Bravo. Remy. Like you, I would like to have followers, but am not about to objectify myself nor my art. The beauty of being a 75-year old writing crone is that I care less about numbers and more about the quality of interaction I have here. Your authenticity (and good writing) called me to your posts!
I’d like to say I don’t care about subscriber numbers but I do. We all do. To the analogy of a tree falling in a forest made in this post we want to be seen and heard (mostly read) and the ultimate validating of that is a subscription. Great post Remy
Thx Beth. I don't think there is any shame in wanting to be heard, tbh Literally anyone making a blog wants to be heard to an extent, otherwise it's much easier (and faster) to write a diary. It feels incredibly counter intuitive for introverts especially to feel like they have a right to be loud, but I reckon it's just something to overcome. I'm just pretending that I'm talking to myself right now. Am I talking to myself right now? Gosh I'm confused. Thanks Beth
It’s absolutely essential to want to be read, or to need desperately to be read. What else propels other than rare forms of compulsion like graphomania or religious devotion, etc? Burn with longing for readers, I say.
"Burn with longing for readers" is a great line. For some reason it reminds me of a quote I heard recently -- "Our minds are not vessels to be filled, but fires to be kindled." Maybe it's just the fire reference but there's something there about quality over quantity, and resonance over eyeballs.
As a total newbie here and generally whirling around in confusion, this is really helpful, thank you. I think I might see a vague glimmer of light here in my forest of bamboozlement! Possibly :-)
I am a Substack newbie and it's been a week or so of feeling like an awkward introvert during a high school party. Not in the backstage, Substack is an awesome enabling platform for creative writing in bulk. I've been seeing a little toxicity the past couple of days, but, the full picture is that this seems to me like a place with very creative, original, inspired, and inspirational people. And I know that in time I will find my reading tribe - both ways.
This post helps understand the inner workings of Substack. Thank you. I didn't know about the tick, for example. After reading it all, I am now thinking of restarting my following and subscribed list from scratch.
So far, my substack experience has been 99% positive. The negative 1% is the necessary contrast that makes possible its fantastic opposite. Duality in action.
I am also a social media amateur. All of this commenting and liking and so on is something I'm trying to figure out and align with myself.
I don't know you, however, your writing inspired me to share this thread of thought. I enjoyed reading your article.
I love this. I run a publication called The Author Stack, about author growth. Would you be okay with me crossposting this post in February or March? I think this is a great perspective.
Yay! I have it scheduled for February 23rd, and I'll share it in my roundup this week. I wrote an article recently called The universe is dumb and capitalism is nonsense, so this resonates with me for sure.
Yeah your post was felt. I feel like my own stack is just going to be a collection of things that interest me and probably nobody else because these people who might be interested would never see these posts. I stopped for a whole year because my father died shortly after my first post. I started up again with a review and I'll write a couple more reviews before tackling some essays. But yeah, I dunno. I can't even use Substack's monetization feature as my bank isn't in the same country as I live in, so I have to use a tip jar system, which probably makes me feel less pressure to produce as it would if I had paying subscribers. In any case, thanks for the essay. Hopefully one day my 11 subscribers will also become 500 lol
Hi Eveline, I use a simple link to my PayPal account which has a form where the donator can put any amount they want. So far, I have received two payments, one for $20 and the other for $5 so it's not really working great but it's better than nothing since I cannot use the native Stripe payment system.
Thanks Frank & You! Smart to use PayPal! Such a shame re: Stripe. There are also these apps for ”buy coffee" but I suspect it would be similar response??
Yes, I looked into the Buy Me a Coffee, and it seems they work by bank transfer with a 5% fee. It seemed a nuisance to set up and I already had a PayPal account so this way it just seemed easier.
I love writing! I have 12 subscribers but it makes me happy. I’m such a lurker on social media, the whole thing feels a bit gross. I’m trying to treat it like it’s a city street where I might bump into interesting people, that is a helpful mindset for me.
Substack also feels like two kinds of "salon": " hair" where everyone knows everyone there year after year and all share in the ups and dons, the joys , tragedies, births, deaths, milestones, all comment and all gossip,and then there's the " salon" such as a gathering of creatives in a home, apartment, restaurant party room where all drop in on a regular or semi-regular basis to a " cocktail party of ideas" sharing work, commiserating over poor reviews or grand or poor treatment by agents and galleries and the public.
