My wife and I have become great fans of your writing. We are some of those who are not in the UK and have found you thanks to this little social media thingy. Your work has given us lots of laughs and smiles as we also navigate the world full of fuckwits and loonies. Please don’t stop. You are great.
“ I often despair, seeing the discord between the flattering, passionate reader feedback I get and my Amazon sales rankings/the literary world’s general indifference to what I do. “ Boy, if a writer as talented as you feels despair in this push-pull of passion vs. the business of living, what is there for the rest of us? PLEASE… keep on going; your fans and students alike are hungry for more! But it also sounds like you might need to reward yourself for the beauty and fun you’ve already created in this fickle world! Please do; you so deserve it.
Tom, your writing inspires me to be a truer writer. No need to write about writing. The best writing inspires one to be their best self. An anecdote: a good friend of mine had a home baked goods business. She was getting tired and decided to stop baking some things that required too much energy. Business improved. In fact, every time she let go of something she didn’t like doing, business improved, and she felt better. It became a mantra for her: Let go of what feels heavy. In case there’s something in your life or writing that feels heavy, I offer this. Onward!
Tom, you're a brilliant writer - please keep going! I was reading one of your substack pieces which largely focused on your dad out loud to my wife the other day and both of us had been both laughing and crying by the time I finished. I cant think of anyone else that has the same capacity to move me to do that. I've read (and bought!) Villager and 1983 (the latter the day it came out, or pretty close to it) and all my extended family are now fans as well. Can't wait for EWSY! As your dad might say, Don't let the b*****s get you down (or even DLTBGYD)!
I'll support you however works best for you and wish you well. I think your work is a wonderful refuge from a cruel and insane world. We retirees often greet one another with "what ya readin?" so I tell them!
Tom, there are people who write whether they should or not and people who should write. You are among the latter. Even your casual, throw-away posts are wonderful. You cultivate words and seem so effortless in your writing. If you were a farmer, your corn would stand 20-feet high.
I have written two books, both trade published, and earned back my advances. I’ve had columns for many years that were carried by magazines and newspapers. And I have written articles and op-ed published in many well-known publications. I earned a living doing this for many years after I left my first profession. It’s a damn hard way to make a living. And you can’t give in to self-doubt.
Add to it the sheer volume of people trying to write these days and the noise becomes deafening. It’s hard to be heard.
But you have a singular talent and you’re simply meant to be a wordsmith. Don’t let it beat you. You have an audience.
And I absolutely love your dad’s cat adventures. And enjoy reading about your menagerie and inspiration.
Hi Tom. You most certainly can write, you are able to share your world with grace and laughter, and you encourage me. I am new to Substack, and haven’t even started writing notes or posts or knowing much of what the difference is, frankly. This is actually my first comment! I have subscribed just to you and one other person, and am feeling my way. Thanks for putting yourself out there, and being you. I believe you will ride out the difficulties and come out stronger and hopefully more flush in the pocket, to boot. I suppose I must be nearing my own “teatime,” in terms of writing, but I’m not yet to the midnight snack stage, and always feel there’s more to lean into and enjoy as we go. Please keep up the good work!
Winter approaches and quiet and space call. Your writing is wonderful and your approach is important. Your stubbornness is what keeps so many going. Don’t think you’re not good enough and please don’t give up. Take a moment for yourself well deserved. We all live under the thumb of some idea of constant growth which is not true or sustainable. Please keep going and I don’t think I’m alone in wishing this.
On a less flippant note - sometimes - I think it is even more important to write in times like these, even if it never gets to the public eye, to write for future generations, to let them know in the darkest times we still told stories.
I think about all those lady novelists and dramatists whose work was suddenly rediscovered 200, 300 years later after being forgotten.
Obviously none of this pays the bills but it does answer the question ‘why do you bother.’
Definitely true! I am thinking here about a lot of the rediscovered (mostly female) writers from 1930-70 who are currently making my reading life much more pleasurable.
