Advertisers must be kept as far away from Substack as possible. It might seem more profitable to allow ads. Some writers may even favor this option. However, it will ultimately lead to bias and censorship, and will incentivize the algorithm to become more polarizing to best ensnare users’ attention.
The fastest way to pervert and kill this place is to allow advertising to get into it and then have any sort of say in how things are done.
Absolutely!! I'm scared of it happening—especially since some writers might actually support the switch. It would potentially offer greater profits in the short-term, but it would ruin everything that made Substack a good place to publish in the first place.
I made a suggestion to SS yesterday that was received at least. I think if SS was to parter with a physical print shop and ran it similar to tee shirt companies they could make some pretty serious cash and provide a real, tangible product to writers and consumers alike.
Think about it. You write a story on SS and then click on a link that takes you directly to a printshop site where your story is automatically uploaded into their software and you can design covers and illustrations. Enter quantity of physical copies you’d like and hit check out.
In a few weeks you would have a real book that you wrote in your hands, SS will have made a % and the print shop, who likely has been suffering for years will have a whole new income stream that they can use to invest in themselves and their employees……
I like this idea (although I admittedly don't know enough about the business end of things to know whether it would be profitable). A lot of writers on here are interested in self-publishing (I'd use the service if Substack offered it). Plus, it would tip the scales back in favor of Substack as a publication platform instead of a social media site.
We just published our book in Amazon, did the layout, editing all ourselves. We had several articles from our own website that became the basis for our book, we converted then expanded upon them. All the hard way with Adobe Acrobat (my faulty entirely). It was a slog but well worth it.
That said, Substack offering such a solution seems to be a quite logical extension of what they are doing. I see others taking their monthly items and turning it into a book / printed publication available on GumRoad. If steps can be eliminated for post conversion, it would be embraced quickly.
May 16·edited May 16Liked by Melissa Petrie, John Mistretta
Writers can do that now themselves w/o involving substack (I wonder if substack's no ad policy means a author can't footnote; "The above is also available in hard copy, contact me at...") check out Lulu (https://www.lulu.com/) for example.
On the other hand, if substack wanted to set such up, Lulu notes on their website; "Free Automated Book Printing For Your Business Connect your business site with Lulu's free book printing API. Have copies professionally printed and shipped automatically."
I use Lulu as an example as I like their setup, there are other shops providing such service as well.
Thanks for the link! I'll definitely look into the site—I've been thinking about self-publishing a novel for a while now, but haven't weighed my options much.
It's an intriguing idea for Substack to get involved, though. Not only would it streamline the process (I'm sure Substack would offer better ways to promote self-published books if they were getting a chunk of the profits), but it would also grow Substack in a way that actually benefits creators.
Check out Lulu's "Book Pricing Calculator Quality book printing at a reasonable price. Check pricing, format variations, retail pricing, and shipping for custom books or calendars." on their web page.
You, before you pay them money or commit to anything, build your desired package, including paper quality, desired book cover, shipping, etc.. etc., etc. & they'll tell you what it'll cost if you buy from them.
You're welcome. Such appears to me to be a viable option.
I'm somewhat surprised that so many authors consider themselves indies, that they are free and independent of publishing houses such as Random house, Harper Collins, Baen, etc. when they publish through Amazon (Which defines and delimits how they can, or can not release their works through other outlets.) , and puts restrictions on their authors just as limiting, in some cases more so, than other publishers.
Amazon's restrictions seem so much worse than traditional publishing houses to me. On one hand, at least they leave you alone and let you write what you want. On the other, to have to exclusively sell on Amazon (and thus never see your book on shelves) is so limiting.
Hell yeah thanks for the link!!! I had no idea that existed. I feel bad for my friends and family now, their Christmas and birthday presents are taken care of from here until….😂
But yeah, SS should definitely jump on a partnership of sorts. I’d pay a premium to do it all in one spot if it was streamlined enough.
