This story was born from conversations with fellow writers Denise Olivieri Yagel and Nat Sang. As we shared our experiences, one truth kept emerging: before readers buy your book, they must first learn to trust the person behind it.
A few days ago, I had a conversation with a fellow writer on Substack. She had published before. Like many of us, she poured her heart into a book, put it on Amazon, and waited for something to happen.
Nothing really did.
As we talked, I found myself reflecting on my own journey because I know that feeling all too well. I remember publishing my first book and believing that once it was available, readers would somehow find it. I thought the hard part was writing the book.
I was wrong.
The hard part begins after you publish.
The truth is that most of us arrive on Substack, Amazon, or any writing platform carrying the same dream. We want people to read our work. We want our stories to matter. We want someone, somewhere, to connect with the words we spent months or years creating.
But there is one obstacle standing in front of nearly every new writer.
Nobody knows who you are.
That isn’t meant to be cruel. It’s simply reality.
Readers don’t buy books because they exist. They buy books from people they trust, people they recognize, or people recommended by someone they already trust.
When I published my first book, I spent money on advertising. I experimented with promotions. I watched videos and read articles that promised success if I just followed the right formula.
The sales were disappointing.
It wasn’t because the book was terrible.
It was because I was invisible.
That realization changed everything for me.
I stopped focusing entirely on selling books and started focusing on building relationships.
That’s what eventually led me to Substack.
When I first joined the platform, Notes didn’t even exist. Substack felt much more like an old-fashioned blogging site. You wrote your articles and then somehow had to convince people to discover them.
Growth was slow.
Painfully slow.
There were days when I would spend hours writing something meaningful only to watch it disappear into the internet without much attention. I think every writer has experienced that feeling. You publish something you’re proud of and then sit there wondering if anyone is listening.
What kept me going wasn’t success.
It was the writing itself.
I fell in love with the process.
I became less concerned with numbers and more concerned with becoming a better storyteller. I learned how to write more clearly. I learned how to say more with fewer words. I learned how to be vulnerable without seeking sympathy. Most importantly, I learned how to tell the truth.
The funny thing is that growth started happening when I stopped chasing it.
Not because I found some secret formula.
Because I started showing up consistently.
I started engaging with other writers.
I started reading their work.
I left comments.
I shared articles.
I restacked stories I genuinely enjoyed.
Something unexpected happened.
People noticed.
Not because I was promoting myself, but because I was supporting others.
That’s when I began to understand something important about Substack.
This platform isn’t built on algorithms nearly as much as it’s built on relationships.
Many writers approach Substack like a bookstore.
I think it’s closer to a small town.
People remember who shows up.
People remember who encourages others.
People remember who supports the community.
Over time, those relationships become trust.
And trust is the currency every writer needs.
A reader may enjoy your free articles for months before they ever buy a book. They may follow your work for a year before they subscribe. They may quietly watch from the sidelines before deciding they want to support what you’re building.
That trust cannot be rushed.
It has to be earned.
I’ve watched talented writers become discouraged because they focused entirely on sales. They published excellent books and couldn’t understand why they weren’t selling.
The answer was usually the same.
They were trying to sell to an audience that didn’t exist yet.
Meanwhile, I’ve watched other writers steadily build communities around their work. Their growth wasn’t explosive. It wasn’t glamorous. But month after month, year after year, they kept showing up.
Eventually people began paying attention.
The lesson wasn’t about marketing.
It was about connection.
That’s why I believe independent authors need each other more than ever.
Some people view other writers as competition.
I never have.
When a fellow author succeeds, it doesn’t take anything away from me.
If anything, it strengthens the entire ecosystem.
Readers rarely stop with one book. They buy another. They follow another author. They discover another voice.
When writers support each other, everyone benefits.
That’s one reason I’ve spent so much time building resources for indie authors. I’ve learned that trying to climb the mountain alone is exhausting. Building something together is much more rewarding.
