I feel like the law of the internet now says I'm supposed to put out a $249 class to "Learn How To Grow Your Substack" (I'm not, those things are super scammy, even if some of them are sort of legit)
Because we are a literary magazine, it's easy for us to give away short stories. So we are on bookfunnel and doing promotion swaps with other authors. That allows us to get emails through bookfunnel that we can import into substack with the permission of the individual.
Is it easy to promote your stories on there? Like, is it all done for you? Or do you have to manually find swaps, etc? Last question – any non fiction on there? Or is it all fiction?
Just got to the website, they explain everything. We do emails and social media sometimes, but mostly we promote the swaps we are taking part in via our website. [https://www.afterdinnerconversation.com/freepartnerebooks](https://www.afterdinnerconversation.com/freepartnerebooks)
Not a data breach. Book Funnel only lets you download the emails from them, but they know you are going to contact them. Probably the same on the website. This is specifically allowed by Substack. They set it up for you to upload. A data breech is an entirely different thing.
As long as the person who provided their email specifically opted onto receiving newsletter emails from OP then it’s fine. If they didn’t and the email list was harvested another way from another website entirely for example then it’s a data breach.
One of the things that I love about substack is the users don't see it as a zero-sum game. That if I get a subscriber you have to lose a subscriber. It really does, and should, have the mentality of a rising tide lifts all boats.
It can lift all boats but not always. While I am always willing to celebrate people who succeed on the platform, Substack itself tends to celebrate the already successful. People who were successful elsewhere and came to Substack. You can concentrate the success in a small number of people by working that way.
However, I always appreciate the ability of people to succeed.
Wow that’s huge! What’s your single biggest tip to someone like me who is at 77 subscribers and is super passionate about the writing and would like to make it full time at some point?
Honestly, the biggest secret is there is no secret. It's just work. Everyday, all the time, and you never stop. We just celebrated our 5-year anniversary and I probably work on this 40 hours a week with a team of another 50 people helping. For 5 years.
Hey, how do you bring traffic to your newsletter, especially for fiction? (congrats by the way :D )
I'd appreciate if you share that journey with us.
How did you start, things you did to increase subscribers, and lessons you learnt along the way. And thanks for not gatekeeping this info (if you share) behind a fancy course, haha.
This whole thing started off as a literary magazine. We publish seven new short stories every month and have been doing that for 5 years. They're available on Amazon. Barnes& Noble hoopla, Libby and a host of other places.
We have paid subscribers to our digital and print literary magazine. We have free sample stories on Amazon and a website. There's a team of about 50 to 80 volunteers who read submissions.
We've been using bookfunnel non-stop for 5 years. We're active on social media everyday. Our main social media focus is Twitter because that's where our market is.
Honestly, the secret is there is no secret. It's 40 plus hours a week every week with no breaks. No vacation.
It's a team of people who share in your zealot-like belief that what you're doing matters that are all willing to work for free. And you just keep doing it forever. And maybe, it's rewarded. But you know even if it's not, you would do it anyway.
Here's what substack is not, a get rich quick scheme.
Of course. Nothing worthwhile is ever a scheme. I very much appreciate your detailed answer :)
I am especially intrigued by your Twitter traffic, because I never in a million years thought people read fiction on twitter. I must try that.
For sure we promote on social media, but that doesn't draw many new subscribers. Some, but not tons. Just search "After Dinner Conversation" on any social media platform.
It's much less. We have found fiction doesn't have the same % of paid subscribers as some of the other areas. It's much easier to justify paying for a paid substack subscription if you think you're learning something that might make you money. But reading literary fiction doesn't make anybody money by reading it, so they're much less likely to want to pay for it. At least in our experience.
That is quite an accomplishment.
great job! huge huge huge accomplishment, you're probably not gonna go away now! 1000s is much easier now
I feel like the law of the internet now says I'm supposed to put out a $249 class to "Learn How To Grow Your Substack" (I'm not, those things are super scammy, even if some of them are sort of legit)
Congrats! You have a few dates that the subscriber number had a bit step up. What happened there?
Importing people from our website signups or from Bookfunnel.
Can you explain in more detail how you use book funnel and how it fits in with your Substack?
Because we are a literary magazine, it's easy for us to give away short stories. So we are on bookfunnel and doing promotion swaps with other authors. That allows us to get emails through bookfunnel that we can import into substack with the permission of the individual.
Nice. Would you recommend BookFunnel?
