A Safe Haven

Now that I’ve been using Substack for over a year, I’m more comfortable speaking to its cons. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of something when you first hear about it because it’s new and exciting.

Substack is awesome, don’t get me wrong. It’s changed everything for me, and subsequently improved my writing style and how I approach writing in general. If you’d like to hear me shill Substack, check out this older post where I break down why it’s so great.

The reason for this month’s “To Build” installment is to go over why it’s important not to put all of your eggs in one basket. Not only creatively, but from a business standpoint. And being a writer is a business, even if you’re not incorporated.

Self-publishing (indie publishing) is hard work. It takes time, money, and a ton of motivation. I’ve gone too many years (over a decade) starting over and over again, losing everything I’d built (or abandoning it) because the places I had decided to write were in full control. It may not have said they were in their Terms of Service, but at the end of the day, they controlled my subscribers, my comments, chat history, even my saved chapters and stories. When I stopped using them, I had almost nothing to show for it.

That’s partly because I had no idea what it was doing. What was I building? Where was I going? True, those are personal questions rather than issues laid at the feet of 3rd party services, but the indie journey is one of constant growth and self-discovery which is why I like it so much. The answers to the aforementioned questions may be different for you, but for me I needed a place where I could funnel my readers to if, or when, things went south, a place where I maintained ownership over my content and how I engaged with my audience: a safe haven.

Substack is in a good spot at the moment. I don’t foresee them getting removed from the app stores, or de-platformed from Amazon Web Services (or whichever company they are hosted by) any time soon. But, even if it’s for something less dramatic like wanting to try out a different newsletter service, having that extra corner of the internet in your back pocket is a useful tool to enable your future success.

In this XPress Access post, I’ll be going over how to set up a WordPress. There are many others that are either more user-friendly or aesthetically appealing, but it depends on what you’re going for. WordPress works for me, and has for the past 8 years. I’ll explain why.

Thanks for stopping by! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription if you haven’t already. We’re building a great place for indie authors and readers of speculative fiction, and your support is greatly appreciated. All proceeds return to the community in one way or another. Hope to meet you in the comments. ~ WM