A Temporary Delay For Most of You
The newsletter is still here and still free and on schedule - but let me explain
Greetings, my lovelies! For most of you, my regular weekend column is not showing up in your email inbox today. Don’t worry, this is a temporary disruption—all will resume next weekend.
Those of you who visit the index will see that I actually have published a piece today but it is paywalled. This doesn’t mean I’m going to start charging you all, I’m just trying a new thing, giving an idea a whirl, and since you already set aside time each week to read my ramblings, I hope you’ll let me ramble a bit now about my bright idea.
As of today it is pretty much exactly two years since I started writing this Substack column in lieu of a job that I used to have writing a column for pay. That pay came from an employer, whose income came from ads, a business model which no longer exists thanks to the dotcom billionaires who ultimately decided to beat the goose to death in search of that golden egg some years ago.
That was a pretty good model, though, as far as free enterprise is concerned, because I got exposure and money. These days, you have to choose only one of those things.
I don’t pay for the majority of the newsletters I’m subscribed to and enjoy, and sincerely the only reason for that is because it’s just financially unfeasible. I add a tip jar at the bottom of all my columns that’s less than the price of a subscription commitment and I know from the number of people who voluntarily tip each week (thank you!!) that folks do like to chip in, while at the same time fully understanding if you don’t.
I like people actually reading my work, and the highlight of my every single week is seeing people interacting with, sharing, and commenting. I would also like to eventually get to a point where I can afford to spend more time doing this sort of thing and less time doing soul-destroying office work.
So I’ve been trying to brainstorm ways that I can entice a few more paid subscriptions while at the same time keeping my newsletter free to read. As we enter a new fiscal year this week, I’m expanding my array of bonus features:
I’m still running The Poolish - a partially paywalled comedy news blog that paid subscribers to Plato Was a Dick get full complimentary access to.
The Bitter Files is also returning this year. These are longer form features for paid subscribers that I have been releasing periodically.
On top of that, from now on, paying subscribers to Plato Was a Dick get all of my columns one week in advance of everyone else.
You free subscribers will still get full text access to each week’s edition of the newsletter, it will still come to your inbox and you will still have full commenting privileges. But you can see it seven days in advance if you subscribe. Until then you can see a teaser for what’s coming up by visiting my landing page and I’m hoping that a few people might get impatient.
I think that’s a pretty good list of perks for a free newsletter! If you might indulge me further to sell it to you:
A paid subscription is US $5 per month, which is the lowest possible cost I can set for this platform, and I publish every single week, so that’s a buck 25 per column. That’s actually cheaper than if you’re someone who clicks the $2 tip button each week.
That gets you every column a whole week early, PLUS it earns you a complimentary subscription to my comedy newsletter The Poolish.
You can also sign up for a whole year for $50, which comes out even cheaper per month.
PLUS holy shit I now have a THIRD TIER of subscription called The Full Davis, which is US $80 a year and gets you all of the above perks PLUS a year subscription to my philosophy video project Three Minute Philosophy.
Thank you as always for reading. Here’s a link to upgrade if you would like to:
And here’s what paid subscribers can read right now - for the rest of you I will send this to your inbox this time next week. Until then - keep smiling :)