Some authors believe that if they could just find the right social network, they’d be on the easy path to fame and fortune. Authors often ask my opinion on the latest hot, new social network. Most of the time, I discourage authors from pursuing the latest social network fad. For example, I don’t think Threads is worth your time. For every author successfully using Pinterest to build a platform, thousands of others struggle to get noticed. They’re wasting massive amounts of time that could be spent writing a book. The cost of failing at Pinterest is the catalog of books you won’t write because you’ve given your time to something else. The same goes for Instagram, TikTok, and all the others. The best way to take advantage of trends like BookTok and Bookstagram is to pay influencers to promote your book rather than trying to become an influencer yourself. Paying an influence who has already mastered the platform will allow you to spend your time developing your craft and writing great books. Don’t try to do both. Almost no one can pull it off. With that said, believe me when I say that when I find a new platform I’m willing to recommend, I don’t do so lightly. What? Thomas recommended a social platform?! Have the bots taken over the podcast? You’ve probably heard authors talking about Substack. It’s all the rage, so I’ve spent several months testing and researching it. Substack is one of the most intriguing tools for authors that I’ve seen in a decade. It’s not really a social network, but it is amazing. There are some downsides to Substack authors need to know about before they start using it, but it offers authors some amazing features and capabilities. What is Substack? Substack is a blogging platform functions like Zynga or Blogger of years gone by. But it’s not just a blogging platform. It’s also an email platform like ConvertKit or MailChimp. But it’s not just an email platform. It’s also a podcasting platform. You can host your podcast on Substack as you would on Blubrry or Buzzsprout. But it’s not just a podcasting platform. It’s also a funding platform like Patreon or SubscribeStar. But it’s not just a funding platform. It’s also an RSS reading platform like the old but awesome Google Reader. And here’s the crazy bit. Substack offers all these functions for free in the best possible way. But aren’t we supposed to be cautious about free? As you know, I’m very suspicious of free. When a tool like Instagram is free to you, it’s only free because you are the product being sold. When you’re the chicken, food in the coop is always free because you’re the product being sold. The chicken is not the customer and therefore isn’t paying for the food. On nearly all free social platforms, you, the user, are the product being sold. You’re not the customer. You are the product. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok are designed to serve advertisers. To use those platforms efficiently, you need to be the advertiser–the platform’s customer. Facebook is expensive for authors,