PRESENT-DAY SNIPPET: SUBSTACK SUMMER: BECAUSE EVERYONE IS DOING THESE FUN THINGS AND I LOVE A SPOTIFY WRAPPED

What I read on Substack in Summer 2024 – also, Michael always 'messes up' my Spotify Wrapped because we share the same premium account much to Spotify's 'slightly annoyed email' dismay

I’m not sure how/why Substack collates all this information and what counts as ‘summer’ to them? Is summer from June to September alone? And if it is only a three-month period, that’s a little worrying that I’ve managed to read over 1,800 posts.

To be fair, I agree that I do read

The Inkwell

a ton, but I didn’t realise I read the other two as often. It may simply go on the fact that some Substacks post almost daily content and others post less frequently?

I’d have imagined I’d have seen

Where are you from, and why?

,

As I Was Saying with Poorna Bell

,

The Powder Room

,

Sober Millennial

,

Raising Myles

,

Emotional Support Lady

,

Life Matters

, and

The Lucyverse

crop up somewhere in the mention because as soon as these writers post something, I’m straight on it and excited to read. Thank you to all of you! But who knows how the mysteries of the algorithm work?

Here’s my recap. I will be posting a ‘regular post’ later in the day or tomorrow. Sending love and best wishes to everyone.

Highlights

☕ I read the most in the morning (True – I have to read and write before the figurative 9-5 but mostly I listen to the Substacks using the voiceover feature which sometimes the voices change and I have no idea how/why – and I do mean the AI voice and not when authors voice their own)

💌 I subscribed to 41 new Substacks (Yay! supporting other writers and that’s a lot to add 25% more Substacks in the summer alone)

🎧 I listened to 1,461 minutes of podcasts (This is probably from

David McIlroy

and

Evelyn Skye

)

📽️ I watched 30 minutes of video (Don’t recall watching much video)

❤️ I liked 695 posts (I like to like posts to keep track of what I’ve read and it’s good for engagement)

💬 I left 250 comments on posts (Comments help writers feel that readers are engaging/relating to what they write –

Poorna Bell

’s recent piece said as much)

📜 I scrolled 77 meters in Notes (Heh!)

🕵️ I discovered 19 new posts via Notes (Yay!)

Top Substacks

I’ve added a bit to the autogenerated blurb. Does this mean AI is coming for our jobs because when Substack encourages you to share these Spotify-Wrapped-like stats, the post is already written, formatted, and ready to go, which is good and/or a little odd/creepy. What do we think about AI and the future of our jobs? But I’ve added my own bits to the below info so check these out. I also wonder how the ‘powers that be’ decided which were the most read posts from these accounts. Also, they randomly alphabetised the list.

Agents and Books by

Kate McKean

The FAQ on how to find an agent and how to write books, all in one place. I find Kate’s posts informative and interesting as someone who will, hopefully, be seeking an agent next year. Zeta, my psychic, said to seek an agent for Grandad’s memoir ASAP so I really need to work on that query letter and pitch. Zeta said the agent should preferably be male for this book so we will see what happens!

Top post this summer: This is Why Book Marketing Doesn't Work

The Hyphen by Emma Gannon by

Emma Gannon

✨ A cosy online space for curious readers ✨ from Sunday Times Bestselling author Emma Gannon. On books, work, wellbeing, and creativity. 5th literature Substack globally. "One of Britain’s most prominent Substack writers." —The Times

I didn’t realise I was such a fan of Emma Gannon but she does post a lot of posts! That said, I very much enjoyed her New York diaries and have read at least two of her books. I plan to read her rom-com-y one soon.

Top post this summer: #65 A Slow Sunday Scroll ☕️

The Inkwell by

Katherine Clements

Coaching and community for ambitious authors. You guys know I mention

Katherine Clements

a ton in my posts. She taught me on my Arvon course in Hebden Bridge this summer on “Writing the North.” She’s a brilliant writer, mentor, and tutor, and I hope to work with her more as my “writing career” progresses. Plus, her posts and workshops are super helpful to writers at any stage of their journey – and she’s lovely and encouraging.

Top post this summer: The Hidden Cost Of Getting Published

Share your own Summer Recap

You can see your own summer recap in the Substack app.

I look forward to seeing your stats (if you feel like sharing them).

Coming up next, the post about how I met my first/ex-husband. I’m about to go on a walk in the countryside with my husband and his sister. I’ve written the post and need to edit it, so I will post it today or tomorrow.

I’m going to count this post and whatever extra I come up with later as my Day 9 of the

#100 Days Of Writing

challenge. I love that it’s such a gentle challenge in that whatever goes. It’s all about showing up.

Thanks for all your support. If you read my Why We Met chapters, I very much appreciate it.