If Substack wants to survive long-term, it will need to venture into fintech to avoid being suddenly debanked one day. Current near-total dependence on Stripe is the most worrying single thing about the situation.
Malone might have slightly exaggerated his troubles with Stripe (those were quite quickly resolved after he offered™ to sue them) but the article contains rather informative links.
As far as I can tell, with a very quick, short, set of searches, Substack's a private company and the 3 founders are in control. So far, Best, et al, seem to call the shots and are satisfied with the monetary returns.
Until and unless they go public I suspect the things we (We being all right thinking people, of course. Grin.) like will stay that way.
Yes, of course, sooner or later things will change, but now, it's great while it's lasting.
Going public means that entities such as BlackRock and Larry Fink can gain control just by purchasing shares for their retirement funds of millions and millions of people. That is more leverage that the stock price itself because the volume of shares can be withdrawn instantly, and the stock crushed. This is new mechanism that is driving so many companies to make the strangest choices for their brands. That is not market forces, it’s a masked form of intimidation.
Remaining independent is THE primary goal if Substack is to thrive.
I hope they don't go public. So many entrepreneurs have lost control of their companies opening it up to the stock market. I'd rather have the consistent profits and freedom to do whatever I want than deal with stockholders.
I appreciate the depth of what’s created on Substack going far beyond 140 characters. I appreciate that there’s actual humans behind most accounts, activists are easily identifiable and the discourse is relatively respectful. No ad dollars makes that possible. Lets hope the biz model keeps it that way.
Completely agreed. They've really created a great thing here. As long as they don't go back on everything they did to make it that way, it should stay for a while.
Except that the lamestream platforms don't make money. Every single one of them has lost money every single year. Why are they still around? Subsidizing propaganda.
So if Substack becomes another soy platform kept around as a means of subsidizing propaganda, I agree that's a terrible thing, but it is that and not fiat currency that is the measure of profit.
Though, I wonder where Substack does get their money? Some small percentage of paid subscribers (that could be shut down at any instant because Stripe has a reputation for that)? Because I've definitely seen some posters that look like plants so they won't lose this new platform like they lost tiktok.
Stripe is the reason why I won't be posting any paid content here and will primarily be using it as a promotion for my paid content. And most men with sense are in the same position, I remember someone bragging about their first paid sub and even that doxes you on Stripe lol.
10% is a small cut though, and as mentioned, Stripe could shut it down at any moment even for unrelated wrongthink. Oh, you bought a silly red hat, so we're denying you income!
Then consider that even as a small team, they still likely have significantly more staff than necessary, they're in Commiefornia, so it was monopoly money even before the holocoof, and bandwidth also costs money, though not that much since you can't post long videos. Does that measure out as a net profit? Dunno, but you can only operate at a loss if you're wasting someone else's money or money isn't an object.
To my eyes Notes was solidly twitteroid. Since Notes began, the rest of Substack has gradually become more like the other media, where Team A and Team B get all the money and attention, while non-team players fade away. We don't know the intentions of the managers, but it looks from the outside like they're preparing the ground for an IPO or a buyout.
I can see what you're saying, although I've been optimistic that while the big Substacks have continued to grow proportionally with their size, there's been opportunity for us little guys, too.
A buyout was what I was concerned about when writing this, but an IPO would accomplish the same thing. You may be right, but I really, really hope you're wrong.
Sorry but that sounds kind of paranoid. Notes is where you have informal chats with intelligent people, and posts are where you present more reasoned, thought out formal ideas. The compliment each other IMO.
I think over the long run Substack will make more money than Twitter, Facebook and all the other social media as long as they stick to the core principles that made people come to them in the first place. The reality is that people like not being censored and if you think that would make them less money, that's insane.
The thing is, though, substack’s business model relies on people shelling out their own money to support the platform, versus the other business models, which profit off of users’ attention. It seems like the vast majority of people just don’t want to pay for what they can get for free.
