Takeaways @ The Sparkle Summit | #162
Takeaways @ The Sparkle Summit | #162
Advice on publishing, power play and using Substack to sell books and grow your readership.
Last week: Ready to cash in on AI's big wins?
This week: Takeaways from Substack Bestsellers
I'm having a very good time. This is a wonderful gathering of smart people sharing their time, ideas, and heart! -
Me too! What a lovely way to spend a Friday. A day-long conversation with authors & writers on how they've made their books appear in the world. Celebrating what people do and how they got here.
It's also an innovative way to host a live summit as 'a pub and a virtual hub' on Substack, which is in line with what
and both offer here and cleverly weaves in the launch of their new book: How to Build a World Class Substack (ends 31 August).The sessions were pre-recorded and scheduled, with some live Q&A threads so folks could chat and ask questions in real-time. No need to send replays out - it’s all there, forever free.
Super easy to navigate via the app too - just pull to refresh the page and the next session popped up on time. I like to listen to talks while I walk.
on planned serendipity.
Somebody at this conference has the key to the lock, which is your biggest block right now. I don't know who it is, but I believe in planned serendipity, which comes from the travel world, which is like… go to places, have ideas, but leave space for serendipity to happen.
Go and reach out to the people that you resonate with.
on how to hype yourself and your book.
PR is everything you do to manage your relationship with the public. So instead of having a list of newspapers and radio stations you want to get into, I'd have a list of a few Substacks you want to collaborate with.
I promote in some small way every single day. That could be a note on Substack. That could be something in my Instagram stories. That could be recording a podcast. That could be doing an article. I'm always looking for ways to do a gentle nudge because those small steps compound.
Hyping yourself has to feel good for you. If it doesn't feel good, you won't do it!
The other thing I recommend doing to build a standout brand on Substack is to take some time off Substack. Make sure you're consuming podcasts or other media that inspires and fuels you and bring that energy to it. Because when you're bringing competitive energy, it never works as effectively.
I love her neon sign - v cool visual branding!
on what she's learned about storytelling.
You choose what to share. You don't owe anyone your whole story. We all benefit from establishing clear boundaries about what we are (and are not) willing to offer up online.
Don't fall into the comparison trap. If you find your words wanting, compare your work now with your own previous work, not with other people's - look back through your essays, camera roll or notebooks, remind yourself of your story, and see how far you've come.
We are each on our own journey here.
on book publishing and joyful growth on Substack.
My overall strategy for book writing and for Substack is this: have a good time. Seriously, it is the only way to make it sustainable.
There are many ways to measure success, but I think how writing makes you feel is a huge one.
The greatest lesson that has come with all this experience over 14 years is letting myself be a beginner every time. I begin something new, not expecting to have it all worked out. I allow myself to succeed from day one because I don't think about the metrics. I think about how much joy it's bringing me.
on making memoir work and sales on Substack.
The most important advice I could offer with writing, social media, and Substack is to be yourself, be real, and don't try to copy other people's ways of being. Because there's no point. You are yourself.
When we share the mess, the real feelings, our struggles, and our insecurities and neuroses, the joys, and the things that excite us, that's when we kind of get somewhere as human beings.
Cut the bullshit, basically, and be real.
on building a writing habit while living with limitations.
You don't always need to increase your work hours to be more productive. You just need to stick to a day-to-day writing practice, brick by brick - and it doesn't need to be every day, either.
on having a portfolio career.
I'm building a simple, creative, and happy life, and Substack gives me such hope that this is possible for me.
I feel empowered rather than thinking, “I'm waiting for another gatekeeper to choose me.” I'm doing it myself every day and building something slowly and steadily.
If you're a writer, go and work in a bookshop. You see people in their droves buying books! Go and make friends with your local bookseller and find out what's being sold.
Thanks to Team Sparkle for a stellar event.
Nika ✨
Cool Things
I've enjoyed this week…
▶️22 ways to get clients WITHOUT social media [Low Energy Leads] - great tips on lead gen for your business with a focus on community-led growth and amplifier networks.
▶️AI-driven behavior could transform health care [Time]. What I'm MOST excited about is how AI can help us live longer and healthier lives. Bring on the personalised AI health coach. I’ll use it to try and get my RA into remission.
▶️Two $1,000 CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY. Scholarships for Mid-Career Substack Writers. Love what
is doing on her stack: creative interviews and donating 100% of paid subs towards scholarships for writers.My Internetland
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