I loved Metallic Realms (which I discovered through your Substack) and am looking forward to your new horror book. I'm a huge fan of your comp Shirley Jackson, who lived in my neighborhood, less than a mile from my house, and who deeply influenced my 2021 novel, The Wonder Test, which is set in the same neighborhood where Jackson lived and went to high school.
I agree with you that Substack is a natural fit for writing about and discovering books. Most people still come here to read long posts, which makes Substack subscribers a great audience for novelists.
I appreciate this article, Lincoln. It provides fresh perspective on publishing that I appreciate.
I joyfully anticipate writing articles in 2026 (here on Substack and elsewhere) that receive critical acclaim, all thanks to the positive intent beamed towards me and your target audience via this post.
Congratulations on achieving so much this year! I take it you don’t have any other hobbies like video games, or anything that’s not reading and writing, outside work and family?
Ha no I wouldn't say that. I waste a significant amount of time on social media and watch a fair amount of TV and film, go to parties etc. Altough having a baby definitely makes you lose a lot of free time for things like video games (Hades 2 is the only thing I played this year)
I'm curious - did you submit your book for these reviews or a publicist/your publisher? I always appreciate perspective from authors in the thick of the industry, as I'm a professional in the thick of it and see both sides.
I’ve never submitted a book for review. Publicists/publishers handle that (unless perhaps it is a very small publisher). If someone emails me to request a galley, I refer them to the publisher.
Thanks for the rather encouraging take on publishing these days. I sometimes worry that self-publishing my first novel was foolish but now I see that I can approach my writing career in several ways and try other avenues to gain readers.
The disappearance of book reviewers is sad, but I guess in our day and age anyone can hop online and give their opinion about a book. It will be interesting to see how Substack evolves as a platform for influencing the sorts of new books people are picking up!
Say Lincoln thank you for engaging if I may I have a suggestion for Metallic Realms. Email other Substackers you like or who like you asking them to post a blurb and link. Or just the cover and link, if they're shy : ) I know some authors who did this and had success. I mean success in getting their book listed. How much they sold I don't know, but it can't hurt.
"I also see lots of authors who supplement traditional books with self-publishing" Don't quite understand. Why would anyone with a publisher choose to self-publish?
As an example, a number of science fiction authors publish novels with publishers and then publish short stories to Patreon subscribers. Here on Substack, some novelists post original fiction on here. (I guess the common denominator with those is that trad publishers don't publish much short fiction and when they do the advances are low)
Name names Lincoln. I have to see what they're doing to have any opinion, because I was talking books, not posts. No one would self publish a book if they could trad publish. It wouldn't make sense.
Kameron Hurley, N.K. Jemisin and Seanan McGuire are a few prominent ones supplementing income with Patreon accounts. They make legit money there. Obviously there's a lot of big name authors here too. Russ Douthat isn't someone I'm a fan of, but FWIW he is self-publishing a novel on Substack despite being a NYT columnist who could get book deals. That said, I don't disagree with you that few authors who can reliable get book contracts would opt to self-publish books. I'm definitely thinking more of self-publishing short fiction. There are exceptions of course. Brandon Sanderson made millions doing a kickstarter to self publish novels because he's basically so productive. Or authors self-publishing chapbooks or weird projects that publishers wouldn't touch. My point is just that things are more fluid. A writer like Brian Evenson (to pick one example) has novels on big 5 presses and story collections on small presses and other books on micro presses and academic presses. Or the SFF writers I mentioned at the start, in a previous era they wouldn't be self-publishing short stories to paying Patreon members. Just wasn't possible to do before.
Obviously, those examples are mostly established "trad" authors who then become hybrid authors rather than authors who start self-published and then become hybrid although those exist too (a lot of bestselling Romantacy books started out as self-published fan fic, Theo of Golden was a huge self-pub success and just picked up by a big 5 a few months ago, John Pistelli serialized a novel here that was picked up by a great small press.)
Now I'm just musing, but I'd be very curious to know what % of a big author's income is Substack. Like, is George Saunders or Miranda July making as much here as they get in book advances and royalties? I have no clue but could be possible...
As a lifelong performer and personality, the guy who wrote Theo of Golden already had a huge cult following. That couldn't have hurt. Pistelli is nowhere in the same league sales-wise (although my hat's off to him and all little publishers). Let's see if a Substacker gets inked by the Big Five. Now that would be a story
Thanks. However none of this is positive. More control means more amateur mistakes. Less time to publish means you're rushing or not using good editing practices. Direct relationship with readers? Yeah, all five of them : )
More control means you can a) choose your own cover, b) bypass bean counters telling you to make edits for purely commercial reasons (which is usually pure guesswork anyways because nobody can predict the market), c) command the book’s destiny & distribution instead of leaving it to fate / a publisher who has x number of other authors to deal with (ranked in order of popularity / potential profitability), etc.
Less time to publish means you don’t have to wait 1.5 – 2 years on average after your book has been accepted for a publisher to get it on shelves. You can get your editing straight and your book out in far less time.
A direct relationship with 5 readers is better than with no readers.
I loved Metallic Realms (which I discovered through your Substack) and am looking forward to your new horror book. I'm a huge fan of your comp Shirley Jackson, who lived in my neighborhood, less than a mile from my house, and who deeply influenced my 2021 novel, The Wonder Test, which is set in the same neighborhood where Jackson lived and went to high school.
