The hottest Publishing Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Culture Topics

We've Come a Long Way

Rob Henderson's Newsletter • 3655 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
📚 Literature Memoir Publishing Book Sales Writing
  1. The author shares their journey from financial struggle to success, highlighting how generosity from readers helped him transition to writing full-time.
  2. Pre-ordering a book can significantly impact its success by influencing bookstore orders, placement, and potential to become a bestseller.
  3. The book "Troubled" contains personal narratives about foster care, social class, and challenging societal norms, aiming to promote important conversations in the culture.

I Am The Friend Who Will Tell You To Get Paid.

Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith • 2712 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
💼 Business Money Self-promotion Art Publishing
  1. The myth that true artists don't sell their work leads many women and marginalized writers to fear being seen as sell-outs, resulting in lower sales.
  2. Scarcity mindset conditions creatives to accept low pay and resist self-promotion, inhibiting them from knowing and declaring their worth.
  3. Shaming creatives for valuing self-promotion implies it's wrong to recognize and assert your own value.

Soon Will Come a Day That None of This Exists

Discourse Blog • 3400 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
📰 News Media Journalism Digital Media Publishing Online Content
  1. Legacy media is being replaced by something worse, with media-wide layoffs being a visible sign.
  2. Publications are struggling and dying due to financial issues, particularly affecting traditional print media.
  3. The future of journalism looks bleak, with the rise of individual-driven media leading to misinformation and lack of accountability.

What's American Fiction Without the Short Story?

Counter Craft • 490 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
📚 Literature Short Stories American Literature Authorship Publishing
  1. Short stories are integral to American literature and are considered a quintessential American literary form.
  2. The declining prestige of short stories is noted, despite the vibrant and alive nature of the form in American letters.
  3. Short stories face challenges due to lack of space in magazines, minimal big publisher support, and the popularity bias towards novels.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Meta's just not that into you

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 499 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
💼 Business Media Publishing Social media Monetization Legislation
  1. Facebook is shifting away from news content, with recent actions including shutting down its news tab and restricting news links on its platforms like Instagram and Threads.
  2. Publishers have seen a decline in Facebook traffic over the years, as the platform has deprioritized news pages since the aftermath of the 2016 election.
  3. Many publishers blame Meta for not compensating them adequately, leading to lobbying efforts by publishers globally to force Meta to the bargaining table.

An Ocean of Data

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 466 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Data Artificial Intelligence Writing Publishing Digital Transformation
  1. Data produced in just one minute in 2023 was 169,371 times more than produced in the entire 18th century.
  2. The analogy of
  3. pissing into the ocean
  4. implies the massive amount of data being generated daily being like a drop in the vast ocean.
  5. The role of a writer has evolved significantly from the 18th century, with the digital era signaling the end of traditional writing as we knew it.

The Bluestocking, vol 304: Cowardice and AI crime fiction

The Bluestocking • 1120 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Theatre Publishing Politics Art Literature
  1. The cost of theater tickets in different countries can impact the accessibility of culture and art, affecting the sustainability of artistic communities.
  2. AI is being used to generate fiction at a rapid pace, showcasing the pressure some authors feel to produce content quickly.
  3. Concerns about age and capabilities arise in politics, like with President Biden's age being a cause for debate.

15 Random Things That Will Probably Help Your Publishing Career Much More Than an MFA Ever Could (or Writers’ Conferences, or AWP)

How to Glow in the Dark • 825 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
📚 Literature Publishing Writing Success Career Commercial
  1. Success in book publishing is unique and can't be replicated by following the traditional path
  2. MFAs and writers' conferences have value, but they don't guarantee commercial success as an author
  3. Factors like platform, artistic skill, and personal artistic style are crucial for achieving a big book deal

The media isn't getting its election bump

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 224 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
💼 Business Media Entrepreneurship Content creation Publishing Podcasting
  1. The media did not experience the usual election year audience boost due to low competition in the primaries, potentially affecting their revenue opportunities.
  2. Entrepreneurs in niche media areas like news sites, podcasts, and newsletters are being sought for coverage and interviews by the newsletter author.
  3. Empowering Cloud, a media company focused on Microsoft cloud products, was founded by Tom Arbuthnot to educate audiences and provide content within a community platform.

Why hasn’t the mainstream media embraced paid podcasts?

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 573 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
💼 Business Media Subscription Publishing Marketing Startups
  1. Paid podcasts have seen success with small networks and creators, but traditional media outlets have been hesitant to embrace them.
  2. Platforms like Patreon and tools from Apple and Spotify have made subscribing to paid podcasts easier, yet major publishers are still not fully exploring this opportunity.
  3. Some media companies like Slate and The Economist are finding success with paid podcasts and hard paywalls, showing potential for revenue growth in these areas.

Why are famous writers suddenly terrible when they write on Substack?

The Intrinsic Perspective • 7343 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
📚 Literature Writing Authors Publishing Substack
  1. When famous writers switch to Substack, their writing often changes in quality and style.
  2. Traditional publishing involves a pipeline of manuscript workshops, agent and editor contributions that can shape a writer's work.
  3. Writing online on platforms like Substack demands more frequent and authentic output compared to industry standards.

Q&A Thursday

Agents and Books • 668 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
📚 Literature Writing Publishing Novels
  1. Focus on finishing your book before worrying about your query letter.
  2. You may change the beginning of your book several times during the drafting process.
  3. Don't stress about revealing too much in your query letter; keep an eye on publishing news instead.

Publishing Amid the AI Deluge

Risk Musings • 458 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
📚 Literature Fiction AI Publishing Writing Career
  1. During the pandemic, there was a surge in manuscript submissions to publishers.
  2. AI technology like ChatGPT is being used to generate online book content, affecting discoverability and quality.
  3. The future of novel-writing as a career is uncertain due to AI's impact on the industry, with potential polarization into superstars and hobbyists.

Jewish Nationalism, publishing, public relations, and Hollywood

Yasha Levine • 393 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Publishing Public Relations Hollywood
  1. The novel 'Exodus' had a significant impact in promoting Jewish nationalism among American and Soviet Jews.
  2. The book was essentially zionist propaganda, helping to shape narratives and ideals for Jewish communities.
  3. The creation and promotion of 'Exodus' was part of a strategic public relations effort by the Israeli government to influence American perspectives on Israel.

Spitballing

Chuck Palahniuk's Plot Spoiler • 3085 implied HN points • 08 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Publishing Media Art
  1. Consider focusing on a very small customer base that will pay high prices for your service or product.
  2. Creating a high-status-signaling commodity can attract a niche market of wealthy individuals.
  3. Emphasizing exclusivity and luxury in your offerings can drive demand and high price points.

What we publishing people can learn from that Cloudflare layoff TikTok brouhaha

How to Glow in the Dark • 353 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Publishing Media Workplace culture Social media Organizational Culture
  1. Lesson from Cloudflare layoff: There are useful lessons for everyone in handling layoffs and difficult conversations professionally.
  2. Lesson from Brittany's experience: Be prepared, question feedback that doesn't make sense, and stand up for yourself in professional settings.
  3. Lesson on organizational culture: Though industries may differ, there can be overlap in challenges like attracting talent and handling social media crises.

Apologies for yet more radio silence/forthcoming book

Building a New Economics • 275 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🚌 Education Economics Research Publishing Finance
  1. The author has been busy working on a new book and various projects for BC4LS.
  2. The new book includes chapters on economics, pricing, energy, and the role of neoclassical economics in misleading about global warming.
  3. The author plans to release the manuscript to financial supporters only to avoid jeopardizing potential sales for the publisher.