PSA: Substack May Very Well Change My Life

(actually, it already has)

This is a message for the close to 600 free subscribers I have here on Substack, many of whom, I suspect, might be dubious about who I am and what this space is really about.

One of the downsides of Substack originally being a newsletter platform is that not everyone realizes it has become a fully functioning literary website & smartphone application. This is why Margaret Atwood has a Substack, as does Garrison Keillor, Chuck Palahniuk, and George Saunders, who is widely considered the best short story writer in America. Or, for those interested in the science of consciousness, Michael Pollan (How to Change Your Mind) is behind a Substack that publishes work from the U.C. Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, while the acclaimed neuroscientist Erik Hoel recently quit his high-profile job in academia (!!!) to write full-time on Substack.

The point is, Substack is thriving—quietly—and it is changing the literary landscape each day for famous writers and unknown ones alike (like me!).

Substack was built for writers and readers interested in work versus personality, and because it offers writers a 90/10% split, it has allowed thousands of writers to forego traditional publishing by directly connecting with their communities (last example: one of Substack’s most popular writers, Heather Cox Richardson, an American history professor at Boston College, probably clears well over $1 million / year in subscriptions. Suck on that, traditional publishing).

This all sounds exciting. But what does it mean for me?

Today, I’m asking my free subscribers to slightly reconsider what this space actually is and what it can be for writers and readers throughout the world. Take these analytics, for example, from my most recent post:

First and foremost, I’m damn grateful to my grandfather-in-law, an eighty-something legend who became my latest annual subscriber, and to all of you who actually took a few minutes to read the candid exchange about mortality between me and my new Substack friend Reena Kapoor, a poet & essayist living in the USA.

I also know (because I receive direct email responses from many of you) that a lot of you have very fascinating and valuable ideas/comments/thoughts about my pieces, but I’d love to be able to discuss life, love, and all the rest of it on Substack together.

My humble request is quite simple:

If you actively enjoy reading my work, please consider occasionally "clicking through” the email to read my work via Substack’s website or phone app, which will allow you to “comment” when you feel it and “like” it if you appreciate my work.

It’s silly, but the reality of writing on the Internet is that comments and likes make a huge difference.

It’s as easy as a click:

1. When you receive an email from me, instead of reading my words in the email body, simply click on the banner photo OR the title in the email, which allows you to read my work on Substack itself, better allowing you to interact with me via comments:

   

2. For those of you who prefer reading during a commute / on your phone, Substack’s App is absolutely fantastic. Think of it as a scrolling-based experience, but instead of scrolling through thirst traps and vapid algorithmic suggestions (Substack doesn’t use that kind of algorithm), the Substack App allows you to exclusively read what you’ve chosen to read:

In this epoch, a little red heart goes a long way

If you subscribe to if not, Paris, it’s presumably because you enjoy supporting me/ connecting with me in some small way.

By “commenting” and/or “liking” what you’ve read, you are effectively communicating with me, but you also become an active participant in helping writers like me take back power from the traditional gatekeepers of an exploitative and all-but-broken publishing model.

This isn’t hyperbole.

In just 1 year on Substack, I’ve already earned more money and have collaborated with more authors and readers than I did in 6 years publishing 1,300 books, teaching creative writing at the Sorbonne, giving literary walks in Paris, and earning two different master’s degrees.

And that’s it.

Voila the extent of this PSA. If you’ve enjoyed my writing over the past year, a simple click or two will go a long way in helping me raise enough money to publish my next novel for my Substack readers.

And now, here’s a photo of my grateful bearded face from my recent trip to LA,

Love, and thank you for being here,

Samuél