Part of the Substack Visionaries Series...Jeannine Ouellette is a force of nature. To say that her Substack Writing in the Dark has experienced meteoric growth is an understatement. In just seventeen months, she went from zero to 1332 paid subscribers, 7500 total. Seventeen months. She had no platform besides her word-of-mouth reputation as a writer and teacher. I’m celebrating Jeannine’s stats and her ability to tap into the many features and avenues of growth Substack offers.
Thank you both, Jeannine and Sarah- I am learning how to zone in on my skills and my 'audience' and you both are very helpful. I am grateful for your guidance!
Thank you so much, Michelle. I am glad it offered value. There's a lot of fatigue about writing about "growing" on Substack, so I hoped this would bring something new.
This is such an encouraging and supportive interview. Thank you Sarah for introducing me to Writing in the Dark last year. Jeannine’s work has been such a life line for me over these last months. I admire and respect both of you and was thrilled when this interview popped up❤️
Ashley!! Thanks so much for this feedback--it means a lot. And I'm really grateful to know Sarah introduced you to WITD. She continues to help me find me find an audience I would not otherwise reach!
I aspire to have this sort of community on my substack! I’m also a former teacher and this inspired me to bring those skills to the forefront (which I believe I’m doing in my new format). I also really love how you’re making substack your own, that is my goal too with my approach so that I’m teaching on top of just writing.
Thank you for sharing your story, it has motivated me!
Hi, Liz! That's really great to hear. I know that some people (like me!) are just kind of geared toward teaching, and it can be so fun to fashion a world where you can do that and in just your own way, as well. I'm happy this helped your vision take an even clearer shape.
It was wonderful to read this interview with Jeannine. As a founding member of Writers in the Dark (which I plan to be forever!), she delivers on every bit of the value she has sought to create and then some. She really is in the comments, connecting with all of us, and her generous approach to her material and how she shares those long previews--I am sure that wins her paid subscribers. It is certainly true for me. Once I started to read more of her essays, I wanted more and more. I love being part of the community she has created. I am a novelist and full-time writer but never got a MFA and this feels like a much belated and so much better, deeper, kinder way to get that level of teaching and class support and camaraderie. The Writing in the Dark community is as generous as Jeannine is. I believe you get back what you put out into the universe . That goes for both of you, Sarah and Jeannine. Thanks for this. I am growing slowly and steadily with my Substack but with recent life transitions and expected upcoming ones, not sure where to take it next. So in that way, I take great comfort and inspiration from Jeannine's advice to keep growing and adapting and evolving.
I have been thinking of you so much, Amy. You give so generously to the communities of which you are a part. I feel fortunate indeed to write in the dark with you (and I agree with you about Sarah 10000%). Love to you. And thank you.
I’m going to hold on to the anti-struggle strategies — and be extra super curios about my topics. I thought I was already, but I could dig deeper. This has been such a beautiful and generous read. Thank you 🤩
This interview has been a wonderful read! Thank you! It's helped me clarify areas where I can write "previews" and introduce a paywall to my posts to encourage more of my free subscribers to become paid subscribers, and to honor my one (so far) subscriber. I currently have one. She's a very supportive friend. I want to honor her by making some of my writing for her only...and for all who follower in her footsteps as paid subscribers.
Currently, since I have but one beloved paid subscriber, my own style of following is free for now, but I aspire to choose some writers for whom I upgrade to paid once my current life transition is complete and I land in a place of abundance and generosity. I look forward to joining "Writing in the Dark."
Great! I am glad that the idea of previews that are not teasers but are actually usable content might be helpful! And, as Sarah points to in the interview, a ton of my content was free to start, and a whole bunch still is. I am not famous. I need people to get to know my work in order to want to pay for it!
Exactly. When I came on here, I had about maybe a few hundred or so people who really "followed" me elsewhere on social media because they truly wanted to make sure they knew if I was offering a class or workshop, because they had either already taken classes with me over the past ten years, or had read my book which came out pretty recently in 2021. A few hundred "true fans" is really valuable and definitely better than none, but it's not fame or even technically a platform. My sense was that for things to take and grow here, I would need to let people get to know me first.
I agree. Despite the chaos in my life, I do my best to reach out with a "Note" if I am not able to put my mind to an entire "Post" ... to make sure I'm showing up and present to those who care about my writing and follow my work....so that they can know me more and more...especially through comments. I'm grateful for the "re-stacks" some of my posts have enjoyed.
The writer who encourages her own students to keep their content free for a while, for the exact reasons you have, is Beth Kempton @BethKempton. I have participated in a couple of her seasonal Writing Sanctuaries and purchased her book, Kokoro.~:0)
This is so interesting to read; thank you for sharing it! I'd love to know, as someone with a very small paid following, when Jeannine started paywalling most of her content. It seems really scary (and not wise?!) when I have only five paid subscribers... But makes a lot of sense when you have a following the size of Jeannine's. I really admire it (and have benefited from Jeannine's generous previews); I'd just be curious to know if that was something she did from the start or when she had a bigger paid following.
