as a long-time traditionally-published author with a year on Substack, I support the idea generally Winston, especially as the programming team here seems to be always proactive to make new innovations. But I would say that to improve on existing competition, they would want to do at least three things;
-make the formatting options super-intuitive and easy, including TOC embed links and cover art
-find a way to protect the actual book file from being extracted and ending up pirated on random sites
-stay competitive, somehow, with the profit sharing margins that amazon offers.
In addition, and somewhat separately, I would love to see Substack somehow create a mechanism for passive income ala what youtube creators get, since the current business model is very much top heavy on the paid subscription side, which is not really dependable for the long term.
Keep up the good work and good luck in yoour publishing!
This is a fascinating summary. Thank you! Quick question: Is an author not able to do this right now?
"If Substack could allow for “Sections” or individual posts to be paywalled by a one-time payment, then writers could, in theory, sell serial or complete novels to subscribers."
I think this is a brilliant idea, Winston. Selling eBooks through Substack is a natural step forward and would give readers who aren't interested in doing business with Amazon another option to purchasing quality fiction and non-fiction. I would sell eBooks and audiobooks through Substack in a heartbeat.
I've been thinking about this as it's easy to end up with a novella or short story collection if you are writing on a weekly basis. It's possible to run a stripe payment page and a triggered email with the book linked as a ePUB file (or PDF), but it's cumbersome and Chris points out below, you have to be careful about pirating.
However, with AI splurging across Amazon's lists, having a trusted site where you can buy, recommend and interact with the author would be wonderful.
Draft2Digital already does this, including providing both ebook and paperback book formatting, without buying any extra programs, if your needs are simple enough. It also allows you to publish wide.
I could see this working for Substack. Or maybe, just have Substack work something out with Draft2Digital to add Substack as one of their "publish to" options? That could simplify a lot of the issues, since they already deal with them for other markets.
As an indie author, I find this idea fascinating. I left a traditional publisher when they could no longer figure out how to market my work, which had become richer and more complex as my craft improved. Somehow I found my way through the labyrinth of self-publishing and now have a loyal if small following. Because my work is not quite mainstream and not quite haute literature, reaching new readers is well nigh impossible. I joined Substack a few months ago to see what I might do here in terms of expanding my readership, only to discover that despite the time and effort I’ve put into my writing here, the only direct way I’ve found to raise my author profile is to include a link to my website at the bottom of my posts—a frustratingly slow and unmeasurable tactic.
I have recently moved my author website from an informational one (the standard author site) to a transactional one, where I can sell ebooks directly to readers. It was a costly and time-consuming project. And now I’m left with the additional cost of advertising to attract attention to it.
(BTW, I see you link to your Shopify site; how did you embed a link to that directly into a Substack section?)
I'll add my yes, please vote to this idea! I would love a platform other than Amazon to sell ebooks. I'd love to go a step further and have the option for people to purchase physical books as well, but that might be further than Substack wants to go.
I have self published two books, the process can be frustrating and it’s hard to break through. If Substack did this, it would revolutionize self publishing, but also reinforce the incentive to write on Substack. People with bigger audiences will have better book sales, and will want to publish more on Substack to grow their list.
Of course I love this and agree with your assessment. I bet you'd be hard pressed to find a Substack writer who doesn't share your dream. I hope the right people pay attention.
This is a feature that I never gave any thought to, but it totally makes sense. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Substack decided to roll out this feature. It's such a natural extension of what we as writers are already doing here. We need an alternative to Amazon, and how great would it be to publish your book under the banner of your own brand? The thought of having it all under one roof is very appealing.
Personally I think it’s a brilliant idea, and I’d be shocked if management hasn’t already at least thought about it. The world is way overdue for a revival of the literary serial and this would be the way to do it.
I look forward to drilling down into all of the wonderful details here. In the meantime, I effing love it. I’ve self-published and this is the place for it.