Refreshing post, thank you Remy, I hadn't even heard of the ticks you mentioned! Substack is my first foray into anything remotely online-social, and I only wish for a small but healthy platform: one where I can connect with like-minded writers, learn from them and hopefully improve my writing through their feedback. After 7 months, I feel I have managed all three already, which feels rather amazing. I follow more than subscribe to now because I want to do every writer justice and as you said, time is of the essence. It really is quality over quantity, and I agree with your point about being generous with other writers: I sometimes worry I "like" and comment quite easily (though always genuinely), but it is a way to find like-mindedness in what would otherwise be a sea of names with nowhere to start.
Ahahaha! This one, I love this: "I just see this whole thing as a big silly game of vanities to distract ourselves from the fact that in a bunch of decades we’ll all be dead." You made me laugh quite loudly. This is so true. I adore everything you've written here. Fuck it. You're good. Get your shit out there.
"In a bunch of decades we'll all be dead" is relative to one's age. The clock ticks more and more loudly as one goes along, and new writing media mirroring old writing media seems bewildering. And yet, there's always the possibility of connecting with those who will become friends over the years. After 16 years of blogging (for free!) that's what's happened to me. This is a lark. I too laughed loudly, so ... hello.
I agree. I have "escaped" from social networks that are too stressful. Instragram, which I can't stand, is one of the worst for me: Just chaos and algorithm-mediated dopamine cycles combined with a more or less disguised narcissistic pathology. Since I don't need social media to "live" but to share ideas and articles, I came here, but I am far from understanding the dynamics. Your article confirmed some insights, others I still need. I also follow pages and profiles because I find it interesting to read and comment on what they say. I don't give priority to the "lords", but I know that this is the driving force of all social networks: the area of influence, a bit like the orbits of a planet. Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate the work you put into this entry, and I don't have any quibble with what you have said here. And here comes the"yabbut"; I have been at Substack for nearly two years now, and I'm quite sure that everything you say here about subscribers, while true, should never be the reason to be on this platform in the first place. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have two critically important distinctions- the point of being on those platforms is to do all the talking and none of the listening or engagement... Clickbait, if you will. The other point is to gain and build Fame and or notoriety without putting terribly much effort into the content creation behind it.
You aren't wrong about the orange check crowd, but they're here to generate an income, and we "unwashed outside writer" nobodys in the cheap seats can pick and choose according to our unique interests in their content - as it is with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram... Like picking and choosing streaming bundles according to your tastes and interests. But what Substack provides that those others never will is a place where people like me- here for the love of the work and sharing the work publicly for those that might have an interest - rather than just seeking fame or notoriety for its own sake. We need both types of content providers, but what should matter most is why people come to Substack in the first place and then wrap expectations and degree of effort around how you measure your success here.
Yes, I think Substack is a very interesting social media and is vastly superior to others. No doubt. I’m certainly not advocating for a cheapening of content or for people to lose the ability to make a living. I’m just pointing out my observations about the mechanics of the platform in the hope that it might help some who want to get their work out, or who are discouraged right now
I think the verb "listen" is used a bit more here, I think that's what makes it special. Not being "like-centric", it's harder to quantify liking what you write, but certainly the interactions are more interesting. I don't make a dime from articles, I've never posted anything on paid, it doesn't matter to me. I just try to chat with interesting people.
I agree; I wrote a piece a while back with my observations about my first two years at Substack. We use these social media platforms differently, based on what we hope to get out of it, but I treat likes as an acknowledgment that I heard you. I comment when I think I have something to add, an opinion, or something that an author's work got me thinking about. I restack for two reasons- the first is that other people need to see what I have seen. The other reason is that I want to encourage the author to keep at it because they're doing a great job, and I want them to continue the pursuit of whatever it is they are trying to accomplish. My own newsletters are forever free because I don't care about the revenue I'm just happy to be allowed a seat at the table.
