Would you pick Door A or B?

5 years ago, if anyone had told me I’d be writing on Substack, I would have assumed it would be about websites and website marketing. Maybe email marketing. Any of those would make sense, because those are what I do for a living.

So here I am writing about writing and writers.

It’s not because I write. And I do. I’ve written for years. I wrote for print magazines before there were websites that would pay writers.

But I don’t write about writing simply because *I* write.

I write about writing for two reasons. A one-two punch.

First, because writers have the most abysmal success rates of almost any industry. I’ve always known that. It just didn’t hit home as hard until I started writing on Medium and started meeting writers. That’s when it really smacked me upside the head.

Then, it wasn’t just an industry that struggles more than most. There were names and faces attached. People I’d grown to know and like who are struggling to get their work and their words out into the world.

Early in the New Year, I’ll be picking a handful of test readers for the author website workbook I’ve been working on. But I’d like to do more with my Substack, too.

I’ve had readers reach out and suggest I offer a paid version so they can support my work. It felt nice, you know? To have people say hey, can I support your work? But if I did that, I’d like to offer more than just my Friday ramblings.

Maybe add a Wednesday email that’s more teaching/helping focused and keep the Friday email the way it’s been.

And I’m not sure I’ll go that direction, but I’m thinking out loud.

Door A or Door B?

First idea came from a reader who reached out to ask if I knew legit sites that paid decent for writing on a specific topic. Said he was real frustrated with all the lists online because they’re full of dead leads.

So I sent him some links and he was over the moon. Told me I should post legit writing opportunities because so much of what gets posted online are duds or outdated. That’s Door A.

Second idea came from a whole bunch of readers. A few weeks ago, I wrote about how poorly most websites perform. A lot of people emailed and asked if I could take a look at their site. Give them a quick overview of what’s wrong. Occurred to me that might make a great addition to my Substack, too. So, a weekly website review is door B.

If I had to start with just one of those, which would you prefer?

Despite what Henry Ford said, there might be a Door C…

Henry Ford once said he didn’t believe in asking people what they wanted because if he had, they’d have said a faster horse. lol.

That’s because none of you were alive in 1896.

Because I swear, every time I come here thinking out loud, y’all astound me with your feedback. Every. Single. Time.

There’s an old saying in marketing that says something like it’s hard to read the label from inside the bottle. Sometimes, we’re too close to a thing.

It’s why so many websites struggle. It’s why so many products don’t sell. Because people are too close to see their creation, their brand, their offerings through someone else’s eyes. Suffice to say I’m pretty close to myself. :)

But you? You’ve been reading my writing for some time now, and maybe you have an idea for helpful content that I haven’t even thought of. Maybe even something I talk about sometimes, but you’d like to read more about.

If I decide to add a mid-week email with something helpful, I’d love to launch that in the New Year. Can you believe that’s just a couple of weeks away?

So that’s me thinking out loud.

I’d love to know what you think. :)

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On Medium…

• Medium Asked What We Think Of Robots Writing There

• Successful Writers Are A Bunch Of Weirdos With Bizarre Habits

• Was Anne Of Cleves “Too Ugly” For Henry VIII To Sleep With?

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Thanks and have a great weekend.

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xo
Linda