Will Substack Replace Magazines? An interview with former Glamour staffer Stephanie McNeal

Plus: Do big marketing campaigns from publishers make a difference to the media?

Happy almost 4th of July weekend! My plans include all of my son’s college roommates descending upon my house (there are four of them), and my daughter’s friends hanging out at our pool (please send cocktails for me). I actually love that ours is the “hangout house.” When my kids were young, I once threw a huge 4th of July party and set up stations for temporary tattoos, a piñata, water balloons, and…gasp…a trampoline. I’d say I’m most in my element when I am around young people, which is why I love teaching college so much.

Today, we have a special guest. I can’t remember how Stephanie McNeal and I started talking, but I love her Instagram and always appreciated her book coverage at Glamour. We share an appreciation for The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, too. I’m so glad she agreed to answer a few questions. Her newsletter, Side Chat, is a fun read about what’s happening in pop culture. I highly recommend subscribing.

Stephanie McNeal is a writer and editor based in New York. She’s the author of the 2023 book, "Swipe Up for More! The Unfiltered Lives of Influencers," and writes the newsletter “Side Chat” on Substack.

PC: When you worked at Glamour, what book trends, if any, did you notice, and what did you find worked best for book coverage?

SM: My most successful book coverage by far was our “books for book clubs” series. It was one of my top-read stories for 2024 and really moved the needle in a big way. I think it worked because a lot of people, mainly women but men too of course, are joining book clubs to connect and share their love of reading. It’s what everyone googles at the meeting when no one has an idea!

I would have loved to expand that series, using books as connection and discussion opportunities, to grow our books coverage and make it really robust. Maybe someday I will be able to do that in some capacity. Other than that, honestly…romantasy and smut. Which, cool!

PC: Does it matter to magazine editors if a publisher supported a book with a big marketing campaign?

SM: I wouldn’t say it makes me respect or think more highly of the book, but it makes it more likely that I’ll be exposed to it. If a book is everywhere and I’m getting a big PR box or many emails, it means it’s on my radar. There are so many books out there that there’s a lot I don’t stumble across. However, I will say that I spend a lot of time on NetGalley looking for titles that grab my eye . I’ve found and loved books on there that I’ve included in lists that I never saw get any other mainstream press. So I try to read outside the publicity box, so to speak.

PC: Is there a particular book whose success surprised you?

SM: I read a lot of thrillers and it always fascinates me which end up being bestsellers. I don’t want to be a hater, but I’ve found a lot of the big books of that genre that have blown up the past few years to be pretty formulaic. But I think I have read so many at this point that it is very hard to surprise me (I am forever chasing the high of a twist I can’t guess).

PC: Tell me about your Substack, “Side Chat.”

SM: Side Chat is a group chat in a newsletter, a weekly digest of the most interesting topics in culture curated by me. On Thursdays, I do a deep-dive essay for paid subscribers on a particularly fascinating area of the zeitgeist, something I am obsessed with, or behind the scenes of big stories I have worked on. I am planning to launch some new series this summer as well, so stay tuned!

PC: Do you think newsletters are slowly replacing magazines?

SM: No, I think they are a new way for journalists to share magazine-style writing. What we are seeing right now on Substack is talented writers choosing to own their work wholly because the old system of selling a feature to a magazine is harder to achieve, or publications aren’t paying them what they are worth. I actually don’t think Substack should replace magazines, because running a magazine is complex and it’s impossible for one person to build from scratch. I’d love to see magazines see the value in Substack writers and change the way they operate, or for new magazines to be born that learn from the thriving community on Substack.

PC: What is your media diet like?

SM: For work and news of the day, I spend a lot of time browsing Threads, Instagram, and Reddit. That’s where I find the majority of things I read. I usually will pop over to New York Mag, Atlantic, New Yorker, and sometimes Vanity Fair and Wired for longform. If I’m writing my newsletter I will go to People or the New York Times to see the headlines. If I’m looking for trend stories I’ll go on TikTok. I am also spending a lot more time on Substack these days.

PC: As you know, I am obsessed with the Real Housewives of Rhode Island. I think I prefer it to the other Housewives shows because it seems rawer. The ladies are not as polished as, say, the Housewives of Beverly Hills. Did you have the same impression? Why do you think a lot of us flock to these shows?

