For Authors and Publishers
Nothing sells books like a great Substack
When it comes to bookselling, a Substack offers the most targeted promotion a writer can have, precisely because it is not advertising: writers are speaking to their most passionate readers who have already expressed keen interest in their work.
Substacks sell books at every stage — from preorder to backlist
“An Ohio poet’s (decidedly feminist, undeniably lyrical) memoir is #3 on the hardcover nonfiction list…I can say this now without a doubt: We did this. Whether you preordered the book, requested it from your library, came to an event with friends, bought a copy or two or three for people you love, or just helped spread the word—thank you. I hadn’t even allowed myself to dream of this, but here we are.”
Maggie Smith to her subscribers
“There is no doubt in my mind that this happened because of Burnt Toast. You preordered, you regular ordered, you library-requested, you left reviews, you talked the book up on social media and in your group texts, you did this.”
Virginia Sole-Smith to her subscribers
“My book was first published in July 2021, and it continues to sell steadily every week. My editor credits my Substack for helping to drive continued sales. It’s sold just under 25,000 copies.”
Melinda Wenner Moyer
How the Substack model works
You wrote it, you own it.
A Substack is the writer’s property: the email list, content, and payment relationships (should you choose to monetize) is the writer’s and the writer can take all of it with them if they ever decided to leave the platform.
A direct line to your
biggest fans
A Substack grows over time and with every post a writer sends out. Readers become your best promoters: they forward and share the emails and posts, and this results in an ever-growing email list.
Subscription publishing
made simple.
It is not technical: even the most luddite writers can easily set up and use a Substack. We handle the admin, billing, and tech so you can focus on doing your best writing.
“I realized that the Substack transcends the book and that I had perennial evergreen things that I wanted to talk about. My readers helped me realize that.”
Start a Substack in just 5 minutes
Claim a URL and set up the basics of your publication: title, description, and upload any existing mailing list you may have. Don’t forget to add your book links.
Tell your readers how you plan to use this space in your first post and About page.
Recommend any writers you read and subscribe to, and connect with your peers already on the platform. Most writers will recommend you back and spread the word about your Substack.
Book author & Publisher FAQ
Frequently asked questions about starting and running a Substack that helps authors sell books.
What do other authors publish on Substack?
How do I move my audience to Substack?
How is Substack different from social media for book promotion?
Do I own what I publish on Substack?
Will Substack help me grow my audience?
How much does Substack cost?
I work at a publishing house and want to help my writers join Substack. How do I get in touch?
