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I got more sales than I did votes 😕
🎙️ Episode Summary — “I Got More Sales Than I Got Votes”
In this episode of the Xeroforhire Podcast, Zero for Hire opens with some raw honesty and data frustration. After sending out a Substack poll tied to his last post, Do You Read?, he discovered only two votes came in — possibly from close friends or family. Out of 49 views and an 82% open rate, the lack of engagement hit hard.
Xero reflects on the strange contradiction between his real-world success and online silence — noting that while his serialized fiction on Apocalyptiverse gets minimal traction on Substack, he’s actually seeing steady book sales and in-person engagement. He contrasts this with the “poser” culture of online readers who claim to love reading but rarely show up when it counts.
The episode becomes an introspective look at platform fatigue, algorithmic abandonment, and the realization that the real audience might live outside the screen. Xero concludes by accepting Hannah’s advice to slow his posting schedule to a monthly rhythm and focus on tangible connections through real-world events, libraries, and book fairs.
He closes on a bittersweet note — acknowledging that while the internet feels disconnected, his podcast community still listens, his books still sell, and that paradox might be the truest snapshot of modern creative life.
⏱️ Timestamps
* 00:00 – Housekeeping and recap of last week’s poll
* 01:00 – The “two-vote” revelation and Substack analytics
* 04:00 – Reflection on serialized fiction and algorithm fatigue
* 06:00 – Theories on audience drop and the state of online engagement
* 07:00 – Shifting toward real-world book sales and in-person events
* 08:00 – Creative burnout, audience confusion, and Hannah’s advice
* 09:00 – “I got more sales than I got votes” — the irony of success
* 09:40 – Sign-off: focusing on current events and staying holy
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Published on 3 weeks, 2 days ago