Thanks, this is very helpful. You aren’t alone in having abandoned social media... I had a Facebook account 12 years ago that I opted out of, and have not engaged in social media since. It felt intrusive and useless to my actual life. And it felt rebellious to refuse to conform and be platformed by big tech just to be mined for every thought or social connection just to sell stuff. But much has happened since, I’ve come back to doing creative work again... now I’m working on a project that I’m hoping to release on Substack. So yes, this was very helpful, as I’ll be starting from the same place you did... which is numerically expressed as 0.
Oh hey! Thanks for linking to me 😛 To be clear, I did not originate the technofeualism concept!! I first read about it in a NY Mag article by Malcolm Harris from 2022 https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/what-is-technofeudalism.html. (His book Palo Alto is also worth reading!) So by technofeudalism I meant that the *platforms* (including Substack) and platform owners are the lords, and everyone who uses the platforms, check marks or not, are the serfs.
Anyway, great piece! And I very much agree w the warning about sycophantry lol
Thanks for specifying this. I do still think that the badge/tick system is a lord and peasant system tbf--and I'm fine with it. But I see your point. I'll add an addendum to the post with you comment
Helpful and logical advice here. I’m a newbie too and am finding that I just don’t have time to engage here the way it seems necessary in order to make this really work. In fact, this may be the only comment I have time to make today. I haven’t even opened this app in about 4 days. I wonder what you’d say (or anyone else with long-time experience here) about how many hours per day they think is necessary liking, commenting, sharing, reading, etc.? I see some of these conversations back and forth going on all day, for days, weeks. That’s really cool, but I just can’t do that; I also need time to actually work/write! The way you’ve described the search functionality and the algorithms that put content in front of us is eye opening. And discouraging. I like the idea of this platform. I just can’t sacrifice my body and soul to it and devote all my time to hanging out on here just to get a few eyes on me.
You just need to push through the 100/200 subscriber barrier -- then you can let it grow more organically. I guess that's what I'm advocating for. Until you get there your post don't go wide enough on notes. Try and follow/sub people you like the pitch/bio, even if didn't read all their things. Let their work fill your notes timeline, you can always unfollow later. Try and push through to 100 and then take a step back. I'm no pro, but that would be my two cents
Thanks for all this @Remy Bazerque! I had to stop subscribing as it was filling up my inbox and making me miss business e-mails. So I have been following people instead. I sense that from a reciprocity stand point some substackers get insulted! I have had one person unsubscribe me once I "only" followed them. Have others had this happen and does that matter from an algorithm standpoint (sub vs follow)? Obviously matters from a sub #standpoint. I don't want to get a second email address 😕 Merci encore une fois Remy! Je t'apprécie! 🙏
When I came to this platform, I didn't want to treat it like the rest of social media, for exactly the reasons you state. And I really hate social media. I was told by so many that I had to build my 'author platform' on social but I noticed 1. people who didn't have books out posting silly things and 2. those who did have books out posting silly things. lol. There is a great deal of amazing writing on Substack and I'd rather spend my time here either reading or building my own stack.
There are a few bigger names I subscribe to, like Chuck Palahniuk, because I get great value, but I'm doing my best to subscribe to the smaller stacks to spread the attention.
Thanks again for this post, it's well-received by people like me who don't want to do things the conventional way.
Bravo. Remy. Like you, I would like to have followers, but am not about to objectify myself nor my art. The beauty of being a 75-year old writing crone is that I care less about numbers and more about the quality of interaction I have here. Your authenticity (and good writing) called me to your posts!
I’d like to say I don’t care about subscriber numbers but I do. We all do. To the analogy of a tree falling in a forest made in this post we want to be seen and heard (mostly read) and the ultimate validating of that is a subscription. Great post Remy
Thx Beth. I don't think there is any shame in wanting to be heard, tbh Literally anyone making a blog wants to be heard to an extent, otherwise it's much easier (and faster) to write a diary. It feels incredibly counter intuitive for introverts especially to feel like they have a right to be loud, but I reckon it's just something to overcome. I'm just pretending that I'm talking to myself right now. Am I talking to myself right now? Gosh I'm confused. Thanks Beth
It’s absolutely essential to want to be read, or to need desperately to be read. What else propels other than rare forms of compulsion like graphomania or religious devotion, etc? Burn with longing for readers, I say.
