A (Final) Substack Syllabus for Aspiring Authors, Part III: 40+ Experts Posts on the Publishing Industry, Book Marketing, & Author Life
A Round-Up of (Free) Expert Advice from Editors, Publishers, Book Publicists & Other Publishing Professionals
Welcome to the third and final installment in this series on building your own author masterclass on Substack! I love that this has resonated with so many of you as this has been such a fun series to work on. I’m sure there could be a lot more links and even more installments, but this is my final installment, so if you know of a Substack post or publication that’s especially helpful for aspiring authors, please drop the link in the comments below. As before, I’ve opted to include only free posts to make these accessible to everyone, but you can include your favorite paid Substack subscriptions in the comments if you choose.
Although I’ve limited this series to Substacks up to this point, this time around I’m also including a post that lives on Jane Friedman’s indispensable website because the site is probably the most helpful, comprehensive free resource available to writers online…and technically Jane is on Substack and frequently shares those posts here, sooo you could find those posts on Substack. (My post, my logic!) I’ve only included one, but you should definitely explore the site if you’re not already familiar with it.
And, if you haven’t already, be sure to visit the first two posts in this series: Part I: A Curated Syllabus for Aspiring Novelists: 50+ Expert Posts to Build Your Own Masterclass on Substack and Part II: A Curated Syllabus for Querying Authors: 35+ Expert Posts to Build Your Own Masterclass on Substack. I’ve also added a few links to the original posts so you might want to take a peek again. (I’ve noted the new additions.)
And a final thank you to the generous writing and publishing Substackers who have shared this valuable info for free as well as those who have chimed in on the comments to share other posts!
Okay, let’s dive in!
How the Heck Does this Publishing Industry Work?
The Key Book Publishing Paths: 2025-26 by Jane Friedman, Sinister Malefactor of Panglossian Expectations
The Publishing Terms You Might Not Know by Anna Sproul-Latimer, How to Glow in the Dark
Debuting in Community: A Conversation with Big Five Authors about What Publishing Is Really Like by Courtney Maum, Before and After the Book Deal
Reframing Hybrid vs. Traditional Publishing by Brooke Warner, She Writes Press
The Definitive Difference Between Hybrid Publishing and Self-Publishing by Brooke Warner, She Writes Press
Hybrid Huzzah by Brooke Warner, She Writes Press
Why It’s So Hard to Find Small Press Books by Melanie Jennings and Elizabeth Kaye Cook
Reckoning Season: How Many Copies Will a Book Sell? by Anne Trubek, Notes from a Small Press
What is a Midlist Book? by Sean deLone, Dear Head of Mine
Debut Fiction: Does Age Matter? by Brooke Warner, She Writes Press
An Anthology of Publishing Advice by Anna Sproul-Latimer, How to Glow in the Dark (Note: Many of these links are paywalled, but I leave that up to you to sort through.)
How Do Independent Booksellers Work? by Phoebe Morgan, The Honest Editor
Let’s Talk About America (a comparison of UK and US markets) by Phoebe Morgan, The Honest Editor
Yay! You Landed an Agent! Now What?
The Submissions Process: Why Does It Take So Long to Hear Back from Publishers? by Phoebe Morgan, The Honest Editor
The One Where We Read My Rejections by Kristen Bird, Print Runs & Paychecks
Acquisitions Meetings: What Really Happens When Editors Want to Buy a Book… by Phoebe Morgan, The Honest Editor
How Book Auctions Really Work by Phoebe Morgan, The Honest Editor
How a Book Deal Really Works by Phoebe Morgan, The Honest Editor
Yay! You Landed a Publisher! Now What?
How Should Authors Navigate AI and Publishing Contracts? by Anne Trubek, Notes from a Small Press
What Editors Actually Want Authors to Do with their Editorial Feedback by Anna Sproul-Latimer, How to Glow in the Dark
Why Is My Editor Ghosting Me? by Anna Sproul-Latimer, How to Glow in the Dark
When Editors Leave…and When Agents Don’t Like Your Books by Phoebe Morgan, The Honest Editor
How Do You Build an Author Platform? What Do You Need to Know About Book Marketing?
Do Traditional Publishers Market Your Book for You: Here’s the Truth by Rachel Thompson, BadRedhead Media
The Platform Paradox: What Authors Need to Know to Sell Books by Renee Fountain, Gryphon Quill
What Authors Can Do for Themselves by Phoebe Morgan, The Honest Editor
The Upside to Starting from a Blank Slate by Gretchen Schaffer and Nicole Meier, Book Works with Gretchen and Nicole
What Sells a Book? by Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential
If You Want a Book Tour… by Anna Sproul-Latimer, How to Glow in the Dark (PAID BUT there’s helpful info above the paywall so I’m including)
How NetGalley Makes Your Book More Visible by Rachel Thompson, BadRedhead Media
A Media Guide for Authors by Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential
Bluesky vs X for Writers: What’s the Best Choice? by Rachel Thompson, BadRedhead Media
Book Publicity: What Works and What Doesn’t by Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential
Do You Want Reviews or Sales? by Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential
Delving into the Publishing Market Spend by Jeffrey Yamaguchi, Book Publishing Brick by Brick (Note: This was free to read at time of publication but these posts become paywalled so best to read ASAP.)
How Much Does Publicity Cost? by Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential
What Else Do You Need to Know as a Published Author?
Comfort and Care for When People Viciously Criticize You on the Internet by Anna Sproul-Latimer, How to Glow in the Dark
The Vicious Cycle of Book Publishing by Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential
Authors, We Need to Talk by Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential
The Top 10 Things All Authors Should Know About Amazon by Brooke Warner, She Writes Press
Money, Money, Money: A Primer on Book Deal Finances and What to Expect from Them by Anna Sproul-Latimer, How to Glow in the Dark
Let’s Talk About Book Sales: The Dreaded Track Record, Retailers, and Luck! by Phoebe Morgan, The Honest Editor
Read the rest of the series here: Part I: A Curated Syllabus for Aspiring Novelists: 50+ Expert Posts to Build Your Own Masterclass on Substack and Part II: Curated Syllabus for Querying Authors: 35+ Expert Posts on Pitching Literary Agents, Writing Query Letters and Synopses, Researching Comp Titles and Handling Rejection.
Your turn! What are your favorite posts on writing or favorite book publishing expert Substackers to follow (paid or unpaid)? Please share in the comments so we can check them out too!
Speaking of small presses: https://writeside.substack.com/p/a-short-intro-to-seven-small-presses. There are some great small press books out there. Let's help small presses get bigger!
Thanks, Heather. I find your posts helpful as well.