SM: Absolutely. The worst thing that ever happened to reality TV was when the cast became aware of their own reputations. As soon as they start producing themselves and manufacturing storylines, it doesn’t work. What’s great about RHORI is that they seem to be authentically themselves and also less savvy about their personal brands than, say, the new cast of RHONY.

I think as a society we love gossip and the machinations of friend groups. It’s like being able to see the inside of drama without being involved in it, which is endlessly entertaining.

PC: Do you think authors can learn anything from how reality stars are marketed? I feel that even though parasocial relationships are strange, they also work. In other words, a parasocial relationship with any level of celebrity translates into a fandom that buys products and watches anything their chosen celebrities appear in.

SM: Yes, I think that in order to succeed in any public-facing field now, where you need an audience you need to talk back to and engage with, you need to do so. There are exceptions, but they are very rare. I see a lot of authors and journalists who push back against this, but it’s just the reality. I will say that if you don’t want to make videos or share your personal life, you don’t have to. Just engaging with your audience in your own way is usually enough.

PC: Do you think there is a crossover between which reality shows someone watches and the books they read?

SM: That’s an interesting idea. I don’t think so. But also, maybe?

Some quick hits:

PC: Last book you read?

SM: I just finished the new Shari Lapena, Getting Away With Murder. Now I’m reading Regime Change.

PC: Fave reality show?

SM: Of all time, Vanderpump Rules. Right now, Real Housewives of Rhode Island.

PC: Fave author(s)?

SM: This is such a hard one. I don’t want to declare my favorite of all time, because I read so much and it changes all the time. But for fiction right now, I love Ottessa Moshfegh and Emma Cline. Patrick Radden Keefe and Rachel Aviv for nonfiction and longform writing. My favorite books of the past few years were Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton and The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty. Of course, I love Joan Didion. But this list makes me seem a lot more literary than I am, so I’ll also say I’ve read, I think, every single Freida McFadden and haven’t disliked one yet. My first favorite book as a kid was A Wrinkle in Time. I’ll stop there!

PC: First magazine you read?

SM: Highlights :). But I think the first one I ever chose to subscribe to was YM (RIP).

PC: Newsletter recs?

SM: I have a few friends/former colleagues that write great newsletters: Gatekeeping by Lindy Segal, Rich Text by Claire Fallon and Emma Gray, Gee Thanks Just Bought It by Caroline Moss, Knitwit by Sam Reed, Over the Influence by Jo Piazza, The Purse by Lindsay Stanberry. I love Gumshoe by Harling Ross for fashion, B List by Bella Gerard for beauty, and Hung Up by Hunter Harris and Gossip Time by Allie Jones for pop culture. Oh, and my neighborhood Substack, Court Street Journal!

PC: Favorite app?

SM: I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but I probably spend the most time on Reddit.

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Upcoming Content:

As I’ve mentioned, this summer is pretty busy for me, but have no fear, I’ve lined up a lot of great content. Over the next few weeks, you’ll read about:

• Promoting fiction when attention spans are fractured.

• How to sustain book promotion 1+ year after publication.

• The version of ourselves we put out into the world vs. who we really are.

• What happens after the book deal never materializes.

• MUCH MORE.

Some notes about pitching me:

First, let me say that I am so appreciative of the pitches I’ve received from publicists. They’ve been really smart, and authors should know that. The best pitches I receive are ones where publicists (or authors) show that they understand my readership and present me with different topics for possible guest posts. That makes my job easy.

What doesn’t get my attention: Sending a press release just tells me about the book, and I don’t have time for back-and-forth to see whether it is a fit for the newsletter. I also REALLY don’t have time to read books outside of what I am working on (remember, I am in grad school and writing a book). Plus, I am wholly unqualified to write book reviews. I leave that to Ron Charles and Jan Harayda, my two favorite critics. Remember, a press release tells me about the book; a pitch tells me why I should cover it or the author. I’ll always include info about the book, a book cover, and a buy link.

Right now, I have enough content through the third week of July, so I am open to pitches for pieces that can run in August, and I especially need content for most of September. You can pitch me by emailing: publishingconfidential@gmail.com

As always, thank you for supporting Publishing Confidential!