The hottest Publishing Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Culture Topics

Counter-Spoliating Children's Stories

Contemplations on the Tree of Woe • 927 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Publishing
  1. There’s a strong need to reclaim children’s stories by making real, story-first books that teach character instead of serving as marketing or shallow branding.
  2. Beast fables—using wolves as a symbol—are a powerful way to teach about human nature, masculine virtues, and the reality of force and danger in life.
  3. Modern threats like screen addiction and cultural softening mean parents and creators must be deliberate: control kids’ media, consider homeschooling, and supply honest, high-quality youth fiction.

Sub Club Weekly Digest # 6

The Sub Club Newsletter • 118 implied HN points • 02 Nov 24
🚌 Education Publishing
  1. There is a new column called 'Jobs for Writers' for finding jobs in the writing industry. It's a great way to get your foot in the door and gain experience.
  2. The newsletter features some cool competitions where people can win money or subscriptions for sharing their writing stories or job listings. It's a fun way to get involved!
  3. They are offering workshops and events for writers to come together and submit their work while getting support and guidance. It's a good chance to learn and improve your writing skills.

Do more people write poetry than read it?

The Common Reader • 2374 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. More people read poetry than write it; surveys put poetry readers at roughly 9–12% of American adults (tens of millions) and poetry book sales remain substantial in places like the UK.
  2. Editors’ anecdotes are skewed by a prolific minority who submit a lot, so their inboxes make it seem like more people write than read; many readers are “silent” and don’t submit, attend readings, or subscribe to magazines.
  3. Poetry consumption and publishing have diversified—readers often use books, archives, and online platforms, and many poets publish directly online—so traditional magazines act as a winnowing filter and don’t necessarily reflect most readers’ tastes.

Bits In, Bits Out

The Intrinsic Perspective • 43156 implied HN points • 05 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Publishing
  1. LLMs are tools that boost efficiency and scale but mostly imitate human input; without detailed prompts and human scaffolding they produce shallow, imitative output.
  2. Instead of a sudden intelligence explosion, LLMs have contributed a glut of mediocre text—average book quality dropped while the very best works changed little.
  3. That pattern will likely spread to other fields like science and math: skilled users get modest gains, the world is buried in low-quality output, and human expertise remains essential rather than being replaced by autonomous superintelligence.

14 Pitch Calls from Paying Publications

The Sub Club Newsletter • 257 implied HN points • 01 Nov 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. There are 14 pitch opportunities from various paying publications this week. Writers can find specific calls for stories in areas like lifestyle, food, and niche topics.
  2. When pitching personal stories, it's helpful to start with a specific moment that highlights larger themes. This gives editors a better sense of your writing style and story arc.
  3. Sharing your journey or unique experiences can lead to deeper connections in your writing. Make sure to convey how situations change over time in your pitches.
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36 Writing Jobs, Internships, Volunteer Opps, Fellowships, and More

The Sub Club Newsletter • 594 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. There are many job opportunities available for writers, including full-time positions, internships, and volunteer roles. This can help you start or develop your career in writing and publishing.
  2. The newsletter aims to provide solid job listings, focusing on roles beyond just freelance writing to support career building in the writing field.
  3. If you already work in writing, your personal stories about breaking into the field can be valuable and are welcome to be shared, helping others learn from your experience.

Text is king

Experimental History • 118726 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. The idea that reading is dead is exaggerated; surveys show only modest declines while book sales and independent bookstores remain robust.
  2. Writing and books uniquely enable complex, precise thinking and long-term influence, because putting ideas into text makes them testable and lasting.
  3. Digital distractions matter but they haven’t erased the human appetite for deep reading. Attention-sapping tech may be peaking, and other recorded formats also help preserve knowledge.

Understanding Substack's competitive edge

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 374 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
💼 Business Publishing
  1. Substack has transformed from a simple newsletter tool into a full-service publishing platform with built-in recording, video, podcasts, AI clipping, communities, and OTT apps, making its 10% fee reasonable for creators who use many features.
  2. Creator-focused commerce platforms like ShopMy help smaller creators earn meaningful income by offering higher commissions and easier brand partnerships, expanding monetization beyond low-paying affiliate programs.
  3. Legacy publishers are shifting to subscriber-first newsletters because sending paid content directly to inboxes boosts engagement and lowers churn compared with website-only content.

