The Case for Going Paid

Life is very short. Few people do what they truly love. In the nineteenth century authors like Dickens, Twain and Dostoevsky wrote serials and made (sometimes) decent money. It was, back then, a respectable craft. It was even taken fairly seriously.

This is of course before TV, radio, the internet, cell phones, social media. It seems to me that, in a way, Substack is bringing those times back. Not precisely those times, of course. You can’t ever hit the rewind button. But in some sense this is the goal. The contemporary writing market is flooded. Everyone reads things 24/7 on their phones now. Literature has sort of gone the way of the dinosaur, generally speaking.

But Substack is opening up an ancient, yet very new door. An opportunity. Writers can genuinely make a decent living on here. I’ve seen it. It takes time. But it’s doable. All my life I’ve been passionate about writing. My mom’s an author. Ditto my uncle. Oh, and two cousins. It’s in my DNA. My blood. I’ve always known in my core this is my calling. Sure I got the writing college degree. And the life experience. But the traditional route never worked for me, despite some success in that area.

There’s nothing wrong with book editing and walking dogs, which I do for bread. But I really, really want to make writing my full time Thing. This is an appeal to your passionate spirit. Some may find this message desperate, groping, manipulative even. Maybe. But what is life if not vulnerability and risk and experimentation?

I appreciate all my subscribers, free or paid. But if you can afford it, and you value good work from a serious writer: Please, consider helping out. If not: I hate you.

(Kidding!!!)

Black Snake