I'm so looking forward to EWSY. It sounds like just what I need right now. I just pre-ordered it from Blackwell's. A note on pre-orders for your American readers. EWSY is indeed up for pre-order on Amazon, but Amazon USA won't ship it until June 2025. It's also up on Blackwell's for less money than Amazon, AND that price includes shipping to the USA. Blackwell's will ship it in March 2025. So why wait until June?
Keep the faith, beloved Tom. Worry is using your imagination to create something you don’t want. Worry less, play more, turn your thoughts to all the good things in your life, and trust all will be well, because you have a great deal of support behind you.
I read a line recently that "our 40s are the old age of our youth, and our 50s are the youth of our old age." I think of this when I feel like quitting; I have a new youth to look forward to.
Worry not, Tom. Your dilemma's part of the 'wonderful' life of creatives ~ writers, journos, artists of all types. You're talking about the peaks and troughs that come with not compromising. Frustrations, maintaining a stand against commercial demands, etc, all sidle out when we're lying awake at 3 am and wondering if we're doing the right thing.
I've not forged any meaningful writing for over half a year, and I've put this down to the increasingly gloomy mood of the UK and the world. With climate change gone mad, successive storms and the stretch of the dark months ahead, nothing feels safe or reliable. Linking these to financial concerns and market forces only multiplies the pessimism.
Substack's grown huge now, compared with when you first jumped in, but hopefully it will retain its integrity on behalf of writers. The discord between Amazon's sales rankings and the feedback you garner here on S/s doesn't surprise. The so-called literary world, as typified by the "pile 'em high, flog 'em cheap" big commercial sellers of books is what you were getting away from, was it not? Many of us here don't subscribe to it. We trust our own judgement. We read because we want to, not because the machine tells us to. And, as a means of selling increasingly generic books as if they're tins of beans, or DIY goods, or whatever, only leads to this week's much-splashed 'Sunday Times best seller' title or its Guardian-reviewed author being replaced by next week's: here today, gone tomorrow. How many have faded over the last two or 3 years, casualties of the exhausting system?
You are unique, Tom; someone somewhere discovers this every day, and sooner or later a further direction will be offered, as other comments here have suggested. As long as you want to write, of course. But do occasionally take a break ~ a custom-made annual end-of-year one coming up! Dial back on life, eschew screens / media, the ghastly 'socials' that increase blood pressure ... and keep the faith.
While it's taken me an aeon to write this in the interim there have been 18 new replies. Your following here surely tells you you're worth it! ;-)
Me too, and I wish you lived nearby so I could at least take you for a drink. I really sympathise. This is my book 3, and the past year has been seriously hard - most bits of the publication process seem to have gone wrong, often several times. The cats are getting used to sudden wild and obscene yells as I get another email from the publisher.
All my very best to you, and please keep on keeping on. Jan xx
You echo many of my own disheartening thoughts that cheerfully bounce in front of me during moon-lit hours. Keep writing, Tom. You will “improve” simply because of being consistent, disciplined, and honest. I was enthralled by your unique voice right away. Your generous gift of free books with my subscription felt like a bonus for already liking your Substack newsletter. Every time I read your pieces, I am struck by your unmistakable view of the world. The number of subscribers may expand and contract. I have gotten overwhelmed by the many great writers who contribute to Substack, so I have edited my list of subscriptions once in a while. I wish I had the time and financial resources to support all the outstanding authors. Please know that you have survived several purges! Keep writing. Keep showing us your idiosyncratic observations. May your following increase and help you thrive!
My wife and I have become great fans of your writing. We are some of those who are not in the UK and have found you thanks to this little social media thingy. Your work has given us lots of laughs and smiles as we also navigate the world full of fuckwits and loonies. Please don’t stop. You are great.
Thanks John!
Yes, I hate social media for the most part, but this is where I found you too. Please consider Bluesky, it’s a kind and safer space.
