Substack is the Wild West — and I came to blaze my trail
What am I building? Where is it going? Not quite sure—but here we are.
Uncharted Territory
When I came to Substack, I wasn’t looking for a blueprint or a best practices checklist. I came to make my own unique mark—and invent something new.
I had just walked away from a long career—one that other people might’ve seen as the pinnacle. I’d spent years working behind the scenes for a #1 New York Times bestselling author: building websites, designing book launches, managing campaigns. I built that author’s platform from the ground up and managed her social media voice for years. I’d also worked with hundreds of other authors, publishers, and publicists—developing brands, promoting books, studying reader behavior like it was my second job. Because it was. I ran Eye On Romance, one of the biggest romance reader directories of its time. I’m a voracious reader myself, so I spliced everything I learned into the kind of content I always wished existed.
But eventually, that road ran out. I hit a wall. I was bored. I wanted more, and I was ready for a change. I was in my 50s. Not old, not young. That strange middle ground where you start to realize: If not now, when?
A platform without a clear path
So I came to Substack with a particular set of skills: tech, design, reader psychology, a deep love of story—and a refusal to stay in a lane. I didn’t want to follow a content plan. I didn’t want to clone someone else’s success. I wanted to rip up the map. To build something new from the ground up. What happens when you write for the reader—not the algorithm?
I don’t have a rule book. I didn’t want one. Substack has all these features—and I didn’t see many people using them. So I tested them.
Audio? I’d never done that. Who cares—let’s try.
Video? Sure, why not.
Not ghostwritten. Not promoting someone else’s voice. Mine. Finally. And Substack—for all its quirks—made space for that.
It’s the Wild, Wild West here
That’s not just a cute metaphor—it’s the truth. There are no hard and fast rules. Just a lot of dusty trails, half-built towns, and people yelling from their horses about the “best” way to build an audience. You’ll find newsletters that read like polished magazines, and others that are basically journal entries with emojis. Some grow fast. Some implode. Some vanish entirely. And yet: it works. Or it doesn’t. But the point is—you can try.
When I launched my first Substack in February, I had no idea what would happen. It wasn’t just a newsletter about books. It was a dare. Could I use everything I knew to create a place for readers like me—who love romantic fantasy, who want deeper conversations, and who crave more emotional, immersive content than BookTok soundbites? Could I even write posts that resonate? I wasn’t sure. But I was going to try.
That dare turned into something real. I’ve been on and off the Rising Fiction Leaderboard (and no, I still don’t understand the algorithm). Some posts hit. Some flopped. I’ve played with paywalls, design, audio, video, interaction. Some things worked. Some didn’t. But that’s the game. I didn’t follow the rules—and it’s working.
just crossed 3,000 subscribers, with 80+ new readers showing up every day.
You don’t get a map here. You get a prompt:
What do you want to make?
And that’s what I love. Because reinvention isn’t a gimmick for me. It’s survival. I didn’t come here to replicate my old career. I came to make something no one handed me. Something that’s fully mine.
You don’t need permission
So if you’re new to Substack—or just circling the same ideas—here’s what I’ll tell you:
There are no rules. Make your own.
Don’t let the strategy posts fool you. Tips help. But the real work? It’s not happening in marketing funnels. It’s happening in the messy, wild places where people show up with something to say—and the nerve to say it their way.
Be brave. Be inconsistent. Be vulnerable. Be weird. Be short. Be long. Be honest. There is no “right” way to do this. That’s the point.
You’re allowed to grow. Evolve. Burn things down. Start again. That’s what I’ve done. That’s what I’m still doing. Every post is an experiment. Every week is a new map.
Welcome to the Wild, Wild West of Substack
If you’re waiting for someone to give you permission or a plan—you’re wasting time. Start messy. Try everything. Then pay attention to what moves people.
Nobody knows what they’re doing. I sure don’t.
That’s what makes it fun. The people who are making it work? They’re cutting their own paths. What’s in store for me here? I’m not completely sure. But here we go.
Saddle up.
💬 I’d love to hear from you and I read every single comment. What brought you here—and how are you blazing your trail?
Substack Management by Buzz & Hum.