We're Going Ghost

I'm finally leaving Substack.

Danny Phantom, Nickelodeon

I’m finally leaving Substack, and I hope you’ll come with me.

Why are you leaving?

Late last year, news broke that Substack was allowing Nazi newsletters to earn money on its platform, and, by extension, making money from Nazi publications by taking a cut of subscription costs (as it does with any paid newsletter). Hundreds of authors threatened to take their newsletters off Substack, and plenty did. Substack’s co-founder gave a mind-boggling response to the initial backlash, writing, “I just want to make it clear that we don’t like Nazis either—we wish no-one held those views. But some people do hold those and other extreme views.” He then went on to imply that removing Nazi publications would be censorship.

After newsletters with hundreds of thousands of subscribers migrated away from Substack and public opinion toward the platform quickly soured, the site decided to take action…by removing just five Nazi newsletters that apparently totaled under 100 total paid subscribers, and reportedly keeping their official policies about what can and can’t be on Substack exactly the same. I don’t think anyone found this empty gesture particularly convincing.

While it’s true that hateful people will always find a place to make themselves heard on the internet, it’s not at all true that I need to keep asking my subscribers – who include dear friends, family, and industry colleagues – to send money to a company that also apparently knowingly takes money from Nazi-supporters, all while allowing them to build bigger audiences the same way they’d let a recipe newsletter or movie podcast grow. I, like many other writers who have left, am reminded of Michael B. Tager’s Twitter thread about a bartender who had a policy of kicking out every person he saw enter the bar with Nazi imagery on their clothing. The second a person like that becomes comfortable in a space, the bartender explained, they’ll come back and bring a friend, then another. Soon, you’ll look around and realize you’re suddenly in a Nazi bar. 

Why did it take you so long?

Since Substack refuses to do any sort of kicking out (and, I learned way after the fact, has had major problems along these lines before), it’s on its way to becoming a Nazi bar. I put an end to paid subscriptions on my site as soon as I caught wind of the platform’s gross refusal to moderate hate, but didn’t immediately migrate sites for a few reasons. First, I wanted to be thoughtful about where I ended up to avoid having this same problem again, and I didn’t have time to do deep research in the middle of a whirlwind immigration process (this is a whole different story) that saw me moving abroad in under two months. Second, I didn’t yet have the money needed to refund the unfulfilled annual paid subscriptions I’d accrued over the first year of the newsletter.

Where are you going?

Now that the dust has settled and I’m in my new home in Scotland, I’ve also found a new home for the newsletter: Ghost. I chose Ghost over competitors in part because I enjoy the designs I’ve seen from the site, appreciate that it uses the same payment processor as Substack, and am grateful it has no transaction fees. 

Mostly, though, I appreciated the ethical backbone on display in the site’s terms and conditions and other fine print. The Ghost Code of Conduct has a subheading titled “Don’t be a dick” and says it has a zero tolerance policy for hateful comments in Ghost-owned spaces. User-built websites get their own robust list of things that could get them kicked off, including illegal content and conduct, calls to violence, doxxing, and even the use of AI. The site explains who decides what counts, explains that they may consult a court in the event that they can’t decide, and reserves the right to look case-by-case at every complaint. It’s a lot better than Substack — a site that I just found out was made by the guys who made Kik, ew — and shows a stronger sense of ethical focus than the other competitors I checked out.

What does this mean for me as a subscriber?

I’ve already started putting together my Ghost-hosted site, but it’s a major work in progress. The next issue of the newsletter and the first on the new platform will send out next week. In terms of adjusting to Ghost, changes for subscribers will be relatively simple, and are as follows:

• I was able to export my mailing list to Ghost, so free subscribers will not need to resubscribe to the newsletter, though you may be prompted to sign up for a (free) Ghost account if you click through to the site. I encourage you to do so, as the site asks for very little information about you and claims not to send emails pestering readers about random new features.

• Paid plans are coming back! Unfortunately, it seems previous paid subscribers will have to sign up again for a paid version of Hey, What Are You Watching? on Ghost, though it should be quick and easy since the site can use the payment information you have stored in Stripe from when you signed up on Substack. You will not be charged again by Substack, and I will be sending out refunds to anyone who had an annual subscription that wasn’t fulfilled here very soon (before the end of the month, Stripe willing). This is the most stressful part of the switch, because I know no matter how seamless I try to make it for readers, there’s always going to be some income lost during the translation. If you can afford to, I hope you’ll sign up as a paid supporter, or tell your friends about the newsletter if you can’t but still like to read it.

• Speaking of paid support, I’ve added a new payment tier option. Upper Tier Paid Subscribers will get access to four “special projects” posts per year that won’t go out to everyone else. In a fraught media landscape overrun by corporate interests and clickbait, I sometimes end up feeling like my best and most deeply-researched writing isn’t a good fit for any of the sites I typically contribute to. The newsletter has increasingly become a haven for my deep dives, offbeat lists, and personal essays, and you’ll get even more of those if you subscribe to the higher payment tier on Ghost. The more financial support I get from the newsletter, the more ambitious I’ll be able to make these projects.

• Finally, I’ll officially be making the switch from a Sunday or Monday publication date to a weekday release schedule. I’m aiming for Mondays or Tuesdays, but will occasionally adjust depending on my workload and how many titles I have to recommend that week. With Ghost, you’ll still get newsletters straight to your inbox, just like before.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I appreciate every single person who’s clicked on one of my newsletters so far, shared comments and feedback, asked about what’s next, and told me what you’re watching lately. I know I’m not supposed to say this, but I don’t care that much about growing an audience or making more money – I just care about connecting with good people over good pop culture. You are without a doubt the best part of this job. Thanks again.