The Future of This Substack

Why I am pausing paid subscriptions and what I plan to do for the foreseeable future

Dear subscribers,

A while back, I posted an update announcing that for those who are interested in becoming paid subscribers could now choose to do so because I have turned on the ability to pay for a subscription. Now I come with a new update: I have turned off the ability to be a paid subscriber. Below, you will find my reasoning for this change.

I had originally conceived of this substack to be free. I knew that many may not be able to pay for my content although they desired to read my writings. I thought that maybe if the substack grew big enough, and the labor and time it would require to push new content made the free nature of this substack no longer tenable, that I would then paywall some of my content. I received several inquiries about paying for a subscription (I originally had the option turned off), and thus reevaluated this position. I decided to turn on the ability to pay to gauge interest. While there is interest for some to pay for a subscription, I find I cannot justify the payment of my content for several reasons:

1. The news headlines I put out every day are the backbone of what this substack is supposed to be about. I cannot charge for this basic service.

2. I find it difficult in my daily life, juggling my work responsibilities as a professional librarian and managing personal life commitments, to have time to write, edit, and publish in-depth opinion and analysis that a paid subscription would require.

Because of these issues, there is no longer a paid subscription feature. I will commit to reassessing this decision quarterly to see if the subscriber base has grown enough to justify a paid subscription option. But for now, this substack will remain free to all.

You are welcome to comment with any opinions below. Thanks for your understanding and I remain eternally grateful to all of you for subscribing.

— Matt

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