff) helps to mix it up a bit and create a slightly more unique offering.
Still figuring all this out as I go along, even three years in. That's something I love about the fiction community here: we're all prodding at the edges of this thing, trying to figure out how best to do it.
Oh my gosh, sorry, man. Didn't mean to make you the poster child. 🫣 IMO you are the right way to do it, and what you've shared in these comments only proves it more. But I never meant to suggest that anyone should copy you with writing advice. (And I know for a fact that I never said that.) Writing advice is only one of many non-fiction possibilities. What I take from your Substack journey, based on your comments, is that your Substack grew naturally from your interests. That's what it should be and I applaud you. That's completely the "you doing you" that everyone agrees about. I'm just trying to Substack better for the medium. It has unique challenges and benefits and the combo of non-fiction & fiction is one of them. I don't think talking about the connection is harmful. It has been suggested that this disscussion could send a writer down a rabbit hole and they give up on writing. <gasp> I don't believe in treating anyone like a child, even a child. And as a writer, I've jumped down many rabbit holes and come out stronger, and I've known writers that fell apart because the wind shifted direction. So talking about some theoretical writer, not that you were the one who brought that up, Simon; defeats the purpose of these kind of useful discussions and sidetracks good information. But... time to get back to writing fiction.
Oh, the other point I wanted to make was to not stress yourself over having the find the right non-fiction niche right away. You can pivot and change. Experiment with what interests you.
Thanks! I'm not trying to stress myself out, but hopefully no one ever tries. HA! I'll be careful. 😉
The key thing is to write about what you're interested in, and enthusiastic about. That's the only way it'll really click with the right audience. If someone forces it, to try to add a non-fiction element for purely promotional purposes, readers will likely smell a rat.
You're absolutely right, Thaddeus - and if someone is feeling stressed, the focus might not be quite right.
Wonderful article, and I'm currently pivoting to follow the everything on one Substack method. The key for me was seeing a writer in a non-fiction field show his readers how to manage their account in a way that made sense.
1) you share the link [your address]/account, that's where they toggle through your Sections. (I'm having to organize my sections to do this, by the way, which means getting rid of sections that are no longer relevant. (You don't lose the articles.)
2) Visit the link on your own website and take a screenshot of the list with the Section in question toggled off.
It's simple and brilliant, and I love it. I never thought Sections were practical until I saw this.
I'm almost at the end of my current serial, and then I'm moving everything over. (Maybe sooner. We'll see.)
Good to hear! I have not figured out Sections, but it's on my list now.
The only thing I'd say is to beware of having too many sections. The UX for customising sections is pretty poor at the moment, and is alarmingly close to the 'unsubscribe' button. :P
DM me about this...
I agree on the non-fiction vs fiction... I've seen the same thing. My comfort zone is fiction from fantasy, historical fiction and onward. But the "non-fiction" is both nerve-wracking and a wide wide topic.
Using myself as an example... does my once a month "Wolfe Tracks" count where I chatter on about meta pieces of gaming and worldbuilding and all? Not entirely sure. Maybe? I guess?
I feel like the non-fiction needs to suit your "style" and personality just like the fiction would. Aka Jaime Buckley with his Monday Coffee Chat.
I think it does count, Kummer, because you are sharing a personal side of yourself outside of your fiction writing. 👏👏
Hm, maybe something I should lean a little more into then. Not too much, though. I'm suspecting it's a fine balance.
I'm scratching my head about what I could do, too. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible, Tolkien, editing (which I've done professionally for an in-house magazine for 33 years), Pittsburgh sports, NASCAR racing, old-time baseball, and perhaps a few other things, but I really don't want to pair my Substack with any of them. I have another website for my religious writing. Hundreds on Substack focus on Tolkien. I don't want to presume to teach writing/editing to writers and editors. And I don't think sports stuff will grab the right crowd for my fantasy stories. I also don't want to take time away from my fantasy writing to write nonfiction! I am, in a word, in a quandary.
Am I doomed to get lost in a sea of fantasy writers because I don't do nonfiction?
The last thing I want to do is stress you out, Richard. Perhaps knowing the possibility exists will bring the right answer for you at the right time.
I'm not stressed about it, just flummoxed. Perhaps I should just post some pictures of my four granddaughters. Just kidding!
Glad you're not stressed. 🫶
Simon's writer guides, under the section tab of that name, also includea his serial fiction guides and tips. He's been at this for more than a decade, so has deep learnings to share.
Notes was a game changer for writers using Substack. Simon did find more growth after introducing extra topics to his newsletter a couple of years ago, which roughly coincided with the introduction of the Notes function, so there's evidence of this being effective for fiction writers, HOWEVER, it doesn't mean that those new subscribers are reading the fiction, or converting to paid.
I'd estimate that at least 80 percent of the fiction newsletters that I read do not offer anything other than their fiction.
Thanks for the insight! Maybe it's more of a trend, because I only recently started noticing this and the percentage is much higher. But that's for Substacks that are growing fast. Do you have any feeling about the growth of the fiction Substacks with zero non-fiction?
On Substack, and other platforms, there seems to be an insatiable appetite for how to write, how to be successful, how to grow an audience (and real fast!). It's a sad fact. There's no barrier to entry for writing fiction, millions of people want to do it, millions of people want a shortcut to success. Everyone wants a magic wand for a large audience on Substack. So yeah, there's that. Everyone will get a degree of new subs just by doing that type of content.
Also a fact that nonfiction newsletters on Substack are hugely more popular than fiction will ever be. Up to millions of subscribers versus up to thousands for the most popular nonfiction versus fiction newsletters.
