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Jenn H's avatar

It's funny how blogs were so hot for a while, then (mostly) crumbled in the face of social media that had more of an emphasis on pictures, GIFs, short posts, and reposts.

Yet there's obviously a hunger for the longer form, blog-style post, as Substackers are discovering ...

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Oh, I find the history fascinating. I ran a content website/blog for seven years, and it really was all about the promise of FUTURE earnings. Corporations were buying them up left and right ...and everyone realized that ads didn't generate any real revenue, and there was no other way to monetize them. And, yup, then social media -- free user-generated content! which also created TARGETED ads -- sucked up all the energy.

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Michael Jensen's avatar

💯💯💯💯💯

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Mike Sowden's avatar

So very much with you on this, Brent.

I also see Substack, and the newsletter subscription model as a whole, as a corrective for the stuff I was seeing in blogging, circa 2012-ish: approaching-100% reliant on advertising, plus sponsorships and PR handouts and the rest of it, turning reader attention from a mutual source of empowerment into a tradable resource, a virtual currency made of eyeballs (what a horrifying thought) that you could maybe, maybe exchange for actual money at some point? Maybe? So, this all feels like a rebalancing, a simplifying and - a de-hoodwinking? I don't quite know what to call it - I just know it's making people happy (myself included) in a way I hoped blogging would.

Also? Thank you to you & Michael for your generosity of spirit and your open-hearted work ethic with all this stuff. It has made a big difference to so many, and it's appreciated.

But I'll call you out on one thing. Writing is actually easy. EASY. It's SUUUUPER easy. And I say this because I have something I'm procrastinating on starting to write, and the only thing that will actually finally get me started on it this evening with the deadline quickly approaching is the knowledge that actually writing is easy and I will be finished in, oh I dunno, ten minutes? Maybe less. It'll be a breeze. But if writing was *hard* - like literally all the other times I've done it, which I'm refusing to think about right now - then I'd never even start. I'd just watch Netflix while rocking back and forth. So writing's easy. Nothing easier. OK?

Thanks.

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Michael Jensen's avatar

It's been ten minutes, so I'm assuming you're done, now, right? Hmmmm?

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Mike Sowden's avatar

OH GOD NETFLIX IS DOWN

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Michael Jensen's avatar

Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Tear off all of your clothes and go screaming through the streets, "WRITING IS EASY! EASY PEASY!!!!"

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

You are absolutely right on the blogging thing. Are you familiar with the Underpants Gnome? That's exactly what it was. What funny is, looking back, everyone was hungering for exactly this, we just didn't know what it was yet.

Haha, yes, I stand corrected. SUPER EASY! hehehe

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Mike Sowden's avatar

I did not know about the Underpants Gnome, and now I am reading a South Park wiki and nodding my head:

"Phase 1: Collect Underpants

Phase 2: ???

Phase 3: Profit.

Ayup.

Combined with a dollop of "well, if you aren't a success at this, it's 100% your fault, not anyone or anything else's." Nothing quite like shame for stopping people questioning stuff.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

I was not a South Park fan, but man, that was the perfect metaphor for so many things, especially tech and internet-related.

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Mike Sowden's avatar

Same, which is why I completely missed it until now. (Thank you!) Yeah, spot on.

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Michael Jensen's avatar

We're also making a killing selling gnome underpants...

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Mike Sowden's avatar

I KNEW IT!!

TIME TO TEAR THIS HOUSE OF CARDS DOWN.

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Hamish McKenzie's avatar

Thank you for writing on this weird new platform!

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Hahaha, well, thank YOU, personally. Not so new now, I guess, but still fairly weird compared to other platforms (but in all good ways!).

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Hamish McKenzie's avatar

Keep Substack Weird

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Martha Ritzman Johnson's avatar

I am enjoying your substack adventures and wonder if you might like to read my weekly essay from time to time, also on substack- free- it’s called Mostly Martha’s Musings. This week, my dog, Stuart, visited a Hospice with interesting results. Thanks for your time. Martha Johnson

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Thank you! And will do!

