Why I Think MacKenzie Scott Just Made a Brilliant Move

MacKenzie Scott, the author and philanthropist formerly married to the world's richest man, Jeff Bezos, recently announced that she'll publish her next novel in serial format on Substack, one installment at a time.  

My hot take?

This is a very smart move.

And there are two big reasons why.

Reason #1: Format

We all have the attention spans of gnats.

Everything is shrinking.

Movies became streaming series. Series became vertical videos. And now we scroll through TikTok videos by the hundreds, often watching clips that last only 15–45 seconds.

So why shouldn't books evolve, too?

When a book is serialized, readers receive it one installment at a time rather than having to commit to reading an entire novel at once.

And here's the irony I love:

This isn't actually new.

It's how books began.

Charles Dickens famously released his novels in installments, chapter by chapter, through monthly or weekly publications. Readers would eagerly wait for the next installment.

Now, centuries later, we're seeing that model come back in a completely different format.

Reason #2: Data

But the short-form nature of serialization isn't the only brilliant part of Scott's decision.

It's the data.

When you publish a book through Amazon or even through a traditional Big Five publishing house, you generally don't receive a direct relationship with the individual reader.

You know that copies were sold.

But who bought them?

What did they think?

Would they like your next book?

Would they come to an event?

Would they want to hear from you again?

Often, you simply don't know.

MeiMei gives the example of her client Dr. Stephanie Cawthon, whose book Disability Is Human won a Canadian Book Award for best nonfiction. At one point, someone purchased ten copies of her book on Amazon. Stephanie would have happily connected with that person or their organization—but she had no idea who they were.  

Substack flips that model.

When Scott publishes her novel serially on Substack, she'll know who is reading because Substack gives creators access to their subscribers' email addresses.  

She's not simply releasing a book.

She's building a direct relationship with her readers.

And that's incredibly valuable.

It's an audience she can continue communicating with, invite to events, ask for feedback from, and serve throughout her career.

You Don't Have to Be a Billionaire to Do This

Here's the best part:

You don't need to be MacKenzie Scott to use this strategy.

You can start today.

Start a Substack.

Publish a weekly newsletter.

Build your audience.

Then, once you've developed a following, consider experimenting with serialization.

You could release:

• One chapter at a time
• An essay from your upcoming book
• Behind-the-scenes writing notes
• Excerpts from your manuscript
• Bonus material for your readers

The important thing is consistency.

As MeiMei says, her own newsletter goes out once a week. You don't necessarily need to write something enormous every time. What matters is showing up consistently so readers get to know, like, and trust you.  

And once you have an audience, you can use their feedback to learn.

What resonates?

What gets people responding?

What makes them share?

What stories do they want more of?

Your audience can become more than readers.

They can become part of the journey.

The Future of Publishing May Be More Direct

I'm genuinely excited to see what happens with Scott's experiment.

Because this isn't simply about publishing a novel in installments.

It's about authors having a direct relationship with their readers instead of relying entirely on traditional gatekeepers and retailers.

And that's something every author can start building—whether you're a bestselling author or you're still writing your first chapter.

You don't have to wait until your book is finished to start finding your readers.

Start building that relationship now.

TIP OF THE WEEK: Start a Substack

If you haven't already, it's time to hop on Substack.

Signing up is simple, and you can immediately start building an email list and communicating directly with your readers.

The key is to post regularly.

A weekly newsletter doesn't have to be incredibly long. It simply needs to show up consistently so your readers get to know, love, and trust you.

Once you've built a following, consider experimenting with serialization.

Take one chapter—or even an essay—from the book you're writing and publish it.

Then watch what happens.

See what readers respond to.

Pay attention to what gets engagement.

You might even discover that your audience's feedback helps you refine your tone, story, or organization before the finished book ever reaches the marketplace.  

Your readers don't have to meet you after the book is finished. Bring them along for the journey.

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Quote of the Week

“MacKenzie Scott was one of the best students I've ever had in my creative-writing classes.”

— Toni Morrison