Is nonfiction dead?

How to Glow in the Dark • 259 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Nonfiction isn't really dead, but selling it right now is tough. Writers need to come up with smart strategies to find success.
  2. There are rumors in the publishing world about nonfiction's decline, but these might just be worries rather than facts. It's important to dig into the reasons behind such rumors.
  3. The claim that 'nonfiction is dead' has been circulated by someone influential, but it's likely exaggerated. This shows how concerns can shape conversations in the publishing industry.

A Note on a Correction from Jon and Zach

After Babel • 5259 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
📰 News Publishing
  1. A guest post was removed after it was found to contain inaccuracies.
  2. The publication says it values rigorous research and admits its editorial process failed to properly vet the piece.
  3. They acknowledge the mistake, thank readers who pointed it out, and signal a commitment to improve editorial standards going forward.

The Monday Media Diet with Tom Junod

Why is this interesting? • 1266 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Writing comes first: a steady daily writing and journaling practice shapes reading habits, with reading and listening used mainly to support and inspire work.
  2. A deep love of books and local bookstores: physical books, poetry, and specific recommended titles (like Frank O’Hara’s Lunch Poems and Joe Brainard’s I Remember) are central, and there’s active support for independent bookshops.
  3. A careful blend of old and new media: strong preference for magazines and print routines (even reading back-to-front), modest social media use for promotion, and a skeptical but curious attitude toward generative apps and AI (for example, enjoying Brian Eno’s Bloom).

The Anarchist’s Compass No. 1

The American Peasant • 2535 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
💼 Business Publishing
  1. A businessman shared a wild story about buying a small publishing company. He revealed that the owner didn't know he was supposed to keep the cash in the company, and the buyer ended up getting the business almost for free.
  2. The room erupted in laughter when he shared how the situation turned out. It showed how sometimes, deals can have unexpected and surprising outcomes.
  3. This story highlights how important it is to understand business transactions and financial details. Misunderstandings can lead to big surprises for both buyers and sellers.

What is happening to writing?

Res Obscura • 22550 implied HN points • 18 Feb 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. AI is already generating huge amounts of readable but shallow prose that many people actually prefer, which is commoditizing large swaths of writing and coding work and threatening lower-tier creative jobs.
  2. Jobs and tasks that require embodied, in-person, or heavily regulated work—like teaching, archival history research, electricians, and plumbers—are much less likely to be replaced quickly because social and regulatory change lags technical capability.
  3. New AI-powered interactive tools and research helpers are exciting and useful, but they create cognitive debt and risk hollowing out the slow, solitary practice of thinking-through-writing and the shared public conversations that great literature and scholarship produce.

10 Agents Currently Looking for Thrillers

The Sub Club Newsletter • 277 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. When you get feedback from agents, remember not all feedback is good or useful. Some comments might just reflect personal taste, so don't take it too personally.
  2. It can help to look for patterns in the feedback you're getting from different agents. If many agents suggest the same changes, it might be worth considering those edits.
  3. Don't rush to change your work just because an agent suggested it. Take your time to think about the feedback and decide what's best for your book.

The Day NY Publishing Lost Its Soul

The Honest Broker • 46411 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Big corporate consolidation turned publishing into a hit-driven business that only bets on blockbusters, so midlist authors and patient editorial development mostly disappeared.
  2. That pressure produced formulaic books and cookie-cutter covers, and with newspapers, indie bookstores, and school reading habits weakened, new and diverse work has a much harder time being discovered.
  3. The way back is to nurture and support independent publishers, bookstores, libraries, critics, and reader communities, because real variety and risky, meaningful books are more likely to thrive outside the big corporate system.

Introducing the Substack Recording Studio

Substack Blog • 1681 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Publishing
  1. A built-in Recording Studio lets you pre-record solo shows or conversations with up to two guests, generate clips and thumbnails automatically, and publish when you’re ready.
  2. You can add publication branding, share your screen (visual only for now), and edit automated thumbnails so each show can have its own look.
  3. These tools centralize recording, clipping, and publishing in one place and are available now, and creators using audio or video have recently grown revenue faster.

