BookStack Directory: Part 3
C is for Channel Surfers/Channel Changers
Are you a reader looking for recommendations? An author hoping to partner with Substack writers to reach more readers with your book? Do you write about books here and want to spy on mutually cheer on others who do, too?
You’re the one I had in mind when I started this project! Welcome to the third installment of the BookStack Directory.
This week I’m bringing you a list of 12 BookStack writers who are also Channel Surfers, leveraging the discovery capabilities of Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc to attract significant audiences to their longer form writing and their subscription offerings in an ongoing way, or Channel Changers who have converted significant followers from other platforms to Substack subscribers.
You’ll give me side-eye if you’re in the “Substack writers are superior to creators on those other platforms” camp. But here’s what’s plain to me: when it comes to BookStacks, quality writing and a knack for gaining attention and connecting with their audience on the scrollable platforms are not mutually exclusive categories. Audiences of book people do know a thing when they see it.
If you are thinking, “These people don’t need any help from you to be discovered,” you’re right. If a key rationale for a directory is to give an audience a chance to find the writers the algorithms overlook, why feature those who are already on top? I did think about how it looks. Then I got over any silly The Emperor’s New Clothes vanity. This is my newsletter, and my time and effort— ignoring the obvious just so you all won’t think I’m glomming onto the big dogs, hoping their followers will find me fancy too, would be foolish.
If you’re a reader who regularly finds yourself with a Wednesday credit card hangover because you got a little too tipsy on the Tuesday new releases (not me!), subscribing to one of these writers whose tastes align with yours might be a worthy investment in temperance. These folks have often got the Advanced Reader Copy hook ups, giving you a heads up to get those library hold requests in early. They hype books like it’s their job, bringing together large established communities where you can interact with other readers who share similar tastes with their authentic charisma, more next-door neighbor than celeb book club du jour.
Authors, readers trust these personalities when they recommend your work. We love that for you!
And if you write about books here and want to hit that leaderboard someday, this is the group to gather intelligence from. I’m not suggesting anyone should or could copy any of them. Honing what sets you apart sometimes means recognizing what has made others successful. In most cases, you won’t have to read even one post about how to gain subscribers and make money on Substack! And p.s. This list includes everyone who responded to the survey indicating that their independent work here is their primary or a significant source of their current income— though not all of these folks answered that survey question affirmatively, or at all.
So here we go— you can check their Substack profiles in the app or browser for links to socials.
- , author of The Christmas Orphan’s Club, internet-y person and co-host of the Bad on Paper podcast and writes . Her monthly-ish book posts are free, and subscribers pay for more personal content and interactions.
- by the prolific will appeal to those looking for a dose of pretty frocks, joyful lifestyle tips, and reading prescriptions to help get through some tough spots, along with regular book reviews.
- by , co-host of the Novel Pairings podcast with , began creating book content online as a grad school project during her M.A. in English Literature at Georgetown, amassing over 100K followers on IG. She started writing on Substack to share longer reviews and to think through her reading habits and processes. Literary fiction lovers will love her carefully curated summer paperback guide and her honesty about what it’s like to read as constantly as she does.
- is a podcast, YouTube show and online community created by four best-selling authors who hosts their writer friends for book discussions. Paid subscribers get bonus Q&A opportunities with the authors and writing tips.
If you love historical fiction from around the world, or want to ,
of guides a community of curious readers through slow read alongs. So far this year they’ve been working steadily through War and Peace and Cromwell Triology.- of filters old books through new life experiences. The recent Princeton graduate and former Miss Teen USA is surely the only one here who has ever created a price surge on Spender and Cline’s 1987 Reflecting Men at Twice Their Natural Size. Check her out if you’re hot, cool, well-read and looking for a book club. If you’re only one of those, a few minutes with this 23-year-old might still help you get with the discourse. Yes, she uses that word often when speaking to her 100K+ TikTok followers.
- with has got to be one of the coziest BookStacks you’ll find. She’s a photographer and her grid is always carefully curated, just like her free monthly book recommendations. Paid subscribers will receive posts including lifestyle links and reading tips. She started her IG in 2018 to help herself out of a reading rut and added her newsletter in 2021.
- covers all things books from the perspective of a lesbian Latina reader. She started on #bookstagram, has a podcast and now features regular interviews in her Nuevas Paginas section on Substack, celebrating new books by Latinx writers— all with minimal paywall. Go easy on her, she’s running all these channels while still working full-time.
- documents the interests of LA-Singapore-Shanghai based writer , someone who reads and watches so much it’s hard to imagine when she finds time to write about it. Her list of the only books she’s ever given 5 stars includes beloved favorites spanning from the Shakespeare mostly commonly assigned in high schools to Emily Henry and Salley Rooney, with some more literary “brain food” in the mix too.
- is an online magazine and community, devoted to books, art, creativity and seasonal joys. You’ll feel like you’ve entered an English tearoom, with posts about May tea and book pairings, and the joys of baths. You’ll have to invest to find out more about those. Her social media reflects the special book buddy relationship she has with her mother, who collects books and china.
TikTok sensation
started posting on Substack last December. This one is millenial gold, questioning institutions with indefatigable optimism and a “make lemonade” approach to creating content from the dumpster fire of the past 8 years. Their book club is offered in-person for those in Manhattan, but also by Zoom.Last for today,
by will make you smarter at voting and cocktail party conversations with her self-described bad attitude, hot takes and deep expertise in non-fiction. Friday “Read to Know Basis” posts are for everyone. She offers an option to bundle paid newsletter content with a subscription to The Stacks podcast, her greatest joy.As you can see, no two of these are alike. I hope you’ve found something new that matches your taste— or that you’re inspired to highlight your own unique take on books more boldly than ever now.
I think I’m at the midpoint of this project. Shall I keep going with this? Sometimes I question the wisdom of it. Please let me know how this is working for you in the comments. I know you appreciate it when you restack, subscribe or chip in to my fund to support librarians mounting legal challenges against book bans by subscribing or donating any amount that feels right to you here.
Up next: BookStacks in the categories of Darlings (some OG BookStacks and personal favorites not yet highlighted), Enthusiasts (these folks are niche experts), Faculty (they’ve got the credentials), and the true book Fans, which I’ll need to organize into a couple of posts because there are so many of us. I just add links to these posts until I get the “Too long for email” warning, then I add about four more...
Keep going with this Abra! The themes you’re coming up with are so creative & unlike any organisation of ‘bookstacks’ I’ve seen on here! It’s cool xxx I’m enjoying it
What an eclectic list Abra, thank you for including Footnotes and Tangents! It's a great initiative. I'd love to see a list of Substack read-alongs and slow readers at some point in the future – I think people would find that super useful!