“ I often despair, seeing the discord between the flattering, passionate reader feedback I get and my Amazon sales rankings/the literary world’s general indifference to what I do. “ Boy, if a writer as talented as you feels despair in this push-pull of passion vs. the business of living, what is there for the rest of us? PLEASE… keep on going; your fans and students alike are hungry for more! But it also sounds like you might need to reward yourself for the beauty and fun you’ve already created in this fickle world! Please do; you so deserve it.
Tom, your writing inspires me to be a truer writer. No need to write about writing. The best writing inspires one to be their best self. An anecdote: a good friend of mine had a home baked goods business. She was getting tired and decided to stop baking some things that required too much energy. Business improved. In fact, every time she let go of something she didn’t like doing, business improved, and she felt better. It became a mantra for her: Let go of what feels heavy. In case there’s something in your life or writing that feels heavy, I offer this. Onward!
Tom, you're a brilliant writer - please keep going! I was reading one of your substack pieces which largely focused on your dad out loud to my wife the other day and both of us had been both laughing and crying by the time I finished. I cant think of anyone else that has the same capacity to move me to do that. I've read (and bought!) Villager and 1983 (the latter the day it came out, or pretty close to it) and all my extended family are now fans as well. Can't wait for EWSY! As your dad might say, Don't let the b*****s get you down (or even DLTBGYD)!
That's brilliant to hear. Thanks John!
I'll support you however works best for you and wish you well. I think your work is a wonderful refuge from a cruel and insane world. We retirees often greet one another with "what ya readin?" so I tell them!
I love and hope to read all writers that provide refuge from this cruel and insane world. It is my mission as a writer, and as a reader.
Thank you!
Tom, there are people who write whether they should or not and people who should write. You are among the latter. Even your casual, throw-away posts are wonderful. You cultivate words and seem so effortless in your writing. If you were a farmer, your corn would stand 20-feet high.
I have written two books, both trade published, and earned back my advances. I’ve had columns for many years that were carried by magazines and newspapers. And I have written articles and op-ed published in many well-known publications. I earned a living doing this for many years after I left my first profession. It’s a damn hard way to make a living. And you can’t give in to self-doubt.
Add to it the sheer volume of people trying to write these days and the noise becomes deafening. It’s hard to be heard.
But you have a singular talent and you’re simply meant to be a wordsmith. Don’t let it beat you. You have an audience.
And I absolutely love your dad’s cat adventures. And enjoy reading about your menagerie and inspiration.
Please keep it up.
I would NEVER have found you if it weren't for Substack.
I LOVE your writing, your thoughts, everything.
I WILL do my utmost to get your voice out there with what I have.
Cows, sheep, cats, abandoned doors, fields of grass.
They all need your love.
Thanks Amy!
Yes, this! Me too!
Hi Tom. You most certainly can write, you are able to share your world with grace and laughter, and you encourage me. I am new to Substack, and haven’t even started writing notes or posts or knowing much of what the difference is, frankly. This is actually my first comment! I have subscribed just to you and one other person, and am feeling my way. Thanks for putting yourself out there, and being you. I believe you will ride out the difficulties and come out stronger and hopefully more flush in the pocket, to boot. I suppose I must be nearing my own “teatime,” in terms of writing, but I’m not yet to the midnight snack stage, and always feel there’s more to lean into and enjoy as we go. Please keep up the good work!
Winter approaches and quiet and space call. Your writing is wonderful and your approach is important. Your stubbornness is what keeps so many going. Don’t think you’re not good enough and please don’t give up. Take a moment for yourself well deserved. We all live under the thumb of some idea of constant growth which is not true or sustainable. Please keep going and I don’t think I’m alone in wishing this.
On a less flippant note - sometimes - I think it is even more important to write in times like these, even if it never gets to the public eye, to write for future generations, to let them know in the darkest times we still told stories.
