In my case, all six of the people who are paid subscribers to my newsletter are also fiction writers. And I support three fiction writer's newsletters (I wish it could be more!) Sadly, most writers can only support a limited amount of other writers. And unfortunately, it just becomes exchanging money with no net gain if we support those who support us (which is the case for two of those I support.) I don't see this as a solution.
But writers can support other writers with encouragement and help. Catching typos, for example. Or sharing stories. Promoting each other. I think sharing the struggles and encouraging each other is far more supportive than "I give you $50, you give me $50."
We really need readers to financially support us.
So it is a struggle. With no clear answers. Until readers start supporting writers directly in large numbers, the struggle will remain. But that requires a complete change in mindset from consumers who think of supporting writers as buying books. And as most writers know, selling novels is ridiculously hard and rarely provides a living income for writers (although publishers actively try to suppress that truth.)
With that said, I want to thank you so much for the mention! And your support!
Great post! I would encourage everyone to support you on Buy Me a Coffee. Your stories and perks are incredible! The great thing about supporting other writers is that it can boost them in the algorithm and helps other readers find them. We writers aren’t in competition with each other. The more readers we help bring to each other the easier it is for all of us to keep making stuff.
Great post, Dascha, and sadly, it’s all too true. The struggle is real for writers, and especially fiction writers.
At a minimum I try to “like” the Substack posts I read and in fact enjoy. Even though it’s a click of a button, I hope it offers the writer some validation for their hard work. I often am pressed for time and sadly can’t always comment, but I try to when I can. Right now I can only sign up for free newsletters, so that’s all I’m going to offer for my subscribers, too. It will probably always remain that way for me, but time will tell!
In my case, all six of the people who are paid subscribers to my newsletter are also fiction writers. And I support three fiction writer's newsletters (I wish it could be more!) Sadly, most writers can only support a limited amount of other writers. And unfortunately, it just becomes exchanging money with no net gain if we support those who support us (which is the case for two of those I support.) I don't see this as a solution.
But writers can support other writers with encouragement and help. Catching typos, for example. Or sharing stories. Promoting each other. I think sharing the struggles and encouraging each other is far more supportive than "I give you $50, you give me $50."
We really need readers to financially support us.
So it is a struggle. With no clear answers. Until readers start supporting writers directly in large numbers, the struggle will remain. But that requires a complete change in mindset from consumers who think of supporting writers as buying books. And as most writers know, selling novels is ridiculously hard and rarely provides a living income for writers (although publishers actively try to suppress that truth.)
With that said, I want to thank you so much for the mention! And your support!
Great post! I would encourage everyone to support you on Buy Me a Coffee. Your stories and perks are incredible! The great thing about supporting other writers is that it can boost them in the algorithm and helps other readers find them. We writers aren’t in competition with each other. The more readers we help bring to each other the easier it is for all of us to keep making stuff.
Great post, Dascha, and sadly, it’s all too true. The struggle is real for writers, and especially fiction writers.
At a minimum I try to “like” the Substack posts I read and in fact enjoy. Even though it’s a click of a button, I hope it offers the writer some validation for their hard work. I often am pressed for time and sadly can’t always comment, but I try to when I can. Right now I can only sign up for free newsletters, so that’s all I’m going to offer for my subscribers, too. It will probably always remain that way for me, but time will tell!
Take care and talk to you soon!