Definitely yes to one-time payment for sections. This would be so useful not just for book authors - musicians could put an album behind the paywall, it could hold a complete essay collection, a certain column written by one author at a publication with multiple contributors, artists could put graphic novels or art collections back there...
as a long-time traditionally-published author with a year on Substack, I support the idea generally Winston, especially as the programming team here seems to be always proactive to make new innovations. But I would say that to improve on existing competition, they would want to do at least three things;
-make the formatting options super-intuitive and easy, including TOC embed links and cover art
-find a way to protect the actual book file from being extracted and ending up pirated on random sites
-stay competitive, somehow, with the profit sharing margins that amazon offers.
In addition, and somewhat separately, I would love to see Substack somehow create a mechanism for passive income ala what youtube creators get, since the current business model is very much top heavy on the paid subscription side, which is not really dependable for the long term.
Keep up the good work and good luck in yoour publishing!
This is a fascinating summary. Thank you! Quick question: Is an author not able to do this right now?
"If Substack could allow for “Sections” or individual posts to be paywalled by a one-time payment, then writers could, in theory, sell serial or complete novels to subscribers."
I think this is a brilliant idea, Winston. Selling eBooks through Substack is a natural step forward and would give readers who aren't interested in doing business with Amazon another option to purchasing quality fiction and non-fiction. I would sell eBooks and audiobooks through Substack in a heartbeat.
I've been thinking about this as it's easy to end up with a novella or short story collection if you are writing on a weekly basis. It's possible to run a stripe payment page and a triggered email with the book linked as a ePUB file (or PDF), but it's cumbersome and Chris points out below, you have to be careful about pirating.
However, with AI splurging across Amazon's lists, having a trusted site where you can buy, recommend and interact with the author would be wonderful.
Draft2Digital already does this, including providing both ebook and paperback book formatting, without buying any extra programs, if your needs are simple enough. It also allows you to publish wide.
I could see this working for Substack. Or maybe, just have Substack work something out with Draft2Digital to add Substack as one of their "publish to" options? That could simplify a lot of the issues, since they already deal with them for other markets.
As an indie author, I find this idea fascinating. I left a traditional publisher when they could no longer figure out how to market my work, which had become richer and more complex as my craft improved. Somehow I found my way through the labyrinth of self-publishing and now have a loyal if small following. Because my work is not quite mainstream and not quite haute literature, reaching new readers is well nigh impossible. I joined Substack a few months ago to see what I might do here in terms of expanding my readership, only to discover that despite the time and effort I’ve put into my writing here, the only direct way I’ve found to raise my author profile is to include a link to my website at the bottom of my posts—a frustratingly slow and unmeasurable tactic.
I have recently moved my author website from an informational one (the standard author site) to a transactional one, where I can sell ebooks directly to readers. It was a costly and time-consuming project. And now I’m left with the additional cost of advertising to attract attention to it.
(BTW, I see you link to your Shopify site; how did you embed a link to that directly into a Substack section?)
I'll add my yes, please vote to this idea! I would love a platform other than Amazon to sell ebooks. I'd love to go a step further and have the option for people to purchase physical books as well, but that might be further than Substack wants to go.
I have self published two books, the process can be frustrating and it’s hard to break through. If Substack did this, it would revolutionize self publishing, but also reinforce the incentive to write on Substack. People with bigger audiences will have better book sales, and will want to publish more on Substack to grow their list.
I would welcome this if it ever came about.
Of course I love this and agree with your assessment. I bet you'd be hard pressed to find a Substack writer who doesn't share your dream. I hope the right people pay attention.
This is a feature that I never gave any thought to, but it totally makes sense. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Substack decided to roll out this feature. It's such a natural extension of what we as writers are already doing here. We need an alternative to Amazon, and how great would it be to publish your book under the banner of your own brand? The thought of having it all under one roof is very appealing.
As a self-published author, this thought process if very intriguing!
Personally I think it’s a brilliant idea, and I’d be shocked if management hasn’t already at least thought about it. The world is way overdue for a revival of the literary serial and this would be the way to do it.
I look forward to drilling down into all of the wonderful details here. In the meantime, I effing love it. I’ve self-published and this is the place for it.
Definitely yes to one-time payment for sections. This would be so useful not just for book authors - musicians could put an album behind the paywall, it could hold a complete essay collection, a certain column written by one author at a publication with multiple contributors, artists could put graphic novels or art collections back there...
Pen poised to sign your revolutionary manifesto, Winston.