The fiction is here, yet Substack appear uninterested in this valuable resource, despite attempted communications by both myself and others associated with what I was trying to do.
FicStack relied on Substack, hence the name. The lesson here is not to rely on any other platform for what you are trying to do, especially when your priorities do not align.
I was a member on your Discord and when I saw it closed, I kind-of knew what time it was.
I also noticed that another fiction curator on Substack hasn't been active, as well. Yet, it seems fiction on Substack is more prevalent now than when I joined about 6 months ago.
It sucks, because helping organize writers is one of the things I do and care about. It would have been amazing to get us all on one database for readers.
Anyway, thank you for everything that you have done, and if anyone that reads this wants to stay connected as fiction writers on Substack, check out the Hidden Gems Discord server (link included), a super-friendly writing community with over 500 members, with several dozen active and posting on Substack. https://discord.gg/tg2zxZAu5r
I'm sad to see FicStack go... but excited by the prospect of any venture that may grow from the FicStack seed and germinate into something new and truly wondrous. I'm happy to continue helping in any practical way I can. Thank you Gary :)
I came late to the Ficstack party but very much admired this project and your and Sylvienne’s hard work, and obvious dedication. Would it be right to say that one of the problems was also a dearth of fiction readers (who aren’t writers themselves) on the platform? I'm sad to see FicStack go... but, like so many others, I look forward to whatever wonders you two will create next. 💥Thank you both for all that you do and for being you.
Gary, what a great concept, but Substack actively sucks when it comes to interest search--a shallow pool of metadata and no way to interrogate it. I have been actively searching for serialized fiction on Substack., up to and including siccing Gemini deep research to scour Substack from several angles. Ended up with a long report that I could see missed many Substackers, including, incredibly, FicStack. So much for smart algorithms...
I am deeply sorry for you and your wondrous efforts ending. I am even more sorry for me that Substack falls so short so often.
That's too bad, but entirely understandable. As one of the authors you indexed, I appreciate all you guys did to make serial fiction easier to find and read. Thanks for that -- and here's hoping for new possibilities down the line.
This must be one of the saddest days for me on Substack.
And I'm not saying this because I was featured (more than once), but it's a truly sad day to see someone go.
I'll break my writer's persona for a second here, Gary. And I'll tell you this – sometimes, you have to kill one product to realize that you need to launch another.
You did an amazing thing! And I’m grateful for everything you achieved. That the time has come to close it is no reflection on how hard you worked. Thank you for all you did, and continue to do 🖤
Gary you did an amazing thing. You saw a problem, rolled up your sleeves and solved it. You created a resource for readers out of thin air. This is something to be proud of. The fact that it didn't gain traction on a platform that is geared for monetisation through subscriptions tells me that your resource is great but it was married to the wrong place. As Orna wondered and you suspect there may just not be the readership for serial fiction here. I am actively trying to find ways to get readers to read my books that are already fully uploaded including serialised books but I think it's more that people just don't have the time, and because the site isn't built to remind readers to continue reading the serials then get lost in the noise. In short, you did an amazing service for writers and I salute you for your hard work, vision and belief in a wonderful resource. I'm still hoping maybe you could index it on a site outside Substack and then all of us on it could point readers to it.
Gary: Thank you for all your work. I'm so know the feeling of having a collapse. It is so deeply hurtful. Now it is time to pause and decide your next focus. It was BOLD what you did and thanks again.
I understand. This is kind of why I'm not posting serials to Substack anymore. I'm now using it as a way to keep my followers updated on new books, and telling them where they can find my works.
I think Substack is only going to get worse once they bring the AI into the room.
I already get next to no views on notes, and sometimes I can't find mine right after posting;
I realized I wasn't getting any views outside the newsletter and even they don't like or comment.
But I think that's an internet problem as a whole.
Hate to see this, though I’d never utilized it myself. It was a good project, but between my own writing and my health, there’s not a lot I can do for this sort of community. I do wish it didn’t have to be this way.
It will be missed, but sounds like the right decision for you. Substack can be a strange beast sometimes. Thank you so much for all the amazing effort you put into it. You connected a lot of writers and readers.
So sorry to hear this, Gary. You did a an amazing thing, which should have been integrated into Substack proper. I don't know if there's a possible future where you might work with some software engineers to make it its own platform, that would also host indie books and such.
The fiction is here, yet Substack appear uninterested in this valuable resource, despite attempted communications by both myself and others associated with what I was trying to do.
FicStack relied on Substack, hence the name. The lesson here is not to rely on any other platform for what you are trying to do, especially when your priorities do not align.
We live, we learn, we recalibrate.