"Burn with longing for readers" is a great line. For some reason it reminds me of a quote I heard recently -- "Our minds are not vessels to be filled, but fires to be kindled." Maybe it's just the fire reference but there's something there about quality over quantity, and resonance over eyeballs.
Agreed
Ha ha! I do some of my best talking to myself.
At least when I talk to myself, I know I'm listening.
Likewise from a 69 year old writing crone...!
I like your words 75-year old writing crone. Thank you for these.
Here here!!
Or hear hear
As a total newbie here and generally whirling around in confusion, this is really helpful, thank you. I think I might see a vague glimmer of light here in my forest of bamboozlement! Possibly :-)
A glimmer of light in the forest of bamboozlement... love that!
LOL, thank you! The light is very small though! :-)
I am a Substack newbie and it's been a week or so of feeling like an awkward introvert during a high school party. Not in the backstage, Substack is an awesome enabling platform for creative writing in bulk. I've been seeing a little toxicity the past couple of days, but, the full picture is that this seems to me like a place with very creative, original, inspired, and inspirational people. And I know that in time I will find my reading tribe - both ways.
This post helps understand the inner workings of Substack. Thank you. I didn't know about the tick, for example. After reading it all, I am now thinking of restarting my following and subscribed list from scratch.
So far, my substack experience has been 99% positive. The negative 1% is the necessary contrast that makes possible its fantastic opposite. Duality in action.
I am also a social media amateur. All of this commenting and liking and so on is something I'm trying to figure out and align with myself.
I don't know you, however, your writing inspired me to share this thread of thought. I enjoyed reading your article.
You know what? We are all permanent social media amateurs because once you understand something about it, everything changes :-D
I love this. I run a publication called The Author Stack, about author growth. Would you be okay with me crossposting this post in February or March? I think this is a great perspective.
By all means Russel
Yay! I have it scheduled for February 23rd, and I'll share it in my roundup this week. I wrote an article recently called The universe is dumb and capitalism is nonsense, so this resonates with me for sure.
🙌
Wow! You hit a nerve here. Looking forward to seeing your piece.
Mine is right here. https://authorstack.substack.com/p/the-universe-is-dumb-and-capitalism
Not dumb but speaks softly and carries a big stick.
Yeah your post was felt. I feel like my own stack is just going to be a collection of things that interest me and probably nobody else because these people who might be interested would never see these posts. I stopped for a whole year because my father died shortly after my first post. I started up again with a review and I'll write a couple more reviews before tackling some essays. But yeah, I dunno. I can't even use Substack's monetization feature as my bank isn't in the same country as I live in, so I have to use a tip jar system, which probably makes me feel less pressure to produce as it would if I had paying subscribers. In any case, thanks for the essay. Hopefully one day my 11 subscribers will also become 500 lol
I really enjoyed this post and am looking forward to seeing where you go with Substack, Insha Allah.
Hi at Frank & You! How is the tip jar system working for you and which app do you use?
Hi Eveline, I use a simple link to my PayPal account which has a form where the donator can put any amount they want. So far, I have received two payments, one for $20 and the other for $5 so it's not really working great but it's better than nothing since I cannot use the native Stripe payment system.
Thanks Frank & You! Smart to use PayPal! Such a shame re: Stripe. There are also these apps for ”buy coffee" but I suspect it would be similar response??
Yes, I looked into the Buy Me a Coffee, and it seems they work by bank transfer with a 5% fee. It seemed a nuisance to set up and I already had a PayPal account so this way it just seemed easier.
Agreed. I always wonder if it is worth the trouble. I think the key is to make it easy (and tempting) for the reader. PayPal is easy!
Wonderfully vulnerable and honest. What the world could use more of. Well done.
Thx thx
I love writing! I have 12 subscribers but it makes me happy. I’m such a lurker on social media, the whole thing feels a bit gross. I’m trying to treat it like it’s a city street where I might bump into interesting people, that is a helpful mindset for me.
Like your sitting in nice easy chairs and talking!!!
