Artists & the Paradox of Choice

Here's why I've pulled back on Substack

As artists, we understand that to sell our work we must build a community of readers. The overstated phrase - You need to have a platform! So we search for the perfect home to build our readership. There’s TikTok and Instagram and Substack and Twitter. Amazon and Wattpad and Medium and Critter (that one’s not real, just felt like it should end on a rhyme).

The paradox of choice stipulates that while we might believe that being presented with multiple options actually makes it easier to choose one that we are happy with,  having an abundance of options actually requires more effort to make a decision and can leave us feeling unsatisfied - The Decision Lab.

Too many options can leave any artist feeling stuck. We post on everything but get traction on nothing. What if no one actually cares about our art? That’s a brutal reality to face. But that’s the business and profession we chose.

At the end of 2021, I was feeling stuck and stagnant. I needed to see if I could get momentum after my book royalties simmered to a screeching halt. So I decided to test a lot of platforms, including this experiment right here on Substack.

But as my next book launch approached, I realized I couldn’t keep up with everything, especially with two kids under two. My life is absolute chaos right now! So I sat down and decided to go all-in on one platform; the platform that gives me the best chance to connect with the book community and earn a living doing what I love. So here are the questions I asked myself when making the choice.

1. What platform offered the most reward for my efforts?

2. What platform was most conducive to my personality?

3. What platform had the best organic reach?

4. Where was I seeing the most momentum?

For me, the answer was TikTok.

Why I’m going all-in on TikTok

1. This is the only platform I’ve ever seen that shows my content to a larger audience regardless of my follower count. And it’s one of the few platforms that still have Organic Reach.

2. The book and author community are thriving on TikTok.

3. Tik Tok rewards sticking to your niche.

4. Books have the potential to find a massive audience on this platform. Many authors have found their agents and publishers with only one viral video.

5. It’s a good way to test content and see what works. Tik Tok values a trial and error mentality. This allows you to get a good sample of data to see what’s resonating with your audience.

So far, I’ve pushed through the learning curve and the cringy feeling that comes with jumping behind the camera. I’ve had some videos hit 50K, and some completely bomb. But once I got off the ground, I truly the energy and momentum that comes with this platform. I think all authors should be on the platform. This might change in 12 months, but for now, I think it’s a great opportunity.

What does that mean for Non-Fiction Substack?

If you read this far, you are probably one of the few who have followed my non-fiction journey on Substack. THANK YOU! Honestly, you are the reason I tried to post here as often as I could. But as I streamline my efforts, I wonder how I can still add value? Would you like me to add you to my fiction list where I’ll be sending out info about my upcoming release? Would you like me to quick recaps of my TikTok strategy as I continue going all-in on the app? Or my grand plan to release NFTS to a community that still is unsure about NFTS? Haha. Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for following the journey!