Interview with Elle Griffin of "The Novelleist"

Here’s my recent interview with Elle Griffin, publisher of the Substack newsletter The Novelleist.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a magazine editor by day and a fiction novelist by earlier that day. I am the author of a newsletter called The Novelleist about writing (and other things).

A few years ago I fell in love with French literature: Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Christo, The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula. And then other associated Gothics: A Christmas Carol, Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein. Then I ran out—apparently, there is only so much Gothic fiction one can find in 18th and 19th-century writings.
But I wasn’t done with the genre yet—I wanted to stay in that world. I wanted to read one more Gothic novel, written in the French style, with all the mystery of The Count and all the philosophical complexity of Jean-Valjean—but with strong female protagonists and a lush Americana setting.

So I wrote it myself.

How would you describe your newsletter?

My newsletter is about writing novels (and other things), but I will debut my novel as a paid serial this fall, releasing one chapter every week (along with discussion threads) for $5/month.

Why did you decide to publish on Substack?

After I finished my novel, I did a lot of research into the book publishing industry. What I discovered is that the current model—publishing through a Big Four publishing house—is still the author’s best bet for attracting readers and earning a living. But even that outcome is highly unlikely—and there could be a better way.
Substack allows writers to build a following and then monetize it, perhaps even by selling their followers a subscription to their book as they are writing it. This idea deeply appeals to me because most classic novels were written as serials—including The Count of Monte Cristo—and they were wildly successful.

What has your experience with your newsletter been like?

It reminds me of blogging in the aughts—which I LOVED. But growing my audience will be my biggest challenge. Substack estimates that 10% of a newsletter list will opt to monetize. That means, to reach my goal of earning $10,000/month writing books by the time I debut my second novel (August 2022), I need to grow my list by about 1,000 people every month. (I have 1,800 newsletter subscribers right now). 

I know that this is a big goal, but from my research, I've found that most books attract an audience in the thousands. And if those thousands could be monetized using the creator economy, then authors could feasibly make a living from their work, which is something that isn't happening right now.

What have you liked most about your experience on Substack?

How easy it is to enter an emdash in Substack. (Why is this so difficult in Word and Google Docs?)

What have you liked least about your Substack experience?

My inability to order my paid chapters in chronological order.

How have you let people know about your newsletter?

LinkedIn, where I have a big network from my work as an editor. Also Medium (where I duplicate most of my newsletters as articles for Medium publications to expand my reach). I also started a Twitter account when I started my newsletter and that has been great for developing a community with other Substack writers (like you).

Is there a post in your newsletter that you consider most memorable, and if so, why?

The one about how I am not going to become a New York Times Best Selling writer—because all of that information was completely unavailable to me as an author when I was writing my novel.

What do you hope for your newsletter in the foreseeable future?

That I will be able to write books for a living, and write them as serials just as my literary heroes did. And if I can do it, then I will be able to be a case study for other fiction authors to do the same.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

Thank you so much for having me! I love your newsletter because it helps me to discover other Substack newsletters. Which is not an easy thing to do for some reason. And I looooove newsletters. I read them every morning in the bathtub!