As you've pointed out, adapting to constant change is key. Substack newsletters weren't even a thing 20 years ago. Genres and styles go in and out of fashion. As one income stream closes, another (ideally) opens up.
That is the idea! Honestly, I think it's the only way to create any kind of stability.
The real problem is when you do find a good stream, it never seems to last. This is what has driven me crazy: past returns do to predict future results. π₯Ίππ
Brett, thank you for being authentic. When I first launched Life In Parts, I was nervous and excited. Would anyone even want to read my publication? Would they find my writing any good? Or, would my publication end up at the bottom of a digital stack somewhere labeled as βIβll read this when I have time.β Itβs one thing for family to produce accolades at the sheer mention of a title. Itβs a completely different thing to put your work out there and truly be humbled when you track how itβs doing. Some weeks there is interest, other weeks very little. But itβs also who you reach and who happens to catch a glimpse of your article or story and decides to give it a chance. There is a lot of doubt, honestly mostly my own, but through the months that I have been writing, I have held myself to daily writing and weekly publishing. All while keeping a day job. In the end, I think the reward is looking at the body of work and being proud of what I put out there. Regardless of how many subscribers or followers it might getβ¦. Yet. Eventually, a path will present itself, but in the meantime, I still love to write.
Thank you, Marat, I appreciate that -- I try. Your Substack looks great (I just subscribed), and I think you have the right idea. Write for the reward of it, pivot if necessary according to feedback, and enjoy the process and the successes... Now I need to go to Palermo!
Building a Brand and multiple streams of income. This is good advice and I hope I can put it into practice. I do enjoy reading the travel blog and seeing where the two of you land.
Well, I have written seven novels and they are all out on Amazon and they arenβt selling well, so obviously any nudge is a good thing and Iβm serious that your thing was quite helpful.
I couldn't agree more. We tend to beat a "dead horse to death" with all the prequels and sequels to an amazing first movie in the series. I think it reflects a loss of creativity and imagination on the part of those who make those movies. It's just like all the contemporary music which is either a remake of an older song or cannibalized parts of an older song. What I'm hearing these days as I watch time period series is the soundtrack of the time portrayed in the series. Let's hear it for the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Take care and have a good holiday.
Great info. on branding. I'm struggling with that right now since I write 1) Horror fiction novels. And 2) non-fiction travel stories here on Substack. Wondering now if I should pick one or try to have both be successful but I think this article is helping to tip me one way.
Thank you so much for your transparency. I am a figures kind of person and it helps to know before making a leap. I also like the line about writing for SEO. A friend the other day said I had been writing for βyears.β I did have years of professional paid writing. But most of it has been in service of google to support other small businesses (mine and others). And thatβs a formula. And I said βnot real writing.β I can get someone listed on page one, which is no small feat. But itβs not βwritingβ that really anyone wants to voluntarily read.
And I'm definitely not judging, re: SEO. We all need to pay the bills! And that's actually an impressive skill set. But yeah, it seems fundamentally different than traditional "writing."
Great post, Brent! I always appreciate your candor and transparency.
Of interest, you may have seen in my last post how I'm trying to fine-tune and triangulate to my "brand" as well. Version 1.0 of my newsletter had a consistent voice, but thematically the "content" was all over the place and lacked reliable presentation.
I don't like to "stay in my lane" or "find a niche" either, but it's essential in the attention arms race.
As you've pointed out, adapting to constant change is key. Substack newsletters weren't even a thing 20 years ago. Genres and styles go in and out of fashion. As one income stream closes, another (ideally) opens up.
That is the idea! Honestly, I think it's the only way to create any kind of stability.
The real problem is when you do find a good stream, it never seems to last. This is what has driven me crazy: past returns do to predict future results. π₯Ίππ
Brett, thank you for being authentic. When I first launched Life In Parts, I was nervous and excited. Would anyone even want to read my publication? Would they find my writing any good? Or, would my publication end up at the bottom of a digital stack somewhere labeled as βIβll read this when I have time.β Itβs one thing for family to produce accolades at the sheer mention of a title. Itβs a completely different thing to put your work out there and truly be humbled when you track how itβs doing. Some weeks there is interest, other weeks very little. But itβs also who you reach and who happens to catch a glimpse of your article or story and decides to give it a chance. There is a lot of doubt, honestly mostly my own, but through the months that I have been writing, I have held myself to daily writing and weekly publishing. All while keeping a day job. In the end, I think the reward is looking at the body of work and being proud of what I put out there. Regardless of how many subscribers or followers it might getβ¦. Yet. Eventually, a path will present itself, but in the meantime, I still love to write.