Holly, the longer version goes into a little more depth on that. I started paywalling right away, but I kept a TON of content free--which I would absolutely recommend to anyone who, like me, has little or no platform. Again, the longer version goes into a little more detail, as do the two essays I published on this topic last December, which I can link to here as well.
I've always thought that I have underutilized "Writing in the Dark" and this interview has encouraged me to be more intentional about reading Jeannine's posts. I'm also intrigued by the salon zooms, which i will check out.
Ha, I am actually a really good baker. For my last in-person thing, I for some weird reason kept baking--blueberry lemon loaf, morning muffins, chocolate chip cookies, etc etc etc.
I have done them in a lot of places! In Troncones, Mexico, Stout's Island in WI and Madeleine Island and many places on the North Shore of Lake Superior, including the historic Naniboujou Lodge, and at Theodore Wirth Regional Park, and, many times, in my home! Only in my home can I do all that baking, of course!
Ooh, Naniboujou, Madeline Island, Theo Wirth! You are speaking to my soul. Anywhere along the North Shore. What a beautiful state we live in. (I always include the Apostles.)❤️
Hi, I'm a Janine as well, I've just started here from 0 about a month ago, posting my short stories. Some Notes. Still trying to find my rhythm. Still wading in this ocean of 20 Million fish.
Thank you so very much. I love posting my stories as a creative outlet for me, myself and I while caregiving for my husband, as I don't have the time or mind space to continue my longform #wip. But it's hard not to be swept up in the "let's grow our numbers" fever. 🥺
Yes, it's a little overwhelming right now, which can make it harder to hear your own voice. Keep listening to yourself and experimenting, from one Jeannine to another xo
Very nice
Thank you both, Jeannine and Sarah- I am learning how to zone in on my skills and my 'audience' and you both are very helpful. I am grateful for your guidance!
Love this!
Such an insightful interview. Thank you for sharing Sarah!
Wonderful interview. You and Jeannine are both terrific resources for all of us on Substack.
Thank you!
Thank you so much, Michelle. I am glad it offered value. There's a lot of fatigue about writing about "growing" on Substack, so I hoped this would bring something new.
It certainly was a different take on the subject. Thanks again.
Great, thank you!
This is such an encouraging and supportive interview. Thank you Sarah for introducing me to Writing in the Dark last year. Jeannine’s work has been such a life line for me over these last months. I admire and respect both of you and was thrilled when this interview popped up❤️
You and Jeannine should meet for coffee.
Ashley!! Thanks so much for this feedback--it means a lot. And I'm really grateful to know Sarah introduced you to WITD. She continues to help me find me find an audience I would not otherwise reach!
You and Ashley should meet for coffee (though you don't live in the same place).
What is geography, right? Everything is possible even if it requires Zoom!
Everything is possible - love this Jeannine. I signed up for The Feeling of What Happens last night. Really looking forward to it!
Yay, Ashley, that's great! I am looking forward to writing with you!!
I aspire to have this sort of community on my substack! I’m also a former teacher and this inspired me to bring those skills to the forefront (which I believe I’m doing in my new format). I also really love how you’re making substack your own, that is my goal too with my approach so that I’m teaching on top of just writing.
Thank you for sharing your story, it has motivated me!
Hi, Liz! That's really great to hear. I know that some people (like me!) are just kind of geared toward teaching, and it can be so fun to fashion a world where you can do that and in just your own way, as well. I'm happy this helped your vision take an even clearer shape.
It was wonderful to read this interview with Jeannine. As a founding member of Writers in the Dark (which I plan to be forever!), she delivers on every bit of the value she has sought to create and then some. She really is in the comments, connecting with all of us, and her generous approach to her material and how she shares those long previews--I am sure that wins her paid subscribers. It is certainly true for me. Once I started to read more of her essays, I wanted more and more. I love being part of the community she has created. I am a novelist and full-time writer but never got a MFA and this feels like a much belated and so much better, deeper, kinder way to get that level of teaching and class support and camaraderie. The Writing in the Dark community is as generous as Jeannine is. I believe you get back what you put out into the universe . That goes for both of you, Sarah and Jeannine. Thanks for this. I am growing slowly and steadily with my Substack but with recent life transitions and expected upcoming ones, not sure where to take it next. So in that way, I take great comfort and inspiration from Jeannine's advice to keep growing and adapting and evolving.
Thank you! She's the best.
I have been thinking of you so much, Amy. You give so generously to the communities of which you are a part. I feel fortunate indeed to write in the dark with you (and I agree with you about Sarah 10000%). Love to you. And thank you.
Thank you Jeannine, so appreciate those thoughts. I've been doing a lot of "feeling" and writing my way through the dark lately.
The only way out is through, they say. Feels true. xo
Thanks, I needed this.✨
You are so so welcome. I am glad it was useful, Susan! Thank you for reading.
I’m going to hold on to the anti-struggle strategies — and be extra super curios about my topics. I thought I was already, but I could dig deeper. This has been such a beautiful and generous read. Thank you 🤩
Me too! I love the anti-struggle (though I'm an early adopter and still working at it).
