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Vox
05-08-2025
- Vox
Meet the Substackers who want to save the American novel
is a senior correspondent on the Culture team for Vox, where since 2016 she has covered books, publishing, gender, celebrity analysis, and theater. In book world, the summer of 2025 is officially the summer of Substack. Over the past few years, Substack has been slowly building a literary scene, one in which amateurs, relative unknowns, and Pulitzer Prize-winning writers rub shoulders with one another. This spring, a series of writers — perhaps best known for their Substacks — released new fiction, leading to a burst of publicity that the critic, novelist, and Substacker Naomi Kanakia has declared 'Substack summer.' Vox Culture Culture reflects society. Get our best explainers on everything from money to entertainment to what everyone is talking about online. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 'Is the Next Great American Novel Being Published on Substack?' asked the New Yorker in May. Substack 'has become the premier destination for literary types' unpublished musings,' announced Vulture. Can Substack move sales like BookTok can? No. But it's doing something that, for a certain set, is almost more valuable. It's giving a shot of vitality to a faltering book media ecosystem. It's building a world where everyone reads the London Review of Books, and they all have blogs. 'I myself think of BookTok as an engine for discovery, and I think Substack is an engine for discourse,' said the journalist Adrienne Westenfeld. 'BookTok is a listicle in a way. It's people recommending books that you might not have heard of. It's not as much a place for substantive dialogue about books, which is simply a limitation of short form video.' Related How BookTokers make money Three years ago, Westenfeld wrote about Substack's rising literary scene for Esquire. Now, Esquire has slashed its book coverage, and Westenfeld is writing the Substack companion to a traditionally published nonfiction book: Adam Cohen's The Captain's Dinner. That progression is, in a way, par for the course for the current moment. All the sad young literary men that are said to have disappeared are there on Substack, thriving. With both social media and Google diverting potential readers away from publications, many outlets are no longer investing in arts coverage. The literary crowd who used to hang out on what was known as 'Book Twitter' no longer gathers on what is now X. All the same, there are still people who like reading, and writing, and thinking about books. Right now, a lot of them seem to be on Substack. What strikes me most about the Substack literary scene is just how much it looks like the literary scene of 20 years ago, the one the millennials who populate Substack just missed. The novels these writers put out tend to be sprawling social fiction about the generational foibles of American families à la Jonathan Franzen. They post essays to their Substacks like they're putting blog posts on WordPress, only this time, you can add a paywall. All the sad young literary men that are said to have disappeared are there on Substack, thriving. On Substack, it's 2005 again. Substack is a lifeboat in publishing… or maybe an oar Writers can offer Substack literary credibility, while Substack can offer writers a direct and monetizable connection to their readers. In a literary landscape that feels perennially on the edge, that's a valuable attribute. 'As long as I've wanted to be a writer, as long as I've taken it seriously, it's been mostly bad news,' said the novelist and prolific Substacker Lincoln Michel. 'It's been mostly advances getting lower, articles about people reading less, book review sections closing up, less and less book coverage. Substack feels like a bit of a lifeboat, or maybe an oar tossed to you in your canoe as you're being pushed down to the waterfall. You can build up a following of people who are really interested in books and literature or whatever it is you might be writing about.' Substack summer, however, is not about the established big-name novelists. Substack summer is about writers who are not particularly famous, who found themselves amassing some tens of thousands of followers on Substack and who have recently released longform fiction. They are the ones whose works are getting discussed as central to a new literary scene. In her original 'Substack summer' post, Kanakia identified three novels of the moment as Ross Barkan's Glass Century, John Pistelli's Major Arcana, and Matthew Gasda's The Sleepers. To that list, Kanakia could easily add her own novella, Money Matters, which she published in full on Substack last November. 'No other piece of new fiction I read last year gave me a bigger jolt of readerly delight,' the New Yorker said in May of Money Matters. It wasn't quite Oprah putting Franzen's Corrections in her book club, but it was still more attention than you would reasonably expect. When Barkan and Pistelli's novels came out in April and May, they garnered a surprising amount of attention, Kanakia said. The books were both ambitious enough to be of potential interest to critics — Glass Century follows an adulterous couple from the 1970s into the present, and Major Arcana deals with a death by suicide at a university. Still, both books were from relatively small presses: Belt Publishing for Major Arcana and Tough Poets Press for Glass Century. That kind of book traditionally has a limited publicity budget, which makes it hard to get reviewed in major outlets. (Not that coverage is all that easy for anyone to get, as Michel noted.) Nonetheless, both Major Arcana and Glass Century got reviewed in the Wall Street Journal. A few weeks later, Kanakia's Money Matters, which she published directly to Substack, was written up in the New Yorker. It wasn't quite Oprah putting Franzen's Corrections in her book club, but it was still more attention than you would reasonably expect. 