My Substack is just a little over a year old, but I've been able to build a solid community of academics and former academics who now work in industry.
Glad you chimed in! I wanted to be sure that they heard about your post-academic work, since it’s a reality for untold numbers and itself a decent testament to what else the platform does.
I've found that teaching in my articles like I might in a classroom is highly effective here on Substack. I hadn't really thought about it being an "online classroom" but that's a pretty good way to describe it.
I have multiple sections in my newsletter, “moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies” that serve as mini-lectures for an “online classroom” for readers who are interested in the various themes found in movies.
I find the "life lesson" approach also helpful to how I approach my stack. I focus on one theme which is pretty spacious in American literature - how writers approach the ups and downs and aspirations of "united states."
I've been gussying up and republishing some old lecturettes from some defunct online courses of yore, and it's been super fun to give them a second life here.
Thank you for including Beyond Bloomsbury in this round-up of academic Substacks. Not only have you given me a platform to focus my research and writing, but I’ve been introduced to some wonderful fellow academics and historians. Thank you!
I'm a big fan of the idea of "working with the garage door open". And I'm a big fan of collections of essays such as Gaiman's _View From the Cheap Seats_ or Gibson's _Distrust That Particular Flavor_. I'm not yet convinced, however, that there is an easy and direct path from blogging to publishing those musings as a book of essays. I would be cautious of overpromising, if I was writing marketing for Substack.
I've noticed, as I attempt to shop out my memoir, that agents and publishers want one to have a robust online following. I feel like (naively maybe) being able to show good engagement here is only a positive for any traditional outlet looking to publish one's work.
I don’t disagree, Jenn. I am a bit suspicious of the implication in the article (if there is one there and I’m not overreacting) that the process is entirely organic and the path widely open. OTOH, although I got the Yale Press to publish my “tenure book”, I self-publish most of my stuff including textbooks in the Open Textbook Library.
Thank you for the shout-out - much appreciated. @substack has been great for me to play with new ideas. I've found a comfortable strategy for keeping up with the literature is simply to select a paper or theme of broad general interest that I want to read about/need to read about, and write it up as a 'stack. This way I can be sure I understand it, and get feedback on what people think of it.
My most recent pieces were on stress, trauma and how fear and pain rewire the brain - and what might be done about it.
The trick I have found is to commit - that builds the habit of writing, and it has all sorts of spillover effects into other areas of your work.
Notes provides another outlet - I use it for different purposes - and I've started putting out some of the flash fiction I write on Notes - fits very well there!
Last thought: a substack builds something consequential - a serious body of writing. It is not some evanescent, with a half-life measured in seconds, driven by an algorithm determined to maximise rage and eyeballs (you know what I mean!). It's something to be proud of.
I like that perspective. Teachers and professionals who have educational messages to share could use Substack to reach and impact the masses. Most of all, Substack is filled with smart, motivated writers and learners. Everyone is a student of life here with the goal to learn and grow.
Just out of curiousity: Have you ever posted an idea, and then a month later decide it was either wrong or you changed your mind? If so, how did you handle it via this platform?
This is something I think about a lot! I haven't had this exact experience yet, but I'm certain it will happen at some point. I've tried to be very upfront with my audience that my thinking might change on different issues, as new research comes out or my interpretation of it evolves. I definitely try to be cognizant of this - it's tempting when you "take a stand" on something publicly to want to stick with that position, but I think (hope!) readers actually appreciate a willingness to change/evolve over time. Curious to hear how others think about this issue, too!
Thanks for the answer :) . I try to pull out my opinions/ideas from my newsletter, so I was curious about how other authors handle when they are consciously working to share their researched findings. Part of me is jealous of the idea people haha.
It's so true that substack offers a space for more expansive writing! I'm a political scientist and I write and teach about Black politics, race, and feminism and substack lets me explore these topics through art, music, and my personal experience.
😂 I was thinking something like this, too. We don’t have to teach online or parcel out research in bits (although those things are dandy); those sound like the familiar structures. It’s ok for academics to just start writing and see where it’s possible to go, outside the confines of a research trajectory and a department curriculum. People with PhD’s might have imaginations and end up somewhere unexpected. 🫡
Precisely! I often start without knowing how I will end. During the course of writing an ending somehow manifests itself, for which I am always grateful..
Who are the women in STEM (science, tech, engineering, maths) who are here on Substack? I've just moved my newsletter over and would love suggestions for academics to follow!
Thanks for including me in this round-up! There's a reason so many academics are congregating here.
👏👏👏
My Substack is just a little over a year old, but I've been able to build a solid community of academics and former academics who now work in industry.
See The Recovering Academic: https://joshuadolezal.substack.com/
Glad you chimed in! I wanted to be sure that they heard about your post-academic work, since it’s a reality for untold numbers and itself a decent testament to what else the platform does.
Keep up the solid work Josh 👍👍
I've found that teaching in my articles like I might in a classroom is highly effective here on Substack. I hadn't really thought about it being an "online classroom" but that's a pretty good way to describe it.
I have multiple sections in my newsletter, “moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies” that serve as mini-lectures for an “online classroom” for readers who are interested in the various themes found in movies.
https://moviewise.substack.com/
One downside to the "life lesson" approach is that it can feel a little preachy and didactic. Do you find that?