Plus, the external (political?) pressure towards censorship must be really high.
Right now my biggest concern is the decision to sell or go public, both of which will promise really huge sums of money in the short-term. Who knows? It’s just a thought. Right now it’s up in the air, could go either way.
Excellent writing piece, Melissa! While I have the gift of gab, I am predominately an introvert. I do not seek out " social media " in general . What draws me to Substack is to be in a sea of writers and to read what other writers are not only writing, but thinking. I could care less about places where people seem to brag or show off, I am the polar opposite to that. Deep thinkers draw deep thinkers. I actually pray for Substack to keep going and to evolve well. A heartfelt thanks to you, Melissa, for writing this and other commenters here for thoughts. I learn SO much from comments on Notes! Blessings to all, WEW
I never even thought about it, but one of the (many) reasons this platform is so enjoyable is the fact that there are no ads. I really hope we can keep it this way.
Let us hope they can, I came here to write Tolkienian styled fantasy lit and to do lit and philosophy essays, not to be drowned in an algorithm consumed with social justice.
I have been asking for a while, what is our Plan B? Even if Substack hold fast to their principles, rather than go for the bigger profits, nation states may decide to shut them down nationally for not censoring. It won't happen now, but when they decide to roll in the next crisis, that requires total population brainwashing, it will inevitably follow that the infrastructure we built during this covid crisis to give ourselves a platform, absolutely must be destroyed before the next crisis can be rolled in successfully.
The repression may not be as crude as having to shut the platforms down altogether, as long as they can be made ineffective, and currently what is going on with the "substack doctors" is a great example of substack becoming ineffective in the medical field. At the start of covid, we had little choice but to trust the doctors we needed to survive. What we did not know is that they were deliberately placed to mop up the free thinkers and take us down blind alleys. We are now questioning those doctors and their blind alleys. Now for as long as the space on substack can be dominated by the doctors who are leading us down blind alleys, then substack can be allowed to survive into the next pandemic. But if we actually get past the current point to actual health truth, where we are able to sort out the controlled opposition from the good guys, then we must be shut down. With or without an active pandemic, that can never be allowed. And we are close to seeing how we have been "had" by which doctors.
I don't have the same insight into other arenas, but I would guess the same issues are going on. While the controlled opposition dominates, substack is safe. Once it is fully exposed, then the next stage of the operation must begin, whatever form that takes. And we won't like it.
That's a reassuring thought. I'm always impressed by Substack's leadership. I think it's actually run by genuine people—something so rare, it actually gives me hope for the world.
I notice brigades of substacks with "The Approved Opinion™" showing up lately and using the usual shaming tactics to try and push authors who have already been here for a while.
“The eight stages of the SJW attack sequence are as follows: Locate or Create a Violation of the Narrative. Point and Shriek. Isolate and Swarm. Reject and Transform. Press for Surrender. Appeal to Amenable Authority. Show Trial. Victory Parade.”
Nice! I didn't see this until after I posted my other comment. My statement stands—as long as the process is stopped at "Appeal to Amenable Authority," it's all fair game in my opinion.
No. It's currently at the stage where "The Approved Opinion™" authors are pointing and shrieking at established substackers and siccing their audience on them. The authors are either very extreme in publishing immediate backlash, causing TAO rep to back down to seek easier prey, or they are confused as to why someone would attack them for no reason (which is what TAO wants and is used to).
The substack authors are generally well calloused to these attacks, which is why they're here at all, but the naive ones who are on substack because they happened to know about it instead of being exiled from elsewhere are sent reeling. The attack audiences display the same groupthink, coordinated attack messaging and unwillingness to engage dialogue that is typical of these brigades elsewhere. It's tiresome.
Ugh. What a shame, although I guess it's par for the course. Thanks for this explanation.
I think that as long as Substack remains unbiased in this, readers can decide for themselves what to support (and while the "TAO" crowd can be a nuisance, they can't do any significant damage as long as authors defend themselves).