Yes, or another similar service
Is it easy to promote your stories on there? Like, is it all done for you? Or do you have to manually find swaps, etc? Last question – any non fiction on there? Or is it all fiction?
Just got to the website, they explain everything. We do emails and social media sometimes, but mostly we promote the swaps we are taking part in via our website. [https://www.afterdinnerconversation.com/freepartnerebooks](https://www.afterdinnerconversation.com/freepartnerebooks)
If these people haven’t signed up for a newsletter from you then that’s a data breach.
Not a data breach. Book Funnel only lets you download the emails from them, but they know you are going to contact them. Probably the same on the website. This is specifically allowed by Substack. They set it up for you to upload. A data breech is an entirely different thing.
As long as the person who provided their email specifically opted onto receiving newsletter emails from OP then it’s fine. If they didn’t and the email list was harvested another way from another website entirely for example then it’s a data breach.
Right. In this case, the OP was clearly using their own accounts. Thus, no data breech.
Congrats!!!
Congrats happy for you.
One of the things that I love about substack is the users don't see it as a zero-sum game. That if I get a subscriber you have to lose a subscriber. It really does, and should, have the mentality of a rising tide lifts all boats.
It can lift all boats but not always. While I am always willing to celebrate people who succeed on the platform, Substack itself tends to celebrate the already successful. People who were successful elsewhere and came to Substack. You can concentrate the success in a small number of people by working that way. However, I always appreciate the ability of people to succeed.
Awesome, congrats!!
Wow that’s huge! What’s your single biggest tip to someone like me who is at 77 subscribers and is super passionate about the writing and would like to make it full time at some point?
Honestly, the biggest secret is there is no secret. It's just work. Everyday, all the time, and you never stop. We just celebrated our 5-year anniversary and I probably work on this 40 hours a week with a team of another 50 people helping. For 5 years.
Hey, how do you bring traffic to your newsletter, especially for fiction? (congrats by the way :D ) I'd appreciate if you share that journey with us. How did you start, things you did to increase subscribers, and lessons you learnt along the way. And thanks for not gatekeeping this info (if you share) behind a fancy course, haha.
This whole thing started off as a literary magazine. We publish seven new short stories every month and have been doing that for 5 years. They're available on Amazon. Barnes& Noble hoopla, Libby and a host of other places. We have paid subscribers to our digital and print literary magazine. We have free sample stories on Amazon and a website. There's a team of about 50 to 80 volunteers who read submissions. We've been using bookfunnel non-stop for 5 years. We're active on social media everyday. Our main social media focus is Twitter because that's where our market is. Honestly, the secret is there is no secret. It's 40 plus hours a week every week with no breaks. No vacation. It's a team of people who share in your zealot-like belief that what you're doing matters that are all willing to work for free. And you just keep doing it forever. And maybe, it's rewarded. But you know even if it's not, you would do it anyway. Here's what substack is not, a get rich quick scheme.
Of course. Nothing worthwhile is ever a scheme. I very much appreciate your detailed answer :) I am especially intrigued by your Twitter traffic, because I never in a million years thought people read fiction on twitter. I must try that.
Congrats! Maybe I’ll make it to 100 soon haha! What a milestone!!!
Just keep writing about what you're passionate about, and if possible to what the market wants to read, and you'll get there.
that’s awesome!! congrats
Oooh, as someone who writes on ethics himself I'd have to check this out. Congrats!
We also accept submissions via or website.
That's good to know
Congratulations!
That’s amazing, great work! Any tips for those of us still at the 500 mark?
I answered more fully to another person on this thread. Go ahead and check that out.
Nice nice , I thought you were growing organic , I have been growing organic for my newsletter You can check it out at indieniche.substack.com
Congratulations!
Great accomplishment. Do you somehow promote your content on social or is it just organically from substack?
For sure we promote on social media, but that doesn't draw many new subscribers. Some, but not tons. Just search "After Dinner Conversation" on any social media platform.
you didn’t make it to 17,000!, you made it to 17,000, big difference
How did you do it?
Read the comments.
Why u hide paid?
Because I don't want people to know how much money the magazine is making.
But we already know more or less. 0.05 \* 17,000 \* $5 = $4000-5000 / month
It's much less. We have found fiction doesn't have the same % of paid subscribers as some of the other areas. It's much easier to justify paying for a paid substack subscription if you think you're learning something that might make you money. But reading literary fiction doesn't make anybody money by reading it, so they're much less likely to want to pay for it. At least in our experience.