I had originally thought of Substack as an alternative revenue stream, and while I did post a few things there, as a way to lay the groundwork for later monetization, writing Substack entries began to feel like a time sink. I don't know why, really: I could, for example, simply write all my movie reviews on Substack, gain an audience, then float the idea of having readers pay a pledge (a one-time payment), which could eventually lead to a subscription fee for those who find my writing to be worth paying for.
Part of my unwillingness to commit to Substack may simply be that I'm so committed to my blog. Every time I think that I can just write in a different vein on Substack (e.g., stupid poetry, short stories, etc.), I always ask myself why I can't do the same thing on my blog. I go back and forth on this question. Part of me thinks it'd be no problem to write something new and original on Substack, then use my blog to point people to that and maybe acquire some subscribers that way. But then, the Dragon of Commitment to the Blog makes an appearance, and I once again question why I even bother with Substack.
Well, Substack has an option in which you can subdivide your account into sub-Substacks: a Substack for poetry, a Substack for short stories, a Substack for lessons on grammar, a Substack for politics, another one for filthy humor, etc. I need to figure out how to do that, how to subdivide. I also need to figure out the whole subscriber model, and how that might apply to the sub-Substacks. I can imagine someone liberal wanting to read some of my plays and short stories but also wanting to stay away from my political writing. It wouldn't be fair to charge such a person for the political writing.
Anyway, lots to think about, lots to learn, and maybe you'll be hearing more about my Substack activity soon. Things are topsy-turvy right now, though, so no promises.
ADDENDUM: things I could do on Substack:
- poetry
- short stories
- humor (gross, filthy, PG-rated)
- exegetical commentary on various scriptures (Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, etc.)
- English-language lessons (grammar, mechanics, diction, style)
- politics (although I already write about politics on the blog)
- diet and exercise (more as a way to motivate myself)
Sorry, I'm clueless about Substack. I thought its main advantage was to avoid censorship and demonization by our corporate masters. So, from my admittedly ignorant perspective, it seems you could continue Hairy Chasms unchanged, and use it to attract readers to your Substack materials, like the creative writing ideas you mention.
ReplyDeleteI'm probably not a typical reader, but for example, as much as I enjoy your reviews, I doubt I'd make the effort to subscribe to Substack to read them. But I could see myself going there for the latest short story by the esteemed Mr. Kim.
Anyway, I like the eccletic mix here and hope that doesn't change.
I don't plan to change anything about this blog. Substack is probably best used as a repository for other writing—the kind of writing I don't normally do here (otherwise, why visit Substack, right?).
ReplyDeleteSubstack is for refugees seeking not to be canceled, although it too has its own TOS, its own limits on speech. For me, though, the point is eventual monetization that can evolve into another income stream. The strategy you described in your comment is close to the strategy I started to lay out in my post.