Substack also feels like two kinds of "salon": " hair" where everyone knows everyone there year after year and all share in the ups and dons, the joys , tragedies, births, deaths, milestones, all comment and all gossip,and then there's the " salon" such as a gathering of creatives in a home, apartment, restaurant party room where all drop in on a regular or semi-regular basis to a " cocktail party of ideas" sharing work, commiserating over poor reviews or grand or poor treatment by agents and galleries and the public.
True, and that's what so nice about it
Refreshing post, thank you Remy, I hadn't even heard of the ticks you mentioned! Substack is my first foray into anything remotely online-social, and I only wish for a small but healthy platform: one where I can connect with like-minded writers, learn from them and hopefully improve my writing through their feedback. After 7 months, I feel I have managed all three already, which feels rather amazing. I follow more than subscribe to now because I want to do every writer justice and as you said, time is of the essence. It really is quality over quantity, and I agree with your point about being generous with other writers: I sometimes worry I "like" and comment quite easily (though always genuinely), but it is a way to find like-mindedness in what would otherwise be a sea of names with nowhere to start.
A sea of names. Yes.
Ahahaha! This one, I love this: "I just see this whole thing as a big silly game of vanities to distract ourselves from the fact that in a bunch of decades we’ll all be dead." You made me laugh quite loudly. This is so true. I adore everything you've written here. Fuck it. You're good. Get your shit out there.
Thanks Rebecca
"In a bunch of decades we'll all be dead" is relative to one's age. The clock ticks more and more loudly as one goes along, and new writing media mirroring old writing media seems bewildering. And yet, there's always the possibility of connecting with those who will become friends over the years. After 16 years of blogging (for free!) that's what's happened to me. This is a lark. I too laughed loudly, so ... hello.
I agree. I have "escaped" from social networks that are too stressful. Instragram, which I can't stand, is one of the worst for me: Just chaos and algorithm-mediated dopamine cycles combined with a more or less disguised narcissistic pathology. Since I don't need social media to "live" but to share ideas and articles, I came here, but I am far from understanding the dynamics. Your article confirmed some insights, others I still need. I also follow pages and profiles because I find it interesting to read and comment on what they say. I don't give priority to the "lords", but I know that this is the driving force of all social networks: the area of influence, a bit like the orbits of a planet. Thanks for sharing.
No worries, I’m still fairly new myself. So it’s interesting to see how everyone feels tbh
I appreciate the work you put into this entry, and I don't have any quibble with what you have said here. And here comes the"yabbut"; I have been at Substack for nearly two years now, and I'm quite sure that everything you say here about subscribers, while true, should never be the reason to be on this platform in the first place. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have two critically important distinctions- the point of being on those platforms is to do all the talking and none of the listening or engagement... Clickbait, if you will. The other point is to gain and build Fame and or notoriety without putting terribly much effort into the content creation behind it.
You aren't wrong about the orange check crowd, but they're here to generate an income, and we "unwashed outside writer" nobodys in the cheap seats can pick and choose according to our unique interests in their content - as it is with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram... Like picking and choosing streaming bundles according to your tastes and interests. But what Substack provides that those others never will is a place where people like me- here for the love of the work and sharing the work publicly for those that might have an interest - rather than just seeking fame or notoriety for its own sake. We need both types of content providers, but what should matter most is why people come to Substack in the first place and then wrap expectations and degree of effort around how you measure your success here.
Yes, I think Substack is a very interesting social media and is vastly superior to others. No doubt. I’m certainly not advocating for a cheapening of content or for people to lose the ability to make a living. I’m just pointing out my observations about the mechanics of the platform in the hope that it might help some who want to get their work out, or who are discouraged right now
I'm in complete agreement,... And like you... People should be encouraged to keep at it and remember why they are here in the first place :)
I think the verb "listen" is used a bit more here, I think that's what makes it special. Not being "like-centric", it's harder to quantify liking what you write, but certainly the interactions are more interesting. I don't make a dime from articles, I've never posted anything on paid, it doesn't matter to me. I just try to chat with interesting people.