'I was like, 'Something's happening,'' Kanakia says. ''This is going to be big. This is going to be a moment.'' 'Had this novel been released two or three years ago, it would have been completely ignored,' says Barkan of Glass Century. 'Now it's been widely reviewed, and I credit Substack with that fully.' Pistelli's Major Arcana is even more a product of Substack than the others. Pistelli originally serialized it on Substack, and then self-published before Belt Publishing picked it up. The book didn't garner all that much attention when he was serializing it — Pistelli's feeling is that people don't go to Substack to read fiction — but after it came out in print, Substack became the peg for coverage of the book. 'A lot of the reviews, both positive and negative, treated my novel as kind of a test of whether Substack can produce a serious novel, a novel of interest,' said Pistelli. 'The verdict was mixed.' The theory that Substackers have about Substack is this: As social media and search traffic have both collapsed, the kinds of publications that usually give people their book news — newspapers, literary magazines, book specific websites — have struggled and become harder to find. Substack, which delivers directly to readers' inboxes, has emerged to fill the gap in the ecosystem. 'It's very easy to talk to people and it's very easy to get your writing out there,' said Henry Begler, who writes literary criticism on Substack. 'It feels like a real literary scene, which is something I have never been part of.' While there are lots of newsletter social platforms out there, Substack is fairly unique in that it's both a place for newsletters, which tend towards the essayistic, and, with its Twitter clone Notes app, a place for hot takes and conversations. The two formats can feed off each other. 'It creates an ongoing discussion in a longer and more considered form than it would be on Twitter, where you're just trying to get your zingers out,' says Begler. The buzzy authors of the Substack scene are also all associated with the Substack-based literary magazine The Metropolitan Review. Barkan is co-founder and editor-in-chief, and Kanakia, Pistelli, and Gasda have all written for it, as has Begler. 'Basically, we're just a group of friends online who read each other's newsletters and write for some of the same publications,' said Kanakia. For Barkan, the Metropolitan Review is at the center of a new literary movement, which he's dubbed New Romanticism, that is 'properly exploiting the original freedom promised by Internet 1.0 to yank the English language in daring, strange, and thrilling directions.' Barkan's idea is that the kind of publications that used to host such daring, strange, and thrilling speech no longer do, and the Metropolitan Review is stepping into the breach. He argues somewhat optimistically that the Metropolitan Review, which has around 22,000 subscribers, is 'one of the more widely read literary magazines in America.' The combined mythologies of Metropolitan Review and Substack summer have given these writers the beginnings of a cohesive self-identity. The world they've built with that identity is, interestingly, a bit of a throwback. The literary culture of 2005 is alive and well Here are some characteristics of the literary world of 2005: an enchantment with a group of talented young male writers who wrote primarily big social novels and a lot of excitement about the literary possibilities of a nascent blogosphere. Here are some characteristics of the Substack literary scene: a lot of young male writers, a lot of social novels, and a lot of excitement about the literary possibilities of newsletter essays. Glass Century and Major Arcana are both big, sprawling novels that take place over decades, and Glass Century, in particular, reads as though it was written under the influence of Jonathan Franzen. That's a departure from what's been more recently in vogue, like Karl Ove Knausgaard's titanic autofictional saga. 'I think there's a lot of nostalgia for a time when the novel was maybe a more discussed form or a more vital form or trying to capture a lot more of contemporary society.' 'The big trend in the world of literary fiction for the last decade or so was really autofiction, the idea of you would write a slice of life first person narrated often in a kind of transparent, not very adorned prose,' said Pistelli. 'I think there's been some desire to get back to that bigger canvas social novel that has been lost in the autofictional moment.' Literary Substack in general also seems to espouse a desire to return to a time when literature was more culturally ascendant. 'I think there's a lot of nostalgia for a time when the novel was maybe a more discussed form or a more vital form or trying to capture a lot more of contemporary society,' said Begler. 