Fifty People Control the Culture

The Honest Broker • 40294 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Publishing
  1. About fifty people—CEOs and executives at major tech and media companies—effectively control the culture today, concentrating power in movies, music, books, and online media.
  2. Most of these leaders are technocrats who care more about profits and share prices than art, which pushes out risky or meaningful creativity.
  3. Independent platforms like Substack, Patreon, and Bandcamp give creators more control and deserve support, because strengthening the indie counterculture is the only realistic way to restore diversity and innovation.

The modern formatting addiction in writing

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 1484 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Formatting helps readers skim and helps you think, but when it dominates a piece it hides weak ideas and makes sustained reading painful.
  2. Writers and AIs favor heavy formatting because it makes content quick to judge and thus gets rewarded, which encourages more format-heavy but often shallow work.
  3. A useful workflow is to draft with lots of formatting to explore ideas, then force yourself to write clear paragraphs to synthesize and reveal problems, and only then add formatting back for skimming.

New on Substack: draft Notes, hide revenue stats, pin multiple posts, and more

Substack Blog • 1920 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Publishing
  1. Drafting and homepage control got simpler: you can save Notes as drafts, pin multiple posts to your homepage, and adjust text alignment so your work looks and lands how you want.
  2. Dashboard and analytics give you more control: you can export publisher stats as CSV, hide revenue or subscriber counts, and manage live videos from one place to simplify workflows and protect privacy.
  3. Code and formatting are much improved: code blocks now auto-detect language, offer syntax highlighting, line numbers, and one-click copy, making technical posts clearer and easier to share.

This Week in Marketing: Evidence of Social Media Outrage vs. the Emergence of AI Sloptainment

The Social Juice • 85 implied HN points • 22 Mar 26
💼 Business Publishing
  1. Social platforms reward outrage and engagement, which lets harmful and scammy content spread quickly. Companies often fail to enforce their own rules, leaving users and advertisers exposed to risk.
  2. AI is rapidly reshaping search, publishing, and advertising, cutting referral traffic and forcing marketers to rethink where value and measurement live. That shift creates big uncertainty for publishers, brands, and agencies about monetization and control.
  3. Low‑quality, viral AI‑generated entertainment is exploding on social feeds, driving attention but creating safety, copyright, and creator‑rights problems. Creators and regulators are pushing back as these ‘AI slop’ formats scale.

Why Continue After Five Years?

Animation Obsessive • 6458 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
🎨 Art & Illustration Publishing
  1. They’re celebrating a five‑year anniversary for their animation newsletter, marking a big milestone in the project’s life.
  2. The project began as a Twitter account about animation and evolved into a full publication run by co-runners.
  3. The newsletter uses a paid subscription model with a seven‑day free trial and gated archives for paid readers.

How to rate Bloomsbury?

The Common Reader • 2374 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Appreciate the art separately from the people. Virginia Woolf’s writing is a lasting genius even if parts of her personality and private views are indefensible.
  2. Many Bloomsbury members were deeply prejudiced and insulated by class, with racism, snobbery and eugenic thinking that can’t be waved away. Those moral blind spots should be acknowledged rather than defended.
  3. The group mattered culturally — their press and social influence had impact — but most work beyond Woolf (and some of Strachey) is overrated. You can admire their best output without making them moral exemplars.

On What Makes a Good Writer with Kevin Wilson

The Sub Club Newsletter • 1110 implied HN points • 22 Oct 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Finding a supportive community can really help a writer feel like their work matters. Connecting with others can make the writing journey feel a lot less lonely.
  2. Writing is both a personal and technical craft. It's important to enjoy the process and be open to learning, rather than getting too caught up in formal success markers.
  3. Art should be valued beyond just monetary success. Writers can thrive by focusing on what they love to create, regardless of whether they achieve fame or fortune.