If people are after an audience on Substack, write about politics, write about yourself (misery, recovery, fabulous life moving to Tuscany or Paris, inspiration and self care, and so on, always have devotees).
Very few fiction writers on Substack have anything useful to teach other writers, or aspiring writers. It's a saturated market. (Successful, traditionally published, writers have already shared the best advice, and said it better.)
(Chuck Palahniuk is high value, definitely worth subscribing to his Substack for writing advice and inspiration.)
Are you familiar with any of the fiction writers who have built their communities by vigorously advocating for and supporting other fiction writers on Substack? The Lunar Awards, flash fiction Friday, Sally Reed's entire Talebones universe, which now even has it's own merch shop? None of them are doing nonfiction per se, they're working hard at their fiction, and working hard at supporting the fiction community on Substack. That's a whole other way to go, apart from writing nonfiction essays in between the fiction.
I see fewer of those, because it's self selecting. If I'm getting a bunch of banal essays and a bit of okay fiction in between, I'm going to unsubscribe after a while, because ... boredom. We all get to pick our poison on Substack. 😁
The challenge I've found is not being pulled in boring directions by the stats. My intro 'how to' videos for Substack were put together quickly because fiction writers seemed to be struggling with the basics; they've ended up being bizarrely popular (which maybe says something about Substack's official onboarding and documentation).
If I was wired in a more capitalist way, I'd double-down on that basic how-to- video stuff and churn it out every week. If I paywalled it, I imagine I'd be making an awful lot of money by now. But it'd also be quite boring and start feeling like a job. Then again, being more financially independent as a result of my newsletter would be pretty cool!
But I'd much rather do a silly sketch about a made-up technique called 'the story loom' and go into daft forensic detail about weird quirks of serial fiction. It makes everything slower, but I'm hoping it's more satisfying in the long run.
You have the advantage of having a unique value. It's in the name of your newsletter: Write More.
And you're not gifting anyone.
You have long maintained a weekly schedule of one fiction installment and one essay about a wide range of writing and creative related topics - whatever happens to be on your mind. It's not a forced add-on, it was a feature from the start.
You share some strong opinions, without seeking validation, and never for mere provocation.
You have equal enthusiasm for both aspects of your newsletter.
The output isn't a dog's breakfast of click bait in need of a bucket of water and a mop. You have clarity and purpose.
You sit on Substack as a solid role model for other fiction writers and creative people, if they would happen to glance your way.
Huh. I recently started adding in non-fiction to the fiction because I thought folks would be into research rabbit holes and writing updates, but they do not perform nearly as well as my Saturday fiction posts. Maybe I am crap at writing non-fiction. Maybe it’s Maybeline.
At any rate, it all boils down to your why. Why are you Substacking? I wanted to write longer than Notes stuff about writing and research and um, dollhouses, because it interests me. I’m here to write and if it ends up in a void, so be it, but I feel like some people are reading and that is good enough for me. Which is just as well because if my why was to get thousands of readers, my glacial accrual of subscribers would be disappointing. I am having so much fun writing (and sometimes it feels like I am reporting about this fantasy world) with no intend to go “paid” or sell books and thus the numbers don’t matter.
It does boil down to why we're Substacking. I'm glad you made that point, and having fun is everything. I couldn't write anything, if it wasn't fun. 🫶 Using your research in a fiction and non-fiction way is another great option. I've been doing that, but not consistently, since I don't research until I have a new plot to figure out. I did see one of your dollhouse posts, btw. 👏👏👏 I always wanted a dollhouse but didn't get one until a boyfriend got me one in my 20s. Best gift ever!
It's definitely Maybelline! 😁
I actually enjoy those digressions from fiction writers. Insights to their thinking and decisions are fun - not for educational purposes, purely for the enjoyment of knowing where they're coming from.
Yes, I'm aware of Sunstacks that support other Substacks. I believe that falls into the non-fiction category that I've been talking about. Those Substackers are following their hearts and doing a good thing, while it also builds their audience. That's a win-win in my book. I not trying to put down anyone that wants to build their reach, be it fast or slow. That is the beauty of Substack. It gives all writers the chance, and we get to follow the ones that speak to us and skip what doesn't. 🫡
I only hope that the many amazingly talented fiction writers on Substack don't become discouraged, and don't start believing they have to perform other tricks if that's not their inclination.
You really think that's the problem? While I'm new to Substack, I'm not knew to professional writing, and I know hundreds of good writers that gave up on writing because they felt no one was reading their work.
Only because I'm seeing it touted as the way for fiction writers to gain an audience on Substack. It's specific, and unrelated to the publishing industry.
The most talented published writers I've personally known gave up, or publish nany years apart, with tiny readerships. Far more talented than most top selling authors, and yet, even they surrender under the weight of invisibility.
The worst possible result would be a fiction writer feeling compelled to add a non-fiction element, and as a result winding up writing LESS fiction. While also hating the non-fiction treadmill. That's when the writing tips over into being 'content'.
Whatever people are doing with their newsletters, it needs to remain passionate writing, and not drift into content-for-the-sake-of-content.
Yes, and sometimes you can smell the drudgery, or at least the lack of passion.
The whiff of drudge.
Good article. Enjoyed. Not charlatanism and also not selling me secrets.
Thank you, Emil! I'm glad you found it useful. 🙂
Thanks for this, Ann. Seems intuitive now that I’ve seen it in writing but it hadn’t occurred to me. Swing for the fence.
Thanks, Ted! Will do!