To Substack or Not to Substack
by Steph Beth Nickel
It has been almost a year since I began my Substack account.
My original plan? To post chapters of my YA novel on Mondays and devotionals on the Gospel of John on Fridays. [Note: To read the first post in each of these, click the linked text.]
I had written dozens of chapters of Rule and Reign and all the devotionals. So, I had a great running start.
And then I ran out of chapters of my novel and came to the last devotional.
The answer? Write and post a chapter of Rule and Reign each week.
How hard could that be? I’d only have to write a couple of pages each day.
But…life.
Did I get so busy I didn’t have the time? Nope.
Did I too often listen to the siren song of my not-even-very-comfortable couch? Why yes! Yes, I did.
Reading. Listening to podcasts. Watching miscellaneous YouTube videos. But writing when I wasn’t motivated? Don’t be silly.
There are legitimate reasons I won’t be posting much to Substack, if anything, between now and the end of September.
My hubby and I are gathering our daughter’s belongings and driving them from Ontario to Saskatchewan. Sarah has a place of her own, and after approximately a year, has room for her things. It will be lovely to visit with her, her brother, and her sister-in-law, but there won’t be time for writing.
Hopefully, my readers will forgive the delay.
[Note: If you would like to subscribe to Substack for FREE to read more, you can do so here: Steph Beth Nickel | Substack]
Things to Know About Substack
- There are many features I haven’t investigated, which, when taken advantage of, may improve the experience—for both creators and their readers. Reading up on these features is on my To-Do list. (Kudos to all of you who research a new-to-you platform before jumping aboard!)
- Just signing up isn’t enough. You actually have to create and post content. A given…that can be more challenging than anticipated.
- Developing a mailing list… If you don’t already have one, there’s virtual legwork to getting followers and subscribers. (Growing subscriber numbers isn’t currently high on my priority list, but it is important to the majority of Substack creators I’m sure.)
- What about random followers and subscribers who stumble across your account? Be careful. It seems some are bots or potential scammers looking for info.
- When a human follows or subscribes, it’s good to thank them and welcome them to your account. However, there’s no need to follow back just to boost their numbers if you’re not interested in their content and don’t have the bandwidth for one more email hitting your inbox that you don’t have the time or inclination to read.
- When a legit subscriber sends you a message, it’s a good idea to respond. Still, you’ll want to read their mini-bio. They may be in the market to sell you a service. You can tell pretty quickly from their messages and their public posts what their intention is.
What are my future plans?
I plan to do some research on the Substack features I am not taking advantage of.
Hopefully, I will have this draft of Rule and Reign completed and my 30-day devotional ready for formatting and publication by the end of the year.
Happy Writing and Publishing (wherever that may be)!
Here is my Substack info:
Rule and Reign Chapter 1… click here.
Nurture and Inspire Love Day 1… click here.
As an editor, Steph Beth Nickel has the honour of coming alongside writers to help them polish their work. As the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’s memoirs, Steph has been blessed to work with this amazing woman. And as a future self-published author, with the Lord’s help, Steph has taken brave steps toward publication.
If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.
You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.
You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.