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Victoria Klein (VK)'s avatar

This was a blessing to read. As someone who once was a full-time writer and consciously left that life, I feel your pain. I'm overjoyed that Substack has been such a boon for both of you! You're certainly an encouragement for lil ole me as I write my 3rd book (a memoir), try to shop it around, and build to being worthy of turning on a Substack paywall.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Thank you! I do still have faith in traditional publishing, for certain books. But man, I think it pays to have some kind of platform that YOU control to go along with it. Both avenues lead to the same place -- you and your writing -- but I want to live in a world where we are not slaves to systems we don't control. Good luck with the memoir!

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Moorea Maguire's avatar

Congratulations! You both are outstanding writers and deserve the success. I agree about institutionalized journalism today. It's hypocritical how they point out some lies but propagate others. They seem to enjoy expressing their opinions more than doing the behind-the-scenes work of reporting.

Have you seen Una Great Movie? Search "Una gran película (2020) | Película completa" from the channel Indie Rights Movies For Free. It's a fun, fresh comedy about writing a screenplay by Jennifer Sharp.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Thank you! Yes, I'm getting tired of "my side" putting their fingers on the scales too. Maybe there's no such thing as "objectivity," but there is such a thing as fairness.

I'll look for the movie!

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Annette Laing's avatar

Brent, I am a grump, and I don't claim to not grump about Substack. But yes, to all of this. I could restate it, but it wouldn't add anything at all. Thank you.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

hahah. well, just between you and me, I may be a grump too about many things, at times including Substack.

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Annette Laing's avatar

And that is such a good thing in this bizarre time when people are either declaring "everything is awesome" or shouting abuse at each other. The world needs more goodhearted grumps. :)

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Haha, never thought about that. I just texted another friend what a schizophrenic era we live, where half the time people talk about "kindness!" and "love!" but at the same time, people are openly rewarded online for being raging assholes. I don't understand it, but yes, goodhearted grumps are the key to everything! I may steal that... hehe

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Berkman Don's avatar

Loved the article. I only subscribe to you and Kareem Abdul jabbar on substack. I enjoy both of you very much!! Happy new year. Don

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Haha Honored! Thank you. How did you hear about us?

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Arthur Slade's avatar

Excellent piece. Glad for your success. Hard work is giving both of you deserved success.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Thank you, Sir!

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Karen Test Account Owner's avatar

Congratulations, Brent, love your work!

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Thank you! Much appreciated!

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JEANETTE LEBLANC's avatar

I so agree with everything here - I find myself heading to instagram less and less, because what I see being built here is a return to the golden age of blogging. When the words mattered, and we were not trying to constrain our ideas into 2200 characters. I come here to read good writing, to encounter new ideas. I'm slowly retraining my brain that I don't just have to feed the content machine for free in perpetuity in order to make a living as a writer. Right now, truthfully, I've got hard core Substack warm fuzzies, and as more of my favorite writers find their way here, that just continues to grow.

I have not yet figured out the golden ticket for paid subscriptions, but I'm writing again, in ways I have not written in years. And that feels damn good.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

I know, I've drunk the Kool-Aid too. I know there are problems -- and more will be evident in the years ahead. But right now, I feel fuzzies too.

There are many avenues to the "paid subscription" thing. We're figuring it out too, but ppl have been surprisingly generous. I think the keys for us are: consistency and professionalism, along with value/voice that no one else offers.

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JEANETTE LEBLANC's avatar

I don't know what I clicked on in the substack rabbit hole to find my way here, but I'm glad i did. I just read your essay on how you afford your digital nomad life and have sent it to three friends already.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Why thank you! Things have changed a bit since then -- inflation, etc. -- but there are still ways to live great very cheaply, which we will continue to write about...

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JEANETTE LEBLANC's avatar

Can't wait to dive in more! I've got a 17 year old so I'm a few years off from travel freedom, but once she's launched, I swear, I'm hitting the road.