I agree; I wrote a piece a while back with my observations about my first two years at Substack. We use these social media platforms differently, based on what we hope to get out of it, but I treat likes as an acknowledgment that I heard you. I comment when I think I have something to add, an opinion, or something that an author's work got me thinking about. I restack for two reasons- the first is that other people need to see what I have seen. The other reason is that I want to encourage the author to keep at it because they're doing a great job, and I want them to continue the pursuit of whatever it is they are trying to accomplish. My own newsletters are forever free because I don't care about the revenue I'm just happy to be allowed a seat at the table.
Yeah, David: "Just happy to be allowed a seat at the table" is my same point.
Well I wish the voice of those 'just happy to be allowed a seat a the table' would be heard more sometimes. It would be a nice change :)
Thanks, this is very helpful. You aren’t alone in having abandoned social media... I had a Facebook account 12 years ago that I opted out of, and have not engaged in social media since. It felt intrusive and useless to my actual life. And it felt rebellious to refuse to conform and be platformed by big tech just to be mined for every thought or social connection just to sell stuff. But much has happened since, I’ve come back to doing creative work again... now I’m working on a project that I’m hoping to release on Substack. So yes, this was very helpful, as I’ll be starting from the same place you did... which is numerically expressed as 0.
Oh hey! Thanks for linking to me 😛 To be clear, I did not originate the technofeualism concept!! I first read about it in a NY Mag article by Malcolm Harris from 2022 https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/what-is-technofeudalism.html. (His book Palo Alto is also worth reading!) So by technofeudalism I meant that the *platforms* (including Substack) and platform owners are the lords, and everyone who uses the platforms, check marks or not, are the serfs.
Anyway, great piece! And I very much agree w the warning about sycophantry lol
Thanks for specifying this. I do still think that the badge/tick system is a lord and peasant system tbf--and I'm fine with it. But I see your point. I'll add an addendum to the post with you comment
It was mostly what I think myself(except I'm nowhere near you; then, I'm not a writer. I try to learn or whatever the hell I'm trying)
Idiotic question: what's "tick"?
The verified thingie; whatever they call it. The badge
Helpful and logical advice here. I’m a newbie too and am finding that I just don’t have time to engage here the way it seems necessary in order to make this really work. In fact, this may be the only comment I have time to make today. I haven’t even opened this app in about 4 days. I wonder what you’d say (or anyone else with long-time experience here) about how many hours per day they think is necessary liking, commenting, sharing, reading, etc.? I see some of these conversations back and forth going on all day, for days, weeks. That’s really cool, but I just can’t do that; I also need time to actually work/write! The way you’ve described the search functionality and the algorithms that put content in front of us is eye opening. And discouraging. I like the idea of this platform. I just can’t sacrifice my body and soul to it and devote all my time to hanging out on here just to get a few eyes on me.
You just need to push through the 100/200 subscriber barrier -- then you can let it grow more organically. I guess that's what I'm advocating for. Until you get there your post don't go wide enough on notes. Try and follow/sub people you like the pitch/bio, even if didn't read all their things. Let their work fill your notes timeline, you can always unfollow later. Try and push through to 100 and then take a step back. I'm no pro, but that would be my two cents
Thanks for all this @Remy Bazerque! I had to stop subscribing as it was filling up my inbox and making me miss business e-mails. So I have been following people instead. I sense that from a reciprocity stand point some substackers get insulted! I have had one person unsubscribe me once I "only" followed them. Have others had this happen and does that matter from an algorithm standpoint (sub vs follow)? Obviously matters from a sub #standpoint. I don't want to get a second email address 😕 Merci encore une fois Remy! Je t'apprécie! 🙏
When I came to this platform, I didn't want to treat it like the rest of social media, for exactly the reasons you state. And I really hate social media. I was told by so many that I had to build my 'author platform' on social but I noticed 1. people who didn't have books out posting silly things and 2. those who did have books out posting silly things. lol. There is a great deal of amazing writing on Substack and I'd rather spend my time here either reading or building my own stack.
There are a few bigger names I subscribe to, like Chuck Palahniuk, because I get great value, but I'm doing my best to subscribe to the smaller stacks to spread the attention.
Thanks again for this post, it's well-received by people like me who don't want to do things the conventional way.
I agree so much with what you said. The writing just blows me away at times and it is wonderful to make all these discoveries of things in general.