How Can Fiction Authors Stop Blaming Algorithms and Start Building Real Audiences?
The Algorithm Doesn't Hate You — It Just Doesn't Care
Every week, I hear the same complaint from writers: “The algorithm is killing me.”
Facebook won’t show their posts.
Instagram shadowbanned them.
Amazon buried their book.
TikTok ignores their videos.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the algorithm isn’t your enemy.
It’s just indifferent.
And blaming it is easier than admitting your strategy doesn’t work.
The Core Truth
Writers love to personify algorithms as if they’re sentient gatekeepers actively working against them. But Simon K Jones and I have watched this obsession destroy more writing careers than any code ever could.
The algorithm isn’t sabotaging you. It’s doing exactly what it was designed to do: maximize engagement, sell ads, and keep users scrolling. Your book launch was never part of that equation.
Ten years ago, social media algorithms actually helped writers. You could post consistently on Facebook or Twitter and watch your blog traffic grow. The platforms wanted creators because creators brought audiences.
Then they figured out they could sell that attention instead.
Now? You’re competing with billion-dollar ad budgets for the same eyeballs. And when you lose that fight, you call it “algorithmic suppression” instead of what it actually is: a rigged game you were never meant to win.
The emotional toll of this is brutal. Writers spend hours crafting posts that get zero traction. They watch other authors seem to blow up overnight. They start second-guessing their work, their voice, their entire career—all because a piece of code didn’t prioritize their content.
The Reality We Avoid
The algorithm myth survives because it protects our ego.
If the algorithm is the problem, then we’re not. If the platform is broken, then our work is fine. If we could just crack the code, figure out the hack, post at the right time with the right hashtags...
But here’s what we lose by clinging to this lie: time, energy, and the opportunity to build something real.
Every hour you spend trying to game an algorithm is an hour you didn’t spend writing. Every post you craft for maximum engagement is a post that doesn’t reflect your actual voice. Every pivot to “what’s working right now” is a step away from work that lasts.
Simon proved this by ignoring the algorithm entirely. Five years of consistent serial fiction on Substack. Hundreds of thousands of words. No viral hacks. No gaming the system. Just quality work, week after week, building direct relationships with readers who wanted what he was creating.
No algorithm in between.
That’s the strategy that works. And it’s the strategy most writers refuse to try because it requires something viral growth doesn’t: patience.
Your Turn
Where have you blamed an algorithm for something that was actually a strategy problem?
Join Us
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If you want the deep-dive framework that shows you how to build a sustainable audience without chasing algorithmic favor, it’s waiting for you in the paid companion article.
Listen to the Full Episode
If you haven’t heard the related conversation on Nothing About This Is Safe, you can listen to it here:
🎙Episode 11: The Algorithm Doesn’t Hate You — It’s Just Honest
…and don’t miss:
→ Paid Deep Dive: The Algorithm Independence Framework: How to Build a Writing Career Without Chasing Favor
About This Podcast
Nothing About This Is Safe is the weekly writing-truth podcast hosted by Jaime Buckley, featuring honest conversations with guests like Simon K Jones.
We answer the kinds of writer questions that show up in AI prompt searches — craft, clarity, mindset, publishing, and the emotional resilience every writer needs.
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