Popular Support

Help Unpopular Front Fight On

Dear Readers,

I’m currently offering 20% off annual subscriptions.

As I’ve mentioned before, Unpopular Front is a totally reader supported publication. I had never dreamed for this to be the primary way I make a living, but thanks to the interest and dedication of readers like you, that’s become the case. It’s really wonderful to be able to write for one’s livelihood!

As nice as writing for one’s job can be, running a subscription-based service like this one requires a lot of application and industry. First, you need to write a lot. That’s okay for me, because I usually enjoy doing it. Second, and related to that, you need to find new readers as old ones drop out, credit cards expire, or people move on to other interests. This used to be fairly easy: through Twitter, I’d organically reach new readers. Even before it’s transition to “X”, this became more difficult: Substack links were deemphasized by the algorithm and its banner images prevented from appearing. This means people are much less likely to see anything I write and post on that platform.

According to the statistics provided by Substack, over the complete life of this publication, more than half of my paid subscribers have found it through Twitter. This number represents the difference between all this being a remunerative hobby and an actual livelihood. Now that that supply is severely limited, I am forced to ask you free subscribers directly—a la NPR—to help support Unpopular Front. So please, if you enjoy regularly reading me, have shared me, and, most especially, if find me to be useful in your academic or journalistic work, strongly consider a paid subscription!

As I mentioned up top, I’m currently offering a 20% discount off annual subscriptions — combined with the fact that a yearly subscription already gives you a free month, that adds up to a three whole months free. That comes out to less than 4 dollars a month! Surely, that’s a not such a bad deal for writing and commentary you can’t get anywhere else.

With a paid subscription you will receive regular “Reading, Watching” posts containing my book, film, article, and podcast recommendations. You will also be able to comment on posts, ask me questions for the Mailbag posts, and join the extremely smart and interesting community that has grown up around the newsletter. Plus, as a paid subscriber, you will never receive one of these emails again!

Thanks again,

John