Do I Need Substack?
From The Writers Sanctuary!
The simple answer? Yes!
If there's one thing we've learned from publishers, agents, and publicists, it's that Substack is now the number one platform they recommend for writers who want to build a sustainable career. We hear it in every industry conversation, at every conference, and from every marketing professional who's paying attention to what's actually working right now.
Let's discuss why!
The Algorithm Problem
Is social media dead? Nope! It's still a key component in growing your audience. But here's the problem with building your entire platform on social media: success there is measured by an algorithm that is built around short, punchy content designed for minimal attention spans. Longer, more thoughtful content can absolutely work, but it's a much harder climb. The algorithms weren't designed with writers in mind.
Designed for Long-Form Content.
The platform was built specifically to reward the kind of content writers are already good at creating: substantive, voice-driven, relationship-building writing that earns loyal readers over time. There's no algorithm deciding who sees your work. Every subscriber you earn gets every post you send, directly to their inbox.
Publisher Recommended
Kathleen Schmidt, a publishing PR veteran with over 30 years in the industry who has worked with major publishers including Penguin Random House and Hachette, has written publicly that as traditional media coverage of books continues to shrink, authors and publishers need to pivot toward direct audience development. Substack, she notes, has seen explosive growth in book coverage precisely as mainstream media coverage declines.
Substack Is For Your Fans
People subscribe to a writer's Substack because they've already decided they like that writer. They're not casually scrolling past your content. They opted in, which means they're actively choosing to show up for what you have to say. That's a completely different level of reader relationship one that you want to grow.
What To Post?
What this community wants is access. The insider behind-the-scenes stories about how your true, book came to be. The funny, longer-than-a-caption stories about your life as a writer. The things that are too nuanced for a social media post and too personal for a press release. Substack turns you from "just another author" into "internet friend" with one subscription, and that shift is what's directly responsible for building the kind of loyal fanbases that make book launches actually work.
Agents and Editors Are Watching
Literary agents are on Substack. Not just recommending it for writers, but actively using it themselves, publishing their own newsletters, sharing industry insights, and watching what's happening in the writing community there. Editors are there. Publicists are there. Substack is where you need to be if you want to be an author.