I agree with you that Substack is a natural fit for writing about and discovering books. Most people still come here to read long posts, which makes Substack subscribers a great audience for novelists.
Thank you so much! And yes, Jackson is one of my all-time favorites!
I appreciate this article, Lincoln. It provides fresh perspective on publishing that I appreciate.
I joyfully anticipate writing articles in 2026 (here on Substack and elsewhere) that receive critical acclaim, all thanks to the positive intent beamed towards me and your target audience via this post.
Way to go!
This is great. I've really appreciated following you here. I'd welcome the chance to talk publishing with Counter Craft in 2026, if you'd have me.
Thanks for your work Lincoln. Bought Metallic Realms for a friend. Merry Christmas
Thank you!
Congratulations on achieving so much this year! I take it you don’t have any other hobbies like video games, or anything that’s not reading and writing, outside work and family?
Ha no I wouldn't say that. I waste a significant amount of time on social media and watch a fair amount of TV and film, go to parties etc. Altough having a baby definitely makes you lose a lot of free time for things like video games (Hades 2 is the only thing I played this year)
Thank you for your reply. You’ve no idea how much it helped me with my own internal struggles.
I'm curious - did you submit your book for these reviews or a publicist/your publisher? I always appreciate perspective from authors in the thick of the industry, as I'm a professional in the thick of it and see both sides.
I’ve never submitted a book for review. Publicists/publishers handle that (unless perhaps it is a very small publisher). If someone emails me to request a galley, I refer them to the publisher.
Thanks for the rather encouraging take on publishing these days. I sometimes worry that self-publishing my first novel was foolish but now I see that I can approach my writing career in several ways and try other avenues to gain readers.
The disappearance of book reviewers is sad, but I guess in our day and age anyone can hop online and give their opinion about a book. It will be interesting to see how Substack evolves as a platform for influencing the sorts of new books people are picking up!
My short story about prediction markets https://nimnim1.substack.com/p/poly-hell
Say Lincoln thank you for engaging if I may I have a suggestion for Metallic Realms. Email other Substackers you like or who like you asking them to post a blurb and link. Or just the cover and link, if they're shy : ) I know some authors who did this and had success. I mean success in getting their book listed. How much they sold I don't know, but it can't hurt.
"I also see lots of authors who supplement traditional books with self-publishing" Don't quite understand. Why would anyone with a publisher choose to self-publish?
As an example, a number of science fiction authors publish novels with publishers and then publish short stories to Patreon subscribers. Here on Substack, some novelists post original fiction on here. (I guess the common denominator with those is that trad publishers don't publish much short fiction and when they do the advances are low)
Name names Lincoln. I have to see what they're doing to have any opinion, because I was talking books, not posts. No one would self publish a book if they could trad publish. It wouldn't make sense.
Kameron Hurley, N.K. Jemisin and Seanan McGuire are a few prominent ones supplementing income with Patreon accounts. They make legit money there. Obviously there's a lot of big name authors here too. Russ Douthat isn't someone I'm a fan of, but FWIW he is self-publishing a novel on Substack despite being a NYT columnist who could get book deals. That said, I don't disagree with you that few authors who can reliable get book contracts would opt to self-publish books. I'm definitely thinking more of self-publishing short fiction. There are exceptions of course. Brandon Sanderson made millions doing a kickstarter to self publish novels because he's basically so productive. Or authors self-publishing chapbooks or weird projects that publishers wouldn't touch. My point is just that things are more fluid. A writer like Brian Evenson (to pick one example) has novels on big 5 presses and story collections on small presses and other books on micro presses and academic presses. Or the SFF writers I mentioned at the start, in a previous era they wouldn't be self-publishing short stories to paying Patreon members. Just wasn't possible to do before.
Obviously, those examples are mostly established "trad" authors who then become hybrid authors rather than authors who start self-published and then become hybrid although those exist too (a lot of bestselling Romantacy books started out as self-published fan fic, Theo of Golden was a huge self-pub success and just picked up by a big 5 a few months ago, John Pistelli serialized a novel here that was picked up by a great small press.)
Now I'm just musing, but I'd be very curious to know what % of a big author's income is Substack. Like, is George Saunders or Miranda July making as much here as they get in book advances and royalties? I have no clue but could be possible...
As a lifelong performer and personality, the guy who wrote Theo of Golden already had a huge cult following. That couldn't have hurt. Pistelli is nowhere in the same league sales-wise (although my hat's off to him and all little publishers). Let's see if a Substacker gets inked by the Big Five. Now that would be a story
More control.
Less time to publish.
Direct relationship with readers.
Extra visibility.
Extra money.
Thanks. However none of this is positive. More control means more amateur mistakes. Less time to publish means you're rushing or not using good editing practices. Direct relationship with readers? Yeah, all five of them : )
More control means you can a) choose your own cover, b) bypass bean counters telling you to make edits for purely commercial reasons (which is usually pure guesswork anyways because nobody can predict the market), c) command the book’s destiny & distribution instead of leaving it to fate / a publisher who has x number of other authors to deal with (ranked in order of popularity / potential profitability), etc.
Less time to publish means you don’t have to wait 1.5 – 2 years on average after your book has been accepted for a publisher to get it on shelves. You can get your editing straight and your book out in far less time.
A direct relationship with 5 readers is better than with no readers.
But to each their own.
Thanks for your work Lincoln. Bought Metallic Realms for a friend. Merry Christmas!