'It's partially just a shift from one mode of thinking to another, and it's partially a nostalgia for your Franzen and your David Foster Wallace and whatever.' This desire is, in its way, very Franzenian. Franzen famously wrote an essay for Harper's in 1996 in which he describes his 'despair about the American novel' after the jingoism of the lead up to the first Gulf War. Franzen thought that television was bad for the novel; he hadn't yet seen what TikTok could do to a person. While the Franzen mode pops up a lot with this crowd, there are outliers to this loose trend. Gasda's Sleeper is very much a product of millennial fiction (detached voice describing the foibles of Brooklyn literati), and Kanakia's work on Substack, which she calls her 'tales,' tends to be sparse, with little attention paid to description or setting. There's also the question of gender. The amount of men in this literary Substack scene is particularly notable in a moment so rich with essays about the disappearance of men who care about and write books. Some observers have drawn a lesson of sorts from this phenomenon: The mainstream literary world alienated men. They had to flee to Substack to build their own safe haven. 'The literary establishment treats male American writers with contempt,' wrote the writer Alex Perez on his Substack last August. His commenters agreed. The answer, they concluded, was building a platform and self publishing. 'I'm a middle-aged, straight, white, conservative, rich male who writes literary fiction. It's like a demographic poo Yahtzee. I don't stand a chance,' wrote one commenter. 'But I have 85K Twitter followers and an email list with thousands of people, so I can self-publish and sell 5,000 copies of anything I write.' 'These aren't manosphere men who are constantly raging against the influence of women on fiction. These are men just writing.' For the Metropolitan Review crowd, the amount of men in Substack's literary scene is mostly value-neutral. 'I do think there's something to the fact that when I got on Substack, I was like, 'These are people that are producing work that I'm actually interested in and I actually find compelling,' and that they were probably majority men,' said Begler. 'Overall, it's a rather welcoming environment for all,' Barkan adds. 'These aren't manosphere men who are constantly raging against the influence of women on fiction. These are men just writing.' Kanakia thinks the narrative about literary white men is more complicated than literary white men let on, but ultimately harmless. 'In 2025 the varieties of men advocating for themselves — most of them are very horrific. This variety is not so bad,' she says. 'If they want a book deal at Scribners, like, fine, if that'll make you happy. That'll be great. I have no problem with that.' In the meantime, literary Substack keeps expanding. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon just signed up. 'It's smart of him,' says Barkan. 'If I were Michael Chabon and was working on a novel, I would be on Substack. I think more literary writers who have platforms already should be there.' The closest antecedent to this moment did not last. The literary moment of 2005 was blown apart the way everything of that era was: under the pressure of the 2008 recession and the so-called Great Awokening, under the slow collapse of the blogosphere as social media took off — and everything that came along with them. Will the same thing happen to this crowd? It's hard to know for sure this early. At least for right now, Substack is having its summer.
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Yahoo
The "Romantic" First Look At Colleen Hoover's 'Regretting You' Is Bursting With Chemistry
Colleen Hoover (and her books) aren't afraid to make a statement. BookTok is still reeling from , while the rest of the internet can't stop talking about the cast. Hoover's newest adaptation, Regretting You, is just as gripping and emotional as all her other stories. The movie is based on the 2019 novel of the same name, and while centers around romantic relationships, Regretting You is all about mother-daughter relationships and moving through grief. And thanks to , we have a first look at the movie! Here's everything you need to know about Colleen Hoover's Regretting You movie, coming to theaters October 24, 2025. What is the book Regretting You about? Regretting You follows Morgan Grant (played by Allison Williams), who put her dreams on hold years ago when she got pregnant with her daughter Clara (McKenna Grace). Their age gap mirrors the one we see we see between Lorelai and Rory in , but instead of the Gilmores' close bond, Morgan and Clara's relationship becomes more strained the older Clara gets — especially when Morgan's husband Chris (Scott Eastwood) passes away in a tragic accident, revealing a secret that could change Clara's life forever. While is a production from Sony, Regretting You will be a Paramount Pictures flick. The cast is incredible and honestly, I'll always know Scott Eastwood as the guy from Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams" music video. Where can I watch Regretting You? Regretting You comes out on October 24, and it's easily one of our most-anticipated movies for 2025! Who's in the Regretting You cast? Regretting You will be directed by The Fault in Our Stars' Josh Boone and written by Susan McMartin, and the cast list is amazing! Here's the