Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment and for following the newsletter! I’m really glad you enjoyed the article.
You raise such a great point, and I think it’s all about the long game. The Kardashian example is a brilliant one — their rise wasn’t overnight; it was a consistent accumulation of visibility, media presence, and strategic moves that built momentum over time. In writing, it’s a similar process. Good writing will be noticed eventually, but it’s important to keep creating and putting it out there, even when it feels like you’re not getting the immediate recognition you deserve.
Some writers, of course, only become famous posthumously, but many of them were writing before the internet era, when it was much harder for quality work to spread. Back then, their success was often limited by the barriers of traditional publishing and distribution. Today, with the internet, there’s an unprecedented ability to share your work and reach an audience.
Of course there are no guarantees — success isn’t a certainty. It’s like playing the lottery. The more you write, the better your writing gets, and the more visibility you gain, the higher the likelihood that your work will resonate with a larger audience. However, even without hitting a massive jackpot, gaining some traction and building a smaller, dedicated following is a huge success in itself.
We shouldn’t undervalue the impact of having a few hundred loyal readers instead of millions. That smaller audience can be incredibly meaningful, and over time, that connection can grow and expand. As a writer, the key is to appreciate every step of the journey, whether it’s getting a few dozen readers or hitting a larger milestone.
As to my tipping points, I'd say that my readership has grown in steps. I've had maybe four or five viral posts that have brought in huge numbers of readers. And between those viral posts it's been a constant but slow drip of new readers.
So just keep writing, keep engaging, and trust that the effort will eventually pay off — maybe not financially, but definitely in terms of the satisfaction of knowing you’re making an impact, even if it’s on a smaller scale :)
