Dec 5, 2023·edited Dec 5, 2023Liked by Simon K Jones
cheers, Simon- I've been recommending your stack for its literary merits, not the friendly English tech support aspect, but I have to admit that seeing some of your videos does make the latter a further selling point. If you have some cachet with the powers-that-be at Substack Inc., you might inquire would it kill them to simply darken the fonts in the backend generally? I have been asking about this politely, in both public chats and to execs, and gotten nothing but 'we'll suggest it' internally... meanwhile they bring out all manner of complex tech. It is rather insulting, actually. This is such a simple solution to help writers with visual disabilities and, considering that the company is supposed to be built for writers, it would seem to be in their interest. Especially with the limited screen size and ever-expanding number of options we can expect them to add, simply darkening the fonts (or allowing a means to do so manually) would greatly improve the backend production process.... and even this chatbox. Please let me know if I am missing something, and keep up the good work, you deserve every success.
Thanks for asking Simon- I do not know, though I have asked. I never got an action-oriented response from support or anyone else in the co. Ironically, in my first comment, I wasn't trying to make a point by writing 'datken' instead of 'darken.' It's just these letters are so damn light. It is the same problem with all the backend of Substack (for example, when formatting a post, the desired section one wishes to put it in that pops up is almost invisible), This leads to countless needless typos and a general slowness of work. I do everything offline and then paste it in and hope for the best. I realize that to the vast majority of users, everything is perfect and wonderful, but for the rest of us, this system could be so much better which just a very minimum of code work on the company's part that does not involve great investment. It is literally one or two pieces of html. I have seen other many other chat boxes on other websites where the text is vividly visible. That is not the case here, and it is not the case with any of the text we actually need to see to format a basic article. Get on it, @Substack! (please).
I know on Android there are some really good accessibility options for customising size/contrast/etc of text. Windows also has extensive options for text size, contrast adjustments and so on. They should apply to all programs, including your browser, so might be worth having a look at.
(would still be good to have option within Substack itself, of course)
thx for the tip, Simon- yes, I know there are various optimization capacities in different systems and occasionally I make use of them. But I also like to compare how sites/platforms are built, preliminary to any customization, ie 'equally compared' with the point being that a sensible platform shouldn't require a lot of customization to be max functional. Or at least, it should offer options on both the writer and reader ends for different default views. It is very possible something like this exists and I have simply missed it in the deluge of new improvements they wheel out regularly. But the aspect I am pointing out seems like minimal investment, maximal reward.... this is why it would be strange for them not to implement it. Anyhow, back to work. Keep up the good writing and helpful support for the community mate.
Chris, I am not visually impaired (apart from the specs) and am new to Substack. The faintness of the very thin font was the first thing that struck me. I work on a laptop and to concentrate on the text I need it to be 120%, on top of the 110% I have as default, so I support you wholeheartedly.
Such a great suggestion. I've just finished two eye surgeries and am trying hard to avoid the things that led to so much damage to my vision. It's hard to avoid this low-contrast trend.
Agree. Many people are visually impaired, anything that makes it easier to read would be very welcome. (People don't always want to resort to the audio, and not all writers enable the audio.)
Hi and thanks for your video which are so helpful.
I have 2 publication one is sci fi comedy and the other is contempory comedy and I want to make them under one publication with sections is there a way I can do this?
Your substack videos are great. Are you going to do one on formatting substack for fiction authors? I am trying to replicate your triverse setup & the annoying substack AI assistant is unhelpful, and suggests I look for youtube videos. Any suggestion AI make disappear quickly Into the moving chat boxes which makes it hard to follow. I have been so far unable to find any video ps that address this topic in detail.
Could you suggest a video or written resource that details attractive setups for publishing fiction on substack, particularly chaptered novels? Many thanks
This is on the list! I want to dive a bit more into structuring Substacks. In fact, I have something tentatively pencilled in for March to start looking at some of this.
Thanks so much, Simon! You pointed out a few things I didn't know, and hadn't set up yet. There really are a lot of customization options that are fantastic!
Wow, thanks for this. It wasn’t at all dull - in fact, I really enjoyed it and made quite a few changes to my settings as you worked down the list. Much appreciated!
cheers, Simon- I've been recommending your stack for its literary merits, not the friendly English tech support aspect, but I have to admit that seeing some of your videos does make the latter a further selling point. If you have some cachet with the powers-that-be at Substack Inc., you might inquire would it kill them to simply darken the fonts in the backend generally? I have been asking about this politely, in both public chats and to execs, and gotten nothing but 'we'll suggest it' internally... meanwhile they bring out all manner of complex tech. It is rather insulting, actually. This is such a simple solution to help writers with visual disabilities and, considering that the company is supposed to be built for writers, it would seem to be in their interest. Especially with the limited screen size and ever-expanding number of options we can expect them to add, simply darkening the fonts (or allowing a means to do so manually) would greatly improve the backend production process.... and even this chatbox. Please let me know if I am missing something, and keep up the good work, you deserve every success.