breakdown: Allison Williams as Morgan McKenna Grace as Clara Dave Franco as Jonah Mason Thames as Miller Willa Fitzgerald as Jenny Scott Eastwood as Chris Sam Morelos Clancy Brown Ethan Samuel Costanilla Who are the Regretting You characters? Regretting You has some pretty memorable characters: Morgan Grant: Clara's mother who wants to keep Clara from making the same mistakes she did. Clara Grant: Morgan's daughter who longs for independence. Chris Grant: Morgan's husband and Clara's dad, who's involved in an accident that changes everything. Miller Adams: Clara's she's technically not allowed to see. Jonah Sullivan: an unexpected and comforting presence for Morgan. Jenny Davidson: Morgan's sister Lexie: Clara's BFF Is Regretting You a spicy book? Regretting You definitely has less spice than Colleen Hoover's other books. In fact, this TikToker ranks it as her least-spicy book! Since the story focuses on Morgan and Clara, instead of a romantic relationship, this is a good pick for any readers who prefer less spicy books. But don't worry, romance fans. The movie will definitely still have plenty of tension and chemistry. I mean just look at these photos! What's the message of Regretting You? Regretting You is all about life, which I know sounds like a huge message! But the story introduces us to an established family rather than two people who want to begin a family. Chris, Morgan, and Clara already have relationships with each other, and as time passes in the story, Regretting You shows us how circumstances can change, how overwhelming our emotions can feel, and how strong our family bonds can become. And there are plenty of romantic moments too. What are the trigger warnings for Regretting You? Regretting You sees its character grapple with the reality of grief — over loss, broken relationships, and more. (There are some steamy scenes too, obviously). But the cast still had a good time on set, in thanks to Allison Williams. "I cannot resist the urge to punctuate these scenes with improv that can never end up in the movie because it's a PG-13 movie and I swear like a sailor," she tells EW. "But given that my only formal training is improv comedy, it's just sort of the crutch I rely on every once in a while, and when a scene has just kind of reached its end and we're all just standing there, I can't help myself." "One of the things that I like to do in my films, and [Regretting You director] Josh Boone likes to do also, is that it's just like real life where you have drama, but also there's comedy," producer Brunson Green adds. "There's laughs, right? When something bad happens, five seconds later, something funny in life happens. And I think that Josh has done such a great job of finding that balance." But there is still plenty of drama (and secrets) to be had with these characters, and a lot that's said without speaking a word. "I think that's always the hope in a scene, that there's a ton of stuff going on that's not being said, that you're just living and experiencing and hopefully revealing to the audience," Willa Fitzgerald says. Looking for more & news? Follow us on so you never miss a thing! This post has been updated. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
29-07-2025
- New York Post
20 bestselling book deals for less than $11
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. The average American reads just one book a month, though between us, I suspect that number's padded by the overachievers. Grim, right? But don't panic. We're not here to shame your TBR pile, we're here to revive it. Reading is still one of the most powerful ways to boost your brainpower, empathy, and cocktail party one-liners. Thanks to Amazon's wallet-friendly book prices, flexing your mental muscles doesn't have to come at the cost of your morning latte. Whether you're a literary snob, a beach-read devotee, or someone who's been meaning to finish a book since 2021, there's something here for you. This carefully curated list has something for everyone, from unputdownable thrillers, rom-coms, and celeb memoirs to literary heavyweights and hidden indie gems. Ready to upgrade your brain and downgrade your screen time? Let's turn the page. No book list would be complete without a Kristin Hannah addition. The queen of historical fiction does it again in her arguably most moving novel. A desperate family moves off the grid, following them on a journey to discover which nature is worse, environmental or human. A masterful exploration of intimacy, identity, and the complexities of modern love. With razor-sharp insight and hauntingly beautiful prose, Rooney traces the evolving relationship between Connell and Marianne — two young people whose lives intertwine with tenderness and tension. It's a deeply moving portrait of connection, vulnerability, and the struggle to find yourself in someone else. Easily one of the most honest and unforgettable novels of our time, and my personal favorite. This debut thriller is a mystery you will not be able to put down. Fly through this engaging novel to discover how wealth and jealousy can manipulate us. How far will one go to keep their past and future from colliding? A guaranteed feel-good read. The story of a solemn notebook, passed between six strangers, leading to unpredictable connections. Be delighted as the cast of The Authenticity Project discover the words within. We couldn't help but put another Kristin Hannah