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Thanks for the multiple mentions, Tara! As always, I appreciate your historical framing. This jives with what Ted Gioia published recently. And it is remarkable how much Substack has improved on the formerly disparate blogosphere. (Although some former bloggers say that the growth advice and best practice roundups proliferated then, too).

One thing I'm still struggling with, a bit, is the saturation of these spaces. I met with a few other Substack writers recently, and we all moaned a bit about how many newsletters we were subscribed to (far more than we could keep up with) and how much "noise" there is. I'm pretty good at compartmentalizing, so I can dip in and out of Notes without much FOMO. But some people feel like as soon as they open it, they're behind and trying to catch up.

I remember a similar feeling the first time I attended the AWP conference. I was there by dumb luck, having landed a poem in RATTLE and then having been invited by Timothy Green to read that poem as part of a cowboy poetry panel (even though there was nothing that cowboy about it). You were supposed to walk the exhibit, make connections, introduce yourself to editors. But I suck at that, or at least don't know how to do it without coming off as crass. And so the ironic effect of going to the mothership of creative writing was that I really just wanted to stop writing, stop producing, take my voice out of the general clamor.

I had a desultory conversation last night with an indie bookstore owner where I live. He had a shelf labeled "Local Authors," so I asked (while buying a book for my daughter) how he chose who to feature there, if he did commissions, etc. Turns out that he just features local authors who have deals with Penguin. Can't be bothered with commissions. Spoke scornfully of vanity projects and how local authors who don't have a publishing house behind them never sell. It made me question why I was buying a book from someone who was just a funnel for big publishers anyway -- why not get it cheaper online? I've never run a small bookstore, and maybe he's jaded by past attempts. But it seems that little people should have each others' backs.

It's easy to get discouraged out there. I'm glad that we have built these sources of support here, and I hope that whatever happens when Substack goes public, that we can keep these pockets of community together.

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I had to go read Ted Gioia's latest and then come back. It's encouraging that he sees the "small" and "direct" approach paying off. Fifteen years is not so much.

I think I am lucky to be able to dip in and out of Notes often for a short time without feeling overwhelmed or FOMO. I feel behind when I don't get to reading and commenting on actual posts, but Notes doesn't get to me that way. That point about saturation I think is one of the embedded features of the inbox environment. It's always full; there's always more to read. With a print magazine, we can come to the end of it, but not with an inbox. The haiku has an edge over the essay in this environment for that reason, though most of us probably don't want a diet of exclusively haiku.

Conference prattle (inspired by RATTLE) is a genre unto itself. I think there should be instruction for it. :-)

Your indie publisher does sound pretty jaded. Poor guy. I wonder if he has watched the business change from something he once loved to something he hardly recognizes. It has happened in every industry. I agree: it's nicer when the "small" folks have each other's backs. Maybe he had author backs as long as he could, but no one ever had his. I feel for him.

Substack going public - there's something I'd rather not think about. I imagine user fees would not be far behind, and that would change a lot. Part of the reason it's so much like a salon is that people who make their living at something else can come here just to write and see what happens. This is a good reminder to make the best of what we have here while we have it this way.

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Joshua, I totally get what you're saying about the overwhelm of too much content and trying to find your place in the creative world.

I find it tough navigating all the noise and finding genuine connections. But I must say your experience at AWP and with the bookstore owner is a reminder that not everyone gets the indie struggle. Then it's also a call to keep pushing forward and supporting each other in these smaller, meaningful spaces.

Substack and other community pockets can be our refuge, where real connections and support thrive. Keep believing in your voice and the unique contributions you bring to the table, Joshua. You got this.

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