Hi fellow travelers,
I just want you to be aware that some STRANGE sights might be popping up in your inbox pretty soon. Like, the "ushering you into an unknown world of stark white backgrounds and unfamiliar formatting" variety.
The "I thought I knew the internet but this is a new realm for me" variety."
Don't be alarmed. This is all part of Jandalf the Green's Master Plan.
Well, now you're probably more alarmed.
Anyway, in plainer language...
I'm starting a Substack!
Either you know exactly what that means or you have no idea what that means, so here's a quick rundown for those of you in the latter camp:
- Substack has been called a "blogging social media."
- It is a place where writers can post articles, newsletters, and other pieces of long-ish form writing.
- Substack subscribers can choose to support writers financially, either through donations or through paid premium subscriptions/products.
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It is unlike social media in that:
- there are no ads
- the business model actually promotes success for writers
- the longform content encourages thinking more than doomscrolling
- there's no algorithm that pressures you to crank out constant content against your will like a human in the Matrix producing energy for the AI overlords (Can you tell I'm not the biggest fan of social media?)
- It is like social media in that it allows internet strangers to discover, subscribe to, and comment on a writer's posts.
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One cool thing about Substack is that, every time I make a post, that post will arrive in my subscribers' inboxes as an email.
- Which means that your experience with my Substack posts will be very similar to your experience with my email newsletters! They'll just be formatted a tad differently.
Why the change?
Ah! It's all part of my Master Plan, remember?
The main reason why I'm shifting my focus to Substack is because I have some Big Cool Ideas that will just logistically work better on a "blogging social media" than a private email list.
It's also an opportunity to hopefully invite more fellow travelers into our journeying comany!
What will Jandalf post on Substack?
Eventually, some Big Cool Ideas!
But until then, the main thing I'm planning on doing with Substack is to spark more reader discussions.
You know, like the discussions we've had about traditional stories and heroic characters?
I loved those, you seemed to love those, and so the plan is to expand on those discussions about what you love (and love to hate) in books!
The awesome thing about Substack is that you guys will get to see each other's contributions to the discussion in the comments section, and build off each other's thoughts.
Rather than just you and Jandalf in an empty room, you'll get to interact with all your fellow travelers!
Now, I know that might sound a little uncomfortable. I'll do my best to make my Substack a fun and safe place to interact with real, respectful people.
So, what am I supposed to do?
You don't need to do anything. Right now, you'll automatically receive my Substack posts in your inbox (probably about once a week) just like you currently receive my newsletters.
However, I'll still send out the occasional writing update to my email list. (I have some Big Cool Ideas in this direction, too, but unfortunately for you, Jandalf is in a mysterious mood today and doesn't feel like disclosing anything more.)
If ALL you want to receive is the occasional writing update, you can unsubscribe from my Substack and still get my email newsletter.
But I really hope you'll stick around and give Substack a try.
And guess what? You can explore this new realm RIGHT NOW.
Not that there's much of anything there. Just a test post and a description I'll probably change. But you guys are my fellow travelers, so I trust you to see a work in progress without being judgmental.
Don't worry, there will be much more to see in this corner of the Substack realm soon!
And if this sounds cool to you, I would love it if you would share my Substack with your reader friends.
Do you have any questions about this change?
What do YOU think I should do with my new Substack and/or old email list?
Adventurously yours,
Jenny Gossell (Jandalf the Green)
P.S. I haven't forgotten about The Henchgirl and the Hero! It's still with the editor, so I don't have much of an update for you yet. Thank you so much for being excited for the story!