Sub Club Weekly Digest # 5

The Sub Club Newsletter • 515 implied HN points • 26 Oct 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. There were over 150 suggestions for a new column name, showing strong community engagement. People can win $50 and a free year of Sub Club by submitting a name.
  2. A new interview series called 'On Something with Somebody' is launching, featuring insights from writers and industry experts. This will help readers learn more about writing and publishing.
  3. Sub Club is offering resources and events like submission parties to help writers find job opportunities and improve their pitching skills. These gatherings are a supportive space for writers to submit their work together.

Twice-Annual Subscription Drive

Freddie deBoer • 2599 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. The project is committed to independent, honest writing that often courts controversy and resists pressure to play it safe.
  2. Reader support funds the work and keeps it accessible. Paid subscriptions are $5 a month or $50 a year to help sustain the project’s independence.
  3. You can also support by buying the novel or preordering the next nonfiction book, and subscribers will get extras like a writing roundup and a book club; the pitch mixes earnestness with a playful, personal tone.

15 Agents Seeking Literary Fiction

The Sub Club Newsletter • 773 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Querying agents can be a long process, often taking many months and requiring lots of patience. It's normal to feel ups and downs as you wait for responses.
  2. It's important to tailor your query letter to highlight your book's qualities and how it fits within its genre. Good comps can help agents understand what readers might enjoy about your story.
  3. Don't get discouraged by rejections or silence. Keep querying different agents, and remember that perseverance is key to eventually finding the right match!

Call For Subscriber Writing, March 2026

Freddie deBoer • 990 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Paid subscribers can submit links to their writing for a bimonthly roundup via the Google Form; the submission window closes on Sunday, March 15 at 10 PM EST and the form will be disabled after that.
  2. All submissions must use the specific Markdown format (bolded name, [Title](https://...), blank line, short description); items not entered in Markdown won’t be included.
  3. This roundup is for hosted writing only (posts, essays, books), not podcasts or social media, and the organizer will check your email against the subscriber list so use your subscribed address or note it in the form.

360 million views and unable to pay her rent

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 274 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
💼 Business Publishing
  1. Creators can get massive TikTok views but still earn very little, so many move their audiences to platforms like YouTube that offer clearer ways to make money.
  2. Sustainable publishing can come from prioritizing high‑quality, differentiated journalism and building subscription revenue rather than chasing scale with ad tech.
  3. Niche experts can expand a small audience into a diversified media business — podcasts, courses, events, and communities — though some eventually refocus on their core trade.

Infinite Games

The Generalist • 3342 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
💼 Business Publishing
  1. Joining Hummingbird as a partner while keeping The Generalist fully owned and continuing to publish, with the partnership expected to sharpen the investing craft.
  2. Hummingbird’s contrarian, founder-focused approach — driven by deep curiosity and attention to founder psychology — helps surface subtler, more interesting questions about startups.
  3. The Generalist will publish less often but focus on fewer, long-form, deeply researched pieces about the most consequential organizations, trading frequency for greater depth and quality.

The Truth About BS Podcast

Bet On It • 80 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
🎙 Podcasts Publishing
  1. Princeton University Press launched a podcast called “The Truth About Bullshit” that riffs on the book On Bullshit.
  2. An episode features a conversation about The Case Against Education, connecting the podcast to debates over the value and purpose of schooling.
  3. The episode is described as a high-quality, thoughtful conversation and is recommended listening for those interested in the topic.

Some local news outlets are enthusiastically embracing AI

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 424 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26
📰 News Publishing
  1. Local newsrooms are using AI to turn livestreamed government meetings into transcripts and automated story leads, helping fill coverage gaps where reporters can’t be present.
  2. Hyperlocal publishers are scaling AI-generated newsletters and event digests to millions of subscribers, which can be profitable but often leans on aggregated public sources rather than original reporting.
  3. Authors are being flooded with AI-generated book-club invitations that hide participation fees, prompting many writers to stop accepting such appearances.

The case for bundling substacks

Wrong Side of History • 669 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
💼 Business Publishing
  1. Substack’s paid-subscription model has enabled many talented, quirky writers to earn money and publish longer, independent work outside traditional media.
  2. The current per-writer pay model creates subscription fatigue because many readers can’t afford multiple paid subs, which can limit audience growth for mid-tier writers.
  3. Bundling paid Substack subscriptions into discounted packages with shared revenue and limits on switching could lower costs and grow audiences, but it should be opt-in and may not attract the highest-earning writers.