Big money can be alluring. So, perhaps what will keep the Stack vibrant is to find a way to enhance the Stack's bottom line without destroying the current open and supportive environment. Since creativity abounds here, I think it can be done. The suggestions of streamlining the production of physical products for sale, books, tee-shirts etc could be a lucrative feature. Etsy has done OK with individual producers. I'm sure there are other options as well. Or maybe the lure of big money is not a threat after all. Wouldn't that be revolutionary?
Haha, if the lure of big money ceased to be a threat, that might be the single biggest accomplishment of all time. Physical products are a great idea. Anything that would solidify Substack's reputation as a space for creators, instead of just a social media platform.
I am a paper cut artist as well as a writer so I have a bias, but IMO Substack should branch out and monetize all the photographers, painters, and other makers we have here. I like selling my work here, because it's so much more personal, and I get to know my customers, unlike Etsy, or Satchi, etc.
100% THIS:
Advertisers must be kept as far away from Substack as possible. It might seem more profitable to allow ads. Some writers may even favor this option. However, it will ultimately lead to bias and censorship, and will incentivize the algorithm to become more polarizing to best ensnare users’ attention.
The fastest way to pervert and kill this place is to allow advertising to get into it and then have any sort of say in how things are done.
Absolutely!! I'm scared of it happening—especially since some writers might actually support the switch. It would potentially offer greater profits in the short-term, but it would ruin everything that made Substack a good place to publish in the first place.
I made a suggestion to SS yesterday that was received at least. I think if SS was to parter with a physical print shop and ran it similar to tee shirt companies they could make some pretty serious cash and provide a real, tangible product to writers and consumers alike.
Think about it. You write a story on SS and then click on a link that takes you directly to a printshop site where your story is automatically uploaded into their software and you can design covers and illustrations. Enter quantity of physical copies you’d like and hit check out.
In a few weeks you would have a real book that you wrote in your hands, SS will have made a % and the print shop, who likely has been suffering for years will have a whole new income stream that they can use to invest in themselves and their employees……
IDK I like the idea.
I like this idea (although I admittedly don't know enough about the business end of things to know whether it would be profitable). A lot of writers on here are interested in self-publishing (I'd use the service if Substack offered it). Plus, it would tip the scales back in favor of Substack as a publication platform instead of a social media site.
We just published our book in Amazon, did the layout, editing all ourselves. We had several articles from our own website that became the basis for our book, we converted then expanded upon them. All the hard way with Adobe Acrobat (my faulty entirely). It was a slog but well worth it.
That said, Substack offering such a solution seems to be a quite logical extension of what they are doing. I see others taking their monthly items and turning it into a book / printed publication available on GumRoad. If steps can be eliminated for post conversion, it would be embraced quickly.
Writers can do that now themselves w/o involving substack (I wonder if substack's no ad policy means a author can't footnote; "The above is also available in hard copy, contact me at...") check out Lulu (https://www.lulu.com/) for example.
On the other hand, if substack wanted to set such up, Lulu notes on their website; "Free Automated Book Printing For Your Business Connect your business site with Lulu's free book printing API. Have copies professionally printed and shipped automatically."
I use Lulu as an example as I like their setup, there are other shops providing such service as well.
Thanks for the link! I'll definitely look into the site—I've been thinking about self-publishing a novel for a while now, but haven't weighed my options much.
It's an intriguing idea for Substack to get involved, though. Not only would it streamline the process (I'm sure Substack would offer better ways to promote self-published books if they were getting a chunk of the profits), but it would also grow Substack in a way that actually benefits creators.
Check out Lulu's "Book Pricing Calculator Quality book printing at a reasonable price. Check pricing, format variations, retail pricing, and shipping for custom books or calendars." on their web page.
You, before you pay them money or commit to anything, build your desired package, including paper quality, desired book cover, shipping, etc.. etc., etc. & they'll tell you what it'll cost if you buy from them.