Thank you 🙏 I’m so happy to hear this — and maybe your topics are ready! You will be the expert on that
Love Jeannine and her newsletter/community/writing school! So full of wisdom about writing and life.
Thanks, Dana. I learn from you all the time.
I just discovered Writing in the Dark, and now I’m so excited to dive in more deeply and explore the community!
Amazing!! I am so glad to have you in our big old word party, Allysha!
This interview has been a wonderful read! Thank you! It's helped me clarify areas where I can write "previews" and introduce a paywall to my posts to encourage more of my free subscribers to become paid subscribers, and to honor my one (so far) subscriber. I currently have one. She's a very supportive friend. I want to honor her by making some of my writing for her only...and for all who follower in her footsteps as paid subscribers.
Currently, since I have but one beloved paid subscriber, my own style of following is free for now, but I aspire to choose some writers for whom I upgrade to paid once my current life transition is complete and I land in a place of abundance and generosity. I look forward to joining "Writing in the Dark."
I love that too--previews that are meaty.
Great! I am glad that the idea of previews that are not teasers but are actually usable content might be helpful! And, as Sarah points to in the interview, a ton of my content was free to start, and a whole bunch still is. I am not famous. I need people to get to know my work in order to want to pay for it!
Ah, that's the reason why I've kept most of my content free to date. ~:0)
Exactly. When I came on here, I had about maybe a few hundred or so people who really "followed" me elsewhere on social media because they truly wanted to make sure they knew if I was offering a class or workshop, because they had either already taken classes with me over the past ten years, or had read my book which came out pretty recently in 2021. A few hundred "true fans" is really valuable and definitely better than none, but it's not fame or even technically a platform. My sense was that for things to take and grow here, I would need to let people get to know me first.
I agree. Despite the chaos in my life, I do my best to reach out with a "Note" if I am not able to put my mind to an entire "Post" ... to make sure I'm showing up and present to those who care about my writing and follow my work....so that they can know me more and more...especially through comments. I'm grateful for the "re-stacks" some of my posts have enjoyed.
The writer who encourages her own students to keep their content free for a while, for the exact reasons you have, is Beth Kempton @BethKempton. I have participated in a couple of her seasonal Writing Sanctuaries and purchased her book, Kokoro.~:0)
That's wonderful--I like the title Writing Sanctuaries, too.
This is so interesting to read; thank you for sharing it! I'd love to know, as someone with a very small paid following, when Jeannine started paywalling most of her content. It seems really scary (and not wise?!) when I have only five paid subscribers... But makes a lot of sense when you have a following the size of Jeannine's. I really admire it (and have benefited from Jeannine's generous previews); I'd just be curious to know if that was something she did from the start or when she had a bigger paid following.
Holly, the longer version goes into a little more depth on that. I started paywalling right away, but I kept a TON of content free--which I would absolutely recommend to anyone who, like me, has little or no platform. Again, the longer version goes into a little more detail, as do the two essays I published on this topic last December, which I can link to here as well.
Thank you so much! I will have a look at the links you sent.
https://writinginthedark.substack.com/p/how-i-grew-my-substack-from-zero
https://writinginthedark.substack.com/p/how-i-grew-my-substack-from-almost
I've always thought that I have underutilized "Writing in the Dark" and this interview has encouraged me to be more intentional about reading Jeannine's posts. I'm also intrigued by the salon zooms, which i will check out.
By the way, what kind of pastries?
Ha, I am actually a really good baker. For my last in-person thing, I for some weird reason kept baking--blueberry lemon loaf, morning muffins, chocolate chip cookies, etc etc etc.
That might get me on the road! Where have you done your in-person gatherings
I have done them in a lot of places! In Troncones, Mexico, Stout's Island in WI and Madeleine Island and many places on the North Shore of Lake Superior, including the historic Naniboujou Lodge, and at Theodore Wirth Regional Park, and, many times, in my home! Only in my home can I do all that baking, of course!
Ooh, Naniboujou, Madeline Island, Theo Wirth! You are speaking to my soul. Anywhere along the North Shore. What a beautiful state we live in. (I always include the Apostles.)❤️
I know there are people in MN who never go to the North Shore, and it's so hard to believe! It's such a gem!!!
Don’t understand it. Hard to imagine why.
Found this a really encouraging read. I love seeing others (and learning how they) zone in on their real niche!
Yay, I'm glad it was encouraging because it was meant to be!
Hi, I'm a Janine as well, I've just started here from 0 about a month ago, posting my short stories. Some Notes. Still trying to find my rhythm. Still wading in this ocean of 20 Million fish.
Thank you so very much. I love posting my stories as a creative outlet for me, myself and I while caregiving for my husband, as I don't have the time or mind space to continue my longform #wip. But it's hard not to be swept up in the "let's grow our numbers" fever. 🥺
Yes, it's a little overwhelming right now, which can make it harder to hear your own voice. Keep listening to yourself and experimenting, from one Jeannine to another xo