The Anticlimax of Becoming an Author

Writerly Things with Brooke Warner • 2261 implied HN points • 06 Oct 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Becoming an author can feel like a big letdown after the excitement of publication. The rush of attention fades, and new authors often feel disappointed.
  2. It's normal to have mixed feelings after publishing. Authors may feel exposed, especially if they've shared personal stories, which can lead to vulnerability and sadness.
  3. After publication, it's helpful to focus on future projects and give yourself time to adjust. Good things can come later, like new readers or opportunities, so try to enjoy the journey.

Perhaps People Are Cynical About Success in the Creative Arts for a Reason

Freddie deBoer • 10921 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. When major outlets simultaneously heap praise on a debut, it’s usually the product of coordinated influence — publishers, publicists, and personal connections, not pure coincidence.
  2. A book can genuinely be excellent and still benefit from a massive media blitz; quality and promotional muscle are separate things and can coexist.
  3. With legacy media shrinking and attention atomized, who you know, wealth, and institutional backing often matter more than merit, so skepticism and transparency about how promotion happens are reasonable.

Note on a Lawsuit

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 13010 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
📰 News Publishing
  1. A public figure was depicted in a book as being "owned" by wealthy tech backers, and they responded by suing to protect their reputation.
  2. They refused a lucrative offer from a powerful platform owner to avoid any appearance of financial ties, even though that decision cost them access and a major story.
  3. The book framed ethical choices as greed and misrepresented motives. When public smears ignore facts, legal action can be the only way to defend a reputation.

Have you ugly cried this week? I hope so. (Plus: my thoughts on Taylor Swift's book.)

How to Glow in the Dark • 679 implied HN points • 18 Oct 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. It's okay to feel your emotions deeply; sometimes crying is part of processing those feelings.
  2. Taylor Swift's upcoming self-published book is shaking up the publishing industry by bypassing traditional methods.
  3. This move could encourage traditional publishers to rethink their strategies and invest in diverse authors instead of focusing only on mega-celebrities.

I know your secret

Experimental History • 4997 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Many creators have a "secret" — a specific topic, perspective, or method they've found that reliably produces value and interest.
  2. Those secrets aren't scandalous; they're practical insights or angles you can lean into repeatedly instead of shocking or contrived hooks.
  3. There are concrete notes (eleven in this case) that show how to turn unknowns into knowns by discovering and communicating those useful insights.

What I learned writing 100 essays

Castles in the Sky • 52 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Keep making and sharing work even if it feels silly or small; doing it consistently changes you and can lead to real, surprising impact.
  2. A small, engaged audience can matter a lot; people will share personal stories and be genuinely affected by your writing.
  3. Personal, low‑tech gestures and thoughtful follow‑up—like handwritten notes and sincere replies—build deeper connections than impersonal, automated approaches, so act like your project matters.

Tulubaikaporia

The Lifeboat • 470 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. Tulubaikaporia centers on a village called Tulubaika that is literally vanishing, and the story frames saving it as a ritual that depends on people remembering and mythologizing the place.
  2. The novel is highly experimental and shapeshifts across genres, styles, and voices—twenty‑three episodes mix prose, poetry, essays, and absurdist comedy to probe place, time, memory, and hard-to-express emotions.
  3. The book is published now in multiple formats (including signed and special editions), and readers are invited to buy, share, review, and participate in the ritual of preserving Tulubaika by keeping its memory alive.

Sub Club Weekly Digest # 4

The Sub Club Newsletter • 495 implied HN points • 19 Oct 24
📚 Literature Publishing
  1. They are looking for a new name for a column called 'Story Doctors' and want public input to find a better title. People can suggest lots of names and even win a prize if theirs is chosen.
  2. This week, they shared several articles about literary agents, submission calls, and indie presses that are gaining attention. These articles can help writers connect with new opportunities in publishing.
  3. They are hosting casual online events called 'Fuck it, Submit!' where people can ask questions about submitting their work. It's a fun way to get support while trying to publish your writing.