Thanks so much for breaking this down. There's so much information out there about self-publishing it's hard to know what to pay attention to.
You're welcome. Such appears to me to be a viable option.
I'm somewhat surprised that so many authors consider themselves indies, that they are free and independent of publishing houses such as Random house, Harper Collins, Baen, etc. when they publish through Amazon (Which defines and delimits how they can, or can not release their works through other outlets.) , and puts restrictions on their authors just as limiting, in some cases more so, than other publishers.
Amazon's restrictions seem so much worse than traditional publishing houses to me. On one hand, at least they leave you alone and let you write what you want. On the other, to have to exclusively sell on Amazon (and thus never see your book on shelves) is so limiting.
Precisely
Hell yeah thanks for the link!!! I had no idea that existed. I feel bad for my friends and family now, their Christmas and birthday presents are taken care of from here until….😂
But yeah, SS should definitely jump on a partnership of sorts. I’d pay a premium to do it all in one spot if it was streamlined enough.
Damn. That is an ab-so-lute-ly BRILLIANT idea. 👋💥.
I wholeheartedly support that TYPE of automation / integration.
Even easier, they could open some kind of shopfront through which we can sell our wares. The Substack version of Etsy that also includes a Lulu.
Careful if you call Substack, SS they are going to call you a Nazi.
lol I didn’t even think of that. At least not more than once 😂
If Substack wants to survive long-term, it will need to venture into fintech to avoid being suddenly debanked one day. Current near-total dependence on Stripe is the most worrying single thing about the situation.
Wow, that's a great point. I would've never thought about it.
Should the censorship pressure really continue to escalate, this might actually be the thing that makes them cave.
Related: https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/stripe-substack-demand-financial
Malone might have slightly exaggerated his troubles with Stripe (those were quite quickly resolved after he offered™ to sue them) but the article contains rather informative links.
As far as I can tell, with a very quick, short, set of searches, Substack's a private company and the 3 founders are in control. So far, Best, et al, seem to call the shots and are satisfied with the monetary returns.
Until and unless they go public I suspect the things we (We being all right thinking people, of course. Grin.) like will stay that way.
Yes, of course, sooner or later things will change, but now, it's great while it's lasting.
Yes, going public is another risk that I didn't even think about!!
I suppose you're right that it's bound to change eventually. I just hope it's later rather than sooner.
Going public means that entities such as BlackRock and Larry Fink can gain control just by purchasing shares for their retirement funds of millions and millions of people. That is more leverage that the stock price itself because the volume of shares can be withdrawn instantly, and the stock crushed. This is new mechanism that is driving so many companies to make the strangest choices for their brands. That is not market forces, it’s a masked form of intimidation.
Remaining independent is THE primary goal if Substack is to thrive.
I hope they don't go public. So many entrepreneurs have lost control of their companies opening it up to the stock market. I'd rather have the consistent profits and freedom to do whatever I want than deal with stockholders.
‘Looks like we’ve got ourselves some readers.’ -
I appreciate the depth of what’s created on Substack going far beyond 140 characters. I appreciate that there’s actual humans behind most accounts, activists are easily identifiable and the discourse is relatively respectful. No ad dollars makes that possible. Lets hope the biz model keeps it that way.
Completely agreed. They've really created a great thing here. As long as they don't go back on everything they did to make it that way, it should stay for a while.
>Substack making money like lamestream platforms
Except that the lamestream platforms don't make money. Every single one of them has lost money every single year. Why are they still around? Subsidizing propaganda.
So if Substack becomes another soy platform kept around as a means of subsidizing propaganda, I agree that's a terrible thing, but it is that and not fiat currency that is the measure of profit.
Though, I wonder where Substack does get their money? Some small percentage of paid subscribers (that could be shut down at any instant because Stripe has a reputation for that)? Because I've definitely seen some posters that look like plants so they won't lose this new platform like they lost tiktok.