Is this something that can be adjust using accessibility settings within the OS, perhaps? Definitely sympathise - my eyesight gets worse by the year.
Thanks for asking Simon- I do not know, though I have asked. I never got an action-oriented response from support or anyone else in the co. Ironically, in my first comment, I wasn't trying to make a point by writing 'datken' instead of 'darken.' It's just these letters are so damn light. It is the same problem with all the backend of Substack (for example, when formatting a post, the desired section one wishes to put it in that pops up is almost invisible), This leads to countless needless typos and a general slowness of work. I do everything offline and then paste it in and hope for the best. I realize that to the vast majority of users, everything is perfect and wonderful, but for the rest of us, this system could be so much better which just a very minimum of code work on the company's part that does not involve great investment. It is literally one or two pieces of html. I have seen other many other chat boxes on other websites where the text is vividly visible. That is not the case here, and it is not the case with any of the text we actually need to see to format a basic article. Get on it, @Substack! (please).
I know on Android there are some really good accessibility options for customising size/contrast/etc of text. Windows also has extensive options for text size, contrast adjustments and so on. They should apply to all programs, including your browser, so might be worth having a look at.
(would still be good to have option within Substack itself, of course)
thx for the tip, Simon- yes, I know there are various optimization capacities in different systems and occasionally I make use of them. But I also like to compare how sites/platforms are built, preliminary to any customization, ie 'equally compared' with the point being that a sensible platform shouldn't require a lot of customization to be max functional. Or at least, it should offer options on both the writer and reader ends for different default views. It is very possible something like this exists and I have simply missed it in the deluge of new improvements they wheel out regularly. But the aspect I am pointing out seems like minimal investment, maximal reward.... this is why it would be strange for them not to implement it. Anyhow, back to work. Keep up the good writing and helpful support for the community mate.
Chris, I am not visually impaired (apart from the specs) and am new to Substack. The faintness of the very thin font was the first thing that struck me. I work on a laptop and to concentrate on the text I need it to be 120%, on top of the 110% I have as default, so I support you wholeheartedly.
Such a great suggestion. I've just finished two eye surgeries and am trying hard to avoid the things that led to so much damage to my vision. It's hard to avoid this low-contrast trend.
Agree. Many people are visually impaired, anything that makes it easier to read would be very welcome. (People don't always want to resort to the audio, and not all writers enable the audio.)
Simon
OMG! I could KISS YOU!
Substack is NOT intuitive and easy to use. If it were, there would be a 'newsletter' button.
I have been wandering a desert of options and buttons... cursing and flailing about!
My hubby was nearing divorce! Telling me to stay with Medium- but I know that there is a future here!
Your simple instructions are bringing me to happy tears!
Thanks! I will be subscribing to you! Su Stella
Ha! Very glad to help, Su. :)
Hi and thanks for your video which are so helpful.
I have 2 publication one is sci fi comedy and the other is contempory comedy and I want to make them under one publication with sections is there a way I can do this?
Your substack videos are great. Are you going to do one on formatting substack for fiction authors? I am trying to replicate your triverse setup & the annoying substack AI assistant is unhelpful, and suggests I look for youtube videos. Any suggestion AI make disappear quickly Into the moving chat boxes which makes it hard to follow. I have been so far unable to find any video ps that address this topic in detail.
Could you suggest a video or written resource that details attractive setups for publishing fiction on substack, particularly chaptered novels? Many thanks
This is on the list! I want to dive a bit more into structuring Substacks. In fact, I have something tentatively pencilled in for March to start looking at some of this.
Great video! A huge rhank you for creating it. Now I have a list of things I need to address on my Substack 😊
Awesome. Thanks heaps Simon!!
Goodness, did I need this. Clear and enjoyable—what every beginner at Substack can use. Thank you, Simon.
Really glad it helped!
So useful, Simon, cheers
Very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to go through this.
Thanks so much, Simon! You pointed out a few things I didn't know, and hadn't set up yet. There really are a lot of customization options that are fantastic!
Wow, thanks for this. It wasn’t at all dull - in fact, I really enjoyed it and made quite a few changes to my settings as you worked down the list. Much appreciated!
Really appreciate your videos. They are super helpful for new substackers.
Thanks for the walk-through. Most helpful to understand what all these menus *mean*. Not all are obvious.
Thanks so much! Can you add old posts to newly created sections, or do they only apply to new posts?
You can! You can edit a post and change the section it is in. A post can only be in a single section, though. It can have multiple tags, however.
Thank you! Ok, good to know on the multiple tags. You’re a gem for providing this info! Thank you.
Many thanks as ever Simon
Wow
Thank you very much for you time Simon ✨❣️