Hey Gary,
I was a member on your Discord and when I saw it closed, I kind-of knew what time it was.
I also noticed that another fiction curator on Substack hasn't been active, as well. Yet, it seems fiction on Substack is more prevalent now than when I joined about 6 months ago.
It sucks, because helping organize writers is one of the things I do and care about. It would have been amazing to get us all on one database for readers.
Anyway, thank you for everything that you have done, and if anyone that reads this wants to stay connected as fiction writers on Substack, check out the Hidden Gems Discord server (link included), a super-friendly writing community with over 500 members, with several dozen active and posting on Substack. https://discord.gg/tg2zxZAu5r
I'm sad to see FicStack go... but excited by the prospect of any venture that may grow from the FicStack seed and germinate into something new and truly wondrous. I'm happy to continue helping in any practical way I can. Thank you Gary :)
Thanks James
I came late to the Ficstack party but very much admired this project and your and Sylvienne’s hard work, and obvious dedication. Would it be right to say that one of the problems was also a dearth of fiction readers (who aren’t writers themselves) on the platform? I'm sad to see FicStack go... but, like so many others, I look forward to whatever wonders you two will create next. 💥Thank you both for all that you do and for being you.
I suspect that lack of fiction readers on the platform contributed.
Gary, what a great concept, but Substack actively sucks when it comes to interest search--a shallow pool of metadata and no way to interrogate it. I have been actively searching for serialized fiction on Substack., up to and including siccing Gemini deep research to scour Substack from several angles. Ended up with a long report that I could see missed many Substackers, including, incredibly, FicStack. So much for smart algorithms...
I am deeply sorry for you and your wondrous efforts ending. I am even more sorry for me that Substack falls so short so often.
Thanks for that David.
That's too bad, but entirely understandable. As one of the authors you indexed, I appreciate all you guys did to make serial fiction easier to find and read. Thanks for that -- and here's hoping for new possibilities down the line.
Thank you.
This must be one of the saddest days for me on Substack.
And I'm not saying this because I was featured (more than once), but it's a truly sad day to see someone go.
I'll break my writer's persona for a second here, Gary. And I'll tell you this – sometimes, you have to kill one product to realize that you need to launch another.
I'll be here, waiting for that second launch.
Until then!
You did an amazing thing! And I’m grateful for everything you achieved. That the time has come to close it is no reflection on how hard you worked. Thank you for all you did, and continue to do 🖤
Thank you ❤️
Thank you for all that you did, Gary! I wish it turned out a bit differently for FicStack.
Thanks you
Gary you did an amazing thing. You saw a problem, rolled up your sleeves and solved it. You created a resource for readers out of thin air. This is something to be proud of. The fact that it didn't gain traction on a platform that is geared for monetisation through subscriptions tells me that your resource is great but it was married to the wrong place. As Orna wondered and you suspect there may just not be the readership for serial fiction here. I am actively trying to find ways to get readers to read my books that are already fully uploaded including serialised books but I think it's more that people just don't have the time, and because the site isn't built to remind readers to continue reading the serials then get lost in the noise. In short, you did an amazing service for writers and I salute you for your hard work, vision and belief in a wonderful resource. I'm still hoping maybe you could index it on a site outside Substack and then all of us on it could point readers to it.
Thank you very much. Watch this space...
Yeah. Exactly. Not enough drive towards or interest in fiction.
Gary: Thank you for all your work. I'm so know the feeling of having a collapse. It is so deeply hurtful. Now it is time to pause and decide your next focus. It was BOLD what you did and thanks again.
Thanks Richard.
I understand. This is kind of why I'm not posting serials to Substack anymore. I'm now using it as a way to keep my followers updated on new books, and telling them where they can find my works.
I think Substack is only going to get worse once they bring the AI into the room.
I already get next to no views on notes, and sometimes I can't find mine right after posting;
I realized I wasn't getting any views outside the newsletter and even they don't like or comment.
But I think that's an internet problem as a whole.
Similar experience. I rolled out several novels on my stack in the past and the numbers just sank.
Hate to see this, though I’d never utilized it myself. It was a good project, but between my own writing and my health, there’s not a lot I can do for this sort of community. I do wish it didn’t have to be this way.
It will be missed, but sounds like the right decision for you. Substack can be a strange beast sometimes. Thank you so much for all the amazing effort you put into it. You connected a lot of writers and readers.
Thank you so much for the time, money and energy you put into Ficstack. I was thankful for being included within its publications.
Thank you Gary. 🤍
So sorry to hear this, Gary. You did a an amazing thing, which should have been integrated into Substack proper. I don't know if there's a possible future where you might work with some software engineers to make it its own platform, that would also host indie books and such.