FUN (or not so fun?) FACT about TOP IN FICTION

I decided to do an experiment and check all of the Substacks that have been an Honorable Mention. Just to see what they’ve been up to lately…and what I’ve uncovered is surprising…

First of all, we’re talking about 200+ Honorable Mentions (now named New Voice) since January of this year! That’s quite a bit.

And with the new process, everyone mentioned for the first time is put in this area, hence the name change to “NEW VOICE” and then so long as you continue to be consistent with your writing you can graduate out of being a NEW VOICE and just be Featured.

Well, spot-checking over a dozen of the 200+ and it’s nearly a 50/50 split between the following:

1. The Substack no longer exists.

2. The Substack hasn’t written fiction in months.

I know things happen. People move onto other things. Life happens that force a writer to have to stop writing fiction. And while the fact that over 200+ people basically falling out of writing fiction for whatever reason might seem staggering (and perhaps disappointing?) I am optimistic. I’m also more fired up to make sure those who are on the outskirts, looking to be seen, read, and heard, have that opportunity. I want Top in Fiction to be the biggest and loudest bullhorn there is, championing not just the veteran fiction who I hope will benefit from TiF Press (which is who it’s specifically designed for) but especially the newcomer. Top in Fiction on Substack is uniquely designed to reach out to the fiction writer who just showed up and is screaming into “the void” for someone, anyone, to lend a hand. To help them navigate these waters. Sure, Substack is an oasis, but only for those who know how to get here. Top in Fiction will be the guide and the HUGE sign post up ahead for all weary travelers.

I don’t want to leave another fiction writer behind! I don’t want the reason for their disappearance to be for lack of visibility.

And I need your help to find them and bring these obscurely hidden and new writers out of the shadows. Anne-Marie Hubert is helping me curate for our weekly issues, but starting tomorrow I’m expanding!

Because while we may have lost nearly 200 fiction writers from creating consistent content, we gained just as many! Last night I was up for HOURS discovering brand new writers I’d not seen before! I love when I hit a gold mine and I find myself taking countless screenshots so I can stalk them properly later (aka during normal waking hours).

The expansion will be to the NEW VOICE section of the TiF Weekly issues:

• I intend on featuring at least 10 (maybe even 15) NEW VOICES each week.

• I’m also going to cut back on the regular featured stories from 10 down to 5 and make that section even more curated as it will be exclusively for those veteran fiction writers whom we’ve all come to rely on.

Sorry for this long rant but I woke up so fascinated by this discovery that I had to share it with you.