A somewhat urgent message

I started the Editorial Board eight years ago. It was the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, and I had a lot to say that I could not say through regular means. Things began slowly, but by the spring of the following year, I was earning enough to have confidence that this venture might actually work. By the fall of 2019, even as the specter of covid was on the horizon, the dream was coming true: I was an independent writer making a living at writing!

Since then, a lot has changed. There are more newsletters for readers to choose from. The internet is smaller, thanks to oligarchs buying up most of it and putting up walls. (I do not and cannot get the attention I once did on Twitter. Thanks to Elon Musk, that site is a black box to me.) Obviously, the big problem is the economy. Post-covid inflation ate up incomes. Since Donald Trump returned to office, it's only gotten worse. Every extra dollar goes into the gas tank. It's always been hard to make a living as a writer. These days, it's harder still.

I am very lucky to have found a loyal audience. Some of you have been with me since the beginning, and for that, I cannot possibly show enough gratitude. That said, I am approaching a scary threshold in terms of the number of subscriptions. I have hesitated to ring the alarm bell, but the time is coming when I won't have a choice. When times were good, I saw one new subscriber a day. Today, I might see one new subscriber a month.

How can you help?

If you're not subscribing, please subscribe! I have far more people on my free list than my paid list. If 500 of them stepped up right now, I would promise to never ever ever send another one of these messages. If just 100 stepped up, I would be breathing easier right now. I don't need much. I live a modest life. I keep my expenses low by New England standards.

If you are already subscribing, first of all, THANK YOU! None of this is possible without you. Second, if you believe in my work at the Editorial Board, please consider a tip. I'm exploring means to give readers other ways of supporting my work. There are many new tools out there. Meanwhile, the tip jar is open and does not have a bottom. Put in as much as you like! (If you don't know if you are subscribing, check your status at the bottom of this email.)

As I say at the top, this is a somewhat urgent message. I'm not panicking, not yet, because I have come to trust and rely on my supporters. Thank you! –John Stoehr