I find the "life lesson" approach also helpful to how I approach my stack. I focus on one theme which is pretty spacious in American literature - how writers approach the ups and downs and aspirations of "united states."
This interests me as well. I like to imagine that ways of reaching wider publics with educative content are only going to increase.
I've been gussying up and republishing some old lecturettes from some defunct online courses of yore, and it's been super fun to give them a second life here.
Yes 🙌
Thank you for including Beyond Bloomsbury in this round-up of academic Substacks. Not only have you given me a platform to focus my research and writing, but I’ve been introduced to some wonderful fellow academics and historians. Thank you!
I'm a big fan of the idea of "working with the garage door open". And I'm a big fan of collections of essays such as Gaiman's _View From the Cheap Seats_ or Gibson's _Distrust That Particular Flavor_. I'm not yet convinced, however, that there is an easy and direct path from blogging to publishing those musings as a book of essays. I would be cautious of overpromising, if I was writing marketing for Substack.
I've noticed, as I attempt to shop out my memoir, that agents and publishers want one to have a robust online following. I feel like (naively maybe) being able to show good engagement here is only a positive for any traditional outlet looking to publish one's work.
I don’t disagree, Jenn. I am a bit suspicious of the implication in the article (if there is one there and I’m not overreacting) that the process is entirely organic and the path widely open. OTOH, although I got the Yale Press to publish my “tenure book”, I self-publish most of my stuff including textbooks in the Open Textbook Library.
Well yeah of course nothing happens through wide open doors and with no effort, true.
How have you found your self-publishing world to be? I haven't looked into that, myself (unless you count my newsletter here to be self-publishing).
Not money I could retire on. But I have made more on Amazon than I got in Royalties from Yale.
Jillian at Noted is such a JOY!!!! One of my favorite newsletters to read!!!!
Awe, thanks!
Thank you for the shout-out - much appreciated. @substack has been great for me to play with new ideas. I've found a comfortable strategy for keeping up with the literature is simply to select a paper or theme of broad general interest that I want to read about/need to read about, and write it up as a 'stack. This way I can be sure I understand it, and get feedback on what people think of it.
My most recent pieces were on stress, trauma and how fear and pain rewire the brain - and what might be done about it.
The trick I have found is to commit - that builds the habit of writing, and it has all sorts of spillover effects into other areas of your work.
Notes provides another outlet - I use it for different purposes - and I've started putting out some of the flash fiction I write on Notes - fits very well there!
Last thought: a substack builds something consequential - a serious body of writing. It is not some evanescent, with a half-life measured in seconds, driven by an algorithm determined to maximise rage and eyeballs (you know what I mean!). It's something to be proud of.
I like that perspective. Teachers and professionals who have educational messages to share could use Substack to reach and impact the masses. Most of all, Substack is filled with smart, motivated writers and learners. Everyone is a student of life here with the goal to learn and grow.
Thank you for highlighting this aspect of the platform. I joined substack to rethink and rewrite my dissertation for a broader audience!
My substack on life in Japan and the cultural impact has attracted lots of academic response
https://hiddenjapan.substack.com/
Thanks so much for including my perspective! And always exciting to discover new writers to check out!
Just out of curiousity: Have you ever posted an idea, and then a month later decide it was either wrong or you changed your mind? If so, how did you handle it via this platform?
This is something I think about a lot! I haven't had this exact experience yet, but I'm certain it will happen at some point. I've tried to be very upfront with my audience that my thinking might change on different issues, as new research comes out or my interpretation of it evolves. I definitely try to be cognizant of this - it's tempting when you "take a stand" on something publicly to want to stick with that position, but I think (hope!) readers actually appreciate a willingness to change/evolve over time. Curious to hear how others think about this issue, too!
Thanks for the answer :) . I try to pull out my opinions/ideas from my newsletter, so I was curious about how other authors handle when they are consciously working to share their researched findings. Part of me is jealous of the idea people haha.
it's important that we remain Open to Change
https://opentochange.substack.com
Pretty cool to see another Brown University affiliate on here!
It's so true that substack offers a space for more expansive writing! I'm a political scientist and I write and teach about Black politics, race, and feminism and substack lets me explore these topics through art, music, and my personal experience.
👍👍
Substack just keeps getting better!
Any social science and qual researchers on here? I'd love to subscribe to some
And academics can speak freely here, not the case in all universities these days
As Forrest Gump might have said: “One day, for no particular reason, I just started writing”. And I chose Substack. 👏🎂
😂 I was thinking something like this, too. We don’t have to teach online or parcel out research in bits (although those things are dandy); those sound like the familiar structures. It’s ok for academics to just start writing and see where it’s possible to go, outside the confines of a research trajectory and a department curriculum. People with PhD’s might have imaginations and end up somewhere unexpected. 🫡
Precisely! I often start without knowing how I will end. During the course of writing an ending somehow manifests itself, for which I am always grateful..
Who are the women in STEM (science, tech, engineering, maths) who are here on Substack? I've just moved my newsletter over and would love suggestions for academics to follow!
Hi 👋🏼 my newsletter is about functional medicine and science. I write about health and everyday life in a motivating way. ☕️
Thanks! Subscribed!
Thank you so much!! I put out a new article every Sunday. 🤗☕️
I’m a GP with an academic background in Public Health and neuroscience. I write about burnout and I was one if Substack’s featured writers last week 😄
Thanks! I've subscribed to you too!