Going Narrow and Leaving Substack

Two weeks into 2024, I got the green light to proceed with a proposal I’d submitted about Syndrome K, a real-life imaginary disease created by Italian doctors as a way of hiding Jewish citizens from the Nazis. 

This good news meant a giant shift in my 2024 timeline. Originally, I planned to finish the book by September, or October. But this opportunity pushes up that deadline to early July.

And so, for the next few months, I’m going narrow with more focus on writing the book and less focus on distractions like social media and building name recognition. I know, I know, pulling inward is the opposite of marketing advice these days which is that writers are supposed to be out in the world, building a presence, and establishing a following. But, like I said last week, all the marketing in the world won’t help you if you don’t have a good product. 

Besides, it’s not like I’m going into a cave and rolling a boulder across the opening. I’m not disappearing. I’m simply being more selective about how I use my time. 

Goodbye Substack

One thing I am eliminating is my substack newsletter. After nearly a year, I’ve realized the platform isn’t for me.  Substack, like Patreon, was designed to be an income stream for writers, a place where they could monetize their work. I am not interested in monetizing this blog. Like I wrote back in October:

I joined Substack … to build relationships. I want to become someone people know and like. The friend who drops a note into their inbox each Friday morning. A person who, when my next book comes out, is someone you’d like to support. …

To me, building relationships is an investment. I am giving you my time now because someday I’m going to ask you to give me your time (not to mention your hard-earned money) when my book comes out.

For those of you who liked getting these monthly posts, cheer up! You will still be able to read the blog here each Friday.

What I’m Reading: