Dear Substack
Dear Substack
Dear Substack,
Take a look at the picture above. I asked AI to create an image of some of my friends here on Substack sitting on a bookshelf, each with the title of a book. No, those aren’t the books they actually wrote. You’ll find links to their real books at the bottom of this article, along with a few other friends I know who have published books as well.
The reason I’m writing this is for all the new people who have joined Substack.
I want you to know just how many different genres are represented here. More importantly, I want you to know there are people here who will read your work, encourage you, cheer you on, and celebrate your successes. Writers may write alone, but we don’t have to journey alone.
When I first started writing, I was convinced I was going to become a murder mystery writer. That was the dream.
Then I wrote my first novel.
It was... 1,800 pages.
And it was a romance.
A WHAAAT?!
Believe me, that was my reaction too.
The funny thing is, I don’t even like romance novels. You know the kind, the impossibly handsome hero, the beautiful, perfect woman... yuck.
Although, I have to confess something.
When I was about twelve, my great-aunt introduced me to Harlequin and Silhouette romances. I quickly discovered they had “spicy” scenes, so I’d shamelessly skip ahead and read those first. Then I eventually realized that wasn’t exactly real life.
After that, I found my true loves: Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, and Sherlock Holmes.
Agatha Christie became my favorite. Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence...
Wait... you don’t know Tommy and Tuppence?
We’ll save that for another story.
Anyway, somewhere around 2013 I started writing what I thought would finally be my murder mystery: The Hunt for the Red Sun of the West. I finally finished it in 2025. It was even available in book form through Barnes & Noble for a while, and all of my books are currently being reformatted for Amazon.
Again... that’s another story.
The point is, I finally did write my mystery but only after writing the 1,800-page romance novel Leprechauns, Unicorns and Cuddle Bears. Because it was so long, it eventually became three volumes, along with a second book in the series.
And you know what?
I absolutely fell in love with those characters.
There I go wandering off the path again.
My point is this...
There are a lot of incredibly talented writers on Substack. Every genre you can imagine is here, mystery, romance, horror, poetry, science fiction, fantasy, memoir, humor, historical fiction, and everything in between.
If you’re new, don’t be afraid to explore. Read outside your favorite genre. You might discover an author who completely surprises you, just like I surprised myself.
I know what you’re thinking.
“I’m not that good.”
“I can’t write.”
“How do I know anyone will ever read what I write?”
First of all, you’re here. That means you’re already a writer. Writing is simply what you do.
How do you know someone will read your work?
One day you’ll notice a like.
Then a comment.
Then a restack.
Before long, you’ll recognize familiar names, and you’ll realize you’ve found your own little community.
Believe me, Substack is full of encouraging people. People cheer each other on, collaborate, write haikus together, exchange ideas, and celebrate one another’s successes. There are writers here for just about every genre and every style you can imagine.
Will all of us become published authors?
Eh... who knows.
Does it matter?
Maybe a little.
But it’s still fun. We build friendships, encourage one another, and find people who genuinely look forward to reading what we write.
And then there are those days when your brain simply refuses to cooperate. I call it brain freeze, everyone else calls it writer’s block. Fortunately, you’re covered there too. There are sentence prompts, picture prompts (my personal favorite), daily challenges, and enough inspiration floating around Substack to get almost anyone writing again.
My point is this...
Most of all, remember this:
If you’re here writing your heart out, then you’re one of us.
And that makes you one of the great writers on Substack too.
Happy reading... and happy writing.
Below you’ll find links to some wonderful authors and the books they’ve shared with the world. I hope you’ll stop by, say hello, and maybe discover your next favorite read.
Here is a list of the ones that I have found for the genres that I like:
Truth ( always a good one) nonfiction and fiction James (HVR)
horror/thriller Matthew Holvey Mat the Horror Poet John Watson - Horror Author Conor MacCormack
poetry PancakeSushi Roger Browne Mark Crutchfield
book links
Ellis Elms - https://a.co/d/0gzYPAYv ….. https://a.co/d/08Lo9hgS
Darby Jones - https://a.co/d/05Aop4z3
James (HVR) - https://a.co/d/0iJMCHWx
Andrea Thorfinson - https://a.co/d/09EVSLnT….https://a.co/d/05pkD8yF
Matthew Holvey - https://a.co/d/0hktLk1z
Dorie Snow/雪多丽 - https://a.co/d/0dlPoK0g
Thank you!
This is an encouraging article, particularly to those starting out on Substack. I use to think the only way my writing matter is if I got an agent and then published. I spent years chasing that dream ending up disappointed. (That is another story) But someone turned me onto Substack and it was a learning curve, especially finding my feet, but I did find them. I found not only community, but also my rhythm, more importantly I found that success wasn't getting published, it was people reading my stories. Maybe only one person reads, maybe a thousand, the numbers don't matter, because there is someone reading my work. That really makes me happy as a writer.