I think about all those lady novelists and dramatists whose work was suddenly rediscovered 200, 300 years later after being forgotten.
Obviously none of this pays the bills but it does answer the question ‘why do you bother.’
Definitely true! I am thinking here about a lot of the rediscovered (mostly female) writers from 1930-70 who are currently making my reading life much more pleasurable.
I'm so looking forward to EWSY. It sounds like just what I need right now. I just pre-ordered it from Blackwell's. A note on pre-orders for your American readers. EWSY is indeed up for pre-order on Amazon, but Amazon USA won't ship it until June 2025. It's also up on Blackwell's for less money than Amazon, AND that price includes shipping to the USA. Blackwell's will ship it in March 2025. So why wait until June?
Thanks Laurence!
Keep the faith, beloved Tom. Worry is using your imagination to create something you don’t want. Worry less, play more, turn your thoughts to all the good things in your life, and trust all will be well, because you have a great deal of support behind you.
I read a line recently that "our 40s are the old age of our youth, and our 50s are the youth of our old age." I think of this when I feel like quitting; I have a new youth to look forward to.
Worry not, Tom. Your dilemma's part of the 'wonderful' life of creatives ~ writers, journos, artists of all types. You're talking about the peaks and troughs that come with not compromising. Frustrations, maintaining a stand against commercial demands, etc, all sidle out when we're lying awake at 3 am and wondering if we're doing the right thing.
I've not forged any meaningful writing for over half a year, and I've put this down to the increasingly gloomy mood of the UK and the world. With climate change gone mad, successive storms and the stretch of the dark months ahead, nothing feels safe or reliable. Linking these to financial concerns and market forces only multiplies the pessimism.
Substack's grown huge now, compared with when you first jumped in, but hopefully it will retain its integrity on behalf of writers. The discord between Amazon's sales rankings and the feedback you garner here on S/s doesn't surprise. The so-called literary world, as typified by the "pile 'em high, flog 'em cheap" big commercial sellers of books is what you were getting away from, was it not? Many of us here don't subscribe to it. We trust our own judgement. We read because we want to, not because the machine tells us to. And, as a means of selling increasingly generic books as if they're tins of beans, or DIY goods, or whatever, only leads to this week's much-splashed 'Sunday Times best seller' title or its Guardian-reviewed author being replaced by next week's: here today, gone tomorrow. How many have faded over the last two or 3 years, casualties of the exhausting system?
You are unique, Tom; someone somewhere discovers this every day, and sooner or later a further direction will be offered, as other comments here have suggested. As long as you want to write, of course. But do occasionally take a break ~ a custom-made annual end-of-year one coming up! Dial back on life, eschew screens / media, the ghastly 'socials' that increase blood pressure ... and keep the faith.
While it's taken me an aeon to write this in the interim there have been 18 new replies. Your following here surely tells you you're worth it! ;-)
Me too, and I wish you lived nearby so I could at least take you for a drink. I really sympathise. This is my book 3, and the past year has been seriously hard - most bits of the publication process seem to have gone wrong, often several times. The cats are getting used to sudden wild and obscene yells as I get another email from the publisher.
All my very best to you, and please keep on keeping on. Jan xx
Yes, I'd like to join you for that drink with Tom!
You echo many of my own disheartening thoughts that cheerfully bounce in front of me during moon-lit hours. Keep writing, Tom. You will “improve” simply because of being consistent, disciplined, and honest. I was enthralled by your unique voice right away. Your generous gift of free books with my subscription felt like a bonus for already liking your Substack newsletter. Every time I read your pieces, I am struck by your unmistakable view of the world. The number of subscribers may expand and contract. I have gotten overwhelmed by the many great writers who contribute to Substack, so I have edited my list of subscriptions once in a while. I wish I had the time and financial resources to support all the outstanding authors. Please know that you have survived several purges! Keep writing. Keep showing us your idiosyncratic observations. May your following increase and help you thrive!
Thank you so much!