What keeps me excited about publishing after 10+ years?
One word: Technology.
Publishing is changing faster than most industries and I often refer to it as being in a ‘hyper’ state of change. Despite all this change, there are still two paths an author must take to get their work in front of readers:
If an author is fortunate enough to convince an agent they have the talent, and that agent has the ear of the right publisher, they might get published.
For many of us, door 2 is the only option. If we don’t self-publish, our work will never be read. Either way, the path to getting published is rarely a straight line.
I want to share another option to getting your words in front of readers that is still largely untapped. By untapped, I mean it’s not yet over saturated which means you can be a bigger fish in a smaller pond.
Regardless of the door you choose, your success will largely depend on your ability to reach an audience. It’s why many authors don’t see success until much later in their career. Building an audience takes time!
What's the new option? It’s called Substack. There’s no cost to the author and the company only makes money when you make money.
Substack offers a new way to build an audience. The technical requirements are about as minimal as they can make them. You don’t need a website. You don’t need an email list. You just need good writing and the discipline to post regularly and share your work. Once you do create your own domain on the site, add a link to your URL in your email footers.
I’d suggest you first check out some of the other authors on the home page and then start your own substack newsletter. Here’s mine and here's a writer I know who is using it very effectively: https://www.vpetrova.com/ (Don't be confused, that domain goes directly to her substack page - she's using a feature they charge a $50 one-time fee for).
Grab your substack subdomain before someone else does!
Why do I like Substack?
To your success,
Brian Schwartz
Self-Publishing Expert (SPE)
www.SelfPublish.org