you can — if you are a certain type of person with a particular identity — make a ton of money on substack. but if what you hope to do is produce good work, i think the risks of audience capture, as well as the absence of meaningful editing, is the kind of downside you shouldn’t ignore
I'd happily accept those risks to 10x my pay
The vibes around the chances of Harris winning have soured fast. It feels bleaker than it has. Hurricane affected states not being able to vote, war with Iran looming, weakness with working class showing. It does feel great!
I’m struggling with this. Good to know I’m thinking along these lines.
Can you elucidate on what you mean by "meaningful editing"? Do you mean external editing? Editing in the sense of having an editor?
I can write rather well, and have more or less given up on people, tell me more about what type of person and identity would bring me that sweet sweet bacon. Of course I'd have to be swindling the right, at this point, they deserve it.
That’s only if I care about what I’m putting out into the world!
When Matty’s name attached to anything, I run the other way. Fast. And I am not a runner.
what are downsides of audience capture, exactly? i'm asking as a member of the audience. seems like being having your thoughts influenced by feedback from your audience is a productive relationship, even at the extreme end of things.
i think that certain substackers are largely unemployable at news organizations with meaningful editing, which is why they're on substack
I think about this every time people say they "can't" leave Substack.
Another thing about sticking with Substack worth emphasizing: the bigger your audience, the MORE incentive you have to leave because they're taking a % of sub $ rather than a flat fee for the service. The bigger your audience, the more Substack takes. Leave before they trap you. Make more money.
How it started / How it's going