AUTHOR-TURNED-POLLSTER’S NOTES: One of the great things about being an independent art-o-tainer is that you can experiment. Try shit out. Not have to answer to the Powers-That-Be in your artistic decisions.
In the immortal words of Frank Zappa: “Any artistic decision that is based on whether or not you are going to make money is not really an artistic decision.”
That said, Frank was not anti-business. He was not exactly crazy about the people he had to do business with, and had major problems with the rules as presented. But he understood that if he wanted to make music his life, music would have to somehow pay the bills.
And if he wanted to make HIS kind of music – as opposed to the teenage love songs he held in absolute contempt, and which most record labels would fetishistically insist upon – he would have to come up with his own techniques and strategies for getting over.
Which brings us to our poll! Where I welcome your thoughts!
Real quick: I decided to write my comeback novel on Substack for the following reasons:
I love Substack, and am very excited to be part of a social media portal where people ACTUALLY COME TO READ. And where creators have actual direct contact with readers, in a venue designed for interaction. Where the writer is paid directly by their actual audience, instead of getting a miniscule percentage from publishers who still make you do all the fucking work. Where a writer might actually be able to make a decent living, doing what they love to do.
I really enjoy great serialized novels on a time-release formula. (For example, when Josh Malerman wrote Carpenter’s Farm as a Covid experiment, I eagerly awaited every Tuesday and Thursday for another chapter drop, much in the same way that I’d wait all week for the next episode of a show I loved.)
Because The Change is extremely timely, it could not bear the standard publishing “Spend a year shopping, and then wait two more years for the book to come out” approach. It is art in response to the now. And it wants to be read, like, NOW.
It was an extremely fun challenge to write under such daily/weekly pressure, always staying at least ten chapters ahead of every chapter published. As such, I wrote the book in just under four months, and had a blast every speck of the way.
Though it has not yet caught on in a major way, I love the fact that hundreds of readers were able to taste-test it for free, and that my paid subscriber list more than doubled. With plenty of room to grow.
Having one-stop shopping for all my fiction, film, music, and personal philosophy is like a dream come true for me. And HANDY-DANDY, TOO! It’s like having a kickass studio in a town square that’s already well-trafficked. Anyone can stop by, any time they want. And I’m always glad when you do!
Here are the compelling reasons people have given me for not coming along for the ride:
“I don’t like serials, period.” (Can’t argue with that.)
“I’d rather wait for the actual book.” (Can’t argue with that, either.)
“Substack sucks because _____.” (Could argue all day, but not right now.)
“If I’m gonna read it digitally, I’d rather read the ebook.” (Let’s stop right here for a minute.)
As I was actively writing and posting The Change, I couldn’t add a link to the next chapter, cuz the next chapter wasn’t up yet. You could only hyperlink back to the previous chapters.
Now that the book’s done, I’ve officially changed that. You can now move easily from first chapter to next, just as you would in any other ebook.
“I can’t read it on my KIndle.” (True, but you can read it on your phone, iPad, laptop, desktop, or any other readable electronic device.)
So those are some of the ups and downs. And I’m DYIN’ to hear your thoughts!
As it stands, my plan is to serialize the second book of The Change here on Substack, as well. Hopefully, the growing audience for the first book will drive interest here. But I might be totally wrong. WHICH IS WHY I’M ASKIN’!
So please feel free to expand upon your take in the comments below, okay? That would be much appreciated, and incredibly useful! THANKS!!!
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