Founded in 2015, Discord tends to get pigeonholed as mostly for gamers or young people. But the user base doubled in 2020, and the company has larger ambitions. It now hopes to attract people fed up with Facebook—or other social media that can leave you feeling anxious or stressed. While Discord isn’t free of problems, it does offer a more private and intimate experience, and other social media sites have taken notice. For example, Twitter’s recent launch of Communities allows for more private conversations to happen without the whole world looking in.
I first became aware of Discord in January 2020, when I was speaking to an MFA class about long-term author platform-building. One of the students asked me if I thought Discord could be used to gather a community of fans. I had never heard of Discord and had to ask what it was. Later I downloaded the free software and started poking around. But it wasn’t like any other platform I was familiar with. I was essentially in an empty room by myself; I didn’t know anyone else using it or how to find like-minded people. And I wasn’t much of a gamer. So I closed the app and mostly forgot about it—until this year.
In spring 2021, a group of eight well-known journalists who run paid newsletters banded together to create a special Discord community known as Sidechannel. (They include Casey Newton, Delia Cai, and Anne Helen Petersen, among others.) Any paying subscriber could join their Sidechannel and participate in discussions with these journalists as well as other subscribers. As part of the launch, Casey Newton interviewed Mark Zuckerberg live in Sidechannel, and only subscribers could attend.
Around the same time, another newsletter writer, Elle Griffin, launched a Discord community for newsletter writers called Substack Writers Unite. Now here was something I had an interest in and could check out and experience for myself. What I found partly lifted the veil on what Discord is good for and why it can be an attractive community-building tool—perhaps especially for younger people—although I’ve found people of all ages on Discord.
First, Discord offers more privacy than most social media. This can be both a blessing and a curse for the new user. You can’t just go searching for who’s there, and it’s not even common for people to use their real names on Discord (although I do). You’re not going to be targeted with ads (because there are no ads), and the importance of your own profile is pretty low. You might have “friends” on Discord (people you privately message with), or you might belong to any number of communities (called servers)—but no one sees any numbers tied to your Discord presence.
Unlike Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you’re not trying to boost your profile or get more followers. Discord’s interface prioritizes community discussion, and it offers text-based, audio-based, and video-based chat. That’s not to say you’ll never find self-promotion happening, but it’s not terribly effective unless the person is actually respected in the community or otherwise of service.
Discord offers a more intimate experience than similar platforms. The MFA student who asked me if Discord could be used for platform-building demonstrated he really understood my message about engaging meaningfully with readers, because Discord is clearly well-suited to that. Probably the simplest way of thinking about Discord is as a dynamic, media-rich message board—or the 2021 version of IRC, if you remember IRC (internet relay chat) in the 1990s. Anyone who starts a Discord community can customize their space in myriad ways, making it as simple or as complicated as desired. You can also grant community members permission to create new discussion threads, give them specific roles or access to private areas, and much more.
The big drawback: Discord’s immense flexibility and functionality take time to learn. It’s not terribly intuitive for the uninitiated to set up their own Discord server (and I’ve avoided using the word server in this article, as it might intimidate—but please don’t let it). The best way to begin is to create an account and participate on a few servers first (see recommendations below) to get your bearings. Then, if you like it, try creating your own server. Fortunately, no one will find your server or be invited to join it until you’re ready to share the link to it.
What might authors use Discord for? Most commonly, I see creators use Discord as an invite-only perk for patrons (like through Patreon) or for paid newsletter subscribers. By granting people Discord access, you are presumably offering up-close and private access to you. Some creators run regular events or challenges as part of their Discord to nurture the community and keep people engaged. Earlier this year, Discord launched a Stage Discovery feature that is akin to Clubhouse—live events that you can join or host.
I reached out to author and artist Scott Campbell (Scott C), who has been using Discord for three years, to tell me why he values the platform. He told me, “I think it is a fun way to keep in touch with the community and get feedback on ideas and releases. It works especially well for drawing parties, where everyone is drawing together over a Twitch stream.” He said Instagram and Twitter remain the most effective way for him to reach the most people, but Discord is more intimate. It also offers a place for his fans, including those who might collect his art for trading and selling, to connect with each other.
How everyday writers use Discord: you’ll find writers helping other writers as they always do: swapping advice on writing and publishing, finding beta readers or critique partners, doing writing sprints together, taking part in writing competitions, and so on. Here are a few Discord writing-focused servers I’ve joined, observed, and found friendly and relaxed. If you’re a total newcomer to Discord, you’ll likely be warmly welcomed and shown around.
- Indie Authors: for self-publishing authors
- Substack Writers Unite: it’s for newsletter writers, including fiction writers; you don’t have to be a Substack user to benefit or participate
- WriteHive: hosted by a writing nonprofit; they run regular Discord events
- National Centre for Writing: UK-based organization
Author Trudie Skies, who manages the Indie Authors server mentioned above, has a nice round-up of writing Discord communities at her site. You can also search for Discord servers at Disboard, but servers are only listed if the owner has added it; there is no comprehensive database.
I’ve started a Discord server for Hot Sheet subscribers. My hunch is that few of you are using Discord, so I may be hosting a ghost town, but if you’re interested, join. I’m still very much a newcomer to Discord and learning what’s possible. Usually, this doesn’t bother me, but on at least three occasions, I’ve been approached by well-intentioned community members who have given me unsolicited advice on how to set up or run my Discord server. People are not shy about telling you what they want out of the experience. The bonus: You might get much better insights into your readership. The drawback: Not every idea you receive should be acted on.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