book on the list. Sorry! A #1 New York Times bestseller and the Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year, this novel follows a mother and daughter living in Paris during WWII. With her husband gone, protagonist Vianne is faced with impossible choices, putting others, herself, and her daughter in danger. Patti Smith's poetic memoir captures the raw energy of 1970s New York and her deep bond with Robert Mapplethorpe. With vivid honesty, she reveals the grit, dreams, and fierce creativity that shaped them both. A powerful tribute to friendship and artistic passion that lingers long after the last page. Elsie Silver is blowing up on #BookTok, and rightfully so. This rom-com takes you into a world of professional bull riding and forbidden flirtation. This book is truly a flawless example of why readers adore the one-bed trope. History buffs will revel in the true story. An account of one 18th-century man's decades-long obsession with solving a seemingly impossible scientific dilemma. Eleanor Oliphant is (not) completely fine. She is an eccentric young woman who struggles with profound isolation, that is, until she meets two unsuspected friends. Another heart-warming pick about the trials of human interaction and the value of connection. Have you ever wondered what your life could have been like if one choice had been different? In the folds between universes, Nora Seed stumbles upon a library where each book is another life she could have lived. Join Nora to go up against the overwhelming anchor of regret and discover if a life different from the one you currently live would be any better. This is the memoir to get you into memoirs. With raw honesty, Walls recounts her chaotic childhood filled with hardship, resilience, and unforgettable family drama. A powerful story of survival and hope that proves strength often comes from the most fragile places. Emily Henry is all the rage; any self-respecting avid (or dabbling) romance reader has at least one of her books under their belt. If you haven't read Funny Story yet, you simply must! It's a story of a woman dumped by her fiancé, only to move in with her ex in an act of revenge that turns into — well, I don't want to spoil it. Belle da Costa Greene holds a prestigious title, J.P. Morgan's personal librarian, but she lives a double life. Although an African American, she passes as white to protect her family and self. A moving historical novel about race, ambition, and legacy, you won't be able to put it down. A psychological thriller following newlyweds on their honeymoon. Be enthralled by this page-turning story about things hiding in murky water and life-altering choices. A gripping love story spanning 13 years: Two people meet time and time again, seems meant to be right? But life has other things in store. Is the connection between Lucy and Gabe fated in the stars or star-crossed? A group of musicians band together, propelling themselves into fame. They struggle with love, loss, betrayal, and substance abuse. Written in interview transcripts, this popular novel (and Amazon Prime mini series) is a true page-turner. A mother and her son's life is turned upside down when her journalist husband publishes a piece exposing a new drug lord in Acapulco. Lydia is forced to flee to avoid the wrath of the cartel. They find themselves amongst others, trying to reach the United States. Lydia realizes that everyone is fleeing from something. If everyone is constantly on the run, what are they running to? A spellbinding reimagining of the Trojan War that centers on the fierce bond between Achilles and Patroclus. Blending epic myth with intimate emotion, this novel pulses with passion, heartbreak, and raw humanity. Miller's lush, vivid prose brings the ancient world crashing into the modern reader's heart. For anyone who loves mythology served with a side of romance and tragedy, this is a must-read. A heartwarming rom-com, a woman inherits her aunt's Manhattan apartment to find that time bends there. Even stranger, she discovers a man living there — seven years in the past. Blending wit, charm, and a dash of fantasy, it explores love's resilience through twists both emotional and unexpected. This charming story reminds us that sometimes, fate just needs a little help, and that true connection can survive even the trickiest of timelines. This fantastical retelling of Beauty and the Beast is a fan favorite for a reason. What's the difference between a man and a monster? And what's the difference between a curse and a blessing? Read to find out. Looking for a headline-worthy haul? Keep shopping Post Wanted. For over 200 years, the New York Post has been America's go-to source for bold news, engaging stories, in-depth reporting, and now, insightful shopping guidance. We're not just thorough reporters – we sift through mountains of information, test and compare products, and consult experts on any topics we aren't already schooled specialists in to deliver useful, realistic product recommendations based on our extensive and hands-on analysis. Here at The Post, we're known for being brutally honest – we clearly label partnership content, and whether we receive anything from affiliate links, so you always know where we stand. We routinely update content to reflect current research and expert advice, provide context (and wit) and ensure our links work. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
