15 Comments
founding

Really I just want subscribers and don’t think about the money. I mean it would be good. But I hope people want to read and take something from what I write. Subscribers don’t come very often and it’s the same issue that I am not visible to most of the people who are looking for what I am saying. It’s like trying to sell food to people leaving a restaurant. They’re full.

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founding
Sep 2Liked by Thaddeus Thomas

I’ve actually found Substack and writing to be value in and of itself. For a lot of us writing brings value in other ways. Of course, one would ideally like to be paid, but how else do the majority of people spend their time on social media? So I think if you’re on Substack engaging with thoughtful, well researched, well written, and original writing every day, instead of doom scrolling on other platforms with algorithms which are brainwashing us with content we didn’t ask for, then it’s a much better way to spend your time online.

There are many Substack gurus who teach you how to convert. They mostly involve psychological hacks, and a lot of persistence and cunning (21 times seems to be the magic number before people start engaging). I can recommend a few to anyone who is interested, but for a lot of us that’s just not why we write.

So take the pressure off of trying to get paid readers, enjoy the process of thinking and writing, knowing that you’re basically in the company with the 1% on the internet. The trouble with writing with the sole intention of getting paid, instead of taking the time to build an honest relationship with your writing and your audience, is that it becomes your livelihood, something that becomes tied to your very survival. If it isn’t a pleasant affair, then it becomes yet another trap of our own making. We write to liberate ourselves, and as a fantasy author, I’m sure you can relate!

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author

I certainly can.

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founding

Don’t show me the money!!!

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founding

And so I went back and looked at it again, and it allowed me to do the poll. Go figure.

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founding

Every time I tried to hit a choice, it came up with SOMETHING WENT WRONG. I couldn't take the poll. And I'm already a subscriber.

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author

Substack has had technical growing pains this week.

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founding

I haven’t been around much. I want to get Locksley finished by Christmas. Four months…five chapters a months? It doable.

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founding

Just as a note, I am already a subscriber but could not take the poll.

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author

Interesting. It hasn't reached its three day limit.

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founding

From the computer it let me do it now

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founding
Sep 3Liked by Thaddeus Thomas

When you crack the secret code, please let us know. Just as long as it's not ◀🔼🔽▶AB▶◀🔼

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founding

The 'how many paid subscriptions do you have' really needed another option: none, because I don't offer that option.

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Sep 2Liked by Thaddeus Thomas

Was a little unsure about "how many free subscriptions do you currently have?" Does that mean publications I'm subscribed to, or people who are subscribed to me?

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author

Sorry. I mean Substacks you're subscribed to.

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