That's an interesting take. I hadn't considered the subsidizing propaganda thing, but honestly, it makes way too much sense...
(also, I'm learning a lot about Stripe today—I had no idea they were so unreliable.)
Stripe is the reason why I won't be posting any paid content here and will primarily be using it as a promotion for my paid content. And most men with sense are in the same position, I remember someone bragging about their first paid sub and even that doxes you on Stripe lol.
Substack gets their money from the 10% they take. That's actually a huge amount especially if you are a big creator.
10% is a small cut though, and as mentioned, Stripe could shut it down at any moment even for unrelated wrongthink. Oh, you bought a silly red hat, so we're denying you income!
Then consider that even as a small team, they still likely have significantly more staff than necessary, they're in Commiefornia, so it was monopoly money even before the holocoof, and bandwidth also costs money, though not that much since you can't post long videos. Does that measure out as a net profit? Dunno, but you can only operate at a loss if you're wasting someone else's money or money isn't an object.
To my eyes Notes was solidly twitteroid. Since Notes began, the rest of Substack has gradually become more like the other media, where Team A and Team B get all the money and attention, while non-team players fade away. We don't know the intentions of the managers, but it looks from the outside like they're preparing the ground for an IPO or a buyout.
I can see what you're saying, although I've been optimistic that while the big Substacks have continued to grow proportionally with their size, there's been opportunity for us little guys, too.
A buyout was what I was concerned about when writing this, but an IPO would accomplish the same thing. You may be right, but I really, really hope you're wrong.
Sorry but that sounds kind of paranoid. Notes is where you have informal chats with intelligent people, and posts are where you present more reasoned, thought out formal ideas. The compliment each other IMO.
I think over the long run Substack will make more money than Twitter, Facebook and all the other social media as long as they stick to the core principles that made people come to them in the first place. The reality is that people like not being censored and if you think that would make them less money, that's insane.
That’s a good point, and I hope you’re right.
The thing is, though, substack’s business model relies on people shelling out their own money to support the platform, versus the other business models, which profit off of users’ attention. It seems like the vast majority of people just don’t want to pay for what they can get for free.
Plus, the external (political?) pressure towards censorship must be really high.
Right now my biggest concern is the decision to sell or go public, both of which will promise really huge sums of money in the short-term. Who knows? It’s just a thought. Right now it’s up in the air, could go either way.
Excellent writing piece, Melissa! While I have the gift of gab, I am predominately an introvert. I do not seek out " social media " in general . What draws me to Substack is to be in a sea of writers and to read what other writers are not only writing, but thinking. I could care less about places where people seem to brag or show off, I am the polar opposite to that. Deep thinkers draw deep thinkers. I actually pray for Substack to keep going and to evolve well. A heartfelt thanks to you, Melissa, for writing this and other commenters here for thoughts. I learn SO much from comments on Notes! Blessings to all, WEW
Thank you so much, Wendy! That’s what draws me to Substack, too, and I think a lot of people on here feel the same way.
At the very least, even if Substack grows and changes, I hope this little ‘corner’ of it can stay as it is and be left alone.
I never even thought about it, but one of the (many) reasons this platform is so enjoyable is the fact that there are no ads. I really hope we can keep it this way.
Let us hope they can, I came here to write Tolkienian styled fantasy lit and to do lit and philosophy essays, not to be drowned in an algorithm consumed with social justice.
100%!!!
Thanks, really have come to despise youtube and the other tech sites, they’ve nothing to offer as platforms anymore.
I have been asking for a while, what is our Plan B? Even if Substack hold fast to their principles, rather than go for the bigger profits, nation states may decide to shut them down nationally for not censoring. It won't happen now, but when they decide to roll in the next crisis, that requires total population brainwashing, it will inevitably follow that the infrastructure we built during this covid crisis to give ourselves a platform, absolutely must be destroyed before the next crisis can be rolled in successfully.
