Friday Night Readers is Now on Substack
What it is and what it means for you!
Hi Friday night readers,
Did you notice that I sent you my first email from the Substack platform last week?
After several years, I decided to leave my previous email marketing platform and join Substack, where I am now sending you emails.
So, now that you’ll be receiving my emails via Substack, let’s talk about what it is, what’s staying the same, and what’s changing around here.
What is Substack?
If you're not familiar, Substack is a platform built for writers and readers. It makes it easier for you to read, comment, and share posts you love than a traditional email provider.
Why the Change?
Like most changes, many reasons. As you likely know by now, I’ve been pivoting my business from being both a broad book blog (The Literary Lifestyle) and a niche book club (The Rory Gilmore Book Club) to just one niche book community focused on the Gilmore Girls books and aesthetic— Friday Night Readers!
AI is changing the game in the digital content space, and it’s moving very fast. I’ve been keeping abreast of where things are now and where they are headed (as well as where my life is now and where it’s headed), and this move simply made the most sense.
I want to focus on Gilmore Girls because it reflects both me and my most engaged readers the best as literary readers who crave a Stars Hollow aesthetic. And I want to focus on “community” features because, if we build it, AI can’t take it away.
As our world moves towards more AI everywhere, we will still have the humanity of our like minds in this feel-good space.
Substack offers:
Financial savings of hundreds of dollars a month that I’m putting towards paying for new multimedia features for you, including podcasts and videos
An easy-to-use interface, so I’m no longer wasting endless hours on the back end working on complicated technology, but I'm more focused on more and better content for you
More growth potential for our community as a whole through its rapidly increasing platform offerings, such as Recommendations by other creators and a Notes feed of short, in-the-moment posts like social media
More interactive features: commenting, chat threads, a blog-style feed of my previous content that you can access at any time, videos, podcasts, email voiceovers, printables, etc.
In other words, my emails to you are not just emails anymore — they are full multimedia experiences more akin to a virtual book club, which is exactly what we are.
Things Will Mostly Be the Same!
I know new things can be overwhelming. But don’t worry about this change!
You'll still get content straight to your inbox (just like before).
You don’t have to do anything to stay subscribed—you're already in!
So, What’s Different?
First, as mentioned, ALL my content is now focused on the books on Gilmore Girls and the Stars Hollow aesthetic. No more broad-based book blogging on everything under the sun!
Also previously mentioned, you now have access to a beautiful, easy-to-navigate home where all my emails are archived, so you can easily find and read previously emailed content.
And, you’ll get far more multimedia content. I’m looking to start a full-blown podcast for our book club soon. (Fingers crossed.) In the meantime, I’ve added more images, voiceovers, and videos to my emails for you.
In the near future, I’ll also be moving paid memberships from Patreon to Substack. THIS is where I’ll now host my exclusive content like:
A Gilmore Girls-inspired printable reading journal
“Bookmarks” digital content digest
“The Gazette” of my week in review
Chats about books, adaptations, etc.
And more!
I’m working with a new accountant and hope to square away tax issues soon, so I can open up paid memberships to you.
Here on Substack, free email subscribers will also receive previews of paid content, which Patreon didn’t offer. So, everyone benefits, even if you aren’t yet a paid member.
All that said, this is both a BIG and GOOD move, I think! And I will guide you along the way.
Optional: Download the Substack App
While you don’t have to do anything to continue receiving my content via email, you may choose to download the Substack app.
This is optional, but I do recommend it.
The mobile app makes it easier to engage with my content, the Notes feed, Chats, and the content of other Substack creators.
I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and it is the biggest breath of fresh air.
It feels like the earliest days of social media: no ads, no doomscrolling, no toxicity, etc. Just thoughtful content and positive vibes!
To be quite honest, I’ve been spending less time on platforms like Instagram and Threads, which have been making me feel terrible, and more time on Substack. It all comes down to the fact that it just feels good here.
TL;DR Recap
We’ve covered a lot here. But, I want to reiterate that, if Substack feels new and scary to you, it’s really not.
To summarize, you need not do anything at all to keep receiving my content via email. But, if you want to go deeper on the app, you can!
That’s really it! As for all the changes to what I’m posting and when, it’s only going to get better and more focused on what we love most — books and Gilmore Girls.
Friday Night Readers is a reader-supported publication that has been reading the books on Gilmore Girls since 2020.
Membership: If you enjoyed this post and want to receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber— a member of our virtual book club community.
Paid subscribers receive printables, such as a Gilmore Girls-inspired reading journal and episode guides, exclusive posts, full community access to book club chats, and the archive of posts unlocked.
Other Ways to Support:
❤️Like
💬Comment
🔁Share or Restack
➕Follow: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, GoodReads, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, X, Reddit, LinkedIn
Disclosure: This email may contain affiliate links through which I earn commissions on purchases made through my links at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Ads, sponsored content, and paid opportunities in this email help contribute to my expenses and time, while keeping content accessible to readers. I appreciate your support.
I'm already here as Rokinrev in a Different Llight