Is there enough space for all writers on Substack?

Absolutely! Let me tell you why I think this is a great place to be, and how authors succeed by niching their newsletters.

Is this how Substack is feeling for you lately? I have some ideas…Photo by Levi van Leeuwen on Unsplash

Have you heard of JG Ballard’s brilliant short story Billennium?

It’s about an overpopulated world where living space is at a premium and most of the population get an allotted 3.5 square metre cubicle. The main characters, two fellows called Ward and Rossiter, find a secret room with more space - but they end up feeling obliged to invite a couple more people in, who then invite more, until the space is back to being as crowded as everywhere else.*

I feel like this is how people are beginning to view Substack.

Is Substack really overcrowded?

I’ve noticed quite a bit of commentary along the lines of ‘substack isn’t the place it used to be’, suggesting that this space is starting to become overpopulated and full of noise rather than value.

I was also really sad to read the story of how Glennon Doyle (a writer and person I very much admire) came and went on Substack after there was a massive pushback and backlash about her arrival - which seemed to be a kind of ‘how dare she’ response to her turning up and instantly commanding a legion of followers.

To an extent, I can understand the frustration from those who felt like they’d finally found somewhere with a different vibe and a bit more oxygen, and are therefore getting unsettled and concerned as more big flashy names appear alongside with a myriad smaller ones. However, the virtual town square was always going to become ever more crowded as Substack becomes even more popular. Rather than sit on the fearful side of inevitable change, let’s step back, ask a few questions around why we’re here, and push on with our own goals.

At its core, Substack is still a newsletter platform

We shouldn’t forget that, at its most straightforward, substack is a newsletter delivery platform that you can use however you see fit, both to communicate with your readers as well as to read other newsletters you love. This is a well-thought-out service that cannot easily degrade, whatever happens to the rest of the platform. Newsletters are an important way for authors to reach their readers and stay in touch, and they don’t have to be super regular - because the most important thing is that it has to work for you, and writing the book must always be the priority.

It’s great for authors to have the Substack platform as an effective way of sending newsletters, to own and manage their subscriber lists, and to be able to send regular newsletters for free, or to ask for payment for parts of their work. We don’t have to get any more involved in the Substack environment than this if we don’t want to. We can direct our readers to sign up to our newsletters at our events and via social media, as well as within the pages of our books.

But it’s also a potentially draining social media platform

However, the genius (and pain point) of Substack is that it has developed a social-media-like ecosystem that works alongside the newsletter delivery, and inadvertently encourages people to believe they can suddenly attract thousands of followers (because some do) if they try hard enough. The social-media-style features, such as Notes, Chat and live videos, all encourage additional engagement, and entice people into spending more and more time on the platform - and unlike reading or writing newsletters, there’s no endpoint here, so a lot of potential for overwhelm.

If writers are putting an incredible amount of time into outreach through these channels, this might well become frustrating and draining, particularly if it’s taking time away from writing or not producing the desired results. However, the only commitment we really need to make is to show up for our readers within each piece we write: i.e. it’s always about quality and authenticity, not quantity. Therefore, we have to keep our attention on niching down into what we’re doing, rather than get distracted by the ecosystem itself.

In fact, it’s really important not to write too often unless you’re writing to your superfans: no one wants to be bombarded with newsletters, hence there’s a follow button that means you can keep track of someone’s work without getting their email. This is increasingly popular and keeps everything in the app rather than adding to our groaning inboxes.

The six reasons I still love Substack (after almost 2 years)

I’ve been on here for almost two years now and I love it as much as when I first started. Here’s why I’m still enjoying being here so much:

1. I’ve always enjoyed writing short-form pieces - and I value this chance to chat about writing and publishing, and all the other things I’m interested in! I’ve been working in the publishing business for 25 years and there’s a lot I want to do to support and encourage other authors to hang in there when the going is tough and to not be shy and celebrate the times you’re winning. It’s such a rollercoaster ride, and the mindset game is hard! If there’s anything I can do or say to make a fellow author feel better or more motivated to keep going, that’s my purpose here.

2. I’m always keen for growth, but never for the sake of it. I am really happy writing for the people who have already signed up.

3. I’ve limited my engagement with Notes. From my observations, I think they can be great as little microblogging extras, and there’s no harm in them, but I’d be wary of getting sucked in too much if there’s a lot else you want to achieve - otherwise it’s a very similar time suck to any other social media. I’ve also checked the substacks of a few viral notes authors (‘going viral’ seems to be what everyone is aiming for) and they don’t always look to translate to subscribers (never mind long-term subscribers).

4. I’m taking my time with things like Chats and videos. I’ve added a few Chats when I wanted to talk specifically about The Handmaid’s Tale series, and I enjoyed them and plan to keep doing them as things come up, but I’m not creating them for the sake of it. And I haven’t got anywhere near putting up videos yet - that’s one for the future.

5. Despite my perfectionistic tendencies, I’ve accepted that my subscribers are going to watch me try things and make changes and mistakes as I go along, which has been very freeing! If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll see I’ve tinkered with my publishing strategy, content and timings quite a bit - and I’m still learning a lot about tailoring this newsletter and thinking about how to niche it to provide maximum value. I’ve also done different things with my components for paid subscribers, and I’ve also started a second (forever free) substack Story Matters to segment the topics I like to talk about, and so my audiences understand what I’m bringing each time they receive a newsletter from me.

6. I’ve found heaps of awesome writers that I’d not heard of before, and I probably wouldn’t have come across them another way.

Ultimately, I want to build audience confidence so that you always look forward to receiving these newsletters. And I want to fearlessly add financial value onto my work by having a paid section for those who want it (at the moment I’m putting my efforts into additional Author Notes and extra support documents for paid subscribers), because it’s important we value what we do - while also working really hard to provide this value for others.

I suspect that many people having the most success on substack are the ones putting most of their energy here. But if you don’t have time to be on here a lot, this doesn’t make the space worthless. If you only send out a newsletter occasionally, then this platform is still a great base from which to do it, and to build your own individual and unique communities. Ultimately, we have choices as to where we put our energies: rather than getting sucked into the worry and negativity about another overpopulated ecosystem, let’s be more creative and purposeful in the ways we show up, and do so on our own terms and in our own time.

*While the Ballard story is a great tale of difficult moral choices, it’s a limited one, as it doesn’t move beyond personal experience to look at the wider systemic context that’s lead to this scenario of overcrowding.

Additional post next week: Ask Me Anything!

Do you have a question about writing, publishing or Substacking you’ve always wanted to know? I’m compiling your questions for an ‘ask me anything’ post. Send me a message or comment here, and next week I’ll answer all your burning questions!