The repression may not be as crude as having to shut the platforms down altogether, as long as they can be made ineffective, and currently what is going on with the "substack doctors" is a great example of substack becoming ineffective in the medical field. At the start of covid, we had little choice but to trust the doctors we needed to survive. What we did not know is that they were deliberately placed to mop up the free thinkers and take us down blind alleys. We are now questioning those doctors and their blind alleys. Now for as long as the space on substack can be dominated by the doctors who are leading us down blind alleys, then substack can be allowed to survive into the next pandemic. But if we actually get past the current point to actual health truth, where we are able to sort out the controlled opposition from the good guys, then we must be shut down. With or without an active pandemic, that can never be allowed. And we are close to seeing how we have been "had" by which doctors.
I don't have the same insight into other arenas, but I would guess the same issues are going on. While the controlled opposition dominates, substack is safe. Once it is fully exposed, then the next stage of the operation must begin, whatever form that takes. And we won't like it.
"If we pivoted to ads, it would destroy Substack and be shitty for the world." - Hamish McKenzie
https://substack.com/@hamish/note/c-53174498
If Substack sticks to its core convictions, we should be fine. If they begin to float the idea, call it out. At this point, I take Hamish at his word.
Thanks so much for sharing this!!
That's a reassuring thought. I'm always impressed by Substack's leadership. I think it's actually run by genuine people—something so rare, it actually gives me hope for the world.
I notice brigades of substacks with "The Approved Opinion™" showing up lately and using the usual shaming tactics to try and push authors who have already been here for a while.
Yikes—I guess it was bound to happen. A product of the site going mainstream is all the mainstream folks coming in with their usual habits.
Have they been successful, from what you’ve seen?
Ah, I found the relevant entry:
“The eight stages of the SJW attack sequence are as follows: Locate or Create a Violation of the Narrative. Point and Shriek. Isolate and Swarm. Reject and Transform. Press for Surrender. Appeal to Amenable Authority. Show Trial. Victory Parade.”
We're around stages 2-3.
Nice! I didn't see this until after I posted my other comment. My statement stands—as long as the process is stopped at "Appeal to Amenable Authority," it's all fair game in my opinion.
No. It's currently at the stage where "The Approved Opinion™" authors are pointing and shrieking at established substackers and siccing their audience on them. The authors are either very extreme in publishing immediate backlash, causing TAO rep to back down to seek easier prey, or they are confused as to why someone would attack them for no reason (which is what TAO wants and is used to).
The substack authors are generally well calloused to these attacks, which is why they're here at all, but the naive ones who are on substack because they happened to know about it instead of being exiled from elsewhere are sent reeling. The attack audiences display the same groupthink, coordinated attack messaging and unwillingness to engage dialogue that is typical of these brigades elsewhere. It's tiresome.
Ugh. What a shame, although I guess it's par for the course. Thanks for this explanation.
I think that as long as Substack remains unbiased in this, readers can decide for themselves what to support (and while the "TAO" crowd can be a nuisance, they can't do any significant damage as long as authors defend themselves).
Big money can be alluring. So, perhaps what will keep the Stack vibrant is to find a way to enhance the Stack's bottom line without destroying the current open and supportive environment. Since creativity abounds here, I think it can be done. The suggestions of streamlining the production of physical products for sale, books, tee-shirts etc could be a lucrative feature. Etsy has done OK with individual producers. I'm sure there are other options as well. Or maybe the lure of big money is not a threat after all. Wouldn't that be revolutionary?
Haha, if the lure of big money ceased to be a threat, that might be the single biggest accomplishment of all time. Physical products are a great idea. Anything that would solidify Substack's reputation as a space for creators, instead of just a social media platform.
I am a paper cut artist as well as a writer so I have a bias, but IMO Substack should branch out and monetize all the photographers, painters, and other makers we have here. I like selling my work here, because it's so much more personal, and I get to know my customers, unlike Etsy, or Satchi, etc.
🎯