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Gaëlle Gosselin's avatar

Also, you're really really good at this substack thing. You've got the right recipe for making it work. Writing super interesting pieces, entertaining at the same time as educating. Consistency. And if I knew everything else it is you're doing that is working so well I would be doing it too, except I do substack my way and I'm happy with that too, and that is another reason substack is great, because we don't all have to do the same thing, and that helps diamonds like you guys shine out of the pile !

Keep enjoying life and everything will always work out :))

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

What a sweet thing to say! We try!

And I agree, there are a zillion different ways to do Substack. I think what's interesting is that no one really knows what works right now -- we're all on our own voyages of discovery. (Just subscribed!)

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ben woestenburg's avatar

You know, it's kinda funny how when I first got here on SUBSTACK it seemed that everything was so political and full of things I didn't think I could fit into. I just wanted to have a place I could put my stories up on. The idea of making money at it was intriguing, to be honest. But I write fiction, and though I've been on since June and only have 84 subscribers, I feel things will pick up because of the product I have to offer. I caught on to your page because I so want to join in with the Nomad life and just travel, but the wife is still working and is one of "those" people who actually loves her job. I know my page will catch on eventually, and that I have to be patient about it, and I'm willing to do that because now I'm retired. If you enjoy long, literary fiction, maybe you might like to drop by for a visit? https://benwoestenburg.substack.com

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

I'm intrigued by the increasing numbers of people writing fiction. I do think the "promotion" aspect is very important -- Michael is our resident expert in that respect. Substack is good at discoverability but you still need to goose the pump, so to speak, especially as more people gravitate here. The occasional piece that is very "shareable" helps a lot -- anything to get some attention for yourself. Good luck!

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Haliday's avatar

So happy for you. . . I think I alternate reading your work on a few platforms. AND, I have discovered other writers I enjoy on Substack as well. I have been encouraged to do a blog or something by friends who enjoy my FB page (and, due to high profile jobs, I have 5000 friends! So there’s a start for a subscription base). I have contemplated Wordpress, Medium and others. Your endorsement of SubStack has me thinking. Thanks. And in 2023, let’s try to meet in person. We’re just over here in Gig Harbor if our 2-3 months here ever overlap with your time in Seattle. Happy New Year.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Thank you! means a lot to me. Yes, I (obviously) think you should give Substack a try. And that would be very nice! We'll be back for much of Feburary.

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Haliday's avatar

We leave january 31 for bonaire. . . So maybe when we get back Aug-Dec (tho we have some petsit applications pending!).

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

We should make it happen!

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Bailey Richardson's avatar

Bravo 💓

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

thank you! appreciate that

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Sarah Styf's avatar

Yes, yes, yes. All of this. My goal for 2023 in addition to self-publishing a book of essays (and going with self-publishing for many of the reasons you listed), is growing my community here and figuring out how to best serve a paying audience.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

Thank you! And isn't it great controlling your own platform? I'm so happy here...

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Sarah Styf's avatar

Yes! How do y'all decide what is paid content and what isn't?

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Michael Jensen's avatar

That's slowly evolved over time. We do a bit more paid content now than free content so that our paid subscribers feel like they are getting their money's worth. And we often put high "value" content behind the paywall to encourage people to subscriber. Meanwhile more shareable content -- my photo posts, either of our essays -- are often free so that people will share them around.

But it's hard deciding because one wants everything they write to be as widely read es possible!

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Sarah Styf's avatar

Yes! That is my struggle right now. But I'm just telling people right now that paying helps support me, more paid content will come down the road.

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Brent Hartinger's avatar

As Michael says, that is the eternal question. If something seems highly "sharable," it's probably free/public. But lately, I'm putting "fun" and heavily researched pieces behind the paywall too, and we've getting a number of conversions from that. We do want to provide "value," but I think readers understand how it works and may just want to support you, especially at first.

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Michael Jensen's avatar

We always explain that as well! It's a tricky line to walk.

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Dan Violette's avatar
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