Thank you, Marat, I appreciate that -- I try. Your Substack looks great (I just subscribed), and I think you have the right idea. Write for the reward of it, pivot if necessary according to feedback, and enjoy the process and the successes... Now I need to go to Palermo!
Thank you Brent! β€οΈ
And you both absolutely should. Palermo is an amazing experience. Although, I think the cabs have gotten nicer now π
Also, thank you so much for the encouragement and kind words. It means LOT π
Thank you, this is the best advice for fiction writers Iβve read on Substack.
Thank you! πππ€©
Congrats on your success! I love your generosity, offering this great advice to other writers.
Thank you, Robin. π
Building a Brand and multiple streams of income. This is good advice and I hope I can put it into practice. I do enjoy reading the travel blog and seeing where the two of you land.
Thank you! Appreciate that.
Very Cool. Just what I needed so see at this point (with seven novels out there and 21 readers)
Haha, don't know if you're joking or not, but either way, thanks, hope it helps.
Well, I have written seven novels and they are all out on Amazon and they arenβt selling well, so obviously any nudge is a good thing and Iβm serious that your thing was quite helpful.
Dear Brent:
I couldn't agree more. We tend to beat a "dead horse to death" with all the prequels and sequels to an amazing first movie in the series. I think it reflects a loss of creativity and imagination on the part of those who make those movies. It's just like all the contemporary music which is either a remake of an older song or cannibalized parts of an older song. What I'm hearing these days as I watch time period series is the soundtrack of the time portrayed in the series. Let's hear it for the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Take care and have a good holiday.
Thank you, William.
Yes, it seems like the death of creativity, doesn't it? Everyone wants what they had before... So frustrating.
That was great to read! As a newcomer to Substack, and writing for that matter, I found this really helpful. Thanks for the transparency.
Appreciate that. And you're welcome!
Great info. on branding. I'm struggling with that right now since I write 1) Horror fiction novels. And 2) non-fiction travel stories here on Substack. Wondering now if I should pick one or try to have both be successful but I think this article is helping to tip me one way.
Glad I could help! I love both those brands, btw. You need to write a travel -related horror at some point. Or always! π¬πππ
Already have! :)
Thanks for this. Write. Be authentic. Find YOUR voice. Thatβs on the creative side. On business side, be consistent, find your niche.
Appreciate you!
Thank you very much! You just said it all in twenty words. It too me 1500. πππ
But if Godfather was a comment, it'd just be Marlon Brando stroking a cat.
Thank you very much for this very helpful post, and also for the transparency.
You are very welcome. Thanks for reading! π
Thanks so much for sharing this info! Really good to know. Also congratulations on your steadily upward success! Great post!
Thank you. It's very gratifying to get recognition. π
Excellent as always, Brent. I was snapping my fingers like listening to a beat poet, except each "beat" was a kernel of helpful information.
Why thank you! And yes you're one of the "other writers" I mention who has been playing exactly the same game as I all these years. ππ€©
Thank you so much for your transparency. I am a figures kind of person and it helps to know before making a leap. I also like the line about writing for SEO. A friend the other day said I had been writing for βyears.β I did have years of professional paid writing. But most of it has been in service of google to support other small businesses (mine and others). And thatβs a formula. And I said βnot real writing.β I can get someone listed on page one, which is no small feat. But itβs not βwritingβ that really anyone wants to voluntarily read.
You're very welcome!
And I'm definitely not judging, re: SEO. We all need to pay the bills! And that's actually an impressive skill set. But yeah, it seems fundamentally different than traditional "writing."
Great post, Brent! I always appreciate your candor and transparency.
Of interest, you may have seen in my last post how I'm trying to fine-tune and triangulate to my "brand" as well. Version 1.0 of my newsletter had a consistent voice, but thematically the "content" was all over the place and lacked reliable presentation.
I don't like to "stay in my lane" or "find a niche" either, but it's essential in the attention arms race.
I did see that post and thought it was interesting! But honestly, we all pivot. How can we know our brands in advance? π
And thank you. You seem to me to he everything right. If that makes any difference at all (π), I think your book is gonna do great.
Thanks Brent for sharing generously and transparently. It always help us who are just starting out on this writing journey, especially by themselves!
You're very welcome. π