First acceptances

Plus: A peek behind the publishing curtain

Hello, and welcome back to our Monday note from the editor. As we gear up to start publishing original works of crime and mystery fiction, these posts are where I’ll share updates about Cold Caller’s progress and other announcements. It’s also a chance for me to pull back the curtain and talk nuts-and-bolts about starting up a project like this one—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

But first, some really happy news: This weekend marked an important milestone for Cold Caller as we sent out our first two acceptances! The absolute best part of being an editor is that feeling you get when you read a great piece of fiction and think, This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. If you’d like to submit your own work, it isn’t too late—find more details here.

Thanks again to everyone who has submitted, subscribed, commented, and otherwise engaged with Cold Caller. You’re helping shape the future of this publication, and we truly couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.

Week 2: Building momentum (and what hasn’t worked)

It’s no secret that part of the inspiration for Cold Caller was the work they’re doing over at Palisatrium¹. To my mind, they’ve demonstrated a sustainable model for an approach to publishing that compensates authors without charging reading fees².

Certainly, they’re not the first to follow this model, and Cold Caller won’t be the last. Maybe someone reading this now is thinking about starting their own publication. To that end, I’d like to periodically share a peek behind the curtain of a project like this. What works, what doesn’t, and what are we still figuring out?

What Worked: Putting Out Calls Beyond Substack

I love this platform, but I don’t think we’d have had nearly such a big response from contributors if we’d only put out our call for submissions here.

Posting our call to the Short Mystery Fiction Society, MFA groups, and Diabolical Plots’ The Submission Grinder went a long way toward getting the word out to our audience. Somewhere in there Duotrope also picked us up, proactively adding us to their directory (a very nice and welcome surprise).

I do think this is an area where having some experience as a writer and editor is helpful, if only because it gives you the lay of the land. For instance, I’d been a reader of the SMFS blog for ages, as well as a member of their Facebook group. When it came time to stand up Cold Caller, I already had a sense of who they were and what their members were interested in.

Regardless of genre, if you’re interested in starting your own publication, one of the best first steps you can take is to make a list of friends, contacts, and organizations who might be interested in supporting your mission. Not everybody will bite, but you’ll be surprised how many will be receptive to the work that you’re doing.

What Hasn’t Worked (So Far)

As any marketer can tell you, it’s often very difficult to measure the ROI of a specific tactic within a larger marketing strategy. That said, my least successful channel so far has actually been within Substack itself.

On the surface, Notes seems like a great feature, layering on an additional social media channel within the Substack ecosystem. In practice, however, I haven’t quite got the hang of it yet! Our Notes frequently seem to languish, and rarely attract new subscribers. On the other hand, our posts almost always lead to new subscribers, when I would have expected quite the opposite.

I’m not sure what to make of this yet. I like Notes, and it’s great for discovery—I’ve stumbled over all kinds of wonderful writing that just happened to turn up in my feed. But posting on Notes often feels like I’m babbling to myself in the corner while everyone else is have a great conversation. (If you have any tips, I’d love to hear them!)

More Food for Thought

If you’re interested in the publishing scene, whether you’re an editor, writer, or aspiring publisher, I really can’t say enough good things about Becky Tuch’s Lit Mag News.

Tuch covers a wide range of topics, from predatory publishers to calls for submissions. She also writes often (and thinks deeply) about how lit mags can grow and adapt to new technology and the ever-shifting habits of readers.

In so many ways, we’re living through a golden age of publishing: There are more ways to be published than ever, and it’s never been easier to find great writing outside the traditional venues.

But all that abundance means there’s more than ever to navigate. Publications like Lit Mag News are a great guide for anyone—reader or publisher—trying to find their way in this new world.

1. Full disclosure: Palisatrium also published my own short story, “The Impostor Carla Cluckins.”

2. For proof, check out their subscriber count and author payouts.