One fellow writer recently compared it to an Amish barn raising.
I loved that analogy immediately.
A group of people coming together to build something larger than any one person could build alone.
That’s exactly what I see happening at its best on Substack.
Writers helping writers.
Readers discovering new voices.
Communities forming around shared interests and shared values.
None of it happens overnight.
It takes patience.
It takes consistency.
It takes humility.
Most importantly, it takes showing up when nobody is paying attention.
Because that’s where the real work happens.
Looking back, I realize the books were never the foundation.
The people were.
The conversations were.
The relationships were.
The trust was.
The books simply grew from there.
So if you’re a writer wondering why growth feels slow, why subscribers aren’t arriving as quickly as you’d hoped, or why your book isn’t selling the way you imagined, remember this:
Your first job is not building a bestseller.
Your first job is becoming someone readers know, trust, and want to follow.
Keep writing.
Keep showing up.
Keep supporting others.
Keep improving your craft.
The audience will come.
Maybe not as quickly as you’d like.
Maybe not in the numbers you expect.
But if you stay consistent and focus on serving the community instead of chasing recognition, you’ll build something far more valuable than a viral post or a temporary spike in sales.
You’ll build trust.
And in the writing world, trust is what turns readers into supporters, supporters into friends, and friends into a community.
That’s the lesson I’ve learned after years on this journey.
Nobody knows you yet.
But if you keep showing up, someday they will.
Your Positive Pen,
Rinaldo
Visit The Positive Pen Library. Read, review, and support fellow Substack authors.
Link - https://thepositivepen.store/pages/library
5 Actions Every Writer Can Take Today
Most writers focus on publishing. The better strategy is building trust and community first.
Read other writers.
Don’t just publish your own work. Spend time reading the work of others and engaging thoughtfully.
Leave meaningful comments.
A genuine comment creates more connection than simply clicking a like button.
Share and restack great content.
When you help others grow, you become part of a larger community instead of standing alone.
Write consistently.
Readers trust writers who show up regularly. Consistency matters more than perfection.
Focus on relationships before sales.
People rarely buy from strangers. Let readers get to know you through your writing, your voice, and your presence.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is simple: build your community first, and your books will have a much better chance of finding their readers.
Thank you for reading. This work is reader-supported, and your presence here matters.
About the Author
The Positive Pen by John Rinaldo is a weekly publication centered on soul work, reflection, and the quiet process of becoming. Through honest writing and lived experience, he explores what it means to grow, endure, and find your voice.
He also hosts the live podcast The Positive Pen: Stories, Soul Work & Substack, where writers, authors, and artists share their journeys through meaningful, real conversations. The show airs every Monday at 4 PM EST.
John is currently working on Ciao Bella: Forgotten in the Shadows, a documentary project telling the story of Italian families who, during World War II, risked everything to help Jewish families escape to safety across the Alps.
© 2026 John V. Rinaldo. All rights reserved.
This work is protected under U.S. and international copyright law. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, displayed, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission. Official publications are released only through verified accounts directly controlled by John V. Rinaldo.
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Encouraging and wise words, John ... and in the reading, in the pacing, I felt my breathing and blood pressure slow and lower into it-is-already-good-and-okay mode; no chasing necessary, only settling in. The lines "We want people to read our work. We want our stories to matter. We want someone, somewhere, to connect with the words we spent months or years creating," came to me like a mid-range shove: we all want these things, but many of us also like the comfort of feeling safe behind our stories ... our work ... our words. I doubt I am alone in this irony of the writing life. Thank you, John, for the continued encouragement, for the mention, and for answering questions many of us we don't even know yet to ask here on Substack.
Excellent article John. Thank you for the mention as well. Our conversation was so insightful and you are absolutely correct about the relationship building. Many people lose sight of this because there are others who make it seem like it’s so easy to just market and sell. What you’re encouraging and better yet executing through example is the truly authentic approach. The relationships built here are solid. Thank you for everything. 😊💛