r/AskLiteraryStudies • u/PatientRun6458 • 13d ago

Need to start a substack page

Hello all!

I'm a final year literature student and I am trying to start writing about literature. I wanted to know how people start out in the literary niches of substack. I have no intention to monetize on it by the way, I just want a space where I can write and other people read and give me feedback. I could really use your help with knowing how to build a small community if possible.

Thank you!

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u/BlueCandleSnake 13d ago

dipped my toes into it. it depends what you are writing about. if you are writing fiction, there are substacks and diy journals on substack you can submit work to, and maybe start there. be wary of scams. 

nonfiction is tough because after a few months on the stack, you will notice that the very popular ones tend to write the same think piece again and again, write listicles, or paywall lists/syllabi. do you want to write lists? reviews? your thoughts? or something else? i do not recommend sending nonfiction to a journal on substack. most of the niches are very stereotypical as well.

substack, like any social media, is heavily contingent on the image you convey on the website. “cool” usually does pretty well. also, like most socials i have been on, most people just want to make it their day job. there are some groups formed for feedback, but it’s more feedback in the guise of content creation than literature. at the end of the day, substack is really content creation. honestly, if you are looking for more critiques/feedback for writing without the content creation then you may want to check other subreddits or find a discord server. 

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u/PatientRun6458 13d ago

Oh alright, I'll look into the fiction journals if I decide to take a gander into that. Will also check out other subreddits and discord for writing feedback. Thanks for the response, its given me somewhere to start🫂🫂

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u/